La Tene artists worked quite a bit in gold, especially in jewelry and other personal adornment. Most surviving art from this period in Celtic art is made from gold, iron, bronze, and other metals. Decorated with scrollwork that is reminiscent of foliage and ivies, these metallic objects include vessels, bowls, weapons, and sculpture in addition to the jewelry mentioned.
Henry I was told, by my father, of St. Mary of Aragon who single-handedly brought down an entire Saracen army with nothing more than her faith in God. He also spoke of an ancient Celtic queen named Boudicca who brought Rome to her knees and burned London to the ground. He oft said that a woman was far more deadly as an enemy than a man, because men lead with their heads and women with their hearts. The Celts had influenced the Irish and British in the beginning of this era and moved into these lands during this period.
Irish La Tene art flourished after Rome absorbed the Celtic tribes of other lands. The Irish were left alone and the artistic style survived there without much Roman influence. It is in Ireland that most Celtic stonework was created, as in the tradition of the Celtic High Crosses. In general, La Tene artifacts of the Mediterranean areas of Celtic habitation, particularly France and Italy, exhibit a greater maturity and nobility of expression than the areas of central Europe, owing to their greater contact with the Graeco-Roman world.
Noteworthy La Tene artworks include a wealth of goldsmithery , including stunning gold artifacts such as torcs and gold collars eg. Broighter Collar from County Derry , bands, neck chains, clasps and bracelets, a limited amount of gold sculpture eg. Broighter Boat , gold and silver cauldrons eg. Iron artworks were also common, an interesting example being the wrought-iron firedogs eg. La Tene patterns were influenced by formal motifs imported from Greece , Italy and the Caucasus, but central and western European Celtic metalworkers quickly evolved their own unique interpretations of abstract flowing patterns.
The result a highly stylized form of curvilinear art, based mainly on vegetable and foliage motifs, such as leafy palmette forms, acanthus leaves, tendrils, vines and lotus flowers together with spirals, triskels, S-scrolls, and trumpet shapes. Other geometric decorations included wheeled cross motifs, zig-zags, cross-hatch, herring-bone, concentric circles and more. Among these abstract patterns, Celtic La Tene artists interwove a wide range of zoomorphic animal designs, featuring serpent heads, wild boar, owls and others.
All these patterns, sometimes embossed with red or other enamels, appeared on the personal adornments and weaponry of the Celtic warrior aristocracy whose power and influence was to reach its zenith during the period BCE. Despite the obvious wealth of continental Celts during the La Tene and Hallstatt period, there are no known examples of paintings , only a relatively small amount of sculpture , and few if any noteworthy figurative carvings.
All we have are some horned heads, Janus-heads, along with a number of anthropomorphic and therianthropic figures in wood, clay or metal. This lack of sculpture and carving is puzzling. The absence of a tradition in 3-D arts may be one explanation - although the Russian steppe tribes were famous for their bronzes, and the original Celtic heartland in Austria is close to the site of the famous Paleolithic ivory carvings of the Swabian Jura.
Then again, perhaps Celtic society did not value the accumulation of such precious objects, preferring instead more personalised or wearable items. Yet so too did Viking society, but Vikings are noted for their carving craftsmanship. Did the Celts Make Pottery?
Yes, we know of many examples of Celtic pottery, but in general, ceramic ware was not an especially valued craft or artform - certainly nothing to compare with Greek pottery of the time, although ironically the latter was definitely appreciated by the Celts. During the late period of La Tene and its immediate aftermath, from roughly BCE to CE, the Roman legions vanquished all the independent Celtic tribes on the Continent, and absorbed them into the Roman administration of Europe.
Britain too was subjugated and treated likewise, apart from certain remote regions in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall. Only Ireland managed to stay free of Roman control. During the next three centuries or so of this Romanisation, Celtic culture, language and crafts gradually declined, except in Ireland.
Even here, there were fewer opportunities for artists and craftsmen to develop their skills. Thus, broadly speaking, Celtic art stagnated until the 5th century. It was in the fifth century that barbarian tribes finally overcame the Roman Empire - at least in the West.
In , Visigoth tribes under Alaric sacked Rome, and 45 years later the city was overrun once more - this time by Vandals under Gaiseric. With the collapse of the Roman civil authority across Europe, the region was plunged into anarchy and chaos - a period known to historians as the Dark Ages.
It would last until roughly CE. Meantime, the Christian Church based in Italy determined to use barbarian-free Ireland as one of its outposts. It despatched St Patrick to convert the country to Christianity.
This was to have profound consequences, not only for the people of Ireland but also for Celtic art. Celtic Art is made up of beautiful geometric shapes. It has its origins in the sculpture, carving and metalwork of the ancient Celtic peoples. Classical Celtic art is very much a product of the growth of Christianity in early Britain and Ireland when the native styles combined with Mediterranean influences brought in by Christian missionaries.
As Celtic art traditions continued, their style became associated with people of La Tene culture. While La Tene culture developed from the early Iron Age peoples of the region, it shows a marked Mediterranean influence. Celtic traditions became ever more widespread in areas like the British Isles by BC and stretched as far east as the Black Sea.
Artistry grew more sophisticated and embodied more classical Mediterranean features. There was certainly a Greek influence and Roman too which is not surprising given the proximity of the competing groups. Metalwork continued to employ telltale Celtic designs that were richly symbolic.
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