Viking Magazine - August 2013 - 12

" A Norwegian antique
could be a piece of jewelry, it
could be a textile, it could be
a tool, it could be a trunk, "
almost anything, she says.
She knows collectors who
focus on a single type of
object. Others " just like
things that came here with
the immigrants. Or there are
clients who like things that
were made by the Norwegian
immigrants once they got
here " in North America and
married new materials with
old techniques.
Because there are legal
hurdles involved in taking
antiques out of Norway (see
below), Kramer suggests limiting
your search to this side of
the Atlantic.
" So much came over with
800,000 Norwegian immigrants
in the greatest period of
immigration, " she says. Add
to that the items that came
to North America when immigrants
made return visits to
Norway in later years, and the
gifts that some received for
helping relatives in Norway
who were devasted by war
and occupation. " A lot came
over after World War II, "
Kramer says.
She hunts for pieces at
auctions, fl ea markets, estate
sales and antique shows. Sale
bills sometimes list a " Norwegian
trunk " or another
clue that Norwegian items
are in the mix. But context
can also be a clue: the mostlyNorwegian
heritage of a
community, or a Norwegian
family name associated with
the sale.
SAVED BY STORIES
Sometimes Gilbertson is just
as surprised at how people
have acquired things as she
is by the things themselves.
She was " amazed " by a
bunad (national costume),
" quite a nice embroidered
one, that someone came in
to have us help identify that
they had pulled out of the
trash when somebody was
clearing out a house. "
Then there was the
mystery of a bridal crown
that another family brought
to the museum. " It's not
something that was brought
by many immigrants at all,
partly because the crowns
in Norway had belonged to
the church or very wealthy
families, " Gilbertson says.
Knowing that wedding
traditions were different in
the United States, had this
family's immigrants brought
their crown as portable
wealth, or because there
would be no one left back in
Norway to wear it?
" It is not permitted to take antiques and old objects that have artistic,
cultural, or historic value out of the country without a special permit, "
says Norway's Tollvesen, its customs agency.
Arts Council Norway spells things out in more detail. Based on Norway's
1978 law protecting cultural artifacts, pieces of folk art and craft
more than 100 years old can't be exported or carried out of the country
without permission. For some categories of objects, the threshold is 50
years old. And for objects tied to culturally signifi cant events or people,
there's no age threshold-all of them require permission.
The law is one reason antique dealer Suzanne Kramer stopped buying
antiques in Norway many years ago. Reputable and knowledgeable
12 VIKING AUGUST 2013
sonsofnorway.com
Norwegian antique dealers will know what's eligible for export and be
ready to hand over an export permit at the point of sale, she says. But
at those shops, customers should expect to pay top dollar. Anyone trying
to buy at a more favorable price directly from an object's owner will
have a lengthy permitting process to navigate alone.
You can still bring home a piece of Norway's past without a permit,
Kramer says, but think in terms of mass-produced items that don't
have specifi c cultural signifi cance. If a great vintage waffl e iron or backpack
is what you seek, you get to shop at bargain prices, too. Items
like those can be found at loppemarkeder, fl ea markets, and at Fretex,
Norway's Salvation Army stores. -D. L.
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - August 2013

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