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CElt:ic ANtJ

oltJ NORSE
tJEsic.;NS
COUR'LNey bAVis

DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.


Mineola, New York
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
In this marvelous collection, drawn from numerous Celtic and Old Norse
sources in the British lsles and Scandinavia, a rich selection of traditional
Christian and secular designs is brought together. Some of the meticu-
lously rendered designs were found in iIluminated manuscripts, missals,
and psalters of the Celtic Church (including the incomparable Book of
Kells and the earlier Book of Ourrow) and on Celtic stone crosses. Others
are from runic inscriptionson stones, Norse sword hilts and personal
ornaments, and the decoration of everyday artifacts such as bedposts,
horse collars, and weather vanes. The sources of the designs are in lreland;
Scotland; Wales; Cornwall, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Northumberland,
Sutton Hoo (in Suffolk), and the lsle of Man in England; Denmark;
Norway; and Sweden.
Created in the period from the 6th century to the 12th century A.D.
(some of them during the 9th and 10th centuries, at the height of the Norse
invasions and occupations of large areas of England and lreland), the
designs represent the six major periods of Old Norse decoration: the
Broa/Oseberg, Borre, Jellinge, Mammen, Ringerike, and Urnes styles, as
well as many generations of Celtic Christian ornament, chiefly elabora ted
in lreland and Scotland.
a b

d e

(a) from bronze mirror; (b) from bronze mirror; (e) from bronze bovvl; (d) and (e) from
hand les on spoons

Ccltic DesigIls 1
a

~d

(a) pattern from sword hilt; (b) Celtic stone cross; (c) Cel tic stone cross; (d) from a gold
torc (neck coIIar or chain)

2 Celtic DesiglIs
--

(a) pattern from bronze mirror; (b) spiral design on sword hilt

c Ce/tic Designs 3
Cel tic spirals from various stone crosses

-l
Cel t ic DesigIls

"-.
~

designs from various stone crosses of Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall

Celtic DesigIls 5
,'"

b
c

(a) from the Cel tic cross at Monasterboice, lreland; (b) adapted from a cross in Comwall;
(c) from cross at Monasterboice, Ireland

6
Ce/tic DesigIls

Ir---
a b

(a) from the Celtic cross at Golden Grove, Wales; (b) adapted from a cross shaft at
Llantwit Major, Wales

Cc/tic OL'siglls 7
a

e
d

(a) andcross
stone (b) from a Scottish cross; (c), (d), and (e) from the Book of Kells; (f) from a Cornish

8 Celtic DesigIls

Ih
b

(a) and (b) from Codex 1395; (e), (d), (e), and (O from the Lindisfarne Gospels

Ce/tic Designs 9

-.
c

(a), (b), and (c) from the Book of Kells

10 Ccltic DesigIls
from the Book of Kells

Ccltic DesiglIs 11
--
rr
I

"'

adapted from the Book of Kells

12 Celtic DesigIlS
from the Coupar-Angus Psalter, Scotland

Ccltic/Old Norse Designs 13


1["'"

a b

«1) initial from Wineheombe Psalter; (b) from St. Maehan's Shrine; (e) and (d) from Cross
of Cong; (e) from St. Maehan's Shrine

14
CC!tic/Old Norsc Desigl/s

[,
...

(a) from Shrine of St. Lachtin's Arm; (b) and (c) from St. Machan's Shrine

Cc/tic/Old Norsc DesigIls 15


a

(a) engraved axe from Jut/and; (b) detail from St. Machan's Shrine
16
Ce/tic/Old Norse Desiglls
;'~",';
,,~':"""""""""--'-.: ;,

detail from the Bell Shrine of St. Patrick

Cc/tic/Old Norsc DesigIls 17


a

(a) detail from the Cross of Lismore; (b) and (c) from the Bell Shrine of St. Patrick; (d) and
(e) from St. Machan's Shrine

18
CL'ltic/Old NorsL' OL'sigl1s
a

(a), (b), and (c) from the Bell Shrine of St. Patrick; (d) from the Cross of Cong

Celtic/Old Norse Design::; 19


'1

a b

(a) from the Shrine of St. Lachtin's Arm; (b) initials from the Corpus Missell, lreland
20
Celtic/Old Nlirse Designs
" ." '..~.

(a) from the Book of Durrow, lreland; (b) design carved into antier, lreland; (c) and (d)
from the Sutton Hoo ship burial

Cc/tic/Old Norsc Dcsigl1S 21


~'

(a) initial from the Chronicle of Marianus Scotus, lreland; (b) and (c) from the Liber
Hymnorum,lreland

'22
Celtic/Old Norse Dcsigns

L
< -'- ._~,-~'

runic stone, Sweden

Old Norsc DesiglIs 23


~

1:1,

JI
I

~
~ b

(a) Viking-stvle pendant; (b) two entwined beasts carved in stone

24 Old Norse DesigIls

~
b
a

(a) Urnes-style bone pin; (b) figure of a bird on a whalebone line winder; (c) can'ed stone
cist in Urnes stvle

Old Norse DesigIls 25


b

;1

- II

~1!1
a

(a) from
work the earved side of the Oseberg eart; (b) detail from a bedpost; (e) from an open-
brooch

26 Old Norse Designs

Ii!
ornament on a bronze-gilt weather vane

Old Norse Designs 27


~

-1 li'
.
1
~iI
1:1

Iii

from a carved wooden bedpost


I
28 Old Norsf DfsigJ/s

.~ i I

1111

J.l
,:..

a b
c

(a) and (c) ]ellinge-style anima ls carved in stone, from the Isle of Man; (b) detail from a
Mammen-stvle horse collar

Old Norsc DesigIls 29


iF

.
~

(a) Borre-style strap end; (b) detail from Gosforth stone cross
30
Old Norse Designs
entwined Urnes-style carved beasts

Old Norsc Dcsigns 31


"

(aj brooeh in English Urnes style; (bJ Ringerike beast; (ej design from a fluted silver bowl
from Gotiand

32 Old Norse Desigl/s


1...,.

b
a

(a) carved bone in the Mammen style of art; (b) detail from a horse collar

Old Norse Design5 33


a

(a) and (b) adaph:,d from a silver bowl in Gotiand

34 Old Norse Designs


111!

from the omament on asiedge pole

Old Norse Desigl1s 35


r

.;.;

(a) silver disk in the Jellinge style; (b) detail from asiedge pole in Oseberg
36 Old Norsc Designs
~

, '""

I ~

b c

(a) "Great Beast" eaf\úi on a grave; (b) and (e) Jcllingc-style animals earved jn stone,
from the Isle of Man

Old Norsc DesigIls 37


a

(a) silver crucifix; (b) and (e) details from mounts in the Broa style

38 Old Norsc Designs


'-"""""'-"""-. --"..,<.,.

animai heads can-ed on a whalebone plaque

Old Norsc Design:> 39


".

I
I

a b

(a) detail from a carved stone in Norway; (b) detail from asIedge pole in Oseberg

40 Old Norse Desig/Is


""';<1;.~. dlC';'..""L

..,

(a) detail from a horse eollar; (b) two entwined beasts earved on a rune stone in Gotiand;
(e) Jellinge-style animals carved in stone, from the Isle of Man

Old Norsc DesigIls 41

J
í

b
c

.-
a
d

(a) detaiI from a brooch; (b) Gosforth Cross; (c) border detaiI from manuscript Junius II;
(d) based on various brooch designs

42 Old Nor~(' Dc~iglls

""",-,...
,

Swedish rune stone

Old Norse Designs 43


.

r'

<lJ
~(fJ
r;;
o:....
co
<lJ
:E
.5
,
t:::
:J
o
6
6
o:....
"-"
.-
r;;
,
<lJ
O

r
I

44 Old Norse Designs

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