Extremely Rare Viking 'Inset Chip-Carved Trefoil Brooch' Weight
Lead, copper-alloy and gold, 50.32 grams, 29.25 mm. 9th-10th century AD. An Irish or Hiberno-Saxon copper-alloy gilded brooch or mount used as embellishment for a Viking period triangular weight. The mount comprises three sub-triangular panels surrounding a circular central motif, all constructed as flat fields with heavy, raised borders. Within the central field sits a geometric knotwork panel. The gilding is present across much of the surface of the mount and the fine chip-carved surface is preserved.
Reference: Kruse, S. Trade and Exchange Across Frontiers in Graham-Campbell, J. & Williams, G. (eds.) Silver Economy in the Viking Age, Walnut Creek, 2007. Published in Hammond, B.M. British Artefacts vol.2 - Middle Saxon and Viking, Witham, 2010. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.