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LOT 1233
Viking Period Lock and Key Group
CIRCA 10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/4 - 6 1/8 in. (407 grams total, 9.5-15.5 cm).
A group of iron keys and a lock; two keys with sith a cruciform head, crimped edges and central void; one with a square head with spur to each angle; one with T-shaped head and vertical spurs; one with a disc finial, square void with rounded edges; one iron barrel padlock with hasp. applied decorative bands to the body. [6, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.108.
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 Age Gold Elf Shot Pendant
9th-12th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £260
A gold 'elf shot' pendant with arch-shaped body and collared suspension loop, set with a polished garnet or amethyst stone. 1.31 grams, 16 mm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock. 'Elfshot' described 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. -
Pre-Viking Silver Filigree Aroma Bucket Pendant
4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
A silver pendant formed as a miniature bucket with applied filigree bands to the strap handle and body, granules to the median panel of the body and at the junction with the handle. 4.28 grams, 25 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Pendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages. -
Viking Age Twisted Bracelet
Circa 8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
A penannular bronze bracelet with a decoratively twisted round-section body tapering towards the terminals. 23 grams, 66 mm
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
