The Franks Casket
- Audio guide stop: 466
- Gallery: Room 41
- Culture: Middle Anglo-Saxon
- Date: 8thC(early)
- Object type: casket
- Materials: whalebone
- Museum number: 1867,0120.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands "The Franks Casket," an extraordinary lidded box carved from whale-bone, harking from the early 8th century. This small, rectangular casket is covered with relief scenes and inscriptions that weave together stories from Roman, Jewish, Christian, and Germanic traditions.
On the front, two contrasting scenes are carved: on the left, the legendary blacksmith Weland stands at his forge, and on the right, the Adoration of the Magi is depicted with the Old English label "mægi," meaning "magi." The surrounding inscriptions use a mix of runes and Latin, describing a tale of a mighty whale and its bone.
One of the most striking panels shows the Roman legend of Romulus and Remus, raised by a she-wolf, with a carved runic explanation. Another illustrates the Roman general Titus leading the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, showing the destruction of the Jewish Temple and fleeing citizens.
Created in Northumbria, the casket is a blend of imagery and languages, reflecting a learned and culturally rich environment. It is not only a masterpiece of carving but also a rare witness to the intellectual currents of early medieval England.
See it in person
The Franks Casket is on display in Room 41 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 466, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
