Viking Age Iron Bearded Axehead

The blade with raised mid-rib and penannular guard, integral flanged hilt with organic inserts for the grip and crescentic pommel. 368 grams, 31.5 cm



Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

These daggers were cast in one-piece mould. Some scholars (Negahban) states that blade and grip were cast in one piece mould, and that the penannular guard was later cast onto the blade. However the main characteristic was the hilt and pommel open to accept organic inlays, here preserved.

Comprising: twenty-seven fittings of polygonal shape with reserved stylised vegetal forms; one belt buckle of similar shape and decoration on the preserved part of the barb; a roundel; a narrow polygonal belt-tip; attachment rivets to reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 525 grams total, mounts: 21-34 mm



Acquired on the London art market, 1990s. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12621-234052. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Pentagonal strap mounts decorated with schematic plant ornaments, cast in bronze, characterised the population of Volga Bulgars, often in commercial relations with the Viking world. A belt-set with pentagonal and rectangular mounts decorated with plant ornaments, along with its strap end and buckle, were excavated by V.D. Sokolov in Slavic-Scandinavian graves in Russian territory.

Comprising: a hexagonal-section tapering socket, lentoid-section neck and leaf-shaped blade; inlaid silver-wire scrolled tendril detailing to the socket and neck. 693 grams, 42 cm



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The spearhead likely belonged to a family fighting in the Balkanic wars among Christian and Ottomans in the late 15th century A.D. Spears with such shape are dated to the 16th century and are defined by specialists as ‘schefflin’ type. The ornament of the blade imitates Ottoman decorative models.