Lot 1044
Ornate Thor’s hammer on a solid silver foxtail chain, Viking, 10th century.
Works of Art, Antiquities & Ancient Art | A109kua | Live auction | 1190 Lots
Description
A solid, 7-millimetre-wide, intricately crafted foxtail chain consisting of interlinked wire loops approximately 43 cm in length, the ends of which are inserted over a distance of about 2 cm into conically tapering sleeves made of overlapping silver sheet and secured there with a pin that ends in a flattened head on both sides of the hole. The sleeves are decorated with punches featuring S-shaped spirals, recessed triangles containing three raised dots, and circular eyes. Protruding from the ends of each sleeve is an eyelet made of bent, profiled sheet metal strip, into which a closed ring with forged ends is set. These two rings are connected by a ring of twisted silver wires, the ends of which are bent backwards, hooked into one another and wrapped round the ring in triple-coiled spirals. Suspended from this ‘knotted’ ring is a Thor’s hammer: This consists of three wires twisted together, which are still clearly visible on the stem. One wire is longer than the others and bent back at the top into two spiral turns, with the end wound two and a half times around the upper part of the stem. The lower part has been hammered flat and forged into the shape of an isosceles triangle with blunt corners. The reverse is flat; the obverse features triangular punches along the edge (recessed, with three raised dots within) and a face tapering to a point at the bottom. The edge is surrounded by linear punchess that resemble a halo. The eyes are marked with circular punchess, the nose with an angular punch. The increased occurrence of Thor’s hammers in grave goods and hoards from the 10th century is interpreted, on the one hand, as a conservative reaction to Christianisation. On the other hand, a Christian interpretation is even being considered, as suggested by some Thor’s hammers with undoubtedly ambiguous symbolism. Against this backdrop, the central face could also be interpreted as the visage of the Saviour, even though it is placed on the head of a Thor’s hammer. An exceptionally impressive piece of jewellery from a period of upheaval in the North Germanic cultural sphere, marking the end of the Viking Age and the transition to Christian monarchies. CULTURAL ASSET!Provenance: South German private collection, inherited from the consignor's father in the late 1990s.
Condition: I - Questions about the lot?
