Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1974, Page 68

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ÁRBÓK FORNLEIFAFÉLAGSINS
plank over to the National Museum of Iceland; it turned out to be the most
remarkable acquisition of the year.
The Gaulverjabær plank is of fir, 68.3 cm long, maximal width 17.9 cm, 2.7
cm thick. It is a fragment of a bigger whole, the edges being partly original,
partly broken. Unlike other ancient timbers this fragment is not from a wall;
more likely it is a part of a chair or a bench or some other object which originally
belonged to Gaulverjabær church.
The plank is well preserved and the decoration on the carved side stands
out clearly in every detail. The photos and drawings on pp. 66—67 should make
a description unnecessary. The design is cut into the surface of the wood with
firm lines, with a v-section. The work is carried out with great efficiency. There
are no zoomorphic elements and the entire ornamentation is that of the Ringe-
rike style, showing many of its characteristic features. Consequently, in all
probability it may be dated as being from the eleventh century.
Besides the typical Ringerike design on the plank, there are in four places
threefold circles, lightly scratched into the wood with a pair of compasses. The
present author is of the opinion that these circles are superimposed and have
nothing to do with the original design. However, they are not carelessly drawn.
The Gaulverjabær carving is a valuable addition to the previously existing
Icelandic Ringerike monuments, well known by schoiars working in the field of
Viking archaeology. The carving is the only one which presumably is not a part of
a wall deeoration but rather from a piece of furniture. And, still more remark-
able, it is the only one which has been discovered in the South of Iceland, all the
others being from the Northern parts of the country, where climatic conditions
are more favourable for the preservation of old wooden remains.