Celtic art in Pagan and Christian times — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Celtic art in Pagan and Christian times
John Stuart Mill · en
On bronze mirror from Stamford Hill, near Plymouth.
On engraved pottery from Glastonbury Marsh Village.
On bronze sword-sheath from Embleton.
(2) Cross-hatching placed diagonally.
[Illustration]
On engraved piece of wood and engraved pottery from the Glastonbury
Marsh Village.
(3) Cross-hatching placed diagonally, with dots in each of the square
meshes.
[Illustration]
On engraved wooden tub from the Glastonbury Marsh Village.
(4) Cross-hatching of double lines placed diagonally.
[Illustration]
On engraved piece of wood from the Glastonbury Marsh Village.
(5) Chequerwork grass-matting shading.
[Illustration]
On bronze sword-sheath from crannog at Lisnacroghera.
On bronze mirrors from Trelan Bahow, Cornwall; Birdlip,
Gloucestershire; from unknown locality, now in the Liverpool Museum;
and from Stamford Hill, near Plymouth.
(6) Engine-turned shading.
[Illustration]
On gold collar from Limavady.
(7) Dotted shading.
[Illustration]
On bronze spoon-like objects in the Dublin Museum.
On bronze harness-ring from Polden Hill, Somersetshire.
On silver armlet from Stony Middleton, Bucks.
Besides the Late-Celtic objects just described, which exhibit
curvilinear surface decoration derived from foliage, there are others
with very peculiar forms “in the round.” Amongst these are the
harness-rings with projecting knobs from Polden Hill, Somersetshire;
Stanwick, Yorkshire, and elsewhere; the beaded torques from Lochar
Moss, Dumfriesshire; Hynford, Lanark; and the beaded bracelets from
Arras and Cowlam, Yorkshire.
The projections on the harness-rings generally occur at three points
round the circumference, and their shapes will be better understood
from the illustrations than from any written description. It is not
easy to say what the meaning or origin of these projections can be, as
they bear no obvious resemblance to any natural or artificial object.
The beaded torques mentioned are composed of separate metal beads
(usually of two different shapes) strung on a square iron rod, so that
they cannot rotate or rattle about. The bracelets are, however, cast
in one piece, and made in imitation of a string of beads. This style
of bracelet is of foreign origin, as specimens have been found in
France[336] and Germany,[337] many of which are elaborately ornamented
with spiralwork in high relief.
[336] _Dictionnaire Archéologique de la Gaule._
[337] Lindenschmit’s _Alterthümer_.
[Illustration: Swastika design on Shield from the Thames]