Rare 11th C. Viking Silver Ornament Battle Scene

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 4, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-06-04 10:00:00 2020-06-04 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-5185
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• Lot Description
  Northern Europe, Viking or Viking Rus, ca. 1000 to 1100 CE. A fascinating ovoid 99% silver ornament featuring a dramatic scene of battle, with the god Freyr at center. He is at the helm of his ship, being guided by the son and moon, as the sons of Fenrir, a massive supernatural wolf, chase the two celestial bodies. Warriors stands on both sides of the ship with their swords raised, with the god Heimdallr blowing his mythical Gjallarhorn. The upper part of the ornament is pierced several times for suspension - this may have been sewn onto clothing - and the lower edge has a series of decorative loops. The scene depicted is from Ragnarok, the mythological battle at the end of the world, which became an especially popular theme in Norse artwork as Christianity made inroads into the culture. Size: 3.5" W x 1.75" H (8.9 cm x 4.4 cm); silver is 99% pure; total weight: 28.8 grams
  
  Most of what we know about Viking silver comes from hoards of metal objects, often buried in the earth or deposited in bodies of water, like river beds. These are found in great quantities throughout the British Isles and the Nordic countries. What was the meaning of such hoards? Were they treasures buried for safe keeping, perhaps by people fleeing violence who did not wish to travel with heavy loads and who died or forgot before they could retrieve them? Or does their presence in rivers suggest votive deposits, gifts and offerings to spirits who lived in the water? Although we can only begin to guess at those answers, we are able to find other information by studying them. For example, from the Skaill hoard - the largest known hoard from Scotland, found in Orkney - we know that Arabic coins were a huge source of melted down silver, along with nineteen Arabic coins found intact in the hoard.
  
  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
  
  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.
  
  #155486

  Condition

  Excellent condition with some slight smoothing to form due to age and handling. Light deposits in lower profile areas and dark patina over much of the surface.
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