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A terret is one
of the rings on the top of the saddle of a harness, through
which the reins pass. Iron age enamelling was almost always
associated with horses - showing the significance of these
animals in status, prestige and authority.
The
period of Celtic art that covers roughly 300 BC
to 400 AD is called "La Tene" because
of an important archaeological find at La Tene in
Switzerland. This was before the advent of
interlacing when many designs were very abstract.
A
characteristic of this type of design is that the
negative space is as important to the design as
the positive space. The pieces in this series are
virtual reproductions of Celtic enamelling from
the time of the Iceni uprising led by Boudica
against the Romans around 50 BC. The meaning is
obscure, but some people see birds heads,
elemental signs or vestiges of the human face.
I
have taken liberties with the colour, as most
enamels from this period were only opaque red.
All
brooches can also be ordered as necklaces
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