Northern Europe, Viking culture, possibly Gotland, Sweden, ca. 1000 to 1100 CE. A fabulous, near-complete collection of bronze chains, brooches, and pendants made to be worn by a wealthy Viking woman, clasping together the two sides of her cloak. The piece includes four intact woven bronze chains and part of a fifth, two identical openwork flat plates for attachment, two tortoise-shaped brooches, two round bells (still functional!), and three flatwork pendants - a cross, a bird, and an abstract curved form. The tortoise-shaped brooches have identical decoration: low relief crosses. Part of a leather-bound piece of wood clasped together with two thin sheets of bronze hangs off a series of wound bronze wires below a polished amber bead. As it is fragmentary, it is difficult to tell what this item once was - possibly a small book of prayer. Longest chain is: 24" L (61 cm); size of tortoise brooch (both are the same size): 1.8" W x 2.75" H (4.6 cm x 7 cm)

Tortoise-shaped (sometimes "box-shaped") brooches were created on the island of Gotland, Sweden, although they occasionally have been found in other parts of the Viking world. They were made to be worn in pairs on the chest of women's cloaks with chains suspended between them and are found in women's burials. The variety of brooches, pendants, and chains would have made this a flashy, eye-catching piece of fashion, and it would have been a treasured item, denoting the wealth and status of the woman who wore it. This item gives us further clues as to her identity - she was probably a Christian, based on the cross pendant and cross imagery on the brooches, but she retained the single amber bead, which is believed to be an amulet to the Viking goddess Freyja. This piece was made close enough to the period of conversion that individuals like her may have wanted to hedge their spiritual bets, or may have retained a private devotion to the old gods while publicly adhering to the new religion advocated by the monarchy.

The Swedish History Museum exhibits several items similar to the brooches here (see, for example: http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/fid.asp?fid=450014&g=1).

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA

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#132806

Excellent green and blue-green patina on all bronze surfaces. Some remains of iron, leather, and wood are integrated to the bronze components, all also with patina; the leather and wood are in delicate condition, as expected with their age. Some chains may be missing and one of the chains remaining is only partially present. This said, it is rare to find an item like this with so many remaining components - normally they have been separated into their constituent parts.