AN DROICHEAD

Champlevé Galleries: ..........Brooches ........  Earrings ........ Necklaces  ........ Framed Panels ........ Commissions ........ Archives

A terret is one of the rings on the top of the saddle of a harness, through which the reins pass. Iron age terrets were often enamelled, and enamelling was quite often 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 long before the advent of interlacing (knotwork) 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

<<previous | next>>

PURCHASE NOW ON

Colour: sapphire
Size: 3/4" x 3/4"

Beads are simply made of glass, and chosen to match the colour of the piece. They can come in any length, but standard is 16"

garnet

brown

fuschia

back to the top