Mímir. Icelandic institutions with adresses - 15.12.1903, Síða 13

INSTITUTIONS
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| antiquities of the island, to the preservation of its ancient re-
mains, and to promoting a knowledge of the Sagas and of
ancestral customs. It has carried on a series of explorations,
uncovering the relics of some of the pagan temples, and of
many of the historic farmsteads of the early centuries, besides
having mapped the sites of various important events. Its trans-
actions (Arbok), forming now 17 large octavo volumes of high
interest, contain the results of the extensive excavations made
by SigurSur Vigfusson, (d. 1892) — a brother of the late Oxford
philologist — by Brynjtilfur Jonsson, and by the Danish archeo-
logist, Daniel Bruun, all of which were conducted with sin-
gular care and ingenuity. Membership, 2 crowns annually. —
President, the Rev. Eirikur Briem; Secretary, Palmi Palsson.
Address: Reykjavik. Connected with this association is
The Museum of Antiquities (Forngripasafn). This was
organized Febr. 24, 1863 by the artist SigurfJur Gudmundsson i
(d. 1874) and others, and has since grown to a collection of j
some 5,000 numbers, constantly enriched, from different parts
of the country, with examples of its early arts and industry,
such as silver and other metal work, embroideries, including
ecclesiastical vestments from the Catholic period, textile fabrics,
wocd-carvings, antique furniture, weapons, and various dress-
ornaments. The collection is well arranged and well housed
in a new structure of stone, the lower story of which is occu-
pied by the offices of the National Bank. The yearly Althing
appropriation towards its support is 3,600 crowns. — Director,
Jon Jakobsson. Address: Reykjavik.
The National Picture Gallery (Mdiverkasafnid), composed
mostly of works by modern Scandinavian artists, has its home
m the Capitol building; in the course of time it will, it is ex-
pected, be extended by the addition of productions or copies
of the masters of other lands. It is placed under the control
°f one of the presiding officers of the Althing (now Arni
Thorsteinsson, secretary of finance). — Address: Reykjavik.