Download A Descriptive Catalogue of the Antiquities of Gold in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1862 edition. Excerpt: ...having been much worn, and its extremities are slightly cupped. It is 3 inches in diameter, weighs 3 oz. 12 dwt. 2gr., and formed part of the "Clare Find," described at page 31. Similar penannular articles of bronze, with enlarged extremities, are occasionally found in Ireland, of which Fig. 479, page 570, Vol. I., is a good example. There are nineteen armillae arranged at top of Case D, the details of which are given at page 66. As may be seen by a careful inspection of the specimens of nearly every variety of weapon, tool, or ornament in our Collection, a gradual process of development of some particular part, or of some special design or style of decoration, is carried on throughout a series of articles, not always applied to the same purpose, but traceable from the rudest to the most elaborate examples of ancient art. This principle is very apparent in the transition from the simple unclosed ring, evidently used as an armlet, to a wide-spread fibula, with broad, shallow, or saucer-shaped extremities, as shown in the following section, under the head of Mammillary Brooches, and as a glance at Case D affords convincing proof. First, we have the plain cylindrical ring, enlarged at the ends into flat, buttonshaped knobs, as in Nos. 100 to 104, 106, 113, 115, and 116. Then the ends become slightly concave, as shown by Nos. 105, 107 to 112,114, 117, and 118; afterwards they were deepened into cup or goblet-shaped terminations, many of which are adorned round their lips, and where the collars join the stems, with the usual lineal engraving, so characteristic of early Irish art. At the same time, the hoop was made either hollow or semicircular in section, as if to economise the material; for examples of which, see Nos. 141 to 145, ...