Knotwork
Knotwork was developed by
the Picts of southwest Scotland. The earliest knotwork was based on a simple diagonal weave pattern
similar to that found in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Mediterranean cultures. But the
Celtic artists were the first to discover how to break the cords and rejoin them into
repeating knots, and how to combine patterns to fill larger panels.
Knotwork patterns were likely first used in stonecarving and metalworking. When
carved in relief, each cord actually descends deeper to pass "under" the next cord, casting
deep shadows into the stone. In gold and silver metalwork the cords do not sink as far,
but the effect of flashing light on the raised edges makes them stand out brilliantly.
The later scribes, working on a flat sheet
of parchment with pen and ink, simulated the three-dimensional knots by coloring the
background darker than the cords. Due to their extremely fine brushes and quill pens, by
the time of the Book of Kells the monks were able to draw knots at an unbelievably small
scale.
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Spirals
Before going into battle, the Celtic
warriors of Ireland, Scotland and Britain reportedly painted their entire bodies with
colorful spirals and images of ferocious animals.
Spirals may have been used as charms to ward off evil, especially if the spiral was drawn
counterclockwise, with the rotation from right to left...the opposite, for example, of the
natural direction in which a snail shell grows. The spiral is among the most ancient symbols in Celtic art, carved
into standing stones since late Stone Age times, and is found at Newgrange in Ireland which dates to approximately 3000 BC.
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(known as "triskeles") probably had some tribal or religious significance since
they were often carved on gravesites, but as the early peoples of Ireland left us no
written language, we can only guess at the meanings. Later in history, the Christian monks
would use the spiral as a symbol of the ever-changing, whirling Cosmos, all in motion
revolving around the one unmoving centerpoint...the Creator. |
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Zoomorphics
The art of interlacing animals and
humans is the youngest form of Celtic art. First appearing in Irish manuscripts during the
mid-seventh century, zoomorphic interlace blended local Celtic motifs with the Germanic
version brought to Ireland in the gospel books of missionaries and scholars.
The Irish monks embraced the imported style and quickly adapted
it to suit their more Celtic tastes. However, many of the old beliefs still held
power even for converted Christians...for example, a common taboo warned against creating
an exact likeness of a living person. The monks could represent a saint or martyr since
they were deceased, but for most other images, the arms and legs and necks would be
interlaced into positions which would be impossible in real life, and thus allowed.
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| The old beliefs and
symbols might be employed to
attract converts and thus serve the Christian faith. The Celts' Seven Forms of Created
Life, ie: humans, beasts, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and plants, were often all carefully included within the same page, and occasionally even in
the same decorated panel. Plants, oddly enough, were rarely used by the
scribes and where they do appear, they almost always
grow from a vase or chalice, sprouting leaves and often eucharistic grapevine imagery. |
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Key Patterns
Key patterns are named for their key-shaped
paths, and are based on spirals. In fact, key patterns can be thought of as spirals with
straight lines. Constructed on a diagonal grid, the paths bend back upon themselves
at various angles, forming the small triangles of dark background which give key patterns
their distinctive look. They are usually drawn or carved within rectangular borders, but
the Celts could skillfully fit them into circles, triangles or odd-shaped panels. |
19th century researchers considered key
patterns to be based on the classic Greek version, but later discoverers in the Ukraine
and Yugoslavia found Celtic-type key patterns engraved onto ancient mammoth ivories.
Similar patterns can be seen on Egyptian carvings from the Old Kingdom, so it may be that
key patterns are older than either the Greeks or the Celts, and might have been spread
across the Mediterranean world by prehistoric seafaring traders.
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