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LOT 0264
Viking Age Iron Sword with Cocked Hat Type Pommel
10TH CENTURY A.D.
35 1/2 in. (996 grams, 90 cm).
Petersen Type L variant with double-edged pattern-welded blade (waving pattern) showing evidence of being employed, tapering fullers and hefty tang; boat-shaped lower guard, cocked hat pommel with traces of silver inlay; some restoration.
ProvenanceFrom 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.11816-206858.
Cf. Petersen, J., De Norske Vikingsverd, Oslo, 1919; Oakeshott, R.E., The Archaeology of the weapons, London, 1960; Wilson, D. M., ‘Some neglected Late Anglo-Saxon swords’, in Medieval Archaeology, 1965, 9 (1), pp.32-54; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002; Żabiński, G., ‘Viking Age Swords from Scotland’, in Acta Militaria Mediaevalia III, Kraków, Sanok, 2007, pp.29-84; the sword finds good parallels in various similar Viking age specimens: a sword in the Bergen Museum (no.2605), a sword at the British Museum (1912, 7-23 1), a sword in the Musée de l’Armée, Paris (JPO2262), all published by Peirce (2002, pl.II, pp.74-76); also the Wensley hilt sword belongs to this classification (Wilson,1965, pp.42ff., pl.VIIa); another occasional find of this typology has been excavated in Wales in 2004, a chance discovery in the garden at Hawarden (NWM inv. 2007.4H).
FootnotesThis sword shows evidence of beautiful pattern-welding. The great curvature of the hilt, stronger than any other type of Viking swords, characterises the typology of L swords. This is clearly visible on the specimens from Dolven and Nedre (Stokke) published by Petersen (1919, figs.94-95).
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The gilding process used on the blade seems to be an exceptionally rare example of what was known in medieval Islamic literary sources as ‘gold water’. The blade seems to have been decorated with a Kufic inscription to three sides. It bears witness to the extraordinary sophistication of the metalworkers and jewellers of this period. -
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Urartu Bronze Mace or Sceptre Head
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