Viking Age Bronze Zoomorphic Mount

Comprising a round-section hoop and two trapezoidal plate finials each with a geometric design of granulation; round-section pin coiled to the hoop. 30.8 grams total, 60-61 mm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.

Composed of openwork links, coiled filigree collars and a central hoop with intertwined bezel and coiled sleeves. 134 grams, 80 cm long



From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.

Adorned with repoussé chevrons and applied granules; replaced loop. 1.17 grams, 15 mm



From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.

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.