VIKING GOLD MEDALLION DEPICTING "GREAT BEAST" Ca. AD 800 - 1100. A pendant of discoid form, shaped from a thin sheet of gold, features planar faces and a slender peripheral edge. An integral suspension loop with raised edges is incorporated into the design. The obverse is finely decorated with exceedingly complex curvilinear and knotted cord-patterned motifs representing the mythological animal known as the "Great Beast". Filigree wires wrap around granular spheres along the top and bottom of the pendant. For similar see: The Viking Art; fig. 131, p. 114. Size: 28mm x 23mm; Weight: 6g. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1990s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. This piece is accompanied by an authentication statement by Sami Fortune, ancient jewellery specialist.