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LOT 0295
Very Large Scandinavian Viking Silver Tau Cross Pendant
10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/4 in. (23.1 grams, 71 mm).
Hollow-formed type with barrel-shaped suspension bar, narrow neck, trefoil plaque with two lateral piercings; applied filigree knotwork to the plaque and suspension bar, domed 'eyes' and nose at the junction with the plaque; plain reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13299-256161.
Cf. Franceschi, G., Jorn, A. & Magnus, B., Mennesker, Guder og Masker i Nordisk Jernalderkunst, vol.1, Borgen, 2005, item 227, for type; cf. for similar specimens the hoard of ten filigree pendants from Neuendorf; the seven filigree cross pendants of Scandinavian style from the hoard of Mikhailovski monastery, Kiev, in Williams, G., Pentz, P., Wemhoff, M., Vikings life and legend, London, 2014, p.132.
FootnotesAlthough the ornament is decorated with a traditional double-braid band, it no longer features animal ornamentation, but intertwined rings made of multi-row filigree wire. The shape of the Tau cross also finds parallels with the patrices of the Busdorf hoard (Schleswig-Holstein).
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:
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LOT 0295
Very Large Scandinavian Viking Silver Tau Cross Pendant
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
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Viking Age Inlaid Iron Horse Bit Cheek Piece Pair with Opposing Beasts
Northern Europe, 11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Matched pair of bridle fittings formed as two opposing fantastical creatures with their heads turned back and front legs resting on a globe forming a passage for a strap, the bodies decorated with bands of herringbone decoration. 79.2 grams total, 79 mm each
From a European collection, 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13379-257911.
On these types of horse-bits, two heads or a head/tail normally face each other. But an unusual piece from Edsvära in Västergötland, Sweden, depicts two heads turned outwards, like in the current example. The mount from Edsvära, with its attached iron bit, was found in 1906 next to a horse's skeleton. -
Viking Period Silver Bracelet
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Formed as a single square-section wire twisted about its own length with one looped end and one hooked. 4.9 grams, 49 mm
From the private collection of the late collection of Mr M., Waterlooville, Hampshire, UK, formed from the late 1980s to early 1990s. -
Scandinavian Viking Silver Pendant with Beast
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Discoid type with suspension loops, pellets to the border enclosing a bird-head in profile; Baltic type. 3.53 grams, 24 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
