the viking world

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

The progression of Viking Art during the years 750-1100 AD, and some art from different areas of the world during the same time period to showcase the differences between them.

The Viking-Attack of 845, Foto: AMH, Middle Age, From the collection of: Hamburg Archaeological Museum
This sword hilt was taken from an attack on Hammaburg by the Vikings. While the handle has quite obviously been worn away by time, or, in this case, likely been burned away, the construction of the weapon is still evident. The tang runs the full length of the blade, which is the portion in the hilt that would be surrounded by a piece of wood, bone, horn, leather, or some other material of the blademaster's choosing. The care that was used in crafting the hilt is also quite evident, with a carefully chosen design covering the cross guard and the pommel of the sword. It is also worth noting that the blade is made of iron, and not steel.
Viking sword, Unknown, 0775/0825, From the collection of: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Another sword, taken from a period before the previous example, is vastly different in the construction and style of both the hilt and the blade itself. While also being made primarily of iron, the blade of this sword very distinctly lacks the “blood channel” that the previous Viking blade carried. While it’s possible that the lack of this stylistic choice is from time and erosion from where it was found, at the bottom of a river, it is also possible that it was an intended design in the work of the blade itself. The pommel and cross guard both contain threads of copper which were hammered into the iron itself, which could easily suggest that the sword was designed for show rather than functionality.
Viking bracelet, Unknown, 0800/0850, From the collection of: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
This plaited gold bracelet, crafted between 800ad – 850ad, was discovered during an excavation in Wijk bij Duurstede. Quite likely making it’s way to this destination through the expansion of the Vikings during this time, it is crafted of quite expertly woven gold thread, which looks as though it were hammered out of a single piece and then separated to make each of the individual threads. The Vikings are rather well known for their craftsmanship of exquisite pieces of jewelry such as this.
Base silver penny of Olaf III, 'the Peaceful', 1067/1093, From the collection of: British Museum
An example of silverwork with currency in Norway during the Viking age, this piece depicts Olaf III Haraldsson, ‘the Peaceful.’ These coins, while not being very common, have been found in many different places around the world, which speaks of the expansion of trade that Norway went through at the time. The coin itself was issued by Olaf, and is indicative of the influence of a ruler on the currency of a country during this period. Seeing a change in the style of coin utilized during a king’s reign can give some insight into what they may have thought of themselves, as well as showing the different changes in rulers.
Disc brooch of the Vikings, Foto: AMH, Middle Age, From the collection of: Hamburg Archaeological Museum
A disc brooch made of bronze, this piece once again shows the exquisite craftsmanship of the Viking jewelers during the Middle Age. If you look closely at the work, you can see the tooling marks that shows the attention to detail of the jeweler that have been partially worn away by time. There are also color differences in different points of the brooch, with greens, yellows, and golds. The green could easily be oxidization of the bronze, but the gold and yellow pigments seem to indicate that the brooch, in addition to being carefully shaped and carved, was also, at one time, carefully painted as well.
Villa Farm staff, 850/999, From the collection of: British Museum
This iron staff shows not only the craftsmanship of the Vikings during this time period, but also the religious and cultural beliefs. The staff itself is a squared rod with a crook in the end, and the hilt had a cage of twisted rods with copper rings. Staves such as this were commonly used by seeresses and diviners, and also was used in performing magic rituals. This particular staff was found within a grave, likely buried with it’s owner. The fact that the staff was buried with a person could give some insight as to how the strongly superstition and religion influenced the Vikings during this time period. Whether the staff was buried with the woman out of respect for her, or out of fear of the perceived power that she could wield, the fact remains that, much like the Egyptians did with their dead, the Vikings decided to bury this woman with things she valued.
Iron spearhead with silver and copper decoration, 850/999, From the collection of: British Museum
This spearhead is quite unusually decorated. Although swords were well sought after, and denoted high status, with spearheads such as this being the common weapon carried, this particular spearhead is quite opulent. The copper and silver laid into the socket and blade itself show fine craftsmanship, as well as quite likely setting this common weapon distinctly aside from that of others.
7th part of a ten-part Qur'an in "broken cursive" script, unknown, c. 950-1000, From the collection of: Royal Ontario Museum
During the same age that the Vikings were well into their plundering, the rest of the world was concerned with other tasks. This copy of the Quran dates circa 950-1000 ad. Moving type wasn’t invented until the 15th century, thus all of the pages of this manuscript had to be replicated by hand. This is only the 7th part of a ten-part manuscript. Transcribing manuscripts for use in more than one place is an absolutely painstaking process, but thankfully does not necessarily require the scribe to speak or read the language being copied, only to be able to replicate the strokes on the paper or vellum. Regardless of whether the scribe that copied this manuscript could or could not read, the act of copying each page by hand is a painstaking process.
Bronze Gong with Inscription of "Hwangni-hyeon Prefecture", Unknown, 1085, From the collection of: Seokdang Museum of Dong-A University
Near the end of the Viking age, in 1085, in the Gyeonggi-do province, this bronze gong was crafted. The gong itself was cast bronze, as opposed to hammered, which would allow the crafter to create this with much more speed and efficiency than they would otherwise be able to. The striking face of this gong has survived the test of time quite well, with much of the detail visible through the weathering of oxidization. This difference between this work and that of the Vikings during the same time period is striking. As opposed to utilizing gold, silver, and iron, this piece is entirely made of bronze. Were it were crafted by the Vikings, it is likely that the detail may be hammered pieces of valuable metals, as opposed to the same material throughout.
Tomb Guardian, Unknown maker, ca. 618 A.D. - 907 A.D., From the collection of: Huntington Museum of Art
The Tomb Guardian, which was crafted during the Tang Dynasty, is as distinct an example as possible of the differences between the Vikings and the rest of the world during the same period of time. While the Vikings were likely to bury valuables with the owner, the Chinese created guardians not only for the bodies of their dead, but also for their spirits. Also, the Tomb Guardian is an earthenware craft, as opposed to the popular iron, gold, copper, and silver that the Vikings valued.
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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
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