Reins Guide in the Borre Style
This intricately-shaped part of a harness is an example of the Borre style,1 a type of metalwork that is found across all territories settled by the seagoing Scandinavian peoples from the ninth to the tenth century that has been hailed as the greatest uniquely-Scandinavian style of the age.2 The item in question is part of a harness that would allow a driver to control a draft animal or a pair of draft animals pulling some sort of land vehicle, and its rich design makes it a sign of wealth and fashionability. It is a roughly crescent-shaped object, hollow in the middle, and made of a copper alloy that was probably once gilded. There are three large-eyed and heart-shaped animal heads looking out at intervals along the crest, which is shaped and notched to imitate some sort of cord-work, and the animals have rounded ears at the tops of their heads that increase the heart-shaped appearance. The rest of the design is made up of a knotted pattern and a series of holes (including two larger ones for the reins) that give it the appearance of a piece of lacework.3 Most of these features are typical of the Borre style, with some variation.4
This piece of art was found in Anga on the island of Gotland, in Sweden. However, the archeological context of this item is insecure, because it came from an imperfectly-documented private collection sold to the British Museum in the 1900s that had largely been accrued through purchases from inexpert treasure-finders who rarely gave good information about the place of finding.5 Despite this obstruction to determining provenance, the reins guide can be safely placed within the period in which Borre style items were used, made and buried, or sometime between 830 and 975 CE.6
While it is impossible to tell who owned this item or what events it experienced in its time, the reins guide nonetheless serves as a single example to show the widespread range of Borre-style objects, as well as indicating not only a Viking Age presence on Anga, but also the presence of a settled community with at least one member wealthy enough to adorn a practical tool with such fine craftsmanship.
This piece of art was found in Anga on the island of Gotland, in Sweden. However, the archeological context of this item is insecure, because it came from an imperfectly-documented private collection sold to the British Museum in the 1900s that had largely been accrued through purchases from inexpert treasure-finders who rarely gave good information about the place of finding.5 Despite this obstruction to determining provenance, the reins guide can be safely placed within the period in which Borre style items were used, made and buried, or sometime between 830 and 975 CE.6
While it is impossible to tell who owned this item or what events it experienced in its time, the reins guide nonetheless serves as a single example to show the widespread range of Borre-style objects, as well as indicating not only a Viking Age presence on Anga, but also the presence of a settled community with at least one member wealthy enough to adorn a practical tool with such fine craftsmanship.
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