File:The arts in early England (1903) (14598113918).jpg

Identifier: artsinearlyengla03brow (find matches)
Title: The arts in early England
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Brown, G. Baldwin (Gerard Baldwin), 1849-1932 Webster, A. Blyth (Adam Blyth), 1882-1956 Sexton, Eric H. L. (Eric Hyde Lord), 1902-1980
Subjects: Art Architecture Architecture, Medieval Church architecture Crosses Decoration and ornament, Celtic Inscriptions, Runic
Publisher: London, J. Murray
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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ere freely introduced into the far north, as wasthe case in the first Christian centuries, examples would bemultiplied, and PL liii, 3, shows a piece of Roman gold workfound in Sweden in the form of an eagle, where the solderingdown of grains is carried out in a somewhat coarse fashion. In V the Scandinavian peoples developed on these modelsan extraordinary skill in fine gold work, illustrated especiallyby the splendid neck ornaments of gold in the Museum atStockholm, of V, shown on PH. liv, lv, in which every con-ceivable process of fine goldsmithing is employed to carry outornamental motives of the quaintest and most varied kind.1Even earlier than this, in IV, the gilded silver fibulae fromSackrau, PL xxxviii (p. 251), exhibit a technique quite equalto the classical standard. On PL xxxviii, 4, the separate grainsare soldered down with the utmost precision and neatness, andthe finish of the pieces is admirable. We shall not be surprised1 Montelius, Kulturgeschicbte Scbwedens, p. 222.
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FILIGREE WORK 311 accordingly to find the Anglo-Saxon goldsmith achievingexcellent results in these processes of fine metal work andsome further demonstration of his skill will be given later onin connection with his work in inlays to which special attentionwill have to be devoted (p. 512 f.). Here it may be noted thatthe soldering down of the separate grains does not oftenoccur, but we see it represented in one of the best pieces ofAnglo-Saxon gold work known, an ornamented daggerpommel of VII work found near Windsor, one of the gemsof the collection of the late Sir John Evans that Sir ArthurEvans has presented to the Ashmolean. It is shown on agreatly enlarged scale on PL lvi. The design consists intwo intertwined serpents, the heads of which it is interestingto compare with similar heads which we find on the sceattas,e.g., PL vni, 5, (p. 99). Their tails disappear down eachothers throats. A thin twisted cable of gold is twined inand out between them and carries bunches of berries,

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