Loading, please wait...
LOT 1204
Viking Age Bronze Bird Brooch
10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (6.06 grams, 30 mm).
Modelled facing left, stylised wing and body detailing; remains of a fitting element to reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. similar bird brooch in PAS, NLM-CE3915.
FootnotesBird brooches from the late(r) Viking era have been found in Scandinavia as well in areas occupied and inhabited by the Vikings and Norsemen within England, in Anglo-Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon contexts. These so-called bird shaped brooches can be dated to the 11th and even early 12th century. Stylistically the brooch here cannot be categorised as a distinct 'Viking style' such as the late Urnes style, although some types of other bird shaped brooches shows us connections to the Ringerike and Urnes style. The decoration and form of the bird on the brooch here is more influenced by the development of Romanesque styles spreading from the Continent into Scandinavian art, like the style of a bird, depicted on the right corner next to the door portal of Rimsø Kirke, Jylland, completed in 1150 A.D.
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.
-
Pre Viking Silver Aroma Bucket Pendant
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Decorated with filigree bands of overlapping semi-circular motifs to the sidewall; slender handle with plaited decoration. 1.71 grams, 19 mm high
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Pendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages. -
Baltic Viking Bronze Strap End
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Tongue-shaped plaque with fixing lug to the reverse and four rivet-holes; Byzantine-inspired design of fleshy vegetation within segmented border. 18.8 grams, 51 mm
UK private collection formed before 2000. Ex North London, UK, gallery. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Howling Beast Stirrup Mount
Circa 11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £481
Of Williams's Group 1 type 11C with raised frame, trefoil below the loop, high-relief wolf image, two holes to lower edge and ledge to the reverse. 26.2 grams, 48 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. Property of a Stowmarket, UK, gentleman.
