An Introduction to Celtic Art

An Introduction to Celtic Art

Here we look briefly at the history behind the art form, aswell as its symbolism and meaning.

The Celts were a people who lived in parts of Europe from the eighth century BC to the middle of the first century AD. The Greeks knew them as the 'Keltoi', while the Romans called them 'Gauls'. Through the centuries, Celtic art was influenced by the many people with whom they came into contact with, from the ancient Egyptians to the Vikings.

They were first known of in the Hallstatt region of Austria, in the period from 750 to 450 BC. They later spread out from there to other parts of Europe, including northern Italy, Spain, France and Britain. This second period covers the years from 450 BC to around  50 AD, called 'La Tene' after a settlement on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

The early Celts did not write anything down, but we know about them from books written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans who traded and fought with them. Much evidence of their history has also been gained from archaeological digs. From these we have learnt that they made their own tools, weapons, cooking utensils, pottery and simple jewelry. As they became more successful at farming, more people were able to concentrate on arts and craftwork, making decorative and practical objects from gold, bronze, silver, iron, pottery and glass (the favourite colour for enamel being red, followed by yellow, green and blue). We can see the high level of craft skill in the decoration of arms and armour, harness and chariot fittings, dishes and flagons and personal  jewelry. The items produced were then bartered for food or for other items of a similar value.

Many Celtic designs were based on circles, made with iron compasses. Sometimes the pattern was made straight onto the object to be decorated, or another way was to make a wax model of the object and put the pattern on that. It would  then be covered in clay and heated to melt the wax. Molten bronze was then poured into the mould and left to harden.

Aswell as liking geometric designs, the Celts were fond of swirling patterns, suggesting flux and movement. Some of these were like the tendrils of plants. Another favourite was the three-legged triskele which is still used as the emblem of the Isle of Man. Some popular animal designs included geese and hares, both of which were thought to be magical.

Later Celts who became Christians made beautiful manuscript copies of the Gospels and other religious works -the most famous being the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. To convey the glory and mystery of God to a largely illiterate world, monks would make the books fabulously beautiful, with full pages of colourful decoration, often featuring the Symbol of the Cross. These pages, called 'carpet pages', often contained detail so fine and precise that Gerald of Wales, in the 12th century, called the Book of Kells 'the work, not of men but of angels'.

Bibliography

Bain, G. Celtic Art - The Methods of Construction (Stuart Titles Ltd, reprinted 1990 from first publication 1944)

Down, C. The Crafter's Design Library - Celtic (David & Charles, 2003)

Hammet, B. Celtic Art in Cross Stitch (David & Charles, 2002)

Martell, H.M. Celts (Evans Brothers Limited, 1997)

Martell, H.M. What do we know about the Celts? (Simon & Schuster Young Books, 1993)

Orr, A. & Clarke, L. Celtic Cross Stitch (New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, 2001

Written by Anne Reardon-James of Celtic Inspirations