Viking Treasure Acquired by Two British Museums
By STAN PARCHIN
August 28, 2009
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Vale of York
Viking Hoard
© The Trustees of the British Museum |
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Gilt Silver Vessel from Vale of York
ca. 850 A.D.
Viking Hoard
© The Trustees of the British Museum |
The Vale of York, an important Viking hoard consisting of a gilt silver vessel, jewelry, coins and other early medieval artifacts, was purchased jointly by the York Museums Trust and the British Museum. The acquisition was made possible by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), the Art Fund, the Challenge Fund and the British Museum Friends. Recently conserved highlights of the treasure, valued at £1.1 million ($1.8 million), go on view at the Yorkshire Museum from September 17 to November 1, 2009, followed by an appearance at the British Museum.
Vale of York: Discovery and Contents
Using metal detectors, the father-and son team of David and Andrew Whelan discovered the hoard in a Harrogate field in 2007. As required by law, they reported their find to the British authorities. The Whelans will share the proceeds from the hoard's sale with the owner of the property where the artifacts were unearthed.
The Vale of York contains 67 metal objects (ornaments, ingots and fragments) and 617 coins. The hoard's artifacts come from Afghanistan, Russia, Scandinavia, continental Europe and Ireland. The most significant is a vessel (ca. 850 A.D.), decorated in niello (a black metallic inlay) and produced in what is now France or western Germany. Probably used in liturgical services, it was either looted from a monastery by Vikings or offered to them in tribute. Found in a lead container, the vessel held most of the find's smaller works. Within it were coins whose designs reflect Islamic, Christian and Vikings' religious beliefs.
Medieval art historians and archaeologists theorize that the well-preserved cache was buried for safekeeping by a wealthy Viking leader during the period of unrest that followed the conquest of the Norse kingdom of Northumbria (927) by the Anglo-Saxon ruler Athelstan (r. 924-939).
Andrew Macdonald, Acting Director of the Art Fund, said: “The Vale of York hoard is an extraordinary collection of artifacts that gives new insight into the vast trading networks – from Islamic Central Asia to Scandinavia and the Baltic – of 10th-century Britain.”