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The Artistic Sequence
Viking Age art evolved through recognizable sequence of styles, each named after site where examples were first identified:
Oseberg style (early 9th century): Naturalistic animals, clearly identifiable, gripping each other in combat or interacting in recognizable ways.
Borre style (mid-9th century): More geometric, abstract animals, ribbon interlace becoming prominent, moving toward pattern rather than representation.
Jelling style (late 9th-10th century): Animals becoming more stylized, S-curves and interlace defining forms, balance between recognizable beast and abstract pattern.
Mammen style (late 10th century): Large, bold animals with plant-like tendrils, increased complexity, elaborate interlace.
Ringerike style (early 11th century): Refined elegance, spiral tendrils, animals dissolving into decoration, sophisticated composition.
Urnes style (late 11th-early 12th century): Ultimate refinement, slender ribbon-animals, minimal detail, maximum elegance, figure and ground equally important.
This progression shows artistic sophistication increasing, abstraction growing, technical mastery improving. The Urnes style was not primitive but highly evolved, representing peak of traditional Scandinavian artistic development before Christian styles replaced it.
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