11th C. Viking Silver Thor's Hammer Pendant - Mjolnir

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Exceptional Ancient, Ethnographic, & Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 9, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-03-09 10:00:00 2023-03-09 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Ancient, Ethnographic, & Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-ancient-ethnographic-fine-art-12354
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• Lot Description
  **First Time At Auction**
  
  Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 11th century CE. A well-preserved pendant depicting Mjolnir, the fabled hammer of the thunder god Thor, that is hand-built from 89.8% silver. The substantial head is decorated with several petite triangular impressions that are surrounded by bands of stippling as well as additional impressions along the handle shoulder. The remainder of the handle is smooth and undecorated, and the perforated tip accommodates a slender silver suspension ring. A superb example of Viking artistry! Size: 1.03" W x 2.05" H (2.6 cm x 5.2 cm); 2.1" H (5.3 cm) on included custom stand; silver quality: 89.8%; total weight: 18.9 grams
  
  Small Thor's hammers were worn as religious amulets throughout the Viking era, usually made of silver and usually hung on silver chains. Some even made it to the Christian era; there is a famous example of a Thor's hammer amulet from Fossi, Iceland, that has been turned into a cross. 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 riverbeds. These are found in great quantities throughout the British Isles and the Nordic countries.
  
  A much smaller example of a Mjolnir pendant hammered for $37,500 at Christie's, New York "Ancient Jewelry" auction (sale 2771, December 13, 2013, lot 349).
  
  Provenance: Private Lindenhurst, Illinois, USA collection, acquired from Artemission, London, England on January 30, 2014; ex-private Dusseldorf, Germany collection, acquired in the 1990s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #177550

  Condition

  Minor abrasions and nicks along peripheries, with cleanable tarnish, light earthen deposits within some stamped motifs, and slight bending to overall form of handle and suspension ring, otherwise intact and excellent. Wonderful patina and great preservation to most stamped decorations. Can be strung on a modern necklace strand if desired.
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