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AN DROICHEAD

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Galleries: .....Brooches .....  Earrings ..... Necklaces  ..... Knotwork ..... Framed Panels ..... Cloisonné ..... Commissions ..... Archives

FRAMED PANELS - Bestiary Series

This series is based on illustrations from the Aberdeen Bestiary - a 12th century manuscript describing current beliefs about Natural History. 

The illustrations of animals are often cheekily burlesque (note the cat licking itself, and the prominent genitalia on the pigs, lion and goat) and the descriptions of the animals often unbelievably fanciful (e.g. the panther is described as having such sweet breath that all the other animals of the forest are compelled to follow it) and there are often serious descriptions of mythical animals like unicorns, manticores and griffons.

The stated purpose of the Aberdeen Bestiary was "to improve the minds of ordinary people, in such a way that the soul will at least perceive physically things which it has difficulty grasping mentally: that what they have difficulty comprehending with their ears, they will perceive with their eyes" (Aberdeen MS 24, f25v).

It was common in medieval times for enamellists to try and reproduce illustrations in their own medium. We sometimes forget that originality in art work was not a value until quite recently in the history of human endeavour. 

I am quite interested by the stylisation in these drawings, which reduces the form of the animal to a few simple lines, and yet captures the movement and form of them very well.

These panels are modelled after Byzantine enamels that were a combination of champlevé and cloisonné. A thin piece of gold would have been beaten out to provide the recesses, and the cloisonné wires sunk in the recesses.  I have simply used my regular etching method to create the recesses. I have tried to approximate the colours on the manuscript pages, which were paints made from crushed gems. The Blue/Red/yellow theme was carried out in most of the illustrations. You can see the original manuscript here

 

click on picture for larger image

see the original illustration here 
3"X3" panel - 6" X 6" framed 

Price: US$550


see the original illustration here
3"X3" panel - 6" X 6" framed 

Price: CDN$550


see the original illustration here
3"X3" panel - 6" X 6" framed 

Price: CDN$550

Price: CDN$550

Price: CDN$500

Price: CDN$350

 
TO ORDER: e-mail: imagocorvi AT gmail.com 
(please replace the AT with @)
All pieces available in other colours

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all text and photographs © 2001 - 2009,
Catherine Crowe