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LOT 0345
Viking Age Silver Facing Bird Pendant
CIRCA 9TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (5.46 grams, 43 mm).
Zoomorphic, in the form of a bird with wing and feather detailing highlighted in filigree, the suspension tube forming the bird's head, curved beak below, beaded filigree collars and coiled wire to each arm of the suspension loop. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Cf. Magnus, B., Men, Gods and Masks in Nordic Iron Age Art, Volume 1, Köln, 2003, item 227, for similar type.
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 Bronze Openwork Beast Mount
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Formed as an advancing beast with looped tail, its prey between forepaw and chin a bird with curved beak forming a cranked pin; annular eye to the beast and ribbed panel to the bird; discoid stud to the reverse. 27 grams, 67 mm
Found Winterton, Humberside, UK, in 1981. -
Viking Age Gold Ring with Wire
8th-10th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £442
Round-section shank with butted joint and tightly-coiled wire sleeve. 308 grams, 20.72 mm overall, 16.11 mm internal diameter (approximate size UK K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Pre Viking Silver Aroma Bucket Pendant
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Decorated with filigree bands of overlapping semi-circular motifs to the sidewall; slender handle with plaited decoration. 1.71 grams, 19 mm high
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.
