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LOT 1639
Viking Bronze Handled Firesteel with Conjoined Horse Heads
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (28.7 grams, 52 mm).
With bronze handle formed as two opposing dragons, each biting its own tail forming the loops; iron striker below. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.144, item 2.
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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LOT 1639
Viking Bronze Handled Firesteel with Conjoined Horse Heads
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Scandinavian Viking Silver Islamic Coin Pendant
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
A silver dirhem coin pierced and mounted on a bronze strap, punched detailing to obverse. 4.72 grams, 42 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Gold Pendant with Face
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Discoid with repoussé mask within a segmented border, integral loop. 6.03 grams, 40 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Pre-Viking Silver Filigree Bucket Pendant
4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Miniature drum-shaped vessel with strap handle, beaded wire bands to top and bottom of sidewall, filigree loop ornament. 2.35 grams, 21 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.
