The White Falcon - 26.02.1971, Blaðsíða 12

Page 12
THE WHITE FALCON
February 26, 1971
Museum reflects Icelandic heritage
by OT3 Ken Burrows
The heritage of Iceland is re-
corded in the Icelandic National
Museum in Reykjavik. Tools, tap-
estries, weapons and other arti-
facts ranging fromthe early third
and fourth centuries up to the
present, are represented.
The National Museum was found-
ed in 1863 at Copenhagen, Denmark.
Until 1918, when Iceland received
its independence, her heritage and
traditions were kept under a Dan-
ish key. Denmark had imported a
great number of artifacts and
even though a majority of them
were eventually returned, there
remains a few treasures which
Scandinavia has failed to part
with.
The current director of the
museum is Mr. Thor Magnusson,
whose predecessor was elected in
1968 as president of Iceland.
Mr. Magnusson received a degree
in archeology from Sweden and is
actively attempting to provide a
larger museum that will offer a
more total view of the island's
history.
The museum, like many other
foreign institutions, works from
grants and receives a major por-
tion of its materials through
donations. However, it also has
a program of archeological re-
search which exercises control
over sites throughout the country
which offer prospective finds.
They often have the collateral
duties of helping many local mu-
seums in determination and inter-
pretation of artifacts.
There have been expeditions
involving foreign research teams,
such as previous visits by the
Swedish, and collaboration between
museums of foreign countries is
not rare. Currently, for one
month a year, a British expert
visits Iceland to help with the
restoration of many items that
are considerably old and deterior-
ated.-
With the lackof proper
room, many things remain
from exhibition. There is
tempt at rotation in order that
the 43,000 visitors each year
will take with them a different
view, but there remains a few dis-
plays that are invaluable examples
of Icelandic life.
Iceland has retained quite an
important collection of church
art, the most valuable being a
hand-carved wooden door from a
state church in Eastern Iceland
from about 1200 A.D. There is
also a collection of carved stat-
(See MUSEUM, Page 14)
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