THE VIKING ART TOME BOOK
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Key facts
- Binding
- Hardcover
The Viking Art Tome is the most comprehensive work Isar Oakmund has produced. 300 pages, hardcover, built for the person who wants to understand Viking art properly and have it on their shelf in a form that matches the ambition of its contents.
The Tome opens with 78 pages of chronological style guide covering 13 distinct art styles from the Bronze Age through to Urnes, the most thorough overview of Viking and pre-Viking visual tradition Isar has put to page. Every style is placed in its historical context, traced through the artefacts that defined it, and made usable as a working reference for artists and tattooers who want to understand not just what these styles look like but where they come from and why they look the way they do.
Running alongside the reference material is The Journeymen, a fictional story following a Viking goldsmith that illustrates how art styles migrated across time and geography. It is not a detour from the scholarship. It is a different way into the same understanding.
The design content goes further than any of the three volumes. Named deity godmasks not found elsewhere in the Northern Black range: Loki, Ullr, Vidar, Hyrrokin, the four world-corner dwarves, Odin on Sleipnir, and Heimdal. A patterns chapter, an elements section, a brooches chapter, and a beasts chapter covering Ratatoskr, Audhumbla, a unicorn and an owl. The St Pauls wolf with a full process spread showing how the piece was built.
This is the book that has no shortcuts in it. 300 pages written, drawn and compiled by Isar Oakmund for the person who takes Viking art seriously.
300 pages. Hardcover.
Features
- Full 300 page hardcover Viking Art Tome by Isar Oakmund
- 78 page chronological style guide covering 13 styles from the Bronze Age to Urnes
- Includes The Journeymen, a fictional story following a Viking goldsmith through migrating art styles
- Named deity godmasks not found in the viking art volumes: Loki, Ullr, Vidar, Hyrrokin and more
- Patterns, elements, brooches and beasts chapters
- St Pauls wolf with full process spread
- 300 pages, hardcover
The viking age styles
The Tome opens with a 78-page chronological style guide spanning thirteen distinct periods, from the Bronze Age precursors through Mammen, Ringerike, Borre, Jelling and on to Urnes, showing how each style grew out of the last rather than appearing in isolation.
Historical Designs
Beyond the style guide, the Tome is home to the largest collection of historical Viking Age designs Isar Oakmund has put into one book. It includes named deity godmasks absent from the Viking Art volumes: Loki, Ullr, Vidar, Hyrrokin, the four world-corner dwarves, Odin astride Sleipnir, and Heimdal, alongside beasts drawn from the sagas, including Ratatoskr, Audhumbla, an owl and a unicorn. A dedicated brooches chapter and an expanded elements section give artists and collectors modular source material rarely seen collected elsewhere, and a full process spread on the St Paul's wolf shows the design taken from source to finished piece. The Viking Art Tome is a 300-page hardcover book, worthy of any dignified library or collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between the Tome and the Viking Art Vols?
The Tome is a single, much larger volume (300 pages) tracing the full development of Norse art from the Bronze Age through to the Urnes style, with dedicated chapters on godmasks and patterns. The Vols are smaller, motif-organised references.
What do I get with the USB version that I don't get with the hardcover?
The USB contains a set of digital design files drawn from the Tome, useful for digital work or printing. It isn't a digital copy of the full book itself.
Is the Tome suitable for beginners?
Yes. The opening chapters work as a style guide, walking through each major period (Salin I, II and III, Broa, Oseberg, Borre, Jelling, Mammen, Ringerike and Urnes) in chronological order, so you can follow the development of Norse art from the ground up.
What is "The Journeymen"?
It's a fictional story woven through the early chapters of the Tome, used to bring the historical styles and periods to life as you move through them.
Are the godmask designs based on specific deities?
Yes. The godmasks chapter includes named designs for figures such as Loki, Ullr, Vidar, Hyrrokin and the four dwarves Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri.
What's in the Patterns chapter?
A collection of border and filler patterns, useful for framing other designs or filling space in larger compositions.
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