Loading, please wait...
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:
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 Bronze Double Bell Pendant Group
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Each comprising a tubular bead with ribbing to the outer face, suspension loops each supporting a bottle-shaped dangle. 25 grams total, 40 mm each
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Pre-Viking Scandinavian Silver-Gilt Aroma Bucket Pendant
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Miniature drum-shaped vessel with strap handle, beaded wire bands to top and bottom of sidewall, filigree loop ornament. 2.45 grams, 21 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Pendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Harness Link
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
With looped bow and pierced lug above, balustered shank with biting-beast detailing, pierced lug below. 17.4 grams, 62 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
