ANTIQUE SILVER PORTRAIT TRAY QUERY

[5jollyt3]

CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY AND/ OR DATE THIS ANTIQUE EUROPEAN REPOUSSE SILVER PORTRAIT TRAY! THANK YOU!

[maxine*j]

The winged helmet, the style of the shield, the fact that the man is bearded -- in short, the overall "look" of the figure -- make me think the figure is supposed to be a Viking.

=

[5jollyt3]

thanx maxine! but unfortunately there are no denmark silver marks like mine! denmark castles are 3-turrit!

[maxine*j]

Oh, sorry I wasn't clear.  I wasn't suggesting it was from the land of the Vikings.  I was just saying that it looks like it might someone's idea of a Viking.

=

[5jollyt3]

oh I know! I was just adding some extra info!

[maeday76]

Double check any other "Scandi" countries and especially any commonwealths or posessions of Denmark. I was just about to say it looks Danish. 

Isn't Iceland or Greenland a possession of Denmark? Remember when Trump tried to buy it?

[lacemaker3]

With the wings on the helmet, this doesn't look "Viking" to me.

It doesn't really look like a portrait either, more of a generic depiction.

[maxine*j]

Oh, you're technically right.  The idea that Vikings wore winged helmets is wrong, but you see it a lot in these sorts of pieces.   There's no real evidence that Vikings wore helmet with horns, much less with wings.  Maybe I should have put the "supposed" in italics or boldface.   🙂

By the way, the same can be said of Celts depicted with winged helmets, which is also pretty much a fantasy, although I think there may be authentic ones with avian elements.

=

[sonomabarn67]

There is new research on the Viking horned helmets being put forth by the Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/iconic-viking-horned-helmets-actually-3000-years-old-18097... 

My hope is to find one at a flea and present it here so we can clear up this controversy.

[maxine*j]

---

@sonomabarn67 wrote:

There is new research on the Viking horned helmets being put forth by the Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/iconic-viking-horned-helmets-actually-3000-years-old-18097... 

My hope is to find one at a flea and present it here so we can clear up this controversy.

---

Please include good, clear photos of the entire object, wth close-ups of any markings.  Photograph it against a plan background.  Oh, and remember to give all dimensions.  We'll soon get that sucker ID'ed!   (Then we'll get back to that wooden thingamabob, the guy or gal with the flowers in the hair.)

=

[sonomabarn67]

All I'm saying is that there appears to be some truth to the Viking horns on the helmet after all. Even the science-ey people were saying it was a myth.

[maxine*j]

Yes, I understood that. 

However, the title of the article is:  "The Horned Helmets Falsely Attributed to Vikings Are Actually Nearly 3,000 Years Old," and as the first paragraph says, "... new research finds that the famed helmets discovered in Viksø, Denmark, 80 years ago actually date to about 900 B.C.E., nearly 2,000 years before the Vikings."

The only person quoted in the article who thinks there is, nevertheless, a strong Viking connection pointed out that the trade theory seems wrong because the examples were found in Scandinavia only, with and no other examples were found along the purported trade route.

So, the all still iffy and speculative;  or that's how I read it.

=