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LOT 1259
Viking Period Silver Lunar Pendant
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (3.94 grams, 26 mm).
A silver crescent pendant with applied rim, recurved suspension loop with granule, three applied granules and curved band to the field; Slavic workmanship.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1990s-2000.
Property of an East London gentleman.
Cf. similar item in the British Museum, London, under accession no.1991,1003.2.
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Viking Age Silver Twisted Bracelet
Circa 8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
A penannular silver bracelet with tapering terminals, twisted bar body. 49 grams, 71 mm
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK. -
Viking Age Ring with Lozenge-Shaped Bezel
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A ring composed of a convex hoop and lozenge-shaped bezel with raised knops to each corner, hatching to the interior surrounding an enigmatic central motif. 3.66 grams, 21.67 mm overall, 18.52 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
Acquired 1990s. English private collection. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
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.
