File:The arts in early England (1903) (14804574313).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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, as was common in classical and alsoin mediaeval times, we can only conjecture. Certain small flatappliques have been found from time to time in the graveswhich are supposed to have been attached to the face of theshield, and these must not be passed over. The most in-teresting are some sketchy representations of the form of afish of which examples have been found at Kempston, Beds ;Warren Hill, Suffolk, and other places ; and these there islittle doubt were Christian symbols applied to the shieldlike the cross on the Benty Grange helmet with prophylacticintent. PI. xxiv, 1, shows the Suffolk example in thecollection of Mr. Samuel Fenton in London. No. 4 on thesame Plate is an interesting object in the Museum at Canter-bury,2 consisting in an applique in gilded bronze with threerivets at the back not pierced with holes, by means of which 1 Surrey Archaeological Collections, v\, 108. 2 J. Brent, Antiquities in the Museum, Canterbury, Canterbury, 1875,p. 46,110. 355. XXIV facing p. 203
Text Appearing After Image:
APPLIQUES 203 it can have been fixed on to some surface, the rivets beingbeaten out at the back when the piece was in position. Thissurface need not of course have been that of a shield. Theform and ornamentation of the applique are worth a momentsattention. The former is derived from the fibulae in the shapeof birds with curved beak which originally Gothic weremuch in favour with the Franks in V and VI. Here thecurved beak though much conventionalized is clearly inevidence curling round the hole in the top of the piece.Below the beak and between it and the body, which is separatedfrom the head by a band like a ruff round the neck, there isintroduced a very characteristic bit of conventionalized animalornament, which from the beginning of VI becomes extremelycommon in Teutonic tomb furniture. It is best seen whenturned flat with the beak to the spectators right. Nearest thebeak appears the eye of the creature with the brow curvinground it, and the rest of the dismembered animal consis

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