Popular tales of the West Highlands : orally collected . rch roots. Specimens of the style of design, which is calledCeltic, will be found at pp. 123, 287, vol. iii., and onthe cover of this book; and the nearest good hair-dresser or maker of straw mats will imitate the designon page 123. Thus sacred ivy, matted about a sacred oak, mayhave suggested the interlaced ornaments on stonepillars and Christian crosses ; and basket-work mayhave suggested the patterns on gold and silver filigree,on stone and clay vessels and pottery, on carved powder-horns and dirks, and generally the designs attribute
Popular tales of the West Highlands : orally collected . rch roots. Specimens of the style of design, which is calledCeltic, will be found at pp. 123, 287, vol. iii., and onthe cover of this book; and the nearest good hair-dresser or maker of straw mats will imitate the designon page 123. Thus sacred ivy, matted about a sacred oak, mayhave suggested the interlaced ornaments on stonepillars and Christian crosses ; and basket-work mayhave suggested the patterns on gold and silver filigree,on stone and clay vessels and pottery, on carved powder-horns and dirks, and generally the designs attributed toCeltic art. Honeysuckle is the object of superstitiousobservances at this day. It winds sunwise about trees,and its long stem would be a good material for makingthese basket-work designs. But the fact that such designs are found uponworks of art manufactured in the far East, seems toprove that Celtic art was not invented in the Britishisles, but imported at some early date. It was not brought by the Northmen, for there is WEST HIGHLAND STORIES. 399. 400 CELTIC ART. nothing like it in Scandinavia. For a similar reasonit was not brought by the Kormans, Anglo-Saxons, orEomans ; stones and manuscripts on which it occurs,are older than the Saracenic period; and unless theCelts brought the germ of it from the^ far East, withtheir religion and language, and their popular tales,it is hard to explain the occurrence of similar easternanimals, monsters, and runic knots on the sculpturedstones of Scotland, and on Hindu bronzes. There are j^lenty of cases in which Greek or Italianart can be traced in the Hebrides. The ornamentfigured below, is from a stone which was found in theancient stronghold of the MacDonalds in Islay. It is rude enough, much broken, and the stone isworn away, seemingly by the hands of those who usedit. It is very old, but the style of ornament is not Celtic.
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Keywords: ., bookauthorcampbelljfjohnfrancis, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860
