THE TARA BROOCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 81, 14 November 1874, Page 10

THE TARA BROOCH.

Amokg-St the various objects of Ancient Irish Art in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, besides those to which we have already referred, we shall confine ourselves to one of special interest. It is of world-wide fame, and is bettor known as the Tara Brooch. The title is suggested by tho principle " Zttcus a non-lucendo." It has no connection with Tara. It was found in 1850 by the children of a poor woman, whilst they wore at play on a strand near Drogheda. It was sold by her for a trifle to a watchmaker in Drogheda, from whom it passed by purchase into the possession of Messrs Waterhouse of Dublin. It bears uo inscription, so that its date mu6t be fixed Hy a comparison with similar remains of Celtic art. O'Neill and Petrie are here at variance. The former holds that " The Tara Brooch belongs, at the latest, to the early part of the Christian era, if — which is more probable— it be not a relic of heathen times." For Mr O'Neill as a mere artist we entertain the highest respect, and therefore we take, with fullest confidence, his estimate of the artistic excellence of tho brooch. But his knowledge of the history of Irish art is not to be compared to Pefcrie's ; hence we incline much more to the date assigned by the later, who says : — " The form and general character of this brooch are Celtic, and, perhaps, Moorish ; while they may belong to tho most remote antiquity, yet the arts shown in the workmanship of the details are those which belong to that period when such arts were carried to the greatest artistic perfection in Ireland — namely, tho eleventh century." Tho minuteness of elaboration in the tracery of the Tara brooch is amazingly beautiful. O'Neill tells us that—" The brooch is formed of white bronze as a basis, which is covered with a variety of ornaments in gold, silver, niello, variously-coloured glass, and enamel. . . . No language can convey an idea of the wonderiul delicacy of the workmanship of this relic" It is now (1863) being exhibited in the South Kensington Museum, and a writer in the 'Times' has said that it is "more like the work of fairies than of human beings." We have ourselves heard the most practised and able jewellers say, " that so wonderful is the workmanship, that they cannot be imitated oxactly at the present day. They have been executed in a pecliar manner, unknown to modorn times. — 'Irish Ecclesiastical Becord.'