2020-06-16 Tue

Viking art is emblematic of the surprisingly ornate material culture of the Northerners. Vikings loved elaborate decorations and they decorated many of the things they used: weapons, jewelry, runestones, ship woodwork, and even their common, everyday items. They loved abstract and intricate animal designs and multiple interlacing lines.

The animals depicted in their art include serpents, horses, wolves, birds, and unreal, fantastic animals As the Viking Age progressed, craftsmen varied the designs and six distinct but overlapping art styles developed. Each style is named for an area where a decorated object was found.

One of the six styles of the Viking art is the Oseberg Style which is depicted on the stamp. A characteristic motif of the Oseberg Style is the so-called gripping beast. The chief features of the gripping beast are the paws that grip the borders around it, neighboring beasts, or parts of its own body.

The stamp shown above is 2 Danish Krone stamp issued in the year 1979. The stamp shows an intricately ornate key. The head of the key is decorated with animal motifs. The animals are shown gripping the borders of the key.

Image Courtesy: Colnect