Celtic art

The Celtic art begins in the Iron Age, the so-called La Tène period ( Lt). It is not a unitary phenomenon, but the Celtic art shows strong regional and chronological differences.

History of Research

The term " Celtic art " was coined by the English antiquarian John Kemble ( 1807-1857 ). Influenced by the Brothers Grimm, he sought the difference between Celts and Anglo-Saxons moor on archaeological finds. He identified primarily a three-piece fish bubble pattern ( trumpet scroll) as typically Celtic. His ideas were taken up by William Wilde in Dublin and Augustus Franks in London. Frank identified the Wandsworth and Battersea Shield and harness from a hoard in the Polden Hills as Celtic, although ancient writers had never referred to the inhabitants of the British Isles as Celts.

Paul Jacob Thal, a classical archaeologist from Marburg, developed the basic breakdown of Latènekunst, which even today is still valid. However, we see today sharper regional differences while Jacobsthal still saw a single, broadly similar in all of Central Europe Celtic art. Other important studies on Latènekunst taken by Otto - Herman Frey ( Marburg), and Majolie Lenerz -de Wilde ( Münster).

Chronology

The La Tène period is divided into the following periods after the style development:

Development of the La Tène art

Paul Jacobsthal noted in his remarks to the La Tène art rapid, unmediated appearance of the La Tene forms that clearly differed in their design of the previous geometric ornaments of Hallstatt art. The Greek elements of the early phase, he explained through an indirect, lagged import via the Etruscan culture. The Greek forms would thus not derived from the same time existing in Greece elements, but of forms which had already existed for some time and only gradually found its way in the form of inventory of Celtic craftsmen. This allows also the strong Etruscan influence in the early La Tène art declare, can we grasp by imports. The patterns are on jewelery ( neck and bracelets, sword handles, brooches ) made ​​of bronze, rare to find gold. Deposits of coral, amber and red enamel create color effects.

Examples of Frühlatènestils are in the graves of the Somme Bionne (France), Schwarzenbach and clean home (Saarland), Kleinaspergle (Baden- Württemberg), Bad Durkheim ( Rhineland -Palatinate ) and find the Dürr mountain in Austria. In addition, intricate geometric patterns are found, some of which were constructed with a compass (for example, Hofheim, Hesse ).

The four styles of Celtic art

P. Jacobsthal defined different styles and tried to create a relative chronology. At the start of the La Tène art he put the "Early Style", on the " Waldalgesheim Style" should follow, on the "Plastic Style" and the "Sword Style". The latter two styles represented a continuation and development of the second Stiles, who served as a temporal fixed point in their chronology.

Early Style

The early designs of Celtic art are strongly influenced by Etruscan import pieces, which in turn drew its forms and ideas from the Greek room. The intense inter-regional contacts of the Celts in front of all the Etruscan cultural area are therefore crucial. This basic set of forms was used by Celtic craftsmen as a basis for developing their own ornaments. These are purely decorative. Examples: Tombs of Schwarzenbach in Saarland

Waldalgesheim Style

The Waldalgesheim style (after Waldalgesheimer royal grave in the Hunsrück ) or tendrils style is the first independently developed by the Celts art style. It is characterized by complex patterns of vines, hooked into each other spirals, loops and discs. Here especially geometric patterns parent plants are common. The tendrils and palmettes of the Mediterranean idol were broken down into their individual components and juxtaposed individually, or, artfully intertwined in the case of S- spirals. Often the individual ornaments can hardly be distinguished from each other. Figural representations are missing almost completely.

  • Examples: Waldalgesheim in the Hunsrück, Hoppstädten in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Plastic Style

This style is characterized by a remarkable plasticity of the depicted animals and people. The most abstract patterns are highly lifted from the ground. Typical are intertwined S- spirals and Triskele.

Sword Style

This style was widespread in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. He was largely defined in terms of ornaments on scabbards, to which the name of the style back.

In the Spätlatènekunst the complex intertwining of individual motifs largely disappears, we now find representations of individual animals, such as boar, deer, or cattle that are largely absent in the Frühlatènekunst, as well as of horses and human heads.

Britain

In the late Iron Age, there were also in the UK elements of the sculptural style ( Battersea Shield, Snettisham torcs etc.), but show a typical insular character. In the Aylesford culture in the south of England especially S- spirals and tube tops are typically in the form of masks.

Ireland

The Irish art of the imperial period recorded numerous suggestions from Britain. The fibulae of the 4th - 7th Century show simple geometric patterns, but also intricate S- spirals and "trumpet scrolls ". The suspended cymbal follow Roman models, but with spiral patterns on the Henkelattaschen. They were usually found in the Anglo-Saxon settlement area, so it is not certain that they were actually made ​​in Ireland.

Ireland in Early Medieval

Book Illustration

The knot pattern illustrated manuscripts of the 8th - 10th century are often referred to as typically Celtic. The style, however, was widespread at that time. The famous Book of Kells (8th century ), for example, was ( Picts ) or produced either in Northumbria, in eastern Scotland on Iona and was probably in the 11th century to Ireland.

471363
de