COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—According to a statement released by The National Museum of Denmark, a small figurine long-hidden in its collections has recently been rediscovered and is providing new information about Viking Age fashions. The exquisitely carved, one-inch-tall object was whittled out of expensive walrus ivory and likely served as a gaming piece for a Viking Age game resembling chess. It was first discovered in a burial in Viken in 1797 and has been in the National Museum’s storerooms for more than 200 years. However, it recently caught the attention of curator Peter Pentz, who was struck by the figurine’s realistic features. Although Viking art is known for its animal motifs, humans are hardly ever represented. “This is a miniature bust and as close as we will ever get to a portrait of a Viking,” said Pentz. The researcher was particularly intrigued by the character’s hairstyle, which is parted in the middle and cropped in the back, with a side curl that leaves one ear exposed. The man also sports a mustache, sideburns, and a long, braided goatee. The artifact dates to the tenth century, the age of the first king of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth. Scholars believe that the statuette represents what fashionable Viking elites and warriors would have looked like at that time. For more on Viking fashion, go to "Vikings in Furs."
