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LOT 1518
Viking Age Volga Bulgar Bronze Belt Mount
LATE 10TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (8.7 grams, 32 mm).
Of polygonal shape, reserved stylised vegetal forms; attachment rivets to reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Historical Museum, Moscow, The road of Varangians to Greeks and Greece (In Russian and English), Moscow, 1996, nos.232-237, 422, for similar mounts.
FootnotesPentagonal strap mounts decorated with schematic plant ornaments, cast in bronze, characterised the population of Volga Bulgars, often in commercial relations with the Viking world. A belt-set with pentagonal and rectangular mounts decorated with plant ornaments, along with its strap end and buckle, were excavated by V.D. Sokolov in Slavic-Scandinavian graves in Russian territory.
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Viking Period Rus Silver Temple Earring Pair
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Each composed of a decoratively twisted upper hoop, bulbous collars and a large central bulb with projecting cones and granules. 30 grams total, 55-57 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
This style of earring was typical among Slavic women in the 8th-12th centuries, an imitation of Eastern Roman models. Examples have been found in Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and with similar decoration in Belarus. Such rings were also worn as part of head-dresses, in which context they are known as ‘temple rings’ because they were worn by women near the temples. They were usually made of base metals, but some silver and gold examples also survive. Different tribes had their own designs, which were often threaded onto a cord, forming part of a head-dress, or woven directly into braids of hair. -
Pre-Viking Iron Slave Chain Shackle
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
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Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector.
The shackles are formed with an elliptical void in order to accommodate a human foot, closed with an iron rivet which could not have been easily removed without heating the metal. -
Viking Age Bronze Beast-Head Staff Terminal
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Acquired in the 1990s. Ex property of a German collector.
