The Artists of Ancient Britain

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21648, 5 December 1935, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Artists of Ancient Britain

If you lived in London, you could see in the British Museum some of the weapons and ornaments which were actually made and used by tha ancient Britons, or Celts as we may call' them. You would probably be very much surprised to find that these so-called barbarians could produce such beautiful objects. Queen Boadicea, rushing headlong to battle in her chariot of war, was panoplied in bright array. She herself would wear brooch, necklace or armlet

gaily decorated with red enamels. The horses were surely a splendid sight with their harness ornaments and trappings of bronze,. designed and wrought by skilful artists and craftsmen. Her warriors would wear their bronze helmets decorated witn enamels and embossed designs, and their armour would include oblong shields with rounded corners. If these shields were like the one which was found in the Thames near Battersea bridge, they

would be artistically designed'arid This priceless treasure known as the Battersea shield has no fewer than 27 studs of , red enamel set in as part of the beautiful pattern. The shield is so beautiful, that only a people of cul-

(By A. Mildred Gibb)

ture and refinement couid produce it. Other objects of great interest have been found. In Gloucestershire, an engraved and enamelled mirror-back was discovered, the beauty and workmanship of which is amazing. When we realise that these ancient people knew nothing of modern scientific aids we are astounded to behold the delicacy of the engraving and the complication of some of their interlacing patterns.

What is enamel? Why did the Celts use it so frequently? This substance is not unlike glass, and is coloured with oxides of metals. The ancient Britons used red oxide of copper to obtain their favourite coiour. The art of enamelling is a difficult one, especially when two or more colours are used to form an ' inlaid pattern. The rough enamel is first crushed to a powder and ifiust be subjected to an intense heat before it takes the form re-

quired in the design. Each red stud iri the Battersea shield has a yfellow swastika in the centre. This symbol, which has become a national emblem in Germany to-day, is o£ ancient origin. It has even been found on a very old Greek vase.

Like all pagan people, the ancient Britons were superstitious, and they regarded the swastika as a religious symbol. When worn or carried it served as a charm against evil. For the same reason shapes like U and S were often used with rings or circles, these having the power of bringing luck, it was thought. These ancient people believed also that red coral was a sacred substance, and they therefore used red enamel as a substitute. Warriors about to engage in battle wore charms made of red enamel to give them confidence. Other colours, yellow, white and blue were also used, but red predominated. As the Celts lived in what is known as the Bronze Age, most of the articles found were made of bronze. This is an exceedingly hard metal. Iron had been discovered by this time, but its unending possibilities were then unknown. The change from bronze to iron took place very gradually. We are living at the present time in the Iron Age. Gold, silver, copper, and tin had also been used, but only in small quantities. Copper by itself is a rather soft metal and not very suitable for tools or weapons. When combined with tin, however, it forms bronze. Standard bronze contains 10 per cent, of tin. Perhaps tin and copper occurred in close proximity and were accidentally fused. However that may be, it was a great discovery. We do not know even wnere it was first used, but we know that when the ancient Britons became aware of it, they found a metal which was very useful to them. In our own time we have seen that each fresh invention serves,as a stimulus to further progress. So the discovery of bronze marks a new era in the history of. civilisation. The Celts brought the art of bronze working to perfection. When the Romans came they were surely astonished to see such skill. Although the Romans were themselves a highly cultured people and taught the ancient • Britons many of the arts of peace, in metal working and enamelling the Celts were supreme. Indeed, their productions were unsurpassed by any other people of Europe at that time. The patterns they invented are known as Celtic, and are regarded to-day as well worth studying from an artistic point of view. Just as the Maoris or the Greeks had their own distinctive style or ornament, so had the ancient Britons; their designs may be recognised at a glance. One of the treasures of the British Museum is a brooch set with amber. The people of Europe traded with one another in those days just as they do now, and quantities of amber were brought to Britain from the shores of the Baltic. This substance : is a mineralised or fossil resin and the fir-trees (now extinct) which yielded it grew there in great abundance. Amber is pale yellow in colour, inclining sometimes towards red or brown. Like red enamel, it was supposed to protect the wearer from harm. In the same way also, jet was regarded as a magic substance. The lady of ancient Britain who owned the jet necklace, now treasured in the British Museum, no doubt felt very happy and safe from harm when she . was wearing it. Jet is a deep black substance, a kind of coal, and was found in Whitby, Yorkshire. It is very glossy and can be brought to a high degree of brilliancy when polished. There may be many more beautiful objects waiting to be found in the Thames or elsewhere. Let us hope that in the future more will be discovered. , . . .