Viking Norse stone slab from Normandy. Scandinavian sandstone sculpture.

Exceptional Viking stone slab from Normandy (Hattenville). This Scandinavian-style sculpture features a very stylized crosier with a bird's beak (or snake's head). Due to erosion, it is difficult to read, but in the body of the crosier we can see a figure with fists resting on his chest. Below, a horned head, probably a helmeted man. This undeniably Viking sculpture finds no comparison in France and would thus be the first known Viking stone slab or runestone on the french territory.

This Norse sculpture is all the more interesting as the precise provenance is known, and will be communicated to the buyer.
Reconciliations can be made with the stone slabs or runestones of the Isles of Man (Thorwald Cross) and Gotland or Zachrisson’s U 170 runestone (North of Stockholm), as well as the rune stone of Herstadberg, Östergötland, Sweden with stylistic analogies, for the crosier motif in particular. The uniqueness of this piece will require in-depth study to determine its meaning. In particular, the determination of the stylized animal and the deciphering of the characters will undoubtedly make it possible to better understand this exceptional document. Study in progress.

Origin: Hattenville, Normandy, France

Medium: Grey sandstone

Size: Height: 60cm Width: 26cm Depth: 26.5cm

Period: 10th century

Condition: Erosion

Price: on demand

Ref.218