Loading, please wait...
LOT 0357
Scandinavian Viking Period Silver-Gilt Corpus Christi
CIRCA 11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (70 grams, 11.7 cm wide).
Modelled in the half-round with elongated arms and exaggerated hands, head tilted and eyes downcast in solemn expression, long hair falling on his shoulders in hanks; wearing a knee-length pleated garment, secured to the waist with a thick knotted rope, gilt roundels to hands and feet to indicate wounds; attaches to lot 358.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of an antiquarian and collector of medieval art.
Acquired on the London art market.
Private collection, London, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12731-234561.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. similar Corpus Christi on the crosses from the Book of Aribert of Intimiano (1018-1045), and in the Church of Helmstedt, Niedersachsen, Kloster of St.Liudger, in Romisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseum Mainz (RGZM), Das Reich der Salier, 1024-1125, Sigmaringen, 1992, pp.381-383; see also a very similar crucifix with crowned Christ, copper-coated wood, c. 1050-1100, in Åby monastry near Århus, Denmark.
FootnotesThe magnificent crucifix is paralleled by two wonderful crucifixes in the Danish Churches of Århus and Lisbjerg. In accordance with the old tradition derived from Byzantium, Christ is depicted as alive, standing in front of his cross, with nailed hands. It may have once been part of an altar decoration or rather have been placed above or in the chancel arch of a church.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0357
Scandinavian Viking Period Silver-Gilt Corpus Christi
Estimate £15,000 - 20,000€17,400 - 23,200 (for guidance only)$20,250 - 27,000 (for guidance only)
-
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Stirrup Apex Mount with Odin Bound by Serpents
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
An excessively rare example of Williams Class A, Type 3 showing a standing nude man with beard and long moustache, an animal-like form around the man's waist extending towards the flanking serpents on each side, the serpents' tails wrapped around the man's legs and their open jaws gape on either side of the man's head. 26.6 grams, 54 mm
Found Sutton Fields, Sutton on the Forest, Yorkshire, UK, on 21 November 1999. From the private collection of Robin Sykes, Yorkshire, UK, formed since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an illustrated record sheet by Jim Halliday dated 22 November 1999, and various off-prints. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Period Bronze Twisted Neck Torc with Looped Terminals
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Formed of two twisted thick rods with overlapping arms and loop terminals. 350 grams, 25 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Frankish Silver-Gilt S-Shaped Bird Brooch with Garnets
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
S-shaped plate brooch formed with a profile bird-head finial at each end with inset garnet cabochon eye, hatched panels and inlaid garnet cloisons; pin-lugs and catch to reverse. 7.58 grams, 30 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
During the mid-sixth century the S-brooch, along with the disc brooch, became popular. These were made primarily of gilded silver embellished with garnet inlays or in garnet cloisonné. Early forms of S-shaped brooches appear in graves in Scandinavia throughout the fifth century and in Europe during the first decades of the sixth century, and reached the height of their popularity during the latter half of that time. They were widespread across Europe and are found in central and western Europe, Italy, Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon England. They generally take the form of an S-shaped body with heads at either end facing in opposite directions. The heads are generally depicted as birds but examples are known of unidentified animals with splayed open jaws, possibly dragons or wolves. The use of the head imagery is consistent with the aesthetic tendencies associated with the northern, Pagan Germanic world.