Catalogue Roberti Fine Art, TEFAF Maastricht 2026 (1) compressed - Flipbook - Page 29
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VIKING PERIOD, 9TH - 11TH CENTURY A.D.
A gold ring
gold
21 mm. diameter
ring size 63
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Russia, acquired prior to 1960;
Cahn International AG, until 2017.
Formed as a continuous plait of thick gold rods, the hoop is constructed from interlaced strands that
merge seamlessly into a solid circular band. The bold braided design reflects the sculptural aesthetic
of Viking metalwork, where strength and ornament are inseparable. Such rings functioned both as
personal adornment and portable wealth, embodying the material culture of status and exchange
within the Norse world. The tactile modelling and irregular hammering preserve the immediacy of
hand-forged workmanship. Intact.
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ANGLO-SAXON, 10TH CENTURY A.D.
A gold finger ring
gold
20 mm. inner diameter
5g weight
size 58
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Vienna, Austria, until 2022.
An exceptional and extremely rare late Anglo-Saxon sheet gold finger-ring with applied beaded wire
and granule decoration.
Formed from sheet gold and rising to a shield-shaped bezel, the surface is animated by repoussé
spiral scrolls punctuated with applied granules and enclosed within fine beaded-wire borders. The
design is divided by a central rib, creating a symmetrical ornamental field characteristic of late AngloSaxon decorative vocabulary. The restrained geometry and rhythmic patterning recall contemporary
Winchester-style manuscript ornament translated into metal. Rings of this type are rare survivals of
elite personal adornment in pre-Conquest England.
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