The lion, symbolizing kingship, was a favorite subject of Western and Southern European artists from classical times. As the Viking raids brought them in greater contact with these cultures, they adopted their symbols of power. Since the Viking artisan who carved this piece had in all likelihood never seen a lion, he would have used more familiar animals as his model--hence the creature's somewhat canine aspect.

The convoluted or shell-like spirals of this piece and the "pellet" carvings which stipple the lion's body identify it with the Viking Mammen style--an early style which made extensive use of animal motifs.

The beautiful casket from which this design was developed was once the pride of the Cammin Cathedral treasury in Pomerania, Germany. Scholars had tentatively identified it as the casket which was presented by the Norwegian King Sigurd the Crusader to the Church of the Holy Cross in Kongehelle--and subsequently stolen by the Vends when Kongehelle was sacked in 1127.

Whatever the case, the Cammin casket was a remarkable piece of Viking artistry. Measuring more than two feet in length, it was shaped like an inverted boat, the wooden frame overlaid with twenty-two sheets of carved elk-horn, bound into position by engraved bronze strips.

The Cammin casket was destroyed during the Second World War. Only a few early photographs remain --and now this commemorative piece.