Professional Documents
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The Anatomy of
Viking Art
The Anatomy of
Viking Art
1st edition
ISBN 978-87-970600-1-8
Contents
Timeline 6
Introduction 7
Broa Style 8
Oseberg Style 18
Borre Style 28
Jelling Style 38
Mammen Style 48
Ringerike Style 58
Urnes Style 68
Maps 78
Resources 81
850
850
Ringerike style
The Norman conquest of England c. 1000 – 1075
1100
Urnes style
c. 1050 – 1125
Introduction
The artworks of the Norse are some of the only first- The thematic division of the main characteristics into
hand sources we have from the people inhabiting the subjects of shapes, outlines, flow, pattern, compo-
Scandinavia in the Viking Age. sition and motifs are in large based on the great work
But without a mental model of how the individual of Signe Horn Fuglesang though I have made a few
pieces fit together from years of studying the works adjustments to fit the purpose of this guide.
of experienced scholars, it can be very difficult and The styles of the Viking Age are very much a product
daunting to decipher the individual artworks and of the time in which they were developed. With the
even more to try to recreate it. The surviving original addition of the historical timelines and maps, I hope to
artworks are often presented without much context, help you better anchor the styles and their character-
if any, and are often also damaged or distorted due to istics to the historical events and culture of their time.
the wear of time and use. But also to make this a quick reference guide when
This guide is by no means meant to be an exhaustive creating artwork for reenactment-purposes.
resource but instead to act as a stepping stone to help The guide is structured chronologically by order of
you understand the central concepts of the Viking the seven styles from the earliest to the most recent.
Age art styles. But be aware that there is still scholarly debate about
the definition and categorisation of some of the styles.
I am by no means a historian or an archaeologist. My What I have presented here is what to my knowledge
background is in graphic design and architecture, and is the most plausible representation yet of the actual
the intention with this guide is to create the resource I historical development from what we know so far.
wish I had when I began to try to understand the art I encourage you to do your own studies, and I have
of the Norse and tried to make my first unsuccessful made it as easy as possible for you to look up any items
attempts at recreating authentic artwork based on the referenced or historical events mentioned in this guide.
Viking Age styles.
The guide is based on the work of wise scholars and my I have published this guide under the cc-by-nc-sa
own thorough studies of the archaeological artefacts. license, which basically means that, as long as you
Due to the lack of good documentation and possible do it without compensation, you may copy and share
copyright issues, the illustrations of this guide are all the content as much as you like. So please share the
new designs build on the principles of the original knowledge with whomever you know who might find
Viking Age art. It has been a great learning experi- it interesting or useful.
ence to create and has contributed tremendously to
my understanding of the art and how it is constructed. I hope this guide will assist you in your study of Viking
Age art and also help you recreate beautiful authentic
I hope this guide will assist you in your quest for getting Norse artwork.
familiar with the styles of the Norse and hopefully
to get you up to speed faster than I was able to by Enjoy!
short-circuiting the learning curve. I have skipped all
the scholarly history and the who is who of academia Jonas Lau Markussen
in favour of getting right to the point of the matter at
hand; the Viking Age art.
Introduction 7
Broa Style c. 750 – 825
4 3 1
Shapes
2 1 Lappets with double or triple
tendril frond terminals.
5 7 2 Tightly curled tendril
terminals.
6 3 Head in profile.
4 Round eye.
5 Round tightly curled snout.
6 Small and slightly curved
mouth.
7 Neck-tendrils.
8 Limbs rendered into
extremely elongated tendrils.
8 9 Open hips dissolving into
9
looping tendril interlace.
Head
Body
A B C D
Flow
Even and almost geometric A Pear-shaped loops.
curves. B Multi-loops.
C Triquetra-knots.
D S-shapes.
Pattern
Semi-tight interlace with little visible
background.
Double contour occurs.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Double-stranded ribbons occur.
Broa Style 9
A
Composition
Clear composition almost to the point of geometry.
Repetition of basic compositional lines.
A sense for counterpoint composition.
Apparent symmetry in the composition - However, a difference in detail (A, C).
Compositions often divided or separated by framework (B, C).
Juxtaposition of different types of motifs (C).
Broa Style 11
A
Motifs
Ribbon animals with elongated bodies and Gripping beasts with solid bodies, ribbon-like
extremely stylized features (A, B, D). body and inflated hips, and slender limbs
Squat animals with more naturalistic bodies gripping the frame or neighbouring animals or
(B, C). limbs (C).
Geometric framework (B, C).
Broa Style 13
Dawn of the Viking Age
Scandinavia Church. The empire reached its peak around the year
Life in Scandinavia was in large lived in and around 800, as the Pope crowned Charlemagne of the Caro-
the longhouse of the farmstead, either clustered in lingian dynasty Holy Roman Emperor in Rome.
small villages or as single farms in the open country. Continental Eastern Europe was inhabited by a large
Power structures varied but usually, a chieftain was the group of Slavic clans and tribes, which in their way
main centre of power in the local community consti- of life and spiritual beliefs were much more similar to
tuted by a number of farmsteads which paid allegiance the Norse people of Scandinavia.
to the chieftain.
A spiritual practice was inherent in all aspects of life Connections and Exchange
and wasn’t centred around any single religious insti- The Norse had already been travelling and exchanging
tution like the Church of the Christian faith. The goods throughout Europe for centuries by sea and
subject of tribute was all the various deities of the land. But the introduction of the sail made their
Norse pantheon like Odin, Freya and Thor, each with already magnificent ships a lot faster and thereby
their individual attributes, whom it was paramount longer reaching. This new advantage was the main
to please with a fitting sacrifice to gain good fortune reason why the Vikings now began to be a force to be
depending on the matter at hand. reckoned with and ultimately made a lasting and
The establishment of trading towns like Hedeby profound impression on the history of Europe.
and Birka began typically as temporary and seasonal Though the large part of the travels and exchange of
marketplaces in conjunction with yearly communal the Norse was probably somewhat peaceful and based
thing assemblies with a collection of parcels along on trading goods and making connections, what the
the main street with booths of tents and makeshift Scandinavians are best known for is their violent raids.
workshops at either side. They then developed into In the written sources the most famous account of the
more established market towns where trade could be Norse is of cause the Viking attack on the Monastery
controlled and taxes collected by the local rule. of Lindisfarne situated on the east coast of England.
The southern border of Scandinavia was consti- This event marks what is traditionally regarded by
tuted by Danevirke, a fortification running across the scholars as the beginning of the Viking age in Scan-
narrowest part of the Jutland peninsula with Hedeby dinavia.
at the east end, and thereby controlling all land access
to Scandinavia from the south and connecting the
trading routes by land with those of the sea.
The gradual establishment of controlled trading towns
and military structures of this magnitude indicates that
some kind of subjugating measure of power like a king
organising and controlling subordinate chieftains and
their resources must have been in place already by now.
Europe
On the British Isles, the various territories of Christian
faith were divided in a number of Kingdoms.
Continental Western Europe was dominated by the
expansive Frankish Empire supported by the Catholic
Broa Style 15
First phase of the Danevirke is built
740
750
770
790
Charlemagne dies
Coinage at Hedeby
830
Disc-on-bow brooches
Gumbalda, Gotland, Sweden.
Historiska Museet, Stockholm SHM 1078,
SHM 1361
Broa Style 17
Oseberg Style c. 800 — 875
6
Shapes
1 Equal sized squat animals:
1 Frond-like terminals.
3
2 Round eyes.
3 Feet gripping surroundings.
4
An interplay of geometric and
zoomorphic patterns:
4 Limbs segmented into
ornamental elements.
Three main animal types:
5 Birds:
Head in profile.
Beaked.
2
6 Mask A:
Head facing forward.
Protruding fronds from
either side of the head.
7 Mask B:
Head facing forward.
7 5 Top of head terminates into
fronds.
Head
Body
A B C D
Flow
A medley of looping and waving A Pear-shaped loops.
curves. B Multi-loops.
C Pretzel-knots.
D S-shapes.
Pattern
Tight interlace with almost no visible
background.
Double contour.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Double-stranded ribbons.
Triple-stranded ribbons.
A mix of high and low relief.
Oseberg Style 19
A
Composition
An absence of compositional main lines (A, D).
Carpet-like distribution of motifs of equal size and equal compositional value.
Geometric and zoomorphic framework of oval or rhomb-shape (B, C).
Apparent symmetry in the composition. However, different in detail (A, B, C).
Oseberg Style 21
A
Motifs
An eclectic medley of animal bodies rendered
into segments melting together.
Zoomorphic framework (C).
Geometric framework (B).
Oseberg Style 23
Exchange and Early Expansion
Trade and Raids south and connected with the British Isles to the west
The spirit of the Norse expeditions and exchange with through the Baltic and the rest of Scandinavia to the
the communities of the surrounding European regions east through the North Sea, Hedeby was a crossing
was mostly opportunistic. Whether it be for trade, raid point of religious, monetary and cultural influences.
or settlement depended on the circumstances and the There was continual traffic of material goods flowing
situation of the individual. through the town.
Several trading towns were now well established in Both the Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands were
Scandinavia along the popular trading routes. They settled by Norse emigrants who saw an opportunity in
were the centre of fluctuating cosmopolitan influences moving their household to the vacant and fertile isles
and material goods and the manifestation of all the and making a life of their own. The isles soon became
connections with the various tribes and societies of a bridgehead to the further expeditions and raids of
Europe through the far-reaching trading routes over- Scotland and the rest of the British Isles.
seas and along the continental rivers. The Bishop Ansgar was appointed missionary of the
They soon became an obvious opportunity for the northern lands by the Frankish emperor Louis the
influence of power on several levels: economic, mili- Pius, and he was, in turn, able and allowed by the
tary, socially, religious and artistic. This was, therefore, Norse rulers to build churches in some of the most
a crucial place to have control over by the local rule important trading towns.
who collected taxes and controlled who and what But as the Frankish Empire crumbled, the power,
entered and left the territory. need or incentive to force the Christian faith upon the
barbarians of the north lacked the support it needed to
The Eastern Routes be successful, and as most of the Norse people didn’t
The trading town of Birka, Sweden was the gate to see any reason to convert by their own free will, the first
Eastern Europe. From here all the Slavic regions could attempts at Christening the Norse were in large futile.
be reached by the rivers from the Baltic sea like Volga
and Dnieper, eventually reaching Constantinople, the
capital of the Byzantine Empire.
The Norse, or the Rus’ as they were known in
Eastern Europe, came from what is today Roslagen
of modern-day Sweden and settled along the Northern
parts of these routes, to make the journeys more
convenient and to better be able to trade and raid
among the local Slavic tribes.
The Rus’ chieftain Rurik soon gained control of the
trading post Ladoga and later established a settlement
further south at Novgorod.
Oseberg Style 25
790
Charlemagne dies
Coinage at Hedeby
880
890
Examples
Dateable c. 850
Gilt silver pendants
c. 834 — the Hon hoard
Animal head posts Hon, Buskerud, Norway.
— the Oseberg grave Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C747
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway. (The hoard: C719-51)
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo O
1904:345, O 1904:344
Undateable
c. 820
The ship Sword sheath ferrule
— the Oseberg grave Korosten, obl. Žitomir, Ukraine.
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway. Gosudarstvennyj Istoričeskij Muzej, Moscow
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C550001 105009,inv. 2575/1
c. 834
The Baroque animal head post
— the Oseberg grave
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C55000
123
c. 834
The Baroque sledge poles
— the Oseberg grave
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C55000
196, C55000 17
c. 834
The Carolingian animal head post
— the Oseberg grave
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C55000
173
c. 834
The fourth sledge
— the Oseberg grave
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C55000
208
c. 834
Shetelig’s sledge
— the Oseberg grave
Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C55000
195
Oseberg Style 27
Borre Style c. 850 — 950
4
Shapes
1 Tight knot-like interlace.
6 2 Equal-sided geometric
figures (circles and squares).
3 Spirals.
5 4 Triangular head facing
forward.
5 Round or almond-shaped
8
eyes.
7
6 Protruding ears.
7 Oval snout.
8 Short and squat proportions.
9
9 Slim and elongated legs.
Head
Body
A B
Flow
A preference for geometric A Multi-loops.
curves. B Pretzel-knots.
Pattern
Very tight interlace with almost no visible
background.
Double contour occur.
Double-stranded ribbons.
Triple-stranded ribbons.
High relief.
Borre Style 29
A B
Composition
Tight compositions of closed ribbons (D), knots (B, C) and animals (A, B).
Repetition and juxtaposition of geometrical shapes (C, D).
Borre Style 31
A B
Motifs
Gripping beasts (A, B). Single knots build by interlacing closed ribbons
Ring chains build by repetition and of either geometric shapes or pretzel-knot
juxtaposition of closed interlacing ribbons of patterns (B, C).
equal-sided geometric shapes (D).
Borre Style 33
Conquest and Colonisation
Borre Style 35
First churches are build in Scandinavia
850 Scandinavians settle by the Thames near London, England
The Hon hoard
880
Borre style
c. 850 – 950
900
Scandinavians attack Constantinople
910
Normandy is founded by Rollo
920
930
950
Borre Style 37
Jelling Style c. 900 — 975
3 1 2
Shapes
1 Head in profile.
4 2 Round or almond-shaped
eye.
3 Curled lip-lappet.
4 Neck tendril.
5 Solid body.
6 Spirals representing hip
5 joints.
7 Pellets intersecting limbs at
joints.
7 6
Head
Body
Flow
A mix of wavy and almost A S-shapes.
geometric curves.
Pattern
Restrained use of interlace with some visible
background.
Double contour.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Double-stranded ribbons.
Jelling Style 39
A
Composition
Jelling Style 41
A
Motifs
Ribbon animals, typically with striated bodies.
Jelling Style 43
Rise of the Jelling Dynasty
English Control of the Danelaw was now able to force Eric to flee to the British Isles
The Anglo-Saxon King Edward, the Elder, managed where he eventually would be King of Northumbria
to take back most of the Danelaw territory except for a few years before his death.
Northumbria, which remained under Norse rule. Haakon later fought and was eventually defeated by
A few years later his son Eadred finally managed to the sons of Eric supported by Gorm the Old.
gain control over and absorb Northumbria into the
English Kingdom after the death of King Eric Bloo- Bishoprics in Scandinavia
daxe and in doing so ending the Norse reign of English Several of the trading towns like Hedeby and Aarhus
territory. became the seat of a bishop under the Archbishopric
of Hamburg and Bremen.
The Jelling Dynasty
Power in Denmark now began to concentrate in and The Holy Roman Empire
around the aristocracy of the Jelling area on the penin- Following the death of Emperor Louis the Pious, the
sula of Jutland. Frankish Empire had previously been divided in three;
Gorm the Old is the first historically recognised king West Francia, Middle Francia and East Francia.
of Denmark. There was no Emperor appointed in the West for
His wife Thyra is mentioned on a number of rune several years until the crowning of the Saxon king
stones in the area of Jelling, and not least on the Otto I.
lesser Jelling stone itself, which was raised by Gorm
in memory of her.
It is believed that Gorm was buried in the chamber
of the North Mound in Jelling when he died, built
by his son and successor Harald Bluetooth. But the
remains of Gorm was later moved out of the mound
and placed in a final resting place under the wooden
church built by Harald when he converted to Chris-
tianity.
Jelling Style 45
890 The Gokstad ship
900
Scandinavians attack Constantinople
910
Normandy is founded by Rollo
920
950
Oval brooch
Morberg, Røyken, Buskerud, Norway.
Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo C21438a
Jelling Style 47
Mammen Style c. 950 — 1025
6
Shapes
2 3 1 Long and wavy S-shaped
tendrils.
2 Loosely scrolled tendril
4 7 terminals.
3 Spirals as tendril terminals.
4 Pellets intersecting ribbons.
5
5 Concave dents.
6 Head in profile.
7 Round or almond-shaped
eye.
8 Spiral hip joints.
8
Head
Body
A B C
Flow
Flowing loose and wavy curves. A Multi-loops.
B Pretzel-knots.
C S-shapes.
Pattern
Semi-open interlace with some visible
background.
Double contour.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Double-stranded ribbons.
Mammen Style 49
A B
Composition
Single motifs (A, B, C).
Loosely flowing compositions with a lack of axiality and symmetry (B, C, D).
Additive principles.
Different elements often have the same value – i.e. stems vs tendrils.
Mammen Style 51
A B
Motifs
Great Beasts, which is a combination of a Masks (A).
carnivore mammal and one or more serpents Vegetal ornaments (D).
intertwined in battle (C).
Mammals, typically carnivores (C).
Serpents (C).
Birds (B).
Mammen Style 53
Christianisation of the Norse
Mammen Style 55
Gorm becomes king of Denmark
1010
1040
Examples
Undateable
Antler handle
Køge, Zealand, Denmark.
Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen C18000
Bone cylinder
Årnes, Møre og Romsdal, Norway.
Trondheim Kgl. Norske Videnskabers Selskab
Museet.
Bone disc
London, England.
The British Museum, London.
Mammen Style 57
Ringerike Style c. 1000 — 1075
6 4 2 1
Shapes
1 Slim and short tendrils.
5
2 Clusters of centrifugally
projected tendrils.
3 Tendrils with a single lobe.
4 Lobes with alternating side-
8 7 lobes.
5 Tightly scrolled tendril
9 terminals.
6 Pellets intersecting ribbons.
7 Head in profile.
8 Almond-shaped eye.
9 Spirals representing hip
joints.
Head
Body
A B C D
Flow
Taut curves only looping in one A Pear-shaped loops.
direction. B Figure-of-eights loops.
C Multi-loops.
D Pretzel-knots.
Pattern
Semi-tight interlace with some visible
background.
Double contour occur.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Double-stranded ribbons occur.
Ribbons are broken into panels by intersection.
Ringerike Style 59
A B
Composition
Single motifs (A, C).
Tauter compositions.
Axiality and symmetry occur (B, C, D).
Additive principles, i.e. clusters of tendrils (A, B, C).
Different elements has different value – i.e. stems vs tendrils (A, B, D).
Ringerike Style 61
A B
Motifs
Great Beast variations, typically a combination Birds (C).
of a greater carnivore animal and one or more Masks (Not displayed here but very similar to
serpent intertwined in battle (A, C, D). the Mammen style masks).
Mammals (A). Vegetal ornaments (B).
Serpents (A, B, C, D). Rosetta-like crosses (B).
Ringerike Style 63
Rise and Fall of the Great Norse Kingdom
The Conquest of England succumbed, thus ultimately ending the Norse rule of
King Æthelred the Unready paid the third Danegeld England for good.
to Sweyn Forkbeard. But, due to rumours of an assassi- After the death of Harthacnut, the rule of Denmark
nation attempt against him, Æthelred then slaughtered now fell under the Norwegian king Magnus the Good
a large number of the Norse settlers, in what has since for a few years.
been known as the St. Brice’s Day massacre.
In retaliation, Sweyn raided England three consecutive
times, before he and his son Cnut the Great eventually
conquered England. Though it’s a very short-lived
victory for Sweyn, who died a few weeks later.
Development The Ringerike style is the only Viking Age style which
The characteristics of the Ringerike style is a direct is not named after an actual find location. Instead, it
and close continuation of the Mammen style, from is actually named after the area of Ringerike, a little
which it can often be difficult to discern the differences. north of Oslo, from which the sandstone material
The development of the style draws on further inspi- comes from, by which many of the runestones are
ration from Western European sources. The use of made of.
foliate motifs is intensified. The style displays inter-
twining tendrils inspired by Frankish conventions, Weather Vanes
alternating lobes and tendrils of British origin, and Some of the most magnificent examples in the style
leaf-terminals inspired by acanthus leaves which were are the three weather vanes from Norway and Sweden.
popular in both the Frankish and British regions. They were initially used as a metal standard or flag
But the style is still inherently Norse in nature. All on the masthead or prow on ships but survived due to
external influences are modelled to fit Scandinavian being adapted and used as weather vanes on churches
tradition and convention, where the motif of the great and was ultimately still in use almost up until modern
beast introduced in the Mammen era, is now gaining day.
further popularity and is seen in many variations not
least on the many new runestones erected in this time. Wooden Staffs
The wooden staffs found in Lund and Dublin deserves
Dating a special mention here too, because of their splendid
With the gradual introduction of Christianity in Scan- animal head terminals reminiscent of the animal head
dinavia, no equipment was laid in graves. Dating, posts of the Oseberg grave.
therefore almost exclusively relies on metalworks
found in hoards together with coins included but can Distribution
be reasonably well established. The style was widely spread throughout Scandinavia
and all of the Norse settlements, not least in the British
Runestones Isles, where it inspired many of the existing local styles,
Before the Greater Jelling Stone, only a dozen stone and even found great popularity in the Irish regions
sculptures in Scandinavia had been erected, except were it was heavily adopted and among others directly
for the Gotland picture stones. inspired a few manuscripts. It was even still in use in
The power centre around the Jelling dynasty was this region after it had faded and transitioned into the
probably the driving factor behind the development Urnes style in Scandinavia.
of the style, with its connections through the Church
organisation the direct cultural influences must have
had an impact as is also reflected in the style.
The rune stones now became quite popular inspired
by the Jelling stone, and it is from this time we see the
most erected rune stones in Scandinavia with Uppland,
Sweden forming the innovative centre. The influence
from English stone carvers is evident, and the craft
may have been brought back to Scandinavia through
the Norse settlements.
Ringerike Style 65
Vladimir the Great baptises the Kievan Rus’
990
Sweyn Forkbeard collects 1st Danegeld
1010
1030 The Undrom hoard The Runestone Style – 1st phase Ringerike style
c. 1000 – 1075
1040
Harthacnut dies
The end of Viking reign of England
1060
1090
Examples
Dateable
Bone needle The Stora Ek stone
c. 1018 – 1035 London, England. Stora Ek, Västergötland, Sverige.
Disc brooch The British Museum, London M&LA 1893,
— the Årstad hoard 6–18, 72 The St Paul’s Churchyard stone
Årstad, Rogaland, Norway. St Paul’s churchyard, London, England.
Bronze rim mount Museum of London, London 4075
c. 1026 – 1030 Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark.
Gilt silver arm ring with animal head Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen C9487 The Söderala vane
terminal Söderala, Hälsingland, Sweden.
– the Undrom hoard The Dynna stone Historiska Museet, Stockholm SHM 16023
Undrom, Ångermanland, Sweden. Dynna, Oppland, Norway.
Historiska Museet, Stockholm SHM 1318 The Tullstorp stone
The Flatatunga planks Tullstorp, Scania, Sweden.
c. 1048 Flatatunga, Northwestern Region, Iceland.
Silver brooch Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, Reykjavík 15296 a-c The Vang stone
— the Espinge hoard Vang, Oppland, Norway.
Espinge, Hurva, Skåne. Gilt silver bronze plate
Historiska Museet, Stockholm SHM 6620:2 Winchester, England.
Winchester Cathedral Library
c. 1060 – 1079
The Bonderup crucifix Gold filigree disc brooches
Bonderup, Zealand, Denmark. — the Hornelund hoard
Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen 14190 Hornelund, Jutland, Denmark.
Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen C7144, C7145
c. 1055
Gilt silver disc brooch The Gök stone (Gökstenen)
— the Gerete hoard Härad, Södermanland, Sweden.
Gerete, Fardhem, Gotland, Sweden.
Historiska Museet, Stockholm The Heggen vane
Heggen, Buskerud, Norway.
c. 1085 Universitetets Oldsakssamling, Oslo, C23602
Gilt silver bird brooch
— the Gräsli hoard Ivory head of a tau crozier
Gräsli, Sør-Tröndelag, Norway. Veszprémvölgy, Hungary.
Trondheim Museum
The Källunge vane
Källunge, Gotland, Sverige.
Undateable
The Norra Åsarp stone
Animal head staff (I) Norra Åsarp, Västergötland, Sweden.
Dublin, Ireland.
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin The Gaulverjabær plank
E172:5587 Gaulverjabær, Southern Region, Iceland.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, Reykjavík 1974:217
Animal head staff (II)
Lund, Scania, Sweden. The Ramsundsberget Sigurd-carvings
Kulturen, Lund KM 59.126:795 Jäder, Södermanland, Sweden.
Ringerike Style 67
Urnes Style c. 1050 — 1125
8
Shapes
1 Extremely elongated
proportions (head almost
6
reduced to a mere ribbon
5
terminal).
2 Tendrils usually without
7
2 offshoots.
3 Tightly scrolled tendril
terminals.
4 Tendrils with a single lobe.
1
5 Head in profile.
6 Almond-shaped eye.
7 Upper and lower lip-lappets.
8 Neck-tendril.
9
9 Spirals representing hip
joints.
3
4 1
Head
Body
Flow
Circular curves looping in A Figure-of-eights loops.
opposite directions.
Pattern
Open interlace with a more visible background.
Single-stranded ribbons.
Usually limited to only two ribbon widths.
Urnes Style 69
A
Composition
Two basic schemes of interpenetrating loops:
1 Two intersecting ribbons of figure-of-eight loops (A, C).
2 Multi-loops – three or more intersecting ribbons (B, D).
Absence of axiality and symmetry.
Balance in design is built by the fluent juxtaposition of the circular loops.
Urnes Style 71
A
Motifs
Great Beasts, almost exclusively, and typically Occasional vegetal motives (not displayed
executed in a very similar and extremely here although the terminals of feet and tails in
formalistic manner. illustration D are of vegetal origin).
Urnes Style 73
Consolidation of the Norse Regions
Urnes Style 75
Cnut the Great dies
1040
Harthacnut dies
The end of Viking reign of England
1060
1090
1110
1120
1140
Examples
Undateable
Urnes Style 77
Greenland
Iceland
Thingvellir
Reykjavik
Faroe Islands
Shetland Islands
Orkney Islands
Hebrides
North America
Vinland North
Scotland
York
Ireland Isle of Man
Dublin
Danelaw
Atlantic Ocean
England
London
Europe
Hastings
Modern Region
Modern Placename France
Coastline
Border
Waterway
City
Site Spain
Ring Fortress
African
Scandinavia
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Oslo
Gulf of Finland Staraja Ladoga
Stockholm
Birka
Novgorod
Gotland
Sea
Hedeby Gnezdovo
Slavic People
Jomsborg
Russia
Belarus
Kievan Rus’
Poland
Germany
Kiev
Romania
Italy
Black Sea
Istanbul
Constantinople
Rome
Greece Turkey
Byzantine Empire
Athens Middle East
Mediterranean Sea
Continent
Lapland
Sami People
Scandinavia Västerbotten
Stiklestad
Jämtland
Ångermanland
Trondheim
Trøndelag
Härjedalen
Norway
Hälsingland
Sogn og Fjordane Oppland
Urnes Hedmark
Gästrikland
Hordaland Dalarna
Buskerud
Askershus Sweden
Ringerike
Oslo Uppland
Uppsala
Telemark Värmland Västmanland Sigtuna
Oseberg
Gokstad
Borre Østfold Stockholm
Birka
Kaupang Närke Södermanland
Vestfold
Skagerrak Östergötland
Rogaland Västergötland
Aust-Agder
Broa
Vest-Agder
Øland Gotland
Småland
Halland
Kattegat
Mammen
Jutland Aarhus Blekinge
Denmark Scania
North Sea
Baltic Sea
Jelling Lund
Zealand
Lejre
Ribe
Funen
Danevirke
Hedeby
Jomsborg
Poland
Digital collections
81
Thanks
Mark Atchley
Shane Curran
Doug Hull
Peter Lillian
Ashira Malka
Eric Root
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