Loading, please wait...
LOT 0319
Viking Silver Filigree Bird Pendant
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (5.62 grams, 36 mm).
Hollow-formed with aviform body, applied filigree loops with granulated detailing, integral tubular bale with stylised face. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12986-243346.
Cf. Magnus, B., Men, Gods and Masks in Nordic Iron Age Art, Volume 1, Köln, 2003, item 227, for similar type.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Large Viking Period Bear's Tooth Pendant
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
A large bear's tooth set into a copper-alloy pendant setting, decorated with corded wire and a circumferential frieze of filigree loops, sturdy suspension loop to the cap. 42.5 grams, 94 mm
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. London, UK, collector. with TimeLine Auctions, Essex, 6 September 2022, no.394. Private collection, London, UK. -
Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Pendant
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Lentoid in plan with openwork image of a small bird being seized by a larger predator; loop to apex. 5.42 grams, 39 mm
Found Norfolk, UK. -
Pre-Viking Gold Filigree Aroma Bucket Pendant
Circa 4th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Miniature drum-shaped vessel with strap handle, the body decorated with granule clusters. 1.49 grams, 15 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.
