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LOT 0400
Viking Bronze Decorated Spoon
10TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/8 in. (5 3/4 in.) (15.4 grams, 13.5 cm (39 grams total, 14.7 cm including stand)).
With shallow bowl and bulb to the neck, square-section handle with twisted shank, collar and knop finial; reverse of bowl with lattice motif; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceAcquired on the London art market, 1995.
Private collection, London.
Cf. Fodor, I., The Ancient Hungarians, Budapest, 1996, p. 369.
FootnotesThe lattice motif has parallels in the art of the Vars and other cultures of the Hungarian plain. Scandinavian contact with that part of Europe was maintained by trade and settlement along the Volga and other waterways. The city of Kyiv was ruled by Scandinavian Rus for some centuries.
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:
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Viking Age Bronze Fire Steel with Odin and Ravens
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Openwork bronze bifacial handle formed as a central facing male bust flanked by two oppose birds of prey with beaks placed beside his head; pierced lug between; below, row of discs above a transverse bar with long socket to the underside. 27.3 grams, 57 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12435-225923.
The image of Óðinn (Odin) with his ravens Huginn and Muninn appears widely in the Viking world, and is mentioned in the Icelandic poem collection Poetic Edda and elsewhere. The two birds fly around the world collecting news and then report it to the god in the evening. He says that he fears the ravens may not return from their flight: since their names mean 'thought' and 'memory', the meaning of the verse is that the god is anxious about the loss of these faculties. -
Viking Age Silver Ring with Coiled Bezel
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Formed as a tapering wire hoop with the ends bound round the shank. 0.55 grams, 21.62 mm overall, 17.16 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Private collection, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, 1980s. -
Merovingian Gold Hoop Earring with Garnets
5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
With a thick penannular loop and polyhedral finial set with twelve garnet cloisons. 6.36 grams, 34 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
