A selection of Bronze Age gold spiral pendants. Each pendant is formed from a single rod of gold wire, expertly worked to produce two spiral protrusions. The spirals meet at the centre forming a suspension loop. Pendants such as these would have been used across the whole of the Bronze Age, from Northern Europe to the Western Asiatic. These particular examples are European.
Date: Circa 1600 - 1200 BC Provenance: Ex JL private collection, Surrey, UK, acquired 2000s. Previously acquired from a UK private collection, Walton-on-Thames, mid 1970s. Examined by Bonham's auction house as a collection, under Mr JL ownership. Bonham's reference number 445037/16. Condition: Excellent. Some encrustation due to age.
Spiral patterns, although associated now with the Celtic people, have in one form or another, been used in the art of many cultures worldwide. Appearing on rock art in Britain and Ireland as far back as the Neolithic period, spirals appear to have held important, though now forgotten, meaning with some of the earliest human civilisations.
The double spiral is thought to signify balance, no doubt owing to the symmetry of the dual spirals. This symbolism is sometimes further extended, suggesting that the double spiral represents the equinox, when day and night are of equal length and an important time in much of early Celtic culture and religion.
Weight
N/A
Dimensions
cm
Choice of Item
A, B, C
Metal
Gold
Region
Central Europe, North Africa, North Europe, Southern Europe
