300 General Discussion of the Crosses 



work, with two circles above the arms, and two lions below. ... It 

 was thus a common form of decorative ornament apphed to many and 

 various purposes, in many different parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, 

 both before and after the time when, in this country and in Ireland, 

 it became one of the prevaiUng and dominant characteristics of Celtic 

 art. But while it was thus used by other peoples as an occasional 

 element of decoration, or as a style of ornament suitable for special 

 purposes, it was nowhere developed into a systematic style of art, 

 apphed ahke to manuscripts, metal- work, and stone-work, unless in this 

 country and in Ireland. In other words, it never gave a distinctive 

 character to any art but Celtic art. . . . The variety and beauty of their 

 special adaptations of this system of ornamental design can only be 

 appreciated by those who have closely studied their endless variations, 

 as exhibited in the comphcated patterns so frequently met with in the 

 manuscripts and on the monuments.^ 



The most striking characteristic of Vlllth century carving, inter- 

 lacing, had been used by the Romans not only on vases and domestic 

 utensils, but also in architectural decoration, as also, and more partic- 

 ularly, in mosaics. This may be verified by any one in museums, in 

 the early Christian Catacombs, and in buildings of the Imperial age. 

 And before the Romans it had been used by the Etruscans.^ 



L'entrelacs, en revanche, est d'usage aussi constant que multiple. 

 Moins special a I'lrlande peut-etre que les deux motifs precedents, 

 qui ne depasserent guere la belle epoque, il eut dans le miheu britannique 

 toute une vie prolongee a transformations sans nombre. Beaucoup 

 plus compUque des I'origine que sur le continent, il a connu les arrange- 

 ments les plus divers, issus de I'art de la vannerie ou du tisserand, depuis 

 la simple tresse aux anneaux reguhers jusqu'au nattage fait de plusieurs 

 cordes qui s'entrecroisent et se nouent, en carres, en cercles, en triangles, 

 en boucles de toute forme et de toute grandeur, souvent meme de la 

 plus irreguhere fantaisie.^ 



^ Anderson, Scotland in Early Christ. Times 2. 109-114. 



^ Rivoira, Lomb. Arch. 1. 105-6. There are some good specimens from 

 the 8th or early 9th century in the church of S. Sabina, at Rome (Rivoira 

 1. 128). For interlacing associated with vine-scrolls, see Venturi 3. 105-113, 

 and p. 82, above. Enlart {Manuel d' Archeologie Fran^aise 1. 363, note 3) 

 refers to St. Michel d'Entraigues (Charente), the Cathedral of Mariana 

 (Corsica), and St. Peter's at Segovia (Spain) ; Baum {Romanesque Arch, 

 in France, p. 136) figures an example from St. Guilhem-du-Desert (Herault) 

 of the 10th century. 



^ Michel, Hist, de VArt P. 318 ; cf. Enlart, Manuel d'Archeologie Fran- 

 gaise 1. 352. 



