Loading, please wait...
LOT 1689
Viking Bronze Decorated Ring
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (7.57 grams, 27.77 mm overall, 21.52 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U, USA 10, Europe 22.52, Japan 21)).
Penannular in form with overlapped ends, thick domed bezel with punched-point and chevron detailing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
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 Age Silver Gripping Beasts Pendant
10th century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Composed of an openwork discoid body with integral T-shaped tubular loop; raised gusseted rim enclosing a pair of S-shaped beasts with billetted bodies and comma-shaped tails, enmeshed gripping paws clutching the rim and their own bodies. 12.4 grams, 43 mm
Acquired on the European art market in the 1990s. Ex property of a German gentleman.
Despite the long period of overlap of Borre and Jellinge art styles, there are only a few examples of their fusion. The principal and most popular motif of the Borre style displays an animal with gripping paws, usually enmeshed in a circular frame, while a typical Jellinge style beast is more slender with a long, S-shaped body and ribbon decoration. The most famous example of a pendant featuring a fusion of these styles was found in a hoard from Vårby (Sweden), formed as a circle with a pair of Jellinge-style beasts with ribbon-shaped bodies in profile and heads with open jaws and extended tongues; however, each is provided with gripping paws and an enmeshed body, which are typical features of the Borre style. A few examples of these pendants were also found near the important trading settlement of Gnezdovo, near Smolensk, Russia. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Cat-Faced Stirrup Apex Mount
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Substantial flat mount with loop above, mask formed with lentoid eyes and broad moustache, narrow chin; ledge to rear pierced to accept rivets. 36.1 grams, 38 mm
Found Norfolk, UK.
The face bears a strong likeness to that of the Rällinge statuette discovered in Sweden in the early 20th century and believed to represent the god Yngve-Freyr. -
Viking Bronze Bridle Strap Junction with Beast Heads
10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Comprising a rectangular suspension loop with D-section shank and mask below, two flanking arms each with a zoomorphic (bear?) face, one terminating in a wolf's head and the other in a bird's head; small loops below the terminals. 30 grams, 63 mm
Found Bardney, Lincolnshire, UK, in the early 1990s.
This bridle junction is decorated in the Anglo-Scandinavian Ringerike style. On each side of the central hole is an outward facing animal, their beaked heads positioned on the outer edges. The details on the face are carried out in moulded relief as well as engraving.
