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This piece is based on a bronze snaffle
bit from 600AD Ireland. The birds in the original
piece are abstracted, but I have made them more
obvious. I have also taken a three dimensional
design and made it two dimensional (to suit the
medium)
Birds have been a common motif in Celtic
art since 800BC and, in most cultures, are
thought to symbolize the spirit or soul. They may
bear a relation ship to the air element in the
four elements of earth, air fire and water, and
in many stories are associated with love.
Swans are a
particularly strong motif in folklore as in the story of
Aoenghus and Caer, or the Children of Lir.
From the Aberdeen
Bestiary (circa 14th c):
"...the swan is called cignus, from its
singing; it pours forth the sweetness of song in
a melodious voice. They say that the swan sings
so sweetly because it has a long, curved neck;
inevitably, a voice forcing its way through a
long, flexible passage produces a variety of
tones. They say, moreover, that in the far north,
when bards are singing to their lyres, large
numbers of swans are summoned by the sound and
sing in harmony with them... when you are
observing birds for omens, the swan is always the
most favourable bird to see; sailors set great
store by it because it does not plunge beneath
the waves... When the swan swims in a river, it
holds its neck and head high, as a proud man is
led astray by transitory things and even glories
at the time in his temporary possessions
..."
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Colour: porcelain Size:
2"w x 1.25"
All
necklaces can also be ordered as brooches
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