1045 - A brooch made of gold-plated silver in the shape of a cross, depicting Odin and his ravens, Viking, 10th century.

A brooch made of gold-plated silver in the shape of a cross, depicting Odin and his ravens, Viking, 10th century. A cross with a circular hole in the center; above it, on the front, a rounded rock crystal cabochon set with a rim. The cross arms, in the Jelling style, feature an interlacing pattern of stylized, ribbon-like animal forms, In the upper half, Hugin and Munin, whose heads flank Odin’s head and whisper the observations from their daily foray into his ears; below them, two additional animals whose open mouths bite into a separate, self-contained interlacing pattern. Odin’s head is strikingly stylized in relief, featuring a mustache and a pointed goatee, with lips, cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, and hair clearly defined. The heads of Hugin and Munin have beaks curled spirally at the front. The upper and lower beaks are clearly separated, the former marked by a nostril. Behind them are the eyes; two “neck tufts” run downward, tapering toward each other and joining. Below the eyes, the ribbon-like, stylized bodies run diagonally past the central cabochon, which, in the left and right cross-arms, are connected to the bodies of the lower animals via a complex interlacing pattern that winds diagonally up and down in a serpentine fashion and ends abruptly behind the limbs of the lower animals. Their bodies extend in horizontal “serpentines.” At the ends of the cross arms are animal feet belonging to the lower animals. In the lower cross arm, coming diagonally from above, are the bodies of the lower animals, which cross over each other in the upper part and end in heads with open mouths. The mouths interlock in a latticework that forms an “infinite knot” with four crosswise-arranged loops. The animal bodies and latticework are outlined on the sides with border lines and on the inside with a row of closely spaced dots. On the reverse side, on the upper crossbar, there is a jaw hinge for holding the needle; on the lower crossbar, the bent-back needle catch. There are also fine scratches there, some resulting from rough, improper cleaning of the surface—presumably to remove iron oxide deposits caused by the corrosion of the originally present iron needle. There are also minimal iron oxide deposits in some areas on the front, but these have been cleaned much more discreetly and properly, without damaging the image details. The front shows some slight wear and signs of use. The surface of the rock crystal on the front has become rough due to wear and impact marks, while the back remains completely smooth. Height 6.6 cm. Width 6.4 cm. An exceptionally beautiful example of Viking-era jewelry featuring intricately crafted figurative representations and Jelling-style ornaments, which also embodies a combination of Christian and pagan symbolism typical of the period. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Provenance: Private collection in southern Germany, acquired in the late 1990s from the collector’s father’s collection. Condition: II +