I'm not sure what the period is, I guess it's the 13th-16th century..Byzantine? I'm just guessing... Silver, 3.8o cm, 14 gr...A beautiful piece..This problematic part can be fixed without problems..
Wonderful. I'd almost agree with the hypothesis that it's a censer, but it seems kind of small for that? I disagree with the notion that it is Indian jewelry of recent manufacture, though it does bear a slight resemblance to that. It looks properly old to me. Medieval, if not earlier. But my experience of detecting on medieval or Old World sites is limited to but a single week in England, so I claim no definitive knowledge there.
Yes! I think that's much more likely. I did get a "Dark Ages" vibe off of it. Looks like the sort of thing that turns up in hacksilver hoards in Scandinavia and the British Isles, almost.
Great piece, @galba68! Note the round filigree design top left. You can even make out the left-over loose rope above the knot. It undoubtedly suggests a handle for something that should be carried. Censer makes sense, more than a Viking piece, I think. My guess is: a miniature censer, quite possibly meant as a jewelry piece. Camino de Compostela???
Just a wild, wild guess without any basis other than that Santiago is big on incense. I really shouldn't have written it. It's a nice piece and I just got carried away by enthusiasm.... There's no shell on it, either.
If it’s small, it might be more like a pomander— essentially a personal fashion item filled with aromatic spices. More like personal perfume rather than an ecclesiastical item. These were in use up to until the 18th century. Maybe later.
