The Viking Ship and Oseberg Ship Burial
The main symbol of the Viking Age is the Viking ship. Not only was it used as a war and trade vessel, it demonstrated true individual design and art. The great ships of the Vikings are the major art pieces left from this time. An exquisite example of their mastering of wood carving is the decoration of the Vikings’ great wooden ships. Archaeological findings show that the Nordic Viking ship was by no means a standard type vessel. It had designers' footprints and regional characteristics. For example, the materials of the vessels could vary from regional forests such as pine from Norway and Sweden or oak from Denmark. The vessels were also adjusted to fit the natural force they were to be facing. Generally, these ships were built to unite lightweight, elasticity and structural stability. This was obtained by proper selection of materials combined with superb workmanship.
An example of this comes from a ship burial in Norway, near the sea at Oseberg. The ship itself is the earliest Sutton Hoo burial. It’s over 70 feet long and held the remains of two women and many precious objects that were probably removed by robbers early before it was found. The head is 5 inches high and dates back to 834. It is currently located at the Viking Ship Museum, Bygdøy. The head of the ship represents a roaring beast with surface ornamentation in the form of interwoven animals that twist and turn as they are gripping and snapping.
A "Shield List" is where all the shields of the warriors were tied up. The board or plans was a very interesting feature of the war vessel since it was painted in various colours. "King" or "Chieftan" vessels are ones for luxury class. They were much wider and had more room than the normal vessels. A chieftan was distinguishable from the design of the bow of their vessel. This could involve various types of design such as lions in gold, drakes spewing fire out of their nose, human beings in gold and silver, besides bulls, dolphins in bronze and a number of unknown animals in cast metal. The sides of the these vessels were decorated using bright colours and wood-carvings. The King's vessel would be the most decorated.
The head of the vessel expresses the union of animal forms and interlace pattern. These are two core aspects of warrior-lord art that took place at the North frontier of the former Roman Empire.
Read more about this topic: Norse Art
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