Viking art

Vikings made many beautiful things.

They used metal to make shiny jewelry. Women wore large brooches to hold their clothes.

Men wore rings on their arms and necks. They also made art from wood and stone.

Most of their wooden art has rotted away. But we can still see their skill today. Their art tells us about their lives.

Vikings lived in Scandinavia from the 8th to the 11th centuries. They made art in many different ways.

Most Viking art used shapes of animals. These animal patterns were very complex. Artists made art on many things. Wood was a very common choice. It was easy to find and carve.

They used wood for ships and furniture. Many wooden items rotted away over time. We mostly find art made of metal or stone today.

Metal was great for making jewelry. Married women wore large, domed brooches. People call these tortoise brooches.

Men wore rings on their necks or arms. They also used penannular brooches, which are ring-shaped, to hold cloaks. Some art was made of gold. This was likely for kings or leaders. Vikings also made beads from glass or stone. Beads were used for trade and showed wealth. Even their poetry tells us about art. Some poems describe bright paintings on shields.

Viking art is a beautiful way to see the world of the Norse people. It comes from the Viking Age, which lasted from the 8th to the 11th centuries. These artists lived in Scandinavia and moved across many lands. They traveled to places like Iceland, Greenland, and even the British Isles. Their art often used winding, complex shapes of animals. These patterns were used to decorate many different things. Today, we study these objects to understand their history and skill.

Making art involved many different materials. Wood was a very popular choice for artists. It was easy to find and simple to carve. They used wood for ships, furniture, and special ceremonial objects.

They also carved wood for buildings, like the Urnes Stave Church. Many people think Viking art looks plain today. However, they actually used natural pigments and oils to paint. This made their carved designs look very bright and colorful.

Metal was another very important material for Viking artists. Metal lasts a long time, so many pieces have survived.

Men and women both wore beautiful jewelry. Married women often wore large, domed brooches. These are called tortoise brooches because of their shape.

Men wore rings on their arms or necks. They also used ring-shaped brooches called penannular brooches to hold cloaks.

Some very special items were made of solid gold. These were likely made for royalty or important leaders.

Beads were also a big part of Viking culture. They made beads from glass and many different metals. Some very rare beads were made from amber or rock crystal.

Beads were very valuable to the Vikings. People used them to show their wealth and social status. They also used beads as a type of money for trading.

Vikings also practiced weaving and embroidery with wool and silk. These textiles often had very elaborate patterns on them. While many textiles have rotted away, they show how skilled the weavers were.

We learn about Viking art from many different sources. We find many objects in old graves or treasure hoards.

Sometimes, people hid treasure to keep it safe. Other times, they left items as offerings to their gods. We also learn from stone carvings, like the picture stones in Sweden.

Even their poetry, called skaldic verse, tells us about art. These poems describe painted scenes on shields. One poem even describes paintings in a hall in Iceland. These stories help us see the art that is now lost.

Viking art, often called Norse art, refers to the creative traditions of the Scandinavian people. This artistic era occurred during the Viking Age, which lasted from the 8th to the 11th centuries. These artists lived in Scandinavia and established settlements in many distant lands. They traveled to the British Isles, Iceland, and Greenland, and even reached Newfoundland. Their work often features complex, convoluted animal ornamentation. This style shares influences with Celtic, Germanic, and Eastern European traditions.

Most of our knowledge comes from durable materials like metal and stone. This creates a preservation bias in our studies. Organic materials like wood, bone, ivory, and textiles decay much faster. However, we know wood was likely the primary material for Viking artists. It was abundant in northern Europe and easy to carve. Artists used wood for ships, furniture, and ceremonial objects.

We see rare survivals of this work in the Oseberg ship-burial carvings and the Urnes Stave Church.

Metalwork provides the most complete record of Viking artistic expression. Precious metals are durable and survive well in the ground. Many objects are found in graves because of the practice of providing grave goods. The deceased were buried with their best clothing, weapons, and tools.

Artists created these items through techniques like casting, inlay, and engraving. Some pieces were found in treasure hoards. These hoards were sometimes hidden for safekeeping or left as offerings to gods.

Jewelry served different roles for men and women. Married women wore matching pairs of large, domed brooches. Scholars call these "tortoise brooches" due to their specific shape.

Women often used openwork designs and hung beads or chains from them. Men wore rings on their fingers, arms, or necks. They also used penannular brooches, which are ring-shaped, to fasten their cloaks.

Some very lavish sets were made of solid gold for royalty.

Beads were a significant part of Viking society and trade. They were made from glass, metal, amber, carnelian, or rock crystal. Most beads were globular and one color, but rare ones were multicolored.

Beads functioned as portable wealth and a form of currency. They were strong indicators of high social status. As Viking trade routes expanded, Eastern beads became increasingly popular.

Stone carving became more common after the mid-10th century. This increase was likely influenced by the spread of Christianity. In Sweden, Gotlandic picture stones were prevalent during the early Viking period. In Denmark, the royal monuments at Jelling are important examples of stone work.

While stone and metal are famous, textiles were also highly developed. Weavers used wool and silk to create sophisticated embroidery and patterns. Though most textiles have rotted away, they represented a major part of the culture.

We also learn about Viking art through skaldic verse. This was a complex form of oral poetry. Poets like Bragi Boddason described painted decorations on shields. One poem describes scenes of the god Thor fishing. These verses provide evidence of vibrant colors that have since faded.

Artists used natural pigments mixed with oils or fats to paint. This means many carved objects were once much more colorful than they appear today.