Viking Bronze Dragon-Head Strap Mount

Tubular body with domed base and filigree handle; applied bands of filigree and braided wire to sidewall and base. 1.43 grams, 14 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.

Restrung necklace of silver biconical and melon beads with pendant domed discs and crescents, all with granule detailing. 64 grams, 45 cm long



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12072-212328.

Two large fragments of headdress with plaited fibre, each composed from tightly-wound wire tubes and vertical flat-section plaques with repoussé pellet detailing on a plaited hemp base. 104 grams total, 19-23 cm



UK gallery, early 2000s.