Icelandic tapestry panels handed over at Wick
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COPIES of five intricate tapestries telling the story of a Norse family with strong Caithness links are on display at Wick Heritage Museum for the next month.
The craftwork, Iceland's contribution to the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, was presented at Wick Town Hall on Friday.
During the unveiling, Wick Society chairman Ian Leith accepted the canvas copies of the tapestries on behalf of the society members.
Mr Leith said afterwards: "The Wick Society is delighted to get the custodianship of these five panels which are wonderful pieces of artwork.
"We will remain the custodians, but should any other organisation want to have them for a period of time they should get in touch. They belong to Caithness, really."
Mr Leith explained that the contribution came about largely because of local historians Jenny Bruce and Nan Bethune. They came across the story when Bryndis Simonardottir, the Icelandic coordinator of the craftwork, visited Dunbeah Heritage Centre in 2015.
Following the presentation in Wick, Bryndis gave a talk about the panels at Mackays Hotel, where she provided a backdrop to the connection between Iceland and Caithness through the story of a Norse family. The family lived in the Western Isles and Caithness before setting sail to Iceland in the ninth century.
Duncansby Head is among the many locations illustrated in the panels.
During their stay in Caithness, Bryndis and other Icelandic visitors were struck by the many Norse words in local place-names.
The tapestries will join the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry Exhibition following a handover at the Scottish Parliament.
