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Silver bowl

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found on St Ninian's Isle, Dunrossness, Shetland

Silver bowl
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This silver bowl was found in a hoard containing 28 silver objects and part of a porpoise's jaw, buried in a ruined chapel on St Ninian's Isle at Dunrossness in Shetland between 750 and 825. The objects probably belonged to a Pictish chief.

The bowl is much warped and corroded and part of the rim has been restored. The exterior is decorated with four pairs of grotesque animals. These animals are facing each other and their bodies are interlocked.

The metalwork found in the St Ninian's Isle treasure shows the skill and accomplishment of Pictish craftsmen. The use of dotted backgrounds and some of the animal decoration on other objects are distinctive Pictish artistic traits.

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