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LOT 1377
Viking Age Bronze Lobed Cross Pendant
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (10.9 grams, 44 mm).
Cruciform in plan with lobe to end of each arm, inlaid pellet and ring to each arm and pellet to the centre; reinforcing cross to the reverse; pierced for suspension. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Hammond, B., British Artefacts vol.2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010, item 1.1.6-e.
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
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Stirrup Mount with Interlaced Serpents
10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £160
Squat-bodied and triangular in form; short tab with rivet hole to apex, ledge with rivet to reverse of the lower edge, displaying high-relief interlaced serpent design with head above the lower edge. 22.3 grams, 32 mm
Acquired early 1990s. From an East Anglian private collection.
The mount is not included in Williams's study of Anglo-Scandinavian stirrup mounts, which is now more than twenty years old. However, it is evidently an example of Class B, while lacking the bear-mask and openwork features. Its design appears to derive from a Class A type (Williams's nos.380, 383) which shares the feature of the facing serpent-head placed centrally on the lower edge. -
Pre-Viking Large Crystal Lens Magnifier with Bronze Case and Wrapping
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £280
The group comprising: a polished rock crystal lens for magnification, formed with a domed upper face and gently convex base; two-part sheet-bronze case consisting of a domed lid and dish-style base, both components pierced; a relatively large textile fragment. 165 grams total, 5-29 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
Viking Silver Gripping Beast Pendant
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
With integral loop; the openwork plaque with banded border and four panels, internal stylised zoomorph with hatched panel to the hip, gripping three-fingered hands to the body and border, two detailed feet, clearly visible facing mask below the loop with pellet eyes. 8.44 grams, 35 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
There is a class of discoid pendants with banded borders and contorted figures found in the hinterland of the Baltic region, associated with the influence of Scandinavian settlers. The design of these items recalls specific elements of Scandinavian art - for example, the 'gripping hands' motif is a feature of the Oseberg Style named after the famous Norwegian ship-burial. Oseberg Style is associated with the beginnings of the Viking age, and was current in the 9th century when Scandinavian settlers began to establish centres of trade and political control in the area of the rivers Dnieper and Volga. The motif has been interpreted as a horse and linked with various legends and mythic figures.
