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LOT 1699
Viking Age Bronze Tortoise-Type Brooch Group
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
3 - 3 1/8 in. (140 grams total, 77-80 mm).
Comprising three shallow-domed plate brooches each with low-relief zoomorphic ornament and a narrow ledged rim; to the reverse, a small catch and T-shaped pin-lug; one with textile remains in situ. [3]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
PublishedExhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 27th August-10th December 2025; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.61.
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 1699
Viking Age Bronze Tortoise-Type Brooch Group
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Howling Beast Stirrup Apex Mount
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Heater-shaped in profile with trefoil knop above; high-relief profile wolf with head thrown back and one forepaw raised; ledge to reverse with holes for studs; Williams's Class A, type 11. 22.7 grams, 42 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. -
Viking Age Silver Gripping Beasts Pendant
10th century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Composed of an openwork discoid body with integral T-shaped tubular loop; raised gusseted rim enclosing a pair of S-shaped beasts with billetted bodies and comma-shaped tails, enmeshed gripping paws clutching the rim and their own bodies. 12.4 grams, 43 mm
Acquired on the European art market in the 1990s. Ex property of a German gentleman.
Despite the long period of overlap of Borre and Jellinge art styles, there are only a few examples of their fusion. The principal and most popular motif of the Borre style displays an animal with gripping paws, usually enmeshed in a circular frame, while a typical Jellinge style beast is more slender with a long, S-shaped body and ribbon decoration. The most famous example of a pendant featuring a fusion of these styles was found in a hoard from Vårby (Sweden), formed as a circle with a pair of Jellinge-style beasts with ribbon-shaped bodies in profile and heads with open jaws and extended tongues; however, each is provided with gripping paws and an enmeshed body, which are typical features of the Borre style. A few examples of these pendants were also found near the important trading settlement of Gnezdovo, near Smolensk, Russia. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Howling Beast Stirrup Apex Mount
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With mounting hole at the apex and two to the lower edge, vestigial ledge to the reverse, reserved central motif of a wolf in profile with head thrown back; Williams's Class A Type 11. 20.5 grams, 55 mm
Found Norfolk, UK.
