Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 9th to 10th century CE. A splendid discoid pendant shaped from 71.6% silver that depicts a majestic falcon with broad wings and a plump body beneath an integral suspension bale. The bird showcases segmented legs spread out on either side of the triangular tail, and the teardrop-shaped head bears one circular eye that peers off towards one side. Incised striations across the falcon are filled with faint remains of green and blue enamel which, now darkened with age, would have been utterly stunning to behold when first created. Falcons were important creatures in Viking mythology that represented Freya, wife of Odin, and were reliable hunting partners for Viking warriors. Size (pendant): 1.625" W x 1.9" H (4.1 cm x 4.8 cm); (necklace): 22" L (55.9 cm); quality of silver: 71.6%; total weight: 19.1 grams
The important Viking metalworking shops correspond to their great trading ports and proto-urban centers - Birka, Helgo, Sigtuna, and Lund in Sweden, Ribe, Haithabu (Hedeby), and Fyrkat in Denmark, and Kaupang and Trondheim in Norway. Silver was the principal currency of the Viking world, which stretched from Russia to northern Canada at the height of their influence. In many places, the Vikings kept silver not as coins, but as jewelry, a wearable currency form that was not subject to the authority of a monarch or mint. One of the most common archaeological finds from the Viking period is a hoard of metal objects, often buried in the earth or deposited in bodies of water, like river beds.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg) and then Latvia collection; found on the Baltic Sea coast prior to 1982
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#160372
Condition
Wearable as shown. Pendant is ancient and necklace strand is modern. Minor abrasions and light encrustations commensurate with age, with softening to some avian details, and darkening and chipping to areas of enamel decoration, otherwise intact and excellent. Faint remains of blue and green enamel within recessed areas on falcon and wonderful patina throughout.