Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 9th to 10th century CE. A beautiful and stocky belt buckle, formed from 98.5% silver, exhibiting the characteristic stylization of the Mammen type, so named based on an axe head of a similar construction found in a burial cache connected to the Jelling Dynasty. The rectangular clothing accessory features a slightly curved profile with a pair of hefty openwork attachment brackets on the verso. The obverse is decorated with an incredible, abstract creature with a deer-like head and a twisting, knotted body that seems to never end. Dark gray deposits create a complementary backdrop atop which the creature stands out. Size: 3.2" L x 2.25" W (8.1 cm x 5.7 cm); quality of silver: 98.5%; total weight: 118.1 grams.

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

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#165055

Professionally cleaned in modern times with light abrasions along obverse and verso commensurate with cleaning process. Slight bending to openwork attachment brackets on verso and minor softening to some finer details on obverse, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation of zoomorphic creature on front.