Head Curve Research Articles

Viking Relic in the British Museum (Bloomsbury)

THE acquisition of a remarkable example of Viking art—it is, in fact, considered to be the most remarkable Viking relic now in existence outside Scandinavia— was reported at the February meeting of the Trustees of the British Museum (Bloomsbury). It is a carving in oak of the head and neck of some beaked creature which formed either the figurehead or the stern-post of a Viking ship. Its precise purpose is at present uncertain. The animal motif, usually highly conventionalized, is one of the most familiar in the decorative art of the north European peoples in the first millennium of the Christian era ; but of the zoomorphs, or animal-headed figures, which are known to have adorned the Viking ships, this is believed to be the only surviving example. It is almost four feet nine inches long, and is in the form of a rounded head on a long slender neck. The head curves smoothly into a parrot-like beak, which is open and shows teeth along the edge of the mandibles. The head is well poised on the slender neck, which is covered with a deeply carved lattice pattern, presumably representing feathers or scales. The history of its rediscovery is almost as remarkable as its character. It was found some two years ago during dredging operations in the River Scheldt. Other ship's timbers were brought up at the same time, but unfortunately were not preserved. The importance of the relic was so little appreciated that it was used for some time as a garden ornament. As it is known that the Island of Walcheren at the mouth of the Scheldt was long held by Danish Vikings at the beginning of the ninth century, this zoomorph is attributed to a Danish origin.