Ivaldi´s Legacy / Maria Holzleitner
Whose Legacy?
Ivaldi´s Sons is a group of dwarven craftsmen named in the Edda - a collection of medieval Norse poems, and main source for Norse mythology. In those stories Ivaldi´s Sons craft some of the most powerful and beautiful items for the gods, including Thor´s hammer Mjolnir.
Now, I might not be on par with that, but my parents always told me, one should set high goals for oneself.
But jokes aside, the name Ivaldi´s Legacy speaks for my deep appreciation of the historic craftsmanship and beautiful designs behind the jewelry I work with, and it represents my wish to contribute to keeping the legacy of Norse heritage and it´s craftsmen alive.
My Background
My name is Maria Holzleitner,
I was born and raised in Austria, but am now living and working in Denmark, closer to the heritage I am replicating.
I am educated in Chemistry by the HTL Rosensteingasse, Vienna and hold a Masters Degree in Conservation of Art from the Austrian University of Applied Arts, Vienna.
I try to work as closely together with museums as possible regarding information on the historic pieces.
As a conservator I sometimes get the honor of visiting the museums and examine artefacts in person. This means, I can inspect all details, take exact measurements and get a feeling for the piece I reproduce.
Authentic and Unchanged
My goal is to give everyone a chance to connect with the wonderful designs and jewelry of old – especially those from the Scandinavian late Iron age and Viking age – outside of museum display cases.
In most shops that offer similar copies, the original designs get changed or misinterpreted, and modern designs are added without differentiation. In my shop you will always find the reference to the actual find, an explanation and if possible a picture of the original, so you can experience the connection to history.