Ølbolle - Norwegian Ale Bowls with Rosemaling

                                                                                                                                           Years ago, I picked up these two late 19th-mid 20th century Norwegian dragon-style kjenge or ale bowls (ølbolle), the older pieces were usually made with horse heads, as well as similar bird form pieces called ale hens (ølhøne).  This size was intended for use as drinking cups, and often floated in larger ale bowls until used by the men to dip out their beer, they were usually used for weddings and other important ceremonies or gatherings.The blue one measures approximately 9" long, with a 4" wide bowl, and the red one is 10½" long (including tongue), 3¾" wide bowl.  They're often decorated with traditional Norwegian floral painting (rosemaling), but also left unpainted to show the intricate carving.  These two pieces were most likely made as souvenir items and one of them still retains its old paper label. 

A 1901 travel book on Norway discusses wood-carvings and shows some examples, including an ale bowl:

There's an absolutely gorgeous antique large ale bowl at the Erikson Gallery.  There are also a number of carvers working in the traditional styles, I'm particularly drawn to the work of Howard Sherpe of Westby, WI (click on link at lower left of page to see more of his work), and of the Norsk Wood Works in Barronett, WI - and check out the family's beautiful Norwegian Fjord Horses (starting 17 pics down are details of a wonderful carved sleigh).  Rosemaling is also done by many artists, Rhoda Fritsch of Aurora, IL has a great website with her work, and information on the different regional styles.

Search Amazon.com Books for Norwegian Wood Carving
Search Amazon.com Books for Rosemaling

Norwegian Silver Viking Ship Open Salt

                                                                                                                                               I've been collecting silver for years, and have had an interest in Scandinavian history since early childhood, perhaps triggered by the Danish part of my heritage.  As a souvenir spoon collector, I have many featuring Vikings, their ships, etc. - and also a collection of silver, pewter and celluloid open salts in the form of tiny longboats/longships, most with matching salt spoons.  The one featured today is an early 20th century piece by Marius Hammer (1847-1927), beautifully crafted of .830 fineness silver, it's a less realistic shape than many of the Viking Ship salts, but more practical with its shallow wide body, still retaining a light gold-wash and its original clear glass liner.  The tiny fierce dragon heads with their ribbed rings have wonderful detail, and the simple gold-washed ball-twist spoon has a bowl formed from a 1911 10 Ore coin.  The same design salt (missing the rings and liner) is shown in Heacock & Johnson's 5,000 Open Salts, #4261.

The Marius Hammer workshop in Bergen, Norway opened in 1871, with production of quality pieces until 1930, the marks used were a conjoined hammer/M, "MH", or "M.HAMMER".  Here's a great website, The Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks: http://www.925-1000.com/.

This is a 1904 ad for Hammer, noting his specialties and achievements, the 1811 start of the family firm (by Søren Hammer), and the endorsement of King Edward VII.

5,000 Open Salts: A Collector's Guide by Heacock & Johnson is usually considered the salt collector's "Bible" and invaluable for research; The Open Salt Compendium by Jzyk & Robertson is a luscious volume, filled with color photographs of beautiful and often uncommon salts.