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LOT 0349
Viking Age Bronze and Crystal Pendant with Beast's Head
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/4 in. (42.01 grams, 83 mm high).
With fusiform hexagonal-section crystal bead modified for use as a pendant with the addition of a bronze collar bearing stamped 'bowtie' motifs attached to two lateral straps converging at the end to form a knotted and looped bail; finial formed as a beast-head with raised snout and piriform eyes, shallow flange ears, slanted muzzle; thick bronze wire suspension loop with ends twisted around the shank. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Cf. similar animal-head profile on the weathervane from Källunge church, Gotland in Franceschi, G., Jorn, A. & Magnus, B., Fuglen, Dyret og Mennesket i Nordisk Jernalderkunst, vol.2, Borgen, 2005, pl.181.
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 0349
Viking Age Bronze and Crystal Pendant with Beast's Head
Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
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Viking Age Bronze Tortoise Brooch
Circa 10th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Displaying high-relief palmette ornament, omega-shaped panels and other ornament; catch and two transverse bars to the reverse. 67.4 grams, 81 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Viking Age Silver Trade Bar Ingot
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Shaped as a rectangular bar with rounded ends, hammered flat creating a ribbed pattern. 1.58 grams, 27 mm
Acquired late 1980s-early 1990s. Ex private collection, Nottinghamshire, UK. Acquired on the UK art market in 2012. Property of a Kent lady collector. -
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Scandinavian Viking Bronze Drum Brooch with Interlaced Panels
8th-9th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £833
With four raised arms and central knop to the upper face, all with punched ring-and-dot detailing; the outer sidewall with four panels of knotwork, dividing vertical stems with ring-and-dot motif, each with a D-shaped protrusion; the upper face with dense zoomorphic ornament; pin and separate catchplate to the underside with central hole, five studs retaining it to the upper. 71.6 grams total, 45 mm
Fine condition, pin intact, backplate slightly cracked.
UK gallery, acquired in the 2000s. Property of an English gentleman. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11406-192532.
The type is known as a 'drum' brooch or 'box' brooch. They were apparently manufactured on the island of Gotland and all known examples probably have their origin there. Over time, the refinement of the earlier types (such as the present example) is superseded by cruder decoration consisting of dimples or simple dots.
