Description:

Northern Europe, Viking / Norse culture, ca. 800 to 1000 CE. A beautifully balanced silver torc (torq/torque) composed of a single piece of thin rectangular silver twisted in a wide spiral that tapers to very narrow, pin-like terminals that form loops to clasp. An incredible, wearable example of a classic Viking form. Size: 8.25" W (21 cm); 100 grams

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. 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 river beds. These are found in great quantities throughout the British Isles and the Nordic countries. What was the meaning of such hoards? Were they treasures buried for safe keeping, perhaps by people fleeing violence who did not wish to travel with heavy loads and who died or forgot before they could retrieve them? Or does their presence in rivers suggest votive deposits, gifts and offerings to spirits who lived in the water?

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#127691

  • Condition: Patina on surface. Small area of surface damage to silver on the widest part, but it is a part that is twisted inward and does not show when worn. Wearable!

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October 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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