Viking Silver Urnes Style Rattle Pendant

9TH CENTURY A.D.

3 in. (67 grams, 73 mm).

Formed from a hollow vesica-shaped silver mount which rattles when shaken, probably a horse-harness fitting; with Urnes style interlaced dragons in low relief surrounding a facing bearded mask with large staring eyes (Thor?).

Provenance

Formerly acquired on the German art market in the early 1980s.
Previously in a European collection in the 1990s.
From an important central London collection.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by searcher certificate no. 200377.

Literature

Cf. Owen, O.A., A catalogue and re-evaluation of the Urnes style in England, Durham, 1979, pls.39, 54, 55, for similar interlaces in Urnes style.

Footnotes

The last phase of Viking art is the Urnes style from about 1050-1150. The Urnes style has gracefully curved lines of different width - swelling, tapering - but always in a curve. The tendril clusters from the Ringerike style are abandoned. The Urnes style developed shortly before the middle of the 11th century.

CONDITION

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LOT 0351