Loading, please wait...

Viking Age Decorated Bronze Key Viking Age Decorated Bronze Key Viking Age Decorated Bronze Key
Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge
Details

LOT 1507

Viking Age Decorated Bronze Key

9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.

4 1/2 in. (43.8 grams, 11.6 cm).

Comprising a round-section tapering shank with ribbed collar to each end; polyhedral block to each end, quatrefoil bit with openwork design, pierced suspension lug. [No Reserve]

Provenance

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

Literature

Cf. Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L., Luistari II. The Artefacts, Helsinki, 1982, pl.111 (4252).

CONDITION
VETTING:

TimeLine 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 1507

Viking Age Decorated Bronze Key

Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS
  • Viking Age Bronze Freya Pendant
    Viking Age Bronze Freya Pendant
    9th-11th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £195

    Complete with a large suspension loop and stylised facial details in relief with the indication of breasts below. 9.28 grams, 50 mm



    London art market before 2000. Property of an Essex gentleman.

    Lot Details

  • Viking Age Silver Gripping Beasts Pendant
    Viking Age Silver Gripping Beasts Pendant
    10th century A.D.

    Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+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 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 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.

    Lot Details

  • Viking Bronze Faux Twisted Ring
    Viking Bronze Faux Twisted Ring
    9th-11th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £33

    The hoop formed from overlapping arms, the bezel with remains of slender twisted wire bands between larger faux twisted ones. 15.76 grams, 28.84 mm overall, 15.60 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I, USA 4 1/4, Europe 7.44, Japan 7)



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

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list