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LOT 1425
Viking Silver Inlaid Iron Weight
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (176 grams, 38 mm).
Polyhedral weight bearing Insular Style inlaid decoration in the form of serpentine creatures in tondos, on a silver inlaid background. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. similar weights in de Wilde, R., Weights, Scales and Pawns of Ancient Civilizations, 2017, p.172; cf. also for the type, Reynolds, A., Webster, L., Early Medieval Art and Archaeology in the Northern World, Studies in Honour of James Graham-Campbell, The Northern World, North Europe and Baltic c.400-1700 A.D., Peoples, Economies and Cultures, Leiden-Boston, 2013, p.303, type 6.
FootnotesThese weights were adopted by the Vikings from Middle Eastern examples and appear to have become a typical weight standard for traders. They are, in archaeology, an important form of evidence for the Viking commerce. Many of them, like those found in Ireland and of Arabic type, suggest a standardised system of weights in different areas.
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AUCTIONS:
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Large Medieval Silver Inlaid Iron Spearhead
15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Comprising: a hexagonal-section tapering socket, lentoid-section neck and leaf-shaped blade; inlaid silver-wire scrolled tendril detailing to the socket and neck. 693 grams, 42 cm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The spearhead likely belonged to a family fighting in the Balkanic wars among Christian and Ottomans in the late 15th century A.D. Spears with such shape are dated to the 16th century and are defined by specialists as ‘schefflin’ type. The ornament of the blade imitates Ottoman decorative models. -
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Luristan Bronze Dagger
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Double-edged triangular blade, integral hilt with lateral flanges with remains of bone handle. 196 grams, 31 cm
From the estate of a deceased gentleman, Surrey, UK, 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The dirk belongs to the type III in the Medvedskaya classification, used in Near East from the 13th to the 6th century B.C. The type is the 32a of the Maxwell-Hyslop study. -
Luristan Bronze Blade
1200-1100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
With a long pointed triangular blade and a short tang, two rivet holes at the base of the blade. 193 grams, 36.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The Luri people produced a quantity of fine metalwork, which according to Dr. Khorasani, could be due to a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 BC. According to Khorasani 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150–1050 BC.'
