1043 - A Viking battle axe made of iron with silver inlays in the Jelling style, 10th century

A Viking battle axe made of iron with silver inlays in the Jelling style, 10th century Iron axe with a short, blunt neck. The tang flanges are notched at the top and taper to a point at the bottom, enclosing an oval tang hole with a groove at the front. The blade runs approximately horizontally at the top, with a slightly curved cutting edge that tapers slightly downward. The lower edge is curved accordingly. The sides of the axe, with the exception of the last 2.5 cm before the cutting edge, are entirely decorated with a complex and elaborate silver inlay. On either side of the cutting edge, within a trapezoidal field, is an animal coiled multiple times with a slender, ribbon-like body, whose torso and limbs are intertwined like braided cords. The edges are outlined with a recessed line, and the joints are marked by dots. The head features a “parrot-beak”-shaped snout, whose serrated upper mouth opening suggests sharp teeth. The eyes and ears are clearly recognizable. Although similar in design, the execution of the animal on both sides differs in detail. The animals are framed at the edge by a line with circular eyes at the corners and along the outer edge. The neck, shaft flanges, and front part of the blade are decorated with braided bands of lines intertwined at right angles, separated by vertical rows of circular dots. The shaft flanges are still largely covered with corrosion products. The decoration is generally very clearly visible and has been largely, yet delicately, cleared of oxide deposits and incrustations without damaging the axe’s substance. The iron body is exceptionally well-preserved, with no deep corrosion scars. A magnificent example of a Viking battleaxe featuring a characteristic animal motif in the Jelling style of exquisite quality. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Provenance: Private collection in southern Germany, acquired in the late 1990s from the collector’s father’s collection. Condition: I–II