Viking Silver Brooch w/ Knots & Garnet, 86.4 g

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Ancient | Ethnographic | Fine Art

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 6, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-06 10:00:00 2019-02-06 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient | Ethnographic | Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-fine-art-3848
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• Lot Description
  Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. A stunning crucifix-shaped brooch cast from high-grade silver (97% silver) with four projecting arms, a garnet stone of beautiful crimson hues inlaid within a central cavity, and a curved attachment pin and clasp on the verso. Each arm boasts a singular raised bulb, with the lateral bulbs enclosed by sinuous knots wrapped around a circle, and the upper and lower arms with a coursing serpent bearing two heads biting their own necks. The central garnet as well as the cross peripheries are decorated with tightly-grouped S-shaped patterns, and raised stippling fills in the empty surrounding spaces. An incredible example of a heavy silver artifact from one of the pivotal moments in Viking history, the conversion from paganism to Christianity. Size: 2.55" W x 3.375" H (6.5 cm x 8.6 cm); quality of silver: 97%; total weight: 86.4 grams.
  
  A piece such as this would have been made in a specialized workshop centered around a hearth, probably using the lost wax casting technique. 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. These are found in great quantities throughout the British Isles and the Nordic countries. A cross like this one may have been deposited in a hoard or buried in a grave, although that practice died out as the conversion to Christianity became more complete and bodies stopped being buried with grave goods.
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection
  
  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.
  
  #141490

  Condition

  Small chips to carnelian, with minor abrasions, and some fading to raised motifs. Light earthen deposits throughout. Clasp and attachment pin are still functional.
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