European Influence on Celtic Art: Patrons and Artists

Over the last century or so it was popular to treat Celtic art as something distinct and untouched by that of other cultures. This was a political, rather than historical view. In this study, intended for students and general readers, Laing (archaeology, University of Nottingham) modifies this unlikely supposition by showing how Celtic art from 350-1200 AD was influenced by Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Danish, French and even Near Eastern forms and themes. He begins with a short history of the Celtic people before discussing the art chronologically, by Roman, Early Christian and "mature" Celtic works. The many illustrations depict the patterns that Celtic artists appropriated and adapted to their own tastes, often greatly elaborating on them. Laing also places the art within the culture with sections on workshops and artisans, patrons and symbols. The ways in which Irish artists interacted with other cultures, borrowing what seemed useful in art to create masterpieces unique to themselves, should be a satisfaction to even a die-hard Celtic chauvinist. Laing's work emphasizes the cosmopolitan nature of the Celtic people. Distributed in the US by ISBS Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)