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LOT 1708
Viking Silver Pendants with Raven's Heads
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (4.69 grams, 21 mm).
Openwork pendant formed as four addorsed bird-heads; applied strap. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Graham-Campbell, J., Viking Art, London, 2013, item 98, for 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:
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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. -
Heavy Viking Twisted Silver Bracelet
Circa 10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Penannular in form with tapering ends, ropework wire applied between the rounded rods. 128 grams, 76 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
Viking Period Gold and Crystal Pendant with Bead Drop
Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Irregular barrel-shaped crystal with lozengiform gold base, braided strip from each arm extending to the bell-shaped cap with punched pellet and triangle motifs; braided filigree collar and loop, thick gold rod suspension loop; underside with short dangle, amethyst and glass beads. 21.69 grams, 79 mm
Private 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.12932-245386.
In Birka grave 1148B, a similar piece was found in a warrior cremation grave. It was a fragment of a grey slate whetstone, with a rivetted, groove-decorated bronze fitting, which ends in a bronze carrying ring. These items were worn as pendants.
