ART

Above: Irish Art

In Ireland art was practised in four different branches: Ornamentation and illumination of manuscript books; metal work; sculpture; and building. Art of every kind reached its highest perfection in the period between

In Ireland art was practised in four different branches :

• Illuminated Manuscripts

• Metal work

• Sculpture

• Building

• Penwork

Art of every kind reached its highest perfection in the period between the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 12th century. All cultivation degenerated after that, on account of the Danish interruptions and the Anglo-Norman Invasion.

The special style of pen ornamentation was quite peculiar to the Celtic people of Ireland. Its most marked characteristic is interlaced work formed by bands, ribbons, and cords, which are curved and twisted and interwoven in the most intricate way, something like basket work infinitely varied in pattern. These are intermingled and alternated with zigzags, waves, spirals, and lozenges; while here and there among the curves are seen the faces or forms of dragons, serpents, or other strange looking animals, their tails, or ears, or tongues elongated and woven till they become merged and lost in the general design. This ornamentation was chiefly used in the capital letters, which are generally very large.

One capital of the Book of Kells covers a whole page. The pattern is often so minute and complicated as to require the aid of a magnifying glass to examine it. The pen work is throughout illuminated in brilliant colours, which in several of the old books are even now very little faded after the lapse of so many centuries.

The Book of Kells, written in the 7th or 8th century, is the most beautiful Irish book in existence. Professor Westwood of Oxford, who has examined the best specimens of ancient penwork all over Europe, says:-

” It is the most astonishing book of the Four Gospels which exists in the world : there is nothing like it in all the books which were written for Charlemagne and its immediate successors.”

Speaking of another Irish book, Mr. Westwood says:

“I have counted [with a magnifying glass] in a small space scarcely three quarters of an inch in length by less than half an inch in width, in the Book of Armagh, no less than 158 interlacements of a slender ribbon pattern formed of white lines edged with black ones.”

The Book of Durrow and the Book of Armagh, both in Trinity College, Dublin, are splendidly ornamented and illuminated. Giraldus Carnbrensis, when in Ireland in 1185, saw a copy of the Four Gospels in St. Brigit’s nunnery in Kildare, which so astonished him that he has recorded a legend that it was written under the direction of an angel.

The early Irish missionaries brought their arts of writing and illuminating wherever they went, and taught them to others and to this day numerous exquisite specimens of their skill and taste are preserved in the libraries of England, France, Germany, and Italy.

Metal Work

The pagan Irish, like the ancient Britons, practised the art of working in bronze, silver, gold, and enamel. This primitive art was continued into Christian times, and was brought to its highest perfection in the 10th and 11th centuries. The ornamental designs of metal work were generally similar to those used in manuscripts, and the execution was distinguished by the same exquisite skill and masterly precision. The principal articles made by the artists were crosses; croziers ; chalices; bells; brooches; shrines or boxes to hold books or bells or relics and book satchels, in which the two materials, metal and leather, were used. Specimens of all these may be seen in the National Museum in Dublin. The three most remarkable as well as the most beautiful objects in the Museum are the Cross of Cong, the Ardagh chalice, and the Tara brooch.

The chalice was found buried in the ground under a stone at Ardagh, in the county Limerick. It is elaborately ornamented with designs in metal and enamel; and was probably made some short time before the 10th century. The Tara brooch is ornamented all over with glass, enamel and with the characteristic interlaced work in metal. Many old brooches have survived, but this is by far the most beautiful perfect of all.

The cross of Cong, which is 2 feet 6 inches high covered with elaborate ornamentation of pure Celtic design; and a series of inscriptions in the Irish guage along the sides give its lull history. It was made by order of Turlogh O’Connor king of Connaught. The artist, who finished his work in 1123 was Mailisa Mac Braddan O’Hechan.

A great variety of gold ornaments may be seen in the National Museum, many of beautiful workmenship. There are several torcs, all pure gold, one which, found at Tara, is 5 feet 7 inches in length and weighs 27 ounces. The torcs were worn round the neck, but of many of the other articles the the uses are unknown.

Sculpture

Artistic sculpture is chiefly exhibited in the great stone crosses, of which about 45 still remain in various parts of Ireland. One peculiarity of the Celtic cross is a circular ring round intersection, binding the arms together. 32 of the 45 existing crosses are richly ornamented and eight have inscriptions. The dates of stone crosses extend from the 10th to the 13th century. Besides the ornamentation, most of the high crosses contain groups of figures representing various subjects of sacred history. The ornamentation is still of the same general Celtic character that we find metal work and in illuminated manuscripts, and exhibits the same masterly skill and ease both design and execution. One of the crosses at Monasterboice is 27 feet high.