Details

LOT 0288

Viking Bronze Tortoise Brooch Set

10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.

21 in. (334 grams, hangs 53 cm).

Comprising a pair of domed brooches with low-relief zoomorphic decoration in bands, pin to the reverse on a transverse bar, reinforced catchplate; attached to a loop on the reverse of each brooch, a spacer formed as a lobed plaque with double rosette detailing and loops below, two chains connecting to the matched brooch; from the rosette spacers hang two more chains, one with a needle case with openwork knotwork plaque handle above, the other with a decorated lunate pendant.

Provenance

Property of a professional collector; acquired before 1990.
Ex London collection since 2016.

Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11736-201216.

Literature

For similar oval brooches see Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pls.58ff. and in particular 62-63, 67; see also Graham-Campbell, J. & Kidd, D., The Vikings, London, 1980, figs.52-53, for similar brooches from Norway; Roesdahl, E., Wilson D.M., From Viking to Crusader: The Scandinavians and Europe 800 to 1200 (22nd Council of Europe Exhibition), Copenhagen, 1992, p.69, pp.75, 89, for similar specimens; Berthelot, S., Musin, A., Russie Viking, vers une autre Normandie? Novgorod et la Russie du Nord, des migrations scandinaves á la fin due Moyen Age (VIIIe-Xve s.), Paris, 2011, pp.90-91.

Footnotes

The most characteristic items of Viking women's jewellery are oval brooch pairs, sometimes called 'tortoise brooches' due to their shape, which are found in many female graves of the period. As in this example, the brooches themselves were usually connected by swags of chains, suspended from the pair of brooches and supporting utilitarian objects such as tweezers, an ear spoon, shears or a small knife, as well as amulets. In addition the wearer displayed strands of beads of glass, silver, amber or jet.