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Details
LOT 0299
Viking Age Iron Sword Decorated Hilt
11TH-13H CENTURY A.D.
34 5/8 in. (814 grams, 88 cm).
Double-edged cutting sword of Couronian type with tapering fullers, bronze cross-guard with Jellinge Style type decoration; five-lobed bronze pommel rivetted at the top.
Provenance
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
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.12784-240320.
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.
Literature
Cf. Kazakevičius, Балтские мечи IX-XIII вв. (Baltic Swords, 9th-13th century AD), Vilnius, 1996; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002; Tomsons, A., ‘Symbolism of Medieval Swords from the territory of Latvia during the 11th-13th centuries’ in Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica 29, Łódź, 2012, pp.145-161.
Footnotes
The Couronian swords of this type with animal head decoration were widespread and used in the Eastern Baltic lands from 10th to 13th century.
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