Knowledge of metalworking gradually spread from Europe to Ireland
during the 2nd millenium BC ( 2000 years Before Christ).The Bronze Age
was called so after the metal Bronze which was a mixture of copper and
tin. Copper was a soft metal which was easy to shape and mould and it
was discovered that if a small amount of tin was added to copper that a
much stronger metal was formed. This new metal was called Bronze. During
the Bronze Age this new metal was used to make functional objects such
as cooking pots, axes and shields. Gold was the preferred metal to make
jewellery and decorative ornaments from. Unlike modern times, gold was
commonly found in Ireland during the Bronze Age. Gold Discs
Gold Discs , also called sun Discs were among the very first metal
objects made in Ireland. A piece of gold was hammered flat until it
became a thin sheet – like gold foil. Then the circular disc shape was
cut out using a sharp tool.
The decoration was made using a technique called Repouss é. This was
where the design was hammered in from behind so that it stood up in
relief in the front. In the Gold Disc from teldavnet the cruciform
design was hammered in from behind. The edges of the disc were decorated
with concentric circles which were made using the repoussé technique.
It is believed that these Gold Discs were worn – in the hair or
attached to clothes. There are two holes in the centre of the discs (
like a button) where gold wire would have been threaded through to tie
the discs to the clothes or the hair.
Gold
Disc, Teldavnet, Co Monaghan. In this Gold Disc you can see just how
thin the gold has become from being hammered- its like gold foil. You
can also see the two holes in the centre which were used to fasten the
gold disc using gold wire.
Pair of gold discs, Tedavnet, Co. Monaghan. Early Bronze Age, 2200 – 2000 bc. Discovered
in the roots of an old tree, this pair of discs is the largest and most
sophisticated of the Early Bronze Age discs known from Ireland. A
complex arrangement of raised lines, rows of dots and zig-zags has
produced a central cross surrounded by concentric patterns similar to
other discs but much more elaborate in composition and, technically, far
superior. The combination of the techniques of repoussé, punching and
polishing, together with the slight doming of the surfaces, highlights
and gives a depth and texture to the discs not seen on other pieces.
1872:34, 35. D. 11.3 and 11.5 cm; Wt. 22.5 and 22.8 g.Armstrong 1920,
84; Cahill 1983, 100objects.ieLunula
Blessington Lunula, Co WIcklow ; The British Museum
Lunula were worn around the neck. They are cresent shaped and are
called after the cresent moon – lunula. They were made by hammering gold
flat into a sheet and cutting out the cresent shape using a sharp tool.
They were decorated with a technique called “Incision”- this involved
cutting or incising into the surface using a sharp tool. Typically the
designs that were incised into a Lunula were chevrons (zig- zags) and
Lozenges ( diamond shapes). Lunula were among the first gold objects to
be made in Ireland and they date to the Early Bronze Age.
Chevrons and Lozenges incised into the Blessington Lunula.Torcs
Torcs are twisted bands of gold which were made in various sizes to
be worn around the neck, arms,around the waist like a belt or even small
ones to be worn as earrings. Torcs date from the middle Bronze Age.
They use much more gold than the earlier Bronze Age objects such as the
Gold Discs or Lunula and are a much heavier piece of jewellery. . A gold
bar or band was twisted to form a rope like pattern. Often the gold bar
was beaten thin at the edges to form a flange before being twisted.
This is called flange twisting. It produces a much more delicate twisted
edge than without flanging.
Two
gold torcs, Tara, Co. Meath. Middle Bronze Age, 1200 – 1000 bc. Found
at the Rath of the Synods, Tara, Co. Meath, in 1810, these magnificent
torcs which, between them, contain over a kilogram of gold, are the
finest of their class from Ireland. They are of exceptionally large size
and are further elaborated by the addition of extensions to the
terminals, a feature which is not recorded elsewhere. Torcs of this type
are made from bars of square or rectangular section, the angles of
which have been hammered up to produce flanges. The even twisting of
such a long bar requires considerable expertise and understanding of the
working properties of the metal. W192, W173. D. 43.0 and 37.3 cm; Wt.
852.0 and 385.1 g. Armstrong 1920 159; Eogan 1967, 132–3, 139, 164;
Cahill 1983, no. 9. 100 Objects.ie
Gold
Ribbon Torc . Found near Belfast. 3rd Century BC. National Museum of
Ireland. In this Torc you can see that the edges of the gold band were
beaten very thin before being twisted. This produces a very delicate
appearance like a ribbon giving the name Ribbon Torc . Photo by Reena
Ahluwalia.Flanged Gold Earrings, Castlerea, Co Roscommon Dress Fasteners
Dress Fasteners of all sizes were made during the middle Bronze Age.
This Fastener below is very large and heavy weighing over one kilo. It
probably was used only for ceremonial purposes. It is decorated with
engraved concentric circles.
Gold Dress Fastner from Clones, Co Monaghan . Photo by Reena AhluwaliaGorget
A Gorget is a type of gold collar to be worn around the neck. Gorgets
were made during the Late Bronze Age and they display the range of
artistry metalworking techniques that were developed during the Bronze
Age. A Gorget is made in three sections. A collar and two Terminal
Discs. The collar is decorated with rope pattern designs using the
teacnique of Repoussé which involved hammering in the design from behind
so that it stood out in relief. The terminal discs show a range of
designs and techniques. In the centre a conical shaped boss stands out
very prominently from the surface. Covering the surface of each disc is
an elaborate design of rings of dots made in Repoussé and rings of
incised concentric circles.
[3:21]
Gorget,, Gleninsheen, Co. Clare. Late Bronze Age, 800-700 bc. Found in a
rock cleft in 1932 at Gleninsheen, Co. Clare, this collar is an
exceptional example of the highly developed goldsmithing skills
displayed by Irish craftsmen in the Late Bronze Age. While conforming
closely to the pattern of ornamentation prescribed for such collars, the
smith, by varying the detail of the motifs, has achieved a tour de
force. In particular, the frontal terminal discs are of superb
craftsmanship. The layout and execution of the designs incorporating
concentric circles, rope patterns and conical and round bosses, have
been expertly achieved. Gleeson 1934, 138–9; Cahill 1983, no. 21. 100 Objects.ieDetail
of Gorget. This is a close up view of one of the Terminal Discs. You
can see in the very centre there is a large cone shaped Boss. Decorating
the surface of the Terminal Disc are rings of raised dots made using
the Repoussé technique and also rings of concentric circles which have
been engraved into the surface.
