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LOT 1617
Viking Bronze Openwork Box Brooch with Silver Detailing
11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (95 grams, 55 mm).
Formed as an openwork outer shell, inner container and bottom plate; the upper face with central conical boss and four small satellite bosses each with a silver surface disc; to the outer face four pierced tongue-shaped panels with D-shaped finials proud of the upper face, each with a silvered element to the upper end; the bottom plate with integral catchplate and central void, four attachment pins to the underside; the upper face and sidewall executed in Urnes style zoomorphic openwork; the inner element a plain sheet-bronze container.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1950s.
Ex private collection, South West England.
Cf. MacGregor, A. et al., A Summary Catalogue of the Continental Archaeological Collections, Oxford, 1997, items 1.8,9, for type.
FootnotesOn the Baltic island of Gotland, high-ranking females wore 'box' (or 'drum') brooches to secure their outer garments at the shoulders. The inner container may have been used to hold small valuables.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1617
Viking Bronze Openwork Box Brooch with Silver Detailing
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Viking Age Silver Shield-Maiden Pendant
Circa 9th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
A female in floor-length robe holding a shield in her right hand and drawn knife in her left, stylised headdress and long plaited band of hair to the rear; pierced lug to the reverse. 8.08 grams, 40.68 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. Ex property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
This pendant resembles a find from Galgebakke, Denmark, a silver figure holding a short sword and clutching a shield by the boss (Vang Petersen, item 4). The Galgebakke figure is identified as female on the basis of the elaborate crested hairstyle, and an ankle-length dress with tiny feet beneath. The interpretation usually offered for this figure is that of a skjoldmø or 'shield-maiden', a female who takes up arms in pursuit of vengeance such as the legendary Hervor in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. Scholars used to interpret these armed females as valkyries - hand maidens of the god Oðinn - but the idea has been challenged recently (Gardeła, 2013). -
'The Ferryhill' Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Three-Dimensional Urnes Stirrup-Type Mount with Head of Odin
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
A bowed anthropomorphic mount in the form of the face of Odin, with oval right and damaged left eye, beard and hair raised to form a convex shape, rounded cheeks, a triangular nose and a beard, moustache with lateral protrusion, the hair openwork and formed of entwined linear elements, five rivet holes present. 27.39 grams, 50.66 mm
Found by Steve Aldred whilst searching with a metal detector near Ferryhill, County Durham, UK, on Tuesday 8th March 2022. Recorded with the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and subsequently returned to the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.DUR-834DAB, where this object is described as: 'a find of note and has been designated: of National importance'. Accompanied by a copy of the article about the circumstances surrounding the finding published in the February 2024 issue of Treasure Hunting Magazine. Accompanied by a copy of a photograph taken of the object when it was found on 8th March 2022. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12074-214165.
Comparison has been made with stirrup-strap mounts of Williams (1997) Class A, Type 9, and especially with variants of the form (see HAMP-B7C312). Although relatively few of these mounts have been found, and their distribution is spread across the country, there is an arguable focus on Yorkshire. Commenting on a 2007 Isle of Wight example (IOW-4FA904), Barry Ager (then of the British Museum) suggested a connection with horse-riding equipment, and in particular drew comparisons with a type of face-mask mount on the Danish harness-bow from Søllested (see Wilson and Klindt-Jensen, pl. 37). -
Viking Age Silver Axe-Shaped Pendant with Ring
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Suspension ring with ends wound around the shank, triangular axehead pendant. 2.21 grams, 43 mm
Property of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985. From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman.
