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THBStunning 10th C. Viking Gold Bracteate Pendant
Lot 115a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$8,000 - $12,000
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| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
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| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 10, 2021
Set Reminder
2021-06-10 10:00:00
2021-06-10 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities | Asian | Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-7012
Museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Viking, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Viking, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (408)
- Lot Description
Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 10th century CE. An incredible pendant of a discoid form, shaped from a thin sheet of 97.06% gold (equivalent to 22K+), that bears sumptuous areas of lustrous iridescence. The circular accessory features planar faces, and slender peripheral edge, and an integral suspension loop with raised edges. The obverse is finely decorated in exceedingly complex curvilinear and knotted cord-patterned motifs, with filigree wires wrapping around petite granular spheres along the top and bottom, and all surrounding a central, hemispherical boss. Pendants like this example were worn around the neck or sewn onto clothing as a type of wearable currency and visible protection or good fortune. Size (pendant): 1.6" W x 1.8" H (4.1 cm x 4.6 cm); (necklace): 22" L (55.9 cm); quality of gold: 97.06% (equivalent to 22K+); total weight: 10.6 grams
Filigree and granulation are among the oldest goldsmithing techniques. The techniques involved include twisting silver or in this case gold wires and soldering incredibly tiny beads comprised of the same precious metal onto the surface of the piece of jewelry. This very complicated technique requires painstaking attention to detail that relatively few jewelers have ever mastered. Ancient civilizations such as the Mesopotamians, Greeks, and Etruscans developed the methodology; filigreed and granulated jewelry continued to be popular in the Roman empire, and was also sought after by the Slavs, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings, remaining popular throughout the Middle Ages. In fact, modern jewelers still utilize these ancient goldsmithing techniques.
Many Vikings did not have a standard minted currency available to them; instead they kept their wealth in the form of jewelry made from precious metals. Scholars believe that a common practice was to amass a hoard of these objects and then deposit them, often in water sources like rivers. Gold pendants - like all gold objects - were apparently quite rare, and have only been found in graves of the highest status.
This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.
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.
#165054Professionally cleaned in modern times. Wearable as shown. Gold pendant is ancient, and necklace strand is modern. Slight bending to suspension loop and some peripheral flanges, minor abrasions along verso, and a few petite indentations to central boss, otherwise intact and near-choice. Lustrous patina throughout, and wonderful preservation to cord-patterned details across obverse.Condition
- Shipping Info
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