Carolingian / Viking Age Bronze Cross Brooch - 22 mm (No reserve price)

"Carolingian / Viking Age Bronze Cross Brooch, 8th–10th Century A.D.

Culture / Period: Carolingian / Viking Age
Date / Period: 8th - 10th century A.D.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 22 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 899

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the cross brooch from H. vd M. in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

The previous owner, H. vd M. of Leeuwarden, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously formed part of a private collection in the Netherlands since before 1990.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
Small cross-shaped bronze brooches and fittings belong to the material culture of early medieval Europe, where personal metalwork combined practical use with decorative and sometimes symbolic significance. Pieces of this type could be used as dress accessories or fittings, although the precise original function of this individual example cannot be established with certainty from its present form alone. Its cross-shaped design and circular decorative elements are characteristic of the geometric vocabulary encountered in early medieval metalwork.

During the 8th–10th centuries, northern and western Europe were shaped by both the Carolingian world and the expanding networks of the Viking Age. Personal ornaments circulated through trade, travel, migration and cultural contact, and related forms of bronze dress accessories occur across broad areas of Europe. Bronze was particularly suitable for such objects: it could be cast efficiently and subsequently finished and decorated by specialist metalworkers, forming part of an established tradition of small-scale metal production.

The proposed dating places the object within a period of considerable political and cultural interaction, from the Carolingian era into the Viking Age. Dress fittings and personal ornaments provide important evidence for everyday appearance and craftsmanship during this period, complementing the historical record with objects that were physically handled and worn. This piece therefore forms a tangible connection to the early medieval world and to the people for whom small bronze objects were part of daily life."} } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } }