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Jun 2, 2021 · Viking Art occurred during the period of the Viking Age, between 793 and 1066 CE. During this period, when the Vikings invaded other parts of Europe, there was a rise in the dissemination of Viking artwork as well as influences from other countries like England and Ireland.
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- The Norse Visual World
- The Styles of Viking Art
- Oseberg Style
- Borre Style
- Jellinge Style
- Mammen Style
- Ringerike Style
- Urnes Style
- The Viking Age Comes to An End
The visual world was of great importance to the Norse. Significant resources were devoted to the creation of astonishing objects and the acquisition of foreign goods (through plunder and trade alike), and because of their highly mobile endeavors, Norse-made and Norse-influenced objects have been found across a wide geographic expanse. An array of s...
Many objects served practical and symbolic purposes and their complex decorative patterns can be a challenge to untangle. Highly-stylized motifs weave around and flow into one another, so that following a single form from one end to the other can be difficult—if there are end points at all. Imagery was created to communicate ideas about social rela...
The Oseberg style was popular throughout mainland Scandinavia. Some of the most remarkable wood carving from the Viking Age was created in this style. A spectacular oak longship—found within the burial mound from which the style’s name was derived—is one of the most studied works of the period. Featuring carvings of the ribbon-animal and gripping-b...
Overlapping with the Oseberg style is the Borre style, which was also popular on the mainland. However, unlike the Oseberg style, Borre artistic conventions spread to the British Isles and the Baltic region as the Norsemen traveled both East and West. Exchanges between local and foreign artistic customs can be seen on objects found in these areas (...
Sitting chronologically between the Borre style and the soon-to-be-discussed Mammen style, the Jellinge style is a malleable one. It appears on a diverse body of objects and can share features with the previous and subsequent styles, leaving it difficult to define as a separate movement. It was named for a cast silver cup that was found in a royal ...
Named for a ceremonial axe head found near the Danish village of Mammen, this innovative style was popularized as the “court” style of King Harald Bluetooth (King of Denmark and Norway who ruled from c. 958–986). Its compositions span elongated waves and terminate in loose tendrils. We also see foliate motifs that were borrowed from other European ...
The Mammen style was short-lived, but the subsequent style—called Ringerike—was energized by its ingenuity. Continuing to use the double contour lines and spiral hip joints seen previously, Ringerike ornament is tightly composed. Bird motifs become more common and the Great Beast appears in full force, but neither feature the beaded ornamentation o...
In the last phase of Viking Age art, the Urnes style, there is a turn to elegant, schematic forms. Animals are portrayed with tapered anatomical features and in regal stances. The Urnes style has three primary motifs: a standing, four-legged animal resembling the Great Beast; a snake-like creature but with a single foreleg and/or hind leg; and a th...
Prior to the 10th century, Scandinavian regions were considered peripheral to western Europe. It was from the 10th through the 13th centuries that the introduction of Christianity and the introduction of European-style monarchy eventually brought the Viking Age to a close. The Ringerike and Urnes styles described aboveflourished through this time, ...
- Oseberg. The Oseberg style lasted most of the 9th century and appears in some Viking religious iconography. Its main feature is the gripping beast motif and sinuous animal forms.
- Borre. The Borre style was named for a set of bridle mounts from a ship burial at Borre, Norway. The Borre overlaps with the Oseberg and the Jelling styles, periods specific to the Viking Age.
- Jelling. The Jelling style appears from the start of the 10th century and continues for about 75 years. Stylistic animals are S-shaped and intertwined, with profiled heads, spiral hips and pigtails.
- Mammem. The Mammem Viking art style emerged from the Jelling style and was prominent in the last half of the 10th century. Almost naturalistic lions and birds are featured as well as serpents and foliate patterns.
Gold jewellery from the 10th century Hiddensee treasure, mixing Norse pagan and Christian symbols. Pair of "tortoise brooches," which were worn by married Viking women. Viking art, also known commonly as Norse art, is a term widely accepted for the art of Scandinavian Norsemen and Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the ...
- The Broa Style. Time Period: Circa 790-850: Scholars and historians are split on the first identifiable style of traditional Viking art. While most would seemingly side with the Oseberg style, there are strong proponents of the notion that the first distinctly Viking style of art is the Broa style.
- The Oseberg Style. Time Period: Circa 800 – 875: The Oseberg style takes its name from a famous Viking Age burial site near Tonsberg, Norway, that yielded a treasure trove of Viking artifacts, including
- The Borre Style. Time Period: Circa 850 – 975: Named after bronze bridle accessories that were recovered from the Borre burial mound in Vestfold, Norway, the Borre style continues the Viking artistic trend of prominently featured gripping beasts established by the Broa and Oseberg art forms.
- The Jelling Style. Time Period: Circa 900 – 975. The Jelling art style is associated with an ornately decorated cup that was recovered from a grave site in Denmark that reputedly contained the grave goods of Gorm the Old, viewed by many historians as the first true king of a unified Denmark.
Oct 23, 2018 · Rather than creating art for art's sake, Viking Age Scandinavians almost exclusively made applied art; everyday objects were jazzed up to make them more pleasing to look at. It must be said that although wood and textile must have been prime vehicles for Viking Age art, their often more expensive counterparts in metal and stone do better at surviving, causing a bias in our source material.
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The sophistication and delicacy of Viking art (1982.323.1) presents a striking contrast with the stereotype of the rude and restless barbarian. Viking craftsmen excelled in woodwork and metalwork, adorning brooches (1991.308), weapons, implements, and ship timbers with abstracted animal forms and elaborate patterns of interlace (47.100.25ab).
