Lot 306C
Northern Europe, Viking Age, ca. 10th century CE. A captivating silver pendant from the Viking Age, exquisitely cast in the dynamic Jellinge style - one of the most recognizable decorative modes of Norse art. The front is richly ornamented with a symmetrical visage, likely zoomorphic or anthropomorphic in nature, composed of stylized spirals, knotted tendrils, and granular textures that animate the surface with restless energy. Two rounded eyes stare from beneath arched brows, while looping tendrils frame the face like serpentine locks or a divine beard - suggesting a figure of mythic or totemic power. The composition is framed within a softly scalloped outline, its reverse plain and undecorated. The pendant is pierced with a loop for suspension, indicating it was once worn, likely on a leather cord or sinew, as both ornament and amulet. Size: 1" W x 1.4" H (2.5 cm x 3.6 cm); silver quality: 95%; weight: 7.6 grams
Viking pendants of this kind were not merely decorative - they carried spiritual and cultural weight, invoking protection, strength, and identity in an age of shifting alliances and seafaring conquest. The Jellinge style, named after a royal burial complex in Denmark, flourished during the 10th century and is characterized by fluid interlace, gripping beasts, and stylized profiles. Though small in scale, this pendant is dense with visual complexity, a testament to the metalworking prowess of Norse artisans and their myth-rich worldview. Pieces like this may have adorned both men and women, offering symbolic protection while displaying affiliation with a warrior culture that revered gods, beasts, and ancestral spirits alike.
Provenance: ex-T.F. Holy Lands collection, formed since the 1960s; ex-private UK collection; ex-Vienna, Austria collection, before 2000
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#195341
- Condition: Some light surface wear, but otherwise, intact, excellent, and wearable with impressively preserved detail.
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