bracteate..national museum denmark

'THE FUNEN BRACTEATE' DENMARK..any more information?

 

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That is not a coin... Is it what the Tollund Man might have stolen? Or is it a modern forgery of something?

 

its not stolen or forgery, its in national museum in denmark..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip...dates/Bracteate_from_Funen,_Denmark_(DR_BR42)

 

http://ancientart.tumblr.com/post/65302648306/the-germanic-funen-bracteate-found-in-funen

 

The Funen bracteate (DR BR42 = DR IK58), found in Funen, Denmark. The runic inscription is read as: houaz laþu aaduaaaliia a-- or alternatively houaz / laþu aa duaaalii(a) / al(u) According to the display at the National Museum of Denmark, houaz is interpreted as "The High One", a name of Odin.

(en) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alu_(runic)#DR_BR42
(de) http://www.runenprojekt.uni-kiel.de/abfragen/steckbrief2.asp?findno=118

Christian

 

made by medieval picasso..

 

it does look like a coin of the "Golden lady"..

 

Definitely cubistic expressionism. I wonder if Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso were inspired by this.

 

1907 painting by Klimt..

 

I'll have 2 please

 

"Original. A Migration Period Germanic gold bracteate (= from Latin, gold-plated) featuring a depiction of a bird, horse and stylized head wearing a Suebian knot sometimes theorized to represent Germanic God Woden and what would later become Sleipnir and Hugin or Munin in Germanic mythology, later attested in the form of Norse mythology. The runic inscription includes the religious term alu (runic magic ?)."

 

Wish I had one!

 

Good call

 

Pellinore, in saying "That is not a coin", you don't know what you're talking about. If you haven't the foggiest idea, it's better to say nothing. - "The gold bracteates were made mainly in the 5th to 7th century AD, and they conveyed both the sophisticated taste and high social status of their owners, who wore them as fine jewellery and hoarded them as treasure." - "Bracteates were issued for local circulation, but they never achieved acceptance in economically developed regions. The decline of the bracteates as the main coinage and short-lived coins, in general, depended on developing economies, growing cities and increased local and inter-regional trade."
Certainly, bracteates are curious types of coins, which don't fit into conventional ideas of "coins". But because they are different is no reason to dismiss them as junk. And, don't forget - they were made of gold !!!

 

I had no intention to insult you, just to say this is not a bracteate like we know these as coins from late medieval ages in Germany. From its form and nature you don’t get the idea that this is a coin, to use as payment for a distinct value. It is a work of art that’s called ‘bracteate’ because it’s a one-sided round sheet of thin metal.

 

No. Pellinore, I didn't wish to insult you, either. You say "this is not a bracteate like we know". Do we really know bracteates ? I'm not so sure. But if they are works of art, which they may well be, that doesn't mean they aren't also coinage, as were many Greek, Roman etc. coins. And even nowadays, some coins are quite artistic. Bracteates are "leaf thin", allegedly the most fragile coins in monetary history. They have been main coins in some regions, in medieval days, possibly German speaking countries and Scandinavia.

 

There was little information in the OP, but now I informed myself a bit on the internet. Sorry if I doubted their authenticity, I see now this is attested for. Apparently, these bracteates are each one of a kind, in fact a type of jewels. Naturally, in their time they carried great value, like modern gold rings or brooches do also.
But coins were by definition not one of a kind: they were coined from a die or cast from a form, not hammered out individually on a sheet of gold. They had a determined value, to buy a cow or a loaf of bread or a month of soldiering. An exchange rate. Is there anything known about the possible use as coinage of these pieces?
By the way, is there a relation with the art style of the sceattas? The time of manufacture is interesting, between the Celtic style and the early medieval.
Also, I’d like to know diameter and weight.

 

Hi Pellinore. You now seem more convinced of the possibility of bracteates having been used as coinage. Probably none of us here are specialists in the area, but no harm for us to learn more. They don't appear to be considered as mainstream coinage, at least not in the USA or the UK. Perhaps they should be ?

 

Not an expert either. But while I laughed about the assumption that this might be a modern forgery, the idea that this is not a coin makes much more sense. According to the museum website (text in Danish), such pieces were indeed inspired by ancient Roman coinage but had their own purpose - jewelry, amulets, pendants ...

Christian