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LOT 0327
Viking Age Gilt Bronze Boar's Head Brooch
10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 7/8 in. (37 grams, 48 mm).
Retaining an articulate pin to reverse and geometric detailing to each face.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. MacGregor, A. et al., A Summary Catalogue of the Continental Archaeological Collections, Oxford, 1997, items 3.17, 318.
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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LOT 0327
Viking Age Gilt Bronze Boar's Head Brooch
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
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Large Pre-Viking Gold Bracteate Medallion with Interlaced Snakes
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
Executed using the repoussé technique, depicting interlaced snakes or possibly Jörmungandr, the world serpent; applied suspension loop with repoussé chevrons and pellets, faux ropework border around the whole. 13.04 grams, 61 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11729-200423.
The bracteate belongs to the main type D, showing an image of tetramorphic monsters. Probably here the representation refers to Jörmungandr, the serpent of Midgard, son of Loki and killer of Thor, protagonist of Ragnarok - the downfall of the gods. The art of the bracteate medallions is one of the few contemporary sources for the pre-Christian religion of the Nordic countries. It demonstrates that ancient Germanic mythology, although known from later texts, was built on a tradition dating back to at least the 5th-6th centuries A.D. The function of these medallions was linked to the social position of the wearer in Germanic society. -
Viking Period Silver Trade Ingot
Circa 800-1000 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £325
Sub-rectangular in plan and ovate in section, tapering to a rounded point at each end, some areas hammered flat in antiquity and displaying numerous striations and casting bubbles, nine triangular peck marks along the flat underside, but otherwise undecorated. 84 grams, 97 mm
From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a copy of a previous illustrated catalogue sheet.
Cuerdale Viking silver hoard from Lancashire which includes similar long, narrow examples and was deposited circa 905-910 (J. Graham-Campbell, 2011, The Cuerdale Hoard and related Viking-Age silver and gold from Britain and Ireland in the British Museum, London, pl. 3, 1: 17-18). -
Viking Silver Necklace Pendant with Mosaic Beads
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Bronze wire loop with ends twisted around the shank, three mosaic glass beads. 11.6 grams, 43 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.