Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0383
Viking Silver-Gilt Beast-Head Finial
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (12.6 grams, 42 mm).
Drinking horn terminal formed as a tubular socket with flange rim, narrow canine head with raised ovoid eyes, open mouth with swept struts, muzzle with flange. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From the John Hewitt collection (1919-1994).
Ex Sam Fogg, London, UK, dealer in the art of the Middle Ages.
Property of a Canadian collector living in Ontario; acquired 2018.
Supplied with a printed copy of Fornvännen article by Peter Pentz.
Literature
Cf. similar find from Oppelstrup, Denmark in Pentz, P., The same but Different. A note on a recently found zoomorphic drinking horn terminal, in Fornvännen, 2020/2, p.83.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Viking Age Gold 'Elf Shot' Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £208
Decorated sheet gold sleeve, hoof-shaped stone mounted in the socket; loop absent. 0.18 grams, 10 mm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: 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. -
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Beast Pendant
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Discoid with integral loop, stylised bird on a hatched field. 3.72 grams, 24 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Viking Age Bronze Double-Sided Comb
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
With two differently sized rows of teeth and flat-section body. 29.4 grams, 64 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.