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LOT 0393
Viking Age Silver Sword Chape with Interlaced Design
CIRCA 9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 in. (46.80, 62.38 mm.).
With heater-shaped body and trefoil to the apex with lobe detailing, openwork Borre Style design to the body with three-band mesh design, facing mask with lobes to the upper edge, pellet eyes and moustache.
ProvenanceEx property of a professional collector; acquired before 1990.
LiteratureCf. Paulsen, P., Schwertortbänder der Wikingerzeit, Stuttgart, 1953, figs.48-55; Murasheva, V.V., Gnezdovo. Rezultati kompleksnikh issledovaniy pamiatnika, St. Petersburg, 2007, fig.9, items 1, 2; Yotov, V., The Vikings on the Balkans, Varna, 2003, pp.12-13, for the type.
FootnotesThe image seems to be a mixture of the two Scandinavian styles 'Borre' and 'Jellinge'. They belong to the style of 'German four legged beast' in Animal style from the Baltic Sea region, according to P. Paulsen's classification. The recent discoveries of similar chapes in the Balkans suggest their employment from the Varangian Guard of Byzantium in 10th century A.D.
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Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Penannular with twisted twisted rod shank, tongue-shaped loop finials. 51 grams, 77 mm
Private European collection formed before 2000. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Viking Age Silver Axe-Shaped Pendant with Ring
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Suspension ring with ends wound around the shank, triangular axehead pendant. 2.21 grams, 43 mm
Property of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985. From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman. -
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Oseberg Contorted Beast Pendant
Circa 10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Openwork disc pendant with Oseberg Style disjointed body, facing mask, pierced suspension lug above. 6.29 grams, 39.51 mm
Acquired on the German art market before 2000. From a London W1, UK, collection.
There 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.
