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LOT 0322
Viking Bronze Protective Armlet
9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/8 in. (216 grams, 11.2 cm).
Omega-shaped in plan with raised flange rim to both edges; bands of punched ornament to each face.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market, 1995-2000s.
Private collection, London, UK.
Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1852,0329.194, for similar identified as Latgalian.
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 0322
Viking Bronze Protective Armlet
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Lozenge-Shaped Stirrup Apex Mount
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Lozenge-shaped with openwork gusseted lattice and raised pellets to the body, pierced lobe above with ferrous rivet, ledge to reverse with ferrous accretion. 25.5 grams, 48 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. -
Viking Silver Elfshot Pendant with Stone Arrowhead
9th-11th century A.D. and earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £572
An amulet with a silver cap securing an arrow-shaped flint insert. 2.43 grams, 34 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
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 Period Gold and Crystal Pendant with Bead Drop
Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Irregular barrel-shaped crystal with lozengiform gold base, braided strip from each arm extending to the bell-shaped cap with punched pellet and triangle motifs; braided filigree collar and loop, thick gold rod suspension loop; underside with short dangle, amethyst and glass beads. 21.69 grams, 79 mm
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 number no.12932-245386.
In Birka grave 1148B, a similar piece was found in a warrior cremation grave. It was a fragment of a grey slate whetstone, with a rivetted, groove-decorated bronze fitting, which ends in a bronze carrying ring. These items were worn as pendants.