Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1984, Page 162

AF TVEIMUR ÍSLENSKUM MIÐALDAINNSIGLUM
166
Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (NBL) red. A.W. Bragger. Bind IX, Oslo MCMXL
Petersen, Henry: Danske Gejstlige Sigiller, Kbh. (1886).
Magnús Már Lárusson
Jónas Kristjánsson: Sigilla Islandica I, Reykjavík (1965)
SUMMARY
The article dcals with two medieval seal-matrices of Icelandic origin, made of bronze.
They were incidentally discovered in the Medieval Department in the National Museum
in Copenhagen in early spring 1983. Thc legend of both the matrices had been misint-
erpretated and they were therefore registercd as unidcntified objects.
The reason for this discovery was a short written message on a piece of paper, which
the author found in the Muscum archives, whilc looking for quite differcnt things. The
lcttcr was signcd by Poul Andrcas Munch, a Norwegian historian (1810-1863) and was
intended to rcach inspector C.J. Thomsen the founder of the National Museum of
Denmark. One of the seal-matrices is mentioned on this piece of paper. This brief
information from the 19th century Icd to the rcdiscovery of two Icelandic seals.
For a good reason, one hadn’t known nor heard about the matrices before, at least not
since the carly 19th and 18th centuries. Both of them were then in the possession of the
Icelandic manuscript collector, Professor Árni Magnússon, and were, both described and
drawn by him in a catalogue, of Icelandic medieval seals.
One of the matrices has belonged to a certain abbot Steinmóður (f 1481) at the mon-
astery at Viðey. It is circular (3.6 cm. diam.). The main motif of the scal is of St. Andrcw
on his X-shaped cross, a bishop’s face and a heart punctured by two arrows from both
sides. This last symbol is most likely an interpretation of the words of St. Austin: “Lord,
thou have hit my heart with thc arrows of your charity” - The monastery at Viðey was
an Austin friary.
The matrix can’t be datcd with more exactness than to the period in which Steinmóður
was in office, 1444—1481.
The second matrix is oval and pointy towards the ends. According to the legend on the
edges it belonged to the priest Jón Arason. This Jón is most likely the same person which
later became bishop at Hólar (1524) and what is morc the last Catholic bishop in Iceland.
Hc was executed by decapitation in 1550. Although the form of the matrix could incline
us to believe that it was from a somewhat earlier pcriod, the letters in the Iegcnd reveal
the right age. A rcnaissance of older types of seals wasn’t uncommon in the Nordic coun-
trics in the beginning of the 16th century.
It is indeed a mere coincidence that these two medieval seals now emcrge from obscur-
ity. They were collected in 1703 in Iccland by Árni Magnússon and after his death they
most probably went to the Kings Art Collections and from therc to to the National
Museum in Copenhagen.
Usually one brokc the seal-matrices after the death of the owncr to prcvent falsificat-
ions, or one wouid bury it with him. The two Icelandic matrices arc quite a good except-
ion to this rule.