Loading, please wait...
LOT 1829
Viking Age Bronze Raven's Beak Pendant
10TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (16.8 grams, 55 mm).
With domed eye and tendril surround ending in loops, substantial suspension loop to the reverse.
ProvenanceAcquired before 1990.
Ex property of a professional collector.
Cf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, pl.CXIV (12), for type.
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 1829
Viking Age Bronze Raven's Beak Pendant
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
-
Scandinavian Viking Bronze Sword Chape
10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Openwork unifacial 'winged horse' format (Woods's Type 3B) with beaked head in profile on a ribbed neck, pierced hindleg beneath and tapering wing above; the head extending to a reverse flange. 6.74 grams, 38 mm
Found by Robin Sutton, UK. Property of a Lancashire, UK, collector. Accompanied by a copy of the Searcher Magazine article where it was published in 2006.
The item formed the reinforced finial to a leather chape for a knife. Its design suggests an Anglo-Scandinavian context, probably 11th century and likely linked to the increased Scandinavian contacts with Britain during the reign of Cnut (1016-35). -
Viking Age Inlaid Iron Horse Bit Cheek Piece Pair with Opposing Beasts
Northern Europe, 11th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £900
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. -
Very Large Scandinavian Viking Silver Tau Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 22 | Current Bid: £3,000
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. 23.1 grams, 71 mm
Private 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.
Although 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).