Borre style
Encyclopedia
Animal style
Animal style art is characterized by its emphasis on animal and bird motifs, and the term describes an approach to decoration which existed from China to Northern Europe in the early Iron Age, and the barbarian art of the Migration Period...
which was first named after artifacts from a boat grave
Ship burial
A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as a container for the dead and the grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave...
in Borre mound cemetery
Borre mound cemetery
Borre mound cemetery forms part of the in Horten, Vestfold, Norway....
near the village of Borre
Borre, Norway
Borre is a village in the municipality of Horten, Vestfold county, Norway. The village of Borre had provided the name of the former Borre municipality .-History:...
, in Horten municipality
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
, Vestfold county
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
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History
Borre style evolved at the latest c. 850 and was still used in the late 10th century. This art style was popular in areas settled by the Vikings. Borre style was mainly employed to decorate jewelry, belt-fittings and woodwork.Its most characteristic motif is the so-called "ring braid" which consists of a symmetrical braiding with two bands, held together by rings that are surrounded by square figures. It frequently featured mask-head like animal heads, pretzel shaped bodies, and gripping paws. Plaited knots and ring-chain patterns are also common. The ridges of designs in metalwork are often nicked to imitate the filigree wire used on the finest pieces.
The animal ornamentation of the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
is usually categorized into Oseberg style
Oseberg style
The Oseberg style is a Viking Era animal ornamentation in Norse art. -History:Oseberg style is named after the Oseberg ship grave, a well-preserved Viking age ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold County, Norway...
, Borre style, Jelling style
Jelling style
The Jelling style is a phase of Scandinavian animal art during the 10th century. The style is characterized by markedly stylized and often band-shaped bodies of animals...
, Mammen style
Mammen style
The Mammen style is a phase of Scandinavian animal art during the late 10th century and the early 11th century. The style is named after finds from a chamber tomb in Mammen on Jutland, Denmark. The finds included a silver engraved axe of which one side shows a markedly stylized animal with long...
, Ringerike style
Ringerike style
The Ringerike style is a Scandinavian animal style from the late 10th century and the 11th century, which evolved out of the earlier Mammen style. It has received its name from a group of runestones with animal and plant motifs in the Ringerike district north of Oslo. The most common motifs are...
and Urnes style
Urnes style
The Urnes style was the last phase of Scandinavian animal art during the second half of the 11th century and in the early 12th century. The preceding phases of Scandinavia's Viking Age animal ornamentation are usually categorized as Oseberg style, Borre style, Jelling style, Mammen style and...
.The Borre style succeeded the Oseberg style
Oseberg style
The Oseberg style is a Viking Era animal ornamentation in Norse art. -History:Oseberg style is named after the Oseberg ship grave, a well-preserved Viking age ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold County, Norway...
and was partly contemporaneous with the Jelling style
Jelling style
The Jelling style is a phase of Scandinavian animal art during the 10th century. The style is characterized by markedly stylized and often band-shaped bodies of animals...
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