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LOT 0364
Viking Gilt Bronze Horse Harness Pendant with Birds
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4in. (19.42 grams, 44.78 mm).
Square in plan with hollow body, repoussé motif of a tree with flanking birds at the sides and serpents below; integral suspension loop. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, plate 96 (4), for similar pendants and mounts.
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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Viking Silver Buckle with Moustachioed Face
Circa 8th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
With ovoid loop and integral buckle-plate, coiled wire tongue; loop with segmented frame, and bear-head motif to forward edge; plate with narrow neck developing to a male mask with broad flaring moustache, snub nose and lentoid eyes; fixing lugs to reverse. 35.13 grams, 75.36 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
Viking Age Scandinavian Silver-Gilt Pendant with Mask
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
With integral loop, border enclosing a low-relief image of a male facing mask between two birds embraced at the necks; Kipplingeberg type. 3.81 grams, 23 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Scandinavian Pre-Viking Silver Wrist Clasp Pair
5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Spiral-coiled wrist-clasps of Hines's Class A with one broad rounded loop to the centre and one returned hooked loop. 11.5 grams total, 36-38 mm
Ex property of a gentleman; acquired in the 1970s.
The spiral-coil type of wrist clasp is the earliest form of an artefact type which became a very popular costume element in especially Norway and the English East Midlands in the early Anglo-Saxon Period. Grave-finds indicate that they were used to secure the cuffs of robes worn by high-status women.
