Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0349
Viking Age Scandinavian Silver-Gilt Pendant with Mask
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (3.81 grams, 23 mm).
With integral loop, border enclosing a low-relief image of a male facing mask between two birds embraced at the necks; Kipplingeberg type. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Literature
Cf. Korshyn, V.E., Yazicheskiye Priveski Drevniye Rusi X-XIV Vekov, Moscow, 2013, item J.2.02.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Viking Age Bronze Twisted Bar Bracelet
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Two rods tightly twisted and curved into a penannular shape, hammered into a rectangular-section crescent and tapered towards the ends. 30.9 grams, 60 mm
Ex Arundel, East Sussex, UK, private collection, 1970s-2000. -
Pre-Viking Gold Aroma Bucket Pendant
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Miniature drum-shaped vessel covered in filigree bobbles with strap handle. 0.78 grams, 13.52 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Pendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages. -
Pre-Viking Age Bronze Shaman Pendant
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Flat in section with spread wings and talons to the lower body, feather detailing to tail and wings; male mask above, flanked by profile bird-heads at the pinions; loop to reverse; Samoyed type. 18.58 grams, 66.13 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13290-253202.
The pendant likely represents the soul of the shaman in bird form on a spirit journey.
