Loading, please wait...
LOT 1223
Viking Age Silver Gripping Beast Pendant
LATE 10TH-EARLY 11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (4.51 grams, 29 mm).
A silver Scandinavian pendant of Riddarholmen type with integral loop; the openwork plaque with banded border and four panels, internal stylised zoomorph with hatched panel to the hip, gripping three-fingered hands to the body and border, two detailed feet, clearly visible facing mask below the loop with pellet eyes. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Cf. Korshyn, V.E., Yazicheskiye Priveski Drevniye Rusi X-XIV Vekov, Moscow, 2013, items K.2.01-03.
FootnotesThis type of pendant was also widespread in the historical Rus region, centred on Kiev.
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:
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.
-
Viking Period Silver Hammer Pendant
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
A bifacial silver hammer pendant with notched detailing to the handle and a horizontal trio of annulets to the blade; free-running silver ring with overlapping coiled arms. 2.23 grams, 33 mm
Acquired in the late 1990s-2000. Property of an East London gentleman. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Quatrefoil Dragon-Whorl Mount
Circa 9th-10th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
A copper-alloy mount formed as an openwork whorl composed of four central lozenges encircled by sinuous entwined dragonesque beasts, pierced at the node to accept an inset glass bead or cabochon. 9.28 grams, 32 mm
Fair condition, one edge bent, cells empty.
Found UK. Acquired in the 1990s. From a North Yorkshire private collection, UK. -
Pre-Viking Silver Filigree Aroma Bucket Pendant
4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
A silver pendant formed as a miniature bucket with applied filigree bands to the strap handle and body, granules to the median panel of the body and at the junction with the handle. 4.28 grams, 25 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.
