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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
AUCTIONS:
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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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Viking Bronze Bridle Strap Junction with Beast Heads
10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Comprising a rectangular suspension loop with D-section shank and mask below, two flanking arms each with a zoomorphic (bear?) face, one terminating in a wolf's head and the other in a bird's head; small loops below the terminals. 30 grams, 63 mm
Found Bardney, Lincolnshire, UK, in the early 1990s.
This bridle junction is decorated in the Anglo-Scandinavian Ringerike style. On each side of the central hole is an outward facing animal, their beaked heads positioned on the outer edges. The details on the face are carried out in moulded relief as well as engraving. -
Viking Age Bronze Tortoise Brooch
Circa 10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Displaying high-relief palmette ornament, omega-shaped panels and other ornament; catch and two transverse bars to the reverse. 67.4 grams, 81 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
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.