Eastern Viking, Ca. 600-900 AD. A wooden anthropomorphic idol crafted with simplified features. They were used as objects of worship, representing gods or goddesses, and were thought to bring good luck and fortune to those who possessed them. The idols were also used in rituals and ceremonies as offerings to the gods.Size: L:100mm / W:35mm ; 15gProvenance: Property of a European collector; formerly in a collection of German ambassador F. von Pourtalès, early 20th c., bought in St. Petersburg in 1910s. After his death in 1928, in family’s possession in Germany, bought by German dealer in 1980s.