Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 8th to 11th century CE. A fine bracelet of a circular form made from coiled strands of high-grade (93%) silver. Each strand is composed of thick peripheries inside which rests a thinner central strand of tighter coils, and the tapered terminals fuse into slender conical points. The excess from each fused tip wraps around the other terminal and forms the base for a dense spiral disc on the bottom. Size: 2.875" W x 3" H (7.3 cm x 7.6 cm); quality of silver: 93%; total weight: 53.8 grams.
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.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection
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#144601
Condition
Wearable as shown. Slight bending to overall form, and light encrustations within some recessed areas, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits and fine patina throughout.