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LOT 0388
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Oseberg Contorted Beast Pendant
CIRCA 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (6.29 grams, 39.51 mm).
Openwork disc pendant with Oseberg Style disjointed body, facing mask, pierced suspension lug above.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market before 2000.
From a London W1, UK, collection.
See Korshyn, V.E. Yazicheskiye Priveski Drevniye Rysi X-XIV Vekov, Moscow, 2013, items K.1.02 - 04.
FootnotesThere is a class of discoid pendants with banded borders and contorted figures found in the hinterland of the Baltic region, associated with the influence of Scandinavian settlers. The design of these items recalls specific elements of Scandinavian art - for example, the 'gripping hands' motif is a feature of the Oseberg Style named after the famous Norwegian ship-burial. Oseberg Style is associated with the beginnings of the Viking age, and was current in the 9th century when Scandinavian settlers began to establish centres of trade and political control in the area of the rivers Dnieper and Volga. The motif has been interpreted as a horse and linked with various legends and mythic figures.
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Viking Decorated Gold Ring
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
With medial band of pellets between shallow channels. 1.64 grams, 17.62 mm overall, 16.17 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Viking Age Scandinavian Silver-Gilt Pendant with Interlaced Beasts
Circa 10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Discoid with integral loop; obverse with applied filigree Terslev ornament of three radiating looped knots and interstitial loops, boss to the centre. 13.9 grams, 42 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Viking Age Gold 'Elf Shot' Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £312
Gold cup with hoop and suspension loop, aqua glass insert. 0.55 grams, 16 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period.
