an Anglo-Saxon treasure

an Anglo-Saxon treasure

The Franks Casket (early 8th c.)

The Franks Casket is a small whalebone casket (9” l x 5” h x 7” d) carved with scenes taken from Christian lore and Roman and Germanic mythology. Running around the front panel is an alliterating runic inscription that most scholars describe as a riddle, or, at least, riddling (the answer is provided). It is thought to be of Northumbrian origin, though it was found in Auzon, France. Collector and curator Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-97) bought it from a Paris antiquities dealer and then donated it to the British Museum. The right-side panel is in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. (Webster ME and A-S A)

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