Pictish Water Horse
Seahorse Pair In my drawing the seahorse tail spirals and interlocks and the heads and hooves meet and touch. I have drawn the horse head rather than the seahorse snout.…
Pagan and Christian Collaboration
In Medieval times the Christian church adopted the pagan people into their practice to teach them about the life of Christ. The Irish traditional arts found a new outlet in…
Viking Beasts
In this post I have added two Viking beast design details. From these simple drawings the different Viking styles reveal that the secular style in the Book of Kells was…
Gaut’s Stone Cross
Manx Style Chain Knot The real Gaut Stone Cross is weathered and worn, and a copy was made so people can see the intricate line drawing. Located at Kirk Michael…
Messages from Ancient Stones
Gotland Picture Stone from the Viking Era Ancient stories that belong to a world far removed from technology have horses and great ships as modes of transport on this ancient…
Ancient Artists with Modern Vision
Squatting Man from the Book of Kells Pagan laws forbade the copying of the work of the Creator and new abstracted figures were invented. The legs, arms, body, hair…
Symbols of Christ from the Book of Kells
This little motif shows three picture symbols and one abbreviation used to represent Christ in the Book of Kells
The Eagle and St John
Tricks and Devices in the Eagle Drawing The Book of Kells lets us in on many artist tricks and devices. The monks have flattened this image of the eagle as…
Viking Dragon Ship
Viking Dragon ships with beautiful towering sails make an incredible icon. They were ships constructed with gigantic overlapping planks of sculpted timber from the forests of Norway. With a dragon…
Animal Letters
In this Post I have added some decorated animal letters from the Book of Kells that were created by the monks. These designs are loved and kept alive because they…