Title
Viking plaque
Date8-9 C.E.
Mediumwhale skeletal bone
Dimensions9 × 6 3/4 in. (22.9 × 17.1 cm)
Donor credit lineKendall Whaling Museum Collection Transfer
Object number2001.100.2183
Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
DescriptionPanel or plaque of whale skeletal bone, silhouette carved and pierced, with incised decorations in the image of stylized horses' heads facing in opposite directions (a typical and characteristic Norse stylistic convention).Recovered from a burial site in Norway in the 19th century, this and three companion objects (S-1798/ 2001.100.2184, S-1799/ 2001.100.2185, S-1800/ 2001.100.2186) are scrimshaw precursors, among the oldest surviving objects made of whale skeletal bone. They were likely make ashore, not necessarily by the whalemen themselves. The function of this plaque is disputed among scholars: it was probably used for folding and smoothing cloth, may have been used in the preparation or service of food, and so on; but was almost certainly connected with feminine domestic chores. Only two such panels survive outside Norway and Britain (the other is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City). The four objects are in a superb state of preservation, owing to the excellent drainage in Norse gravesites.ProvenanceChristopher Bangs, London, 03/03/1993: acquired with S-1798/ 2001.100.2184, S-1799/ 2001.100.2185, S-1800/ 2001.100.2186; $16,468.83 for the four objects + shipping $31.67.
On View
On view
8th Century-9th Century
8-9 C.E.
8th Century-9th Century
Church, Albert Cook *
19th Century
late 19th Century
