Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 9th to 11th century CE. A stunning pair of circular bracelets composed of twisted strands of very high-grade (98%) silver. The strands are shaped with thick peripheries inside which rests a thinner central strand of tighter coils, and the tapered terminals fuse together to form slender conical points. The excess from each fused tip wraps around the other terminal and forms a small knot on the end. A lovely ensemble of wearable ancient art! Size of each (both are relatively similar): 3.2" W (8.1 cm); quality of silver: 98%; total weight: 130.8 grams (67.3 grams and 63.5 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.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection
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#146694
Condition
Wearable as shown. Both items have been professionally cleaned to remove earthen material and polished to increase luster. Both items have very slight bending to overall forms, light softening to some finer details, and light encrustations within recessed areas. Light earthen deposits and fine patina throughout.