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LOT 0261
Viking Age Silver and Latten Inlaid Seax War Knife
10TH CENTURY A.D.
10 7/8 in. (166 grams, 27.5 cm).
An iron single-edged angle-backed knife with tapering tang; silver and latten inlay to both faces. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1881,0623.1, for a similar knife.
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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Viking Age and Later Iron Axehead Group
10th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £88
Mainly comprising socketted axeheads and adzes, together with other items; including at least one stamped with maker's marks. 9.5 kg total, 14.5-28.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Luristan Bronze Flat Axe
13th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Formed with a rounded butt and flared cutting edge; flat in cross-section. 173 grams, 22 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
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Viking Iron Axehead with Silver Inlaid Interlaced Dragons
7th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
To both lateral faces, the upper face of the blade and the rear of the socket decorated with an interlaced design; slender body with bearded lower edge and curved blade, lateral spurs and rectangular panel to the butt. 282 grams, 14 cm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a four page report written by Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11878-206842.
The style of the design inlaid to the axe is interesting since it evidently owes a great deal to the kinds of Insular Style ornament found in manuscripts of the 8th century in the British Isles. The elegant curves of the narrow tendrils are strongly reminiscent of the zoomorphic elements found in the Lindisfarne Gospels, St Gall Codex and the Book of Kells (Salin, 1935, pp.342-3; Moss, 2018) and the inlaid designs show the characteristic parallel curves found for example on some of the initials in those documents. The tight knot serpentine bodies recalls the similar dense knot found in the Kells manuscript (Salin's figure 731). However, the details of the layout and execution show that the piece is unlikely to have originated in the British Isles.
