Mayo Theme -
10
Art and Society
The carved motifs found on the great passage
tombs of the Boyne valley in The carved motifs
found on the great passage tombs of the Boyne
valley in Co. Meath are the most well known Irish
examples of architecture and art combined. The
circles, spirals, lozenges and zig zag designs
created on the surface of the stones of these
megalithic tombs around 2,500 BC are not easily
understood today but would have had great
significance for the ancient society that
commissioned them. Although megalithic tombs were
re-used, the art of carving motifs on stone had, by
the Early Bronze Age shifted from these burial
sites to be incised on large erratic boulders. The
decoration is largely of cup
and ring motifs. Again the reason for such work
is unclear, but perhaps they were territorial
markers associated with a particular group or
indeed a particular precious metal. They well may
have had some distinct ritual purpose linked to the
veneration of some god or indeed they may have been
used for all of these reasons and more.
Boheh
Rock Carvings
Indeed, it is to the Bronze Age c.2000BC to
c.500BC, that we must look for the most resplendent
period of artistic elegance and sophisticated
craftsmanship. In what has been described by some
as the 'Irish El Dorado', most of the gold
ornaments now on display in the National Museum of
Ireland were made. Some of the most prestigious
pieces of jewellery held at the Museum were created
using gold. Crescent- shaped gold lunalae, probably
worn around the neck, and gold torcs of the La
Tène style showed sophistication in an art
form that would be very difficult to replicate
today.
Toward the end of the Bronze Age we see the
emergence of the hill-fort. Although rare in
Ireland, it has been suggested that these were
ritual enclosures built following the rise of a
class of warrior- priests who may have been gaining
the upper hand in society. The hillfort on the
summit of Croagh
Patrick would have been an ideal location for
this upper class of society to hold sway over a
landscape that had an extremely valuable resource,
gold. Interestingly, it is not only ornate pieces
that make their appearance at this time but
expensive weapons of elaborate design, swords,
shields, spears and chariots perhaps reflecting the
need to protect the wealth the new elite had
gathered.
This early art was ostentatious, intended to
enhance the status and prestige of its owner, and
perhaps to give him special powers which the art
itself represented. The artist was not only giving
vent to personal expression, but was a craftsman
following the tradition he had inherited, and
working to the orders of his patron.
From around 500 BC iron, and particularly iron
weapons, took over as the strategic material from
the bronze of the earlier period. At this time we
see the erection of large fortifications probably
reflecting unrest in communities as they vied for
usable land or perhaps contested with small bands
of newcomers from Britain. Protecting the
manufacture of prestigious and valuable goods was a
constant concern in an age of persistent raiding.
In that regard the construction and location of
homesteads played
a vital role in securing not only the products but
also the safety of the artisan.
The importance that society bestowed upon the
artist or craftsperson is illustrated by the fact
that these producers of high status art belonged to
a class of their own: the Áes Dána or
'people of art'. This group was positioned only
slightly below the warrior nobility in the
hierarchy of Irish
society. Indeed, pennanular brooches, which
were superbly crafted in the early medieval period,
give us an insight into this hierarchical society.
The Irish law tract Críth Gablach tells us
that the lowest orders of nobility were allowed to
posses a precious brooch worth an ounce of silver.
It could be argued then that the more precious
metal, either silver or gold, used in the creation
of these goods the greater the power and status of
the individual owner. Equally the more decorative
and embellished the item was, the more it would
display a high status. The highest echelons of
society controlled the resources and manufacturing
processes for these high-status symbols, thereby
having a tangible indication of their control over
the whole of society and the landscape.
Tara Brooch
The Christian period which becomes historically
visible in Ireland in the mid-fifth
century, saw a new growth in Irish art. Just as
generations of kings and well off farmers had
supported artistic endeavours, so too would the
rapidly spreading ecclesiastical settlements. The
range of material from this period is vast, but
even from the few discussed below it is clear that
the influences are widespread and the quality
unmatched.
Illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and sculpture
were all produced by monks or laymen employed by
the monastery. It has to be remembered that the
process of change that was taking place at this
time did not interrupt the culture of the Iron Age
society and presumably the artists and craftsmen
continued with their work, absorbing and spreading
new methods and ideas. The Romano-British influence
for example found in the metalwork technique and
design of the pennanular brooch could perhaps trace
its ancestry back to the Tara Brooch. The Irish
craftsperson had added stylised animal ornament and
enlivened the background of the brooch with small
pieces of red enamel, a technique favoured by
Celtic artisans in pre-Roman times.
The inspiration for decorating manuscripts may
have come partly from Italy, partly perhaps from
exposure to Coptic or other Mediterranean
influences, apparent in the dots and interlace
decoration which emerges in some early Irish
manuscripts. The earliest manuscripts confine their
decoration to the first letters of the paragraphs.
The letters terminate in an animal head with no
body. This beast has its origins from late Roman
patterns in the Germanic and Nordic provinces. The
relatively modest artistic expression in earlier
manuscripts gives way to astonishing creative
energy in later works, the best known of which is
the Book of
Kells where interlaced bands, full-bodied
animals, and ornamental dots combine in a profusion
of colour. The Viking raids on Iona forced the
monks to bring this masterpiece to Ireland where no
doubt the designs and techniques would influence
local artists.
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Art pieces occasionally provide
information about the patrons and the
artists who produced the work. Some high
crosses carry an inscription that names
the patron. The most famous of these is
the Cross of Muiredach. The inscription on
the base of the shaft of this cross tells
us that one Muiredach, a name that is
shared by a ninth and a tenth century
abbot, erected it.
The style, according to experts,
suggests that it was the ninth-century
Muirdeach who erected it. Whatever the
origins of these masterpieces it is clear
that they were influenced by the craft of
the metalworker. The use of the Celtic
spiral ornament is one obvious indicator,
and raised bosses another.
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Cross of
Muirdeach
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There is only one single example of a
processional cross belonging to the Celtic Church
now in existence, namely the Cross of Cong. The
cross is of oak covered with copper plates, and has
a boss of rock crystal in the centre reminiscent of
that used on the underside of the Ardagh Chalice,
beneath which a portion of the true cross is
enshrined. Enamelled bosses similar again to those
found on the Ardagh Chalice appear on the cross
suggesting a continuity with the great metalwork of
the eighth- century.
Cross of Cong
The annals of Innisfallen tell us that in 1123
AD a piece of the true cross was enshrined by
Turlough O'Connor, king of Ireland, for whom the
Cross of Cong was made. An inscription on the cross
asks that we pray for the shrine's maker, Maeljesu
MacBratdan O'Echan. No doubt then that the status
of the artist is such that they are remembered on
this most precious cross in the same way as the
king.
Key
References
- Harbison, P. 1993, Irish Art and
Architecture, from Prehistory to the Present,
London.
- Laing, L&J, 1995. Celtic Britain and
Ireland, art and society, Dublin.
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This
project has been supported by the EU as part of the Culture
2000 programme.