Art of the Celts Gold Disc Detail

Celtic yin yang swirls arranged around the knob of a gold-plated bronze disc from Auvers-sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise, dated to early 4th century BC; on display at the Cabinet des Médailles of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris

Art of the Celts: Gold Disc

Celtic gold-plated bronze disc from Auvers-sur-Oise, Yvelines, dated to early 4th century BC, on display at the Cabinet des Médailles of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris

 

The World of Celts: Treasures of Art - Hunterston Brooch

This stunning brooch was found at Hunterston, Ayrshire during the 1830s. Made about AD700, it is a highly accomplished casting of silver, richly mounted with gold, silver and amber decoration.

The brooch is a truly special object, sumptuously decorated with animals executed in gold wire and granules, called filigree. In the centre of the brooch is a cross flanking a golden ‘Glory’ representing the risen Christ.

This close-up of the brooch shows the detailed filigree, the work of a highly accomplished craftsman.


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Royal Celtic Gold: Rich Pickings

Photograph courtesy Stuttgart Regional Council

Fit for an Iron Age princess, this exquisitely patterned, solid gold broach (seen in a March 2011 photograph) was among the treasures found alongside the Celtic noblewoman.

The woman's tomb was found not far from the similarly aged grave of a girl, previously unearthed in 2005, whose body was adorned almost identically, said project co-leader Nicole Ebinger-Rist, an archaeologist with Stuttgart Regional Council.

"What's amazing is that the jewelry from the girl—two broaches and two earrings—have exactly the same type of ornamentation," she said. "These must be two related people."

The study team hopes DNA analysis will reveal whether the pair belonged to the same family—or were even mother and daughter.

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Royal Celtic Gold

This jewelry was recently found (2010) near Heuneburg, southern Germany in the grave of a woman. Archaeologists claim this site to be somewhat older than that of the Lady of Vix, also buried with jewelry, amber beads, a gold diadem or torque and a massive Greek Krater, used in the mixing of wine with water in ancient ritual. 

Photograph courtesy Stuttgart Regional Council

Finely worked gold and amber jewelry, including the pieces seen above, are among scores of Celtic treasures from this tomb unearthed in southern Germany.

Discovered beside the River Danube in Heuneburg, the tomb—all 80 tons of it—was lifted whole by heavy cranes in December 2010 and transported to a tented laboratory outside of Stuttgart (map), where archaeologists with the Stuttgart Regional Council analyzed the contents.

The large wooden burial chamber contained the 2,600-year-old skeleton of an ancient Celtic noblewoman. Aged between 30 and 40 when she died, the high-born lady was buried with a cache of ornate treasures, such as gold necklaces set with pearls, and she was found wearing crafted amber around her waist.

The lavish grave confirms Heuneburg as one of the earliest centers of Celtic art and culture, according to excavation leaders.

—James Owen

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Hochdorf Prince: Detail of the Lion on the Giant Cauldron

Fabulous video of the Celtic exhibit in Bern

This video is a tour of the Art of the Celts exhibit in Bern, Switzerland. The gold objects are stunning--some of the most important from the Celtic world.