Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. A beautiful leaded bronze cross presenting 4 flared arms. Adorned with a raised circle at its center, the stunning piece exhibits a recessed obverse with a pair of raised striations on each arm that extend outwards from the circle then spiral inward towards one another at the end of the arm. The entirety of the pendant is surrounded by a raised border. A 90% silver loop tops the piece and is strung with a modern strand with a lobster claw clasp. Size (of pendant): 0.9" W x 1.3" H (2.3 cm x 3.3 cm); Size (of strand): 22" L (55.9 cm)

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. 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 riverbeds. 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 Carmichael, California, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s

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#166088

Ancient pendant strung on modern strand with lobster claw clasp to be wearable. Bail may be modern. Some light nicks, abrasions, and softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice patina.