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LOT 0263
Viking Age Single-Handed Sword with Five-Lobed Pommel
9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
32 in. (703 grams, 81.2 cm).
Of Petersen Type K with double-edged tapering blade, shallow fullers; boat-shaped lower and upper guard with five-lobed pommel showing traces of silver inlay. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceOtto Kruetz collection, Germany 1980s.
Belgium collection.
UK collection, 2000s.
Property of an East Sussex, UK, teacher.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Petersen, J., De Norske Vikingsverd, Oslo, 1919; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002.
FootnotesIt is the decoration and the structure of the sword that suggests classifying it as Petersen Type K, with a similar structure to the famous sword from Ballinderry Bog (Peirce, 2002, pp.63ff.). Other examples of the type are the 9th century sword of Kilmainham, in Dublin, the Ostby farm sword from Oslo, a sword in the Musée de l’Armée, Paris, and the Kilde farm sword from Oslo, the fullers of which are very similar to our model (Peirce, 2002, pp.66-73).
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LOT 0263
Viking Age Single-Handed Sword with Five-Lobed Pommel
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
-
Large Byzantine Silver Archer's Ring
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Comprising a hoop with reserved triangular ornament on the edges and triangular plaque with foliage motifs, raised central panel with frond motif. 22.61 grams, 34.77 mm overall, 25.16 mm internal diameter
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Archer rings in Late Byzantium and the medieval Balkans were connected with the employment of the powerful composite bow, but very often, in the 14th century they served as insignia of rank for aristocratic noblemen. Archaeological findings of archers’ rings originate mainly from fortified towns, including mining centres. Many were made in bone, simple in design and undecorated. In contrast, the ones made in bronze and silver were usually decorated in rather uniform style, consisting of floral motifs on the head, mostly tulip and foliage, and linear motifs around the edges. This decoration combined Turkish, Central European and Eastern Roman traditional patterns. -
Elizabethan and Later 'Essex' Bronze Petronel Collection
Late 16th-early 17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Exhibiting a range of petronel types, including example with ring-and-dot detailing. 106 grams total, 4.8-12 cm
Found Essex, UK. -
Medieval Single-Handed Long Sword with Crosses
Mid 10th-mid 12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,460
With a broad tapering blade, the wide and shallow fullers with inlaid decoration to both sides comprising a Greek cross within a circle, a cross potent and a wheel; long, straight guard and a short grip with a plain Brazil nut pommel. 1.31 kg, 101 cm
Ing Peter Till collection, Austria 1990s. UK collection, 2000s. Property of an East Sussex, UK, teacher. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The sword is of Oakeshott Type Xa or XI and Petersen Type X. According to Oakeshott (1960, p.204) the swords of type X were a development of Viking sword type VIII with slight modifications. Oakeshott describes such swords as common in the late Viking age (late 10th century) and remaining in use until the first quarter of the 13th century.