What was the Battersea shield used for?
The bronze sheet is said by archaeologists to be too thin to have offered effective protection in combat, and shows no signs of battle damage. It is therefore believed that the shield was cast into the river as a votive offering, and made either as a “parade piece” or status symbol or specifically for votive offering.
What is the Battersea shield made of?
sheet bronze
The Battersea shield is not in fact a complete shield, but only the facing, a metal cover that was attached to the front of wooden shield. It is made from different parts of sheet bronze (4 sheets and 3 decorated panels), held… together with bronze rivets and enclosed in a binding strip.
Where was the Desborough mirror found?
Found during ironstone digging in 1908 near Desborough village, Northants. Acquisition Details: Total cost in 1924 was £225, paid by a grant from the Art Fund. (A non-government British charity that relies on membership subscriptions and public donations.)
What is a Celtic shield?
Celtic shields were usually oval or elongated oval in shape. They could also be round or hexagon shaped. On the front was usually a hollow wood shield boss to protect the hand. The shields were made of wood, usually oak or linden (also called lime). Most often they were covered with leather.
What Armour did the Celts wear?
The early Celts did not wear armor, but later on armor was most likely a leather jerkin. As time went on, some fought protected by a type a bronze plate. But it is possible they also used a type of chain mail, which the Celts actually invented.
What weapons did the Celts use?
The Celts often fought naked – and it’s believed that women would fight as well. Their main weapons were the sword and spear, like the iron sword in the picture above, and they sometimes fought in horse-drawn war chariots.
Where did Celtic art come from?
Celtic art in the Middle Ages was practiced by the peoples of Ireland and parts of Britain in the 700-year period from the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, to the establishment of Romanesque art in the 12th century.
What was La Tene style?
The La Tene style is the name given to an early type of art and architecture created by an Iron Age people known as the La Tene Culture or the Celts. They lived, traded and warred through Europe and the Mediterranean from roughly 450 – 50 BC.
When was the La Tene period?
During the first period, La Tène A (450–400/390 bc), Celtic tradition first encountered Greco-Etruscan imports and ideas. Though a short period, it seems to have been long enough to create the typical La Tène style, characterized by S-shapes, spirals, and round patterns symmetrically applied to every ornament.
Are Celtic knots Irish or Scottish?
Celtic knots (Irish: snaidhm Cheilteach, Welsh: cwlwm Celtaidd, Cornish: kolm Keltek, Scottish Gaelic: snaidhm Ceilteach) are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art.
Why do Celts wear blue paint?
So, where did the idea about the Picts painting themselves blue originate from? Julius Caesar once noted that the Celts got blue pigment from the woad plant and that they used it to decorate their bodies. It has also been theorized that the real use of woad was perhaps intended to heal the scars after the battle.
Is the Battersea Shield in the British Museum?
On display in the British Museum. The Battersea Shield is one of the most significant pieces of ancient Celtic art found in Britain. It is a sheet bronze covering of a (now vanished) wooden shield decorated in La Tène style. The shield is on display in the British Museum, and a replica is housed in the Museum of London.
What kind of furniture does Battersea furniture restore?
We are proud of how we restore and conserve both antique and contemporary furniture and look forward to showing you our open Battersea workshop, showroom and excellent fabric and leather collections. Please take time to explore our website, come and see what we do and how we do it.
What is the Battersea Shield made out of?
The Battersea Shield is made of several different pieces, held together by rivets concealed under the decorative elements. It is decorated with repoussé decoration, engraving, and enamel.
Why was the Battersea Shield cast into the river?
The bronze sheet is said by archaeologists to be too thin to have offered effective protection in combat, and shows no signs of battle damage. It is therefore believed that the shield was cast into the river as a votive offering, and made either as a “parade piece” or status symbol or specifically for votive offering.