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LOT 1829
Viking Period Bronze Faux Twisted Neck Torc
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
6 1/4 in. (95 grams, 16 cm).
Round-section penannular body with faux-twist decoration, coiled flattened terminals. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Viking Period Bronze Penannular Brooch Collection
Circa 8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Including lozenge-section, ribbed and other types, most with their pins. 39 grams total, 22-44 mm
From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Bronze Decorated Axe Pendant
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Formed as a miniature axehead with broad blade, ribbed border and three ring-and-dot motifs, flat socket pierced for suspension. 4.82 grams, 31 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. -
Viking Age Silver Cross Pendant with Head of a Beast
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
In Romanesque style, cruciform with openwork cross at centre, three oval terminals and a fourth modelled as a hound's head, the beast's mouth forming the suspension loop. 7.88 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of an East Anglian private collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The original function of this rare and unusual pendant remains elusive. The use of expensive materials and the fine and detailed casting indicate that it would have been a highly prized object. The fusion of Christian and pagan religious motifs is typical of Iceland where the worship of the old gods continued into the 11th century. The Christian cross was used as a symbol of the new faith but the pendant also includes elements of pre-Christian motifs. Comparable objects appeared in an exhibition of English Romanesque Art 1066-1200, held at the Hayward Gallery, London, 5 April - 8 July 1984. The catalogue for this exhibition illustrates numerous small metal and gilded articles with similar grotesque terminals- No. 254 illustrated a late 12th century finial from a shrine, which is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (M.25 1962).
