Silver Irish Ringerike Carved Crook Earrings

Viking age Ireland is represented in this replica of a beautifully carved wooden crook, found during excavations at Fishamble Street. It is recognisably influenced by the Ringerike style, named after the district of Norway where it flourished. Ringerike was popular in Ireland, and the Irish Vikings turned it into their own expression, particularly in Dublin. The purpose of the carved crook is unclear. It may originally have formed the crook of a walking stick as in the case of similarly shaped objects carved in much the same style from Scandinavia, or perhaps carved by ship carpenters as trial designs for the wooden stem of Viking longships. There seems to have been a concentration of wood-turners & coopers in Fishamble Street, where the ‘Dublin school’ of woodcraft had its centre.

Earring length: 26mm (including ear hoop, 56mm)