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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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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Stirrup Apex Mount with Mask
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Curved in section with pierced loop and facing bears(?) mask with splayed ellipsoid ears. 11.3 grams, 35 mm
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Gold Elfshot Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising a D-shaped gold cap with integral loop above, inset knapped flint blade. 3.41 grams, 27 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period. -
Viking Age Bronze Hinged Horse Harness Pendant
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising: triangular attachment plate with rivet-holes at the upper corners, Y-shaped motif in a beaded border, lateral scrolls; articulating joint connecting to a tongue-shaped bifacial pendant with ribbed bulb and scrollwork. 36 grams, 90 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.
