| |
It
would be possible to fill many pages with descriptions of the beautiful
objects contained in this museum, illustrative of the knowledge,
skill, and perseverance put forth at a time when many persons fancy
that Ireland  was
inhabited only by hordes of savages, mainly occupied in the slaughter
of each other. The museum is crowded with whole classes of specimens
of which we can take no note--arms, dress, objects the uses of most
of which are known, but in some few cases remain yet undiscovered,
illustrative of all epochs of Irish history, and of all classes
of people who, during historic and even prehistoric times, have
lived upon Irish soil. In fact, the only museum that equals it in
compactness, in devotion to very clearly defined objects, and in
comfort to the observer--by which we mean skilful arrangement of
contents, combined with the fact that these are not bewildering
in number and extent--is the much more widely-known Museum of Northern
Antiquities at Copenhagen. All readers of this book who wish to
appreciate the past of Ireland should make a point, whenever they
visit Dublin, of giving more than a hasty inspection to this treasure-house
of the past. Much, however, as we should like to linger, we have
space to glance at only three more typical specimens, viz., the
Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch, and the Cross of Cong.
The gem of the whole collection, and in many respects one of the
most beautiful and noteworthy objects in Europe, is the Ardagh Chalice.
When it was made no evidence is extant to show, but all judges
agree that at the very least it is over 1000 years old. It was found,
with other specimens of Celtic art by a lad digging potatoes in
a rath or early fort near the village of Ardagh in Co. Limerick.
It belongs to the class of cups known as calices ministrales, in
use before the tenth century, intended for the use of the minor
clergy and laity, before the Roman Catholic Church debarred the
laity from the communion in both kinds.
The chalice is composed of an alloy of silver, is seven inches
high, nine and a half inches in diameter, the bowl being four inches
deep. In the various parts, no less than 354 in number, gold, silver,
bronze, brass, copper and lead, are used. The upper rim is of brass,
much decayed and split from some local action on that particular
kind of alloy. The bowl is of silver, the standard value of which
is four shillings to the ounce. The ornaments cut on the silver
bowl consist of an inscription, interlaced patterns terminating
in dogs' heads, and at the bottom a circular band of the Greek pattern.
The mode of ornamentation is peculiar to this cup, being done with
a chisel and hammer. Round the cup runs a band composed of two semi-cylindrical
rings of silver ornamented with small annular dots punched out with
a hollow punch. The space between the rings is filled with twelve
plaques of gold repoussé work with a very beautiful ornamentation
of fine filigree wirework, wrought on the front of the repoussé
ground, and carrying out in its most delicate execution the interlaced
pattern associated with the art of the country. Between the plaques
are twelve round enamelled beads.
Although the object is so small, there are no less than forty different
designs discoverable in its decorative work. A well-preserved inscription
is engraved on the cup containing the names of the twelve apostles
as given in the Romish Canon of the Mass. |
|
