Viking Era Bronze 女性像のペンダント – セイードリとアポトロペアックの防護 – 北欧ノルドの伝統、紀元9世紀頃–11世紀頃 (No reserve price)

A piece of the past, made to be worn

Female-Figure Pendant – Seiðr and Apotropaic Protection – Scandinavian Norse Tradition, c. 9th–11th Century AD

Object Type: Anthropomorphic Amuletic Pendant
Culture: Viking Age / Scandinavian Norse
Period: c. 9th–11th Century AD
Material: Metal Alloy, Probably Bronze
Motif: Stylised Female Figure
Cultural Context: Víkingaöld – Smáhlutir – Seiðr – Dísir

-Cultural and Iconographic Assessment Certificate: available upon request before shipment (PDF format)
-All shipments are sent fully insured
-During photography, a warm-toned lighting setup reminiscent of museum display illumination was used to emphasize the object's surface details and historic character in a natural manner.
-The suspension cords, connecting rings, and other display accessories shown in the photographs are used solely for presentation purposes and are not part of the object.

Dimensions:
H: 17.68 mm ±
W: 15.58 mm ±
D: 03.96 mm ±
Weight: 3.37 g

Description
A metal-alloy pendant, probably bronze, belonging to the material culture of the Viking Age (víkingaöld) Scandinavian world. Its central motif consists of a highly stylised anthropomorphic figure, plausibly female, rendered frontally through a deliberately schematic visual vocabulary. Raised pellets articulate the body and lower border, producing a rhythmic ornament characteristic of the interplay between figuration and abstraction in Norse metalwork.

Anthropomorphic imagery forms a distinctive component of Viking Age smáhlutir—small personal objects—including pendants, amulets, dress fittings and other elements of personal adornment. Female figures within this archaeological corpus have variously been discussed in relation to seiðr, protective or apotropaic concepts, elite female identity and the mythological sphere of the dísir and Valkyries. The present figure, however, lacks sufficiently diagnostic attributes for identification with a specific supernatural being or deity.

Its compact form and suspension arrangement place the object within the sphere of personal gripir and bodily display, where ornament, identity and belief could intersect. The dark brown-green patina, mineral accretions and irregular surface wear contribute to its strongly developed archaeological character.

On morphological and stylistic grounds, the pendant may reasonably be placed within the Scandinavian Viking Age, approximately 9th–11th century AD.

Information
The offered object was acquired in 2026 through an auction associated with A.N. Auction House in Germany and was transferred to us in 2026 by its previous owner, N.A., based in the Netherlands

The object has been documented using high-resolution equipment; no intervention has been made to its form or structural integrity, and only limited color-balance adjustment has been applied.

Upon request, museum-standard technical photographs may be provided during the auction; if requested prior to shipment, an expert report and a signed ownership document issued in the buyer’s name can be supplied in PDF format within 3–5 business days

Statements regarding dating, function, symbolic interpretation, and material identification represent high-probability academic assessments based on typological comparisons, parallels in museum collections, and expert opinion; definitive conclusions require advanced laboratory analysis and fall outside the scope of the platform’s sales process.

Prospective buyers are advised to evaluate the images in conjunction with the stated measurements, as high-resolution photography may influence perceived scale. Throughout the presentation and sales process, principles of scholarly consistency, transparency, and good faith are observed, and no object is knowingly offered as a copy or imitation.