Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

Have you ever wondered, 'when is a Viking not a Viking?' Find out in today's lunchtime talk with Dr Becky Pinner from the University of East Anglia. 'Strange Depictions in later Medieval Manuscripts' starts at 12:30pm. You don't need to book, and the talk is included with museum admission. #VikingLegend

'From Shade to Sunshine' by Frederick George Cotman (1850-1920), oil on millboard, 1880. Frederick was the nephew of John Sell Cotman and the cousin of John Joseph Cotman, and is loosely associated with the Norwich School of Artists through this family connection, although he never actually lived in Norfolk. The sunshine, cow parsley and lush greenery in this painting suggest a warm May afternoon.

The sign for the village of Elsing depicts the Danish Chief Elesa whose followers founded the settlement and whose name, in Old English, remains linked with it to this day.
Want to find out more about the lives of Vikings? Join us for ‘Viking: Rediscover the Legend’ until 8 September 2019.
You can find out more about the village signs of Norfolk by heading to Signs of a Norfolk Summer.
... #VikingLegend
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Today marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of one of East Anglia’s literary heroes, W.G. Sebald. Known to his friends as Max, Sebald was born in Bavaria but spent much of his life in East Anglia, working as a lecturer at the University of East Anglia from 1970 to his death in 2001.
Sebald Season in Norwich celebrates his life and work of with two new exhibitions: ‘Lines of Sight: W.G Sebald’s East Anglia’ here at Norwich Castle and ‘W.G. Sebald: Far Away—But From Where?’ ...at The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
‘Lines of Sight’ explores the creation of his 1995 novel ‘The Rings of Saturn’, which follows the narrator on a walking tour of East Anglia that meanders through history, art, literature and autobiography. As Co-Curator Dr. Nick Warr puts it, the exhibition brings together ‘the places, the objects he talks about, the books he uses. This exhibition is the moment of his creation.’
'Lines of Sight' is open now in our Timothy Gurney Gallery.
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Museums at Night is here!
Join us after hours today for FREE entry to Norwich Castle and an opportunity to explore our iconic medieval castle like you've never seen it before!
Doors at 5.30pm, suitable for all ages. Torchlit tours, medieval weapons demonstrations and a #Keepsakes selfie station.
... https://www.facebook.com/events/189454305 0650539/
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We can't resist an excuse to explore our stores, so on #ExploreMW day during #MuseumWeek we wanted to share some images of behind the scenes in our fascinating Costume and Textile stores- here you can see how we store and care for a variety of collections not on public display.

Meet Cameron, one of our wonderful @KTDNorfolk volunteers as he shares his favourite object with us from the Viking: Rediscover the Legend exhibition. It’s a wonderful piece of fancy Viking bling!

Today’s #WomenInCulture for #MuseumWeek proves you can live quietly but still be a #RebelGirls. Mary Newcomb (1922-2008) was a self-taught artist who always claimed she couldn’t draw! Nevertheless, she was fiercely dedicated to her art, and got on with painting her remarkable dream-like scenes of the natural world outside of the artistic mainstream.
Her time living on farms with her husband and daughters in the Waveney Valley is celebrated in her intense, quirky and beautifu...l paintings which are always alert to the rhythms of nature and the rituals of rural life. She became a a regular exhibitor with the Norwich Twenty Group of artists, and from 1970 the Crane Kalman gallery in London hosted solo shows which began to establish her reputation. Later in her career, she was widely acclaimed by fellow artists and public alike, with works held Tate and many other institutions as well as here at NorwichCastle.
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How did Skadi select her husband?
Hear the tale of Skadi's Husband's Feet and other stories in our wonderful new Nordic storytelling performances this May Half Term.
Perfect for all the family and offered as part of our Viking Legend programme! Included with museum admission, performances on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 May.
... https://www.facebook.com/events/244498260 2201092/
#VikingLegend #MayHalfTerm
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The last in our colourful theme today in celebration of #MuseumWeek and #RainbowMW is this radiant image captured by Sophia Bix, Showing whats truly waiting for you at the end of the rainbow!

Discover the famous Norwich School of Artists and explore our exemplary collection this Saturday 18 May in a special guided tour.
Included with museum admission, tour departs at 1pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/261525954 521602/

Happy #MuseumWeek everybody! Celebrating todays #RainbowMW theme with colourful objects from our collections.
Here is the beautifully captured 'View of Norwich from Mousehold with Castle in the distance and rainbow' pencil and watercolour on paper by Charles Catton (1728-1798)

Freyja was, amongst other things, the Norse goddess of fertility, war and love, it's said she cried golden tears when she was unhappy and that she travelled in a chariot pulled by wild cats.
Join us for 'Viking: Rediscover the Legend' until 8 September 2019.
#VikingLegend
... Image: The Ormside Bowl, courtesy of York Museums Trust, photograph by Anthony Chappell-Ross
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For #MuseumWeek we’ve been taking a look at some of the #WomenInCulture who’ve made a splash in Norfolk. None more so than Agnes Willoughby who was at the heart of a court scandal which kept Victorian society scandalized and enthralled.
Agnes was born a country girl but rose rapidly to become a celebrated high-class courtesan of the kind known at the time as ‘pretty horsebreakers’ due to their supposed riding of expensive horses in Hyde Park to advertise nearby livery stables.... William Windham of Felbrigg Hall became obsessed with Agnes, marrying her in 1861 much to the outrage of William’s uncle, General Windham, who was set to inherit the £4,000 a year estate in the event of his nephew dying without issue. The General decided to go to court to try and prove his nephew was not of sound mind to prevent Agnes or any offspring of the marriage inheriting.
The ensuing case became a topic of hot debate throughout the drawing rooms of Victorian England. While William was known for his eccentric behaviour, the judge eventually sided with him and judged him to be of sound mind. However, Windham was not granted costs and the £20,000 accumulated, alongside his own (and Agnes’) lavish spending habits meant he was eventually forced to declare himself bankrupt and to sell the Felbrigg estate. Agnes' story is a reminder of the precariousness of a woman's situation in this period - the marriage she might have hoped would make her respectable doing anything but.
This fabulous scarlet riding habit belonged to Agnes – it consists of a jacket and skirt in scarlet face cloth, trimmed with black velvet and black fringe. It was made about 1858 to 1860, just before her marriage to Windham – it’s easy to imagine her catching his eye in London, perhaps in this very outfit.
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Its #MuseumWeek and today we are celebrating all the colours of the #rainbowMW
Here is the catchy named 'Rainbow Effect on the River, King Street, Norwich' by John Thirtle (1777-1839) pencil and watercolour on paper - 1817.

Thor's Day tour! Discover highlights of ‘Viking: Rediscover the Legend’ in today's special guided tour with a member of our Learning Team, at 2.30pm, included with normal admission, no booking required.
'Viking: Rediscover the Legend' at Norwich Castle until 8 September 2019.
#VikingLegend

Did anyone else have a Rock'em Sock'em robot set growing up? Turns out they even had them back in the 12th century! 🥊 ⚔️
#PlayMW #MuseumWeek #RockemSockem Image from the Hortus Delicarium (1185)

We're looking forward to our next course of Knight Club starting June 1st! We will be bringing together history and play to learn about the essential skills of a knight. https://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/…/wo rkshops-…/knight-club #PlayMW #KnightClub #MuseumWeek