Tuesday Lecture: The Silk Cap – Monastery Steward's Fashionable Cap
Every Tuesday at lunchtime throughout the winter and spring months, the National Museum of Iceland offers a variety of events, including film screenings, guided tours and lectures.
On Tuesday, 27 October, from 12:00 to 12:45, archaeologist Dr Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir will discuss a remarkable cap discovered during excavations at Þingeyrar in Húnaþing in the summer of 2021. The cap was found in the grave of Jón Þorleifsson, who served as steward of the former monastery estate for several years. He died while holding the position in 1683, at just 27 years of age. A signet ring bearing the coat of arms of Jón’s family and his initials (J Þ) was also found in the grave, making it possible to identify the man buried there.
The cap is made of silk (velvet) and decorated with silver lace. Caps of this kind were fashionable among the European nobility in Jón’s time, and comparable examples have been found both in Iceland and neighbouring countries. Its discovery therefore suggests that Icelanders kept abreast of the latest fashions, just like other Europeans.
But the cap is remarkable for more than the object itself. It also led to some unexpected discoveries, which Steinunn will reveal in the lecture.
A museum admission ticket includes access to the event. Please note that an admission ticket also serves as an annual pass to the museum, providing access to all museum events and exhibitions for one year from the date of purchase upon presentation of the ticket. Admission to exhibitions and events is free for children under the age of 18.
