Silver bowl

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

This picture shows the sides and bottom of the bowl. Both are decorated using punched dots to create a pattern, a distinctive type of decoration by Pictish craftsmen. The sides of the bowl have interlaced animals and the bottom has a geometric pattern.

The St Ninian's Isle hoard contained eight silver bowls, 12 silver brooches, a sword pommel, two chapes, two eating utensils, three mounts and part of a porpoise's jawbone. They were buried under a church's floor, presumably for safekeeping.

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• Online ID: 000-190-000-975-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.FC 274
• Date: Between 750 and 825
  
• Material: Basal depression; wide interlaced bands, dot outline and dotted background on upper zone; single line of interlaced dots on lower zone; dotted whirl pattern on base
  With deep basal depression; decorated with a procession of four contorted animals on a dotted background; Greek key pattern of dotted lines in narrow zone below; base filled with four panels of interlaced dotted lines
  Bowl
  Bowl
  
• Dimensions: 5.10" D x 1.40" deep
  5.75" D x 1.90" deep
  
• What: Bowl
  Bowl
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Shetland, St Ninian's Isle
  Scotland, Shetland, St Ninian's Isle
  
• Event:
• Description: Bowl with deep basal depression, decorated with a procession of four contorted animals on a dotted background, from St Ninian's Isle, Shetland
  Bowl with basal depression, the upper zone with wide interlaced bands, dot outline and dotted background, a dotted whirl pattern on base, from St Ninian's Isle, Shetland
  
• References:
  • Small, A., Thomas, C., and Wilson, D.M. St. Ninian's Isle and its treasure. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1973, vol. 1, pp 47-9. 
  • Youngs, Susan (ed). 'The Work of Angels'. Masterpieces of Celtic metalwork, 6th-9th centuries AD. London: British Museums Publications Ltd, 1989, p. 109. 
• Translations:
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