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Source Description
Similar plaques of whale bone carved with confronted monster heads are found frequently in the graves of wealthy Viking women in Norway. The monster heads, similar to the figureheads attached to Viking ship prows, are typical of Viking decoration. The function of these plaques is not clear; it has been suggested that they were used as ironing-boards or for pleating linen (by folding and winding it around the board while wet and then leaving it to dry), or as trenchers for serving food.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
11104
label
Whale-Bone Plaque
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
11104
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Whale-Bone Plaque
description
Similar plaques of whale bone carved with confronted monster heads are found frequently in the graves of wealthy Viking women in Norway. The monster heads, similar to the figureheads attached to Viking ship prows, are typical of Viking decoration. The function of these plaques is not clear; it has been suggested that they were used as ironing-boards or for pleating linen (by folding and winding it around the board while wet and then leaving it to dry), or as trenchers for serving food.
provenance
Sale, Christie's, London, July 8, 1981, lot 23; David Inc., Vadus, Liechtenstein; Walters Art Museum, April 1983, by purchase.
date
8th-late 9th century (Medieval)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ivory & Bone
plaques
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
22
height
18.3
depth
0.8
dimensionsRaw
8 11/16 x 7 3/16 x 5/16 in. (22 x 18.3 x 0.8 cm)
Source extras
cul
Viking
med
whale bone
creator_ids
2934
collection_ids
MED
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ced197b6fbce269e