VIKING AGE SILVER SHIELD-MAIDEN PENDANT Ca. AD 900 - 1000. A silver pendant in the form of a shield-maiden, shown in right profile, wearing a long robe with a ribbed lower section and a row of stamped squares along the hem. Her head is covered with a stylised helmet or headdress, with a long plait of hair extending down the back. She holds a large circular shield with a swirling segmented design in her right hand and raises a short sword in her left. A pierced lug is set on the reverse. For similar see: Vang Petersen, P., Valkyrier og Bersærker. Mytologien i Smykkekunsten, in Madsen, P.K. (ed.), Danefæ. Skatte fra den Danske Muld, Copenhagen, 2010; Gardeła, L., 'Warrior-women' in Viking Age Scandinavia, A preliminary archaeological study in Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia, vol.8, Rzeszów, 2013. Size: 38mm x 20mm; Weight: 8g Provenance: Private UK collection; previously acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s.; Ex. property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.