from the same period. The alternately smooth and textured patterns on the surface catch the light beautifully, creating an impression of movement and dancing light.
The Gorteenareagh Lock Rings l Form: Structurally, lock rings are the most advanced work of Bronze Age goldsmiths in Ireland (Fig. 21.19). They are made of two cones of gold wire joined at their wide ends by a tubular rim. An open-sided tube forms the centre of the cones. Lock rings are sometimes found in pairs.
l Function: Lock rings seem to be a uniquely Irish invention. They may have been used as hair ornaments.
l Technique: Fine gold wires were soldered together into cone shapes, with an opening at one side. Two cones were then held together at their outer edge by a tube of fine gold sheet. Another bigger tube of gold sheet, with an opening in one side, was then inserted into openings at the centres of the cones. The openings in the cones and the tube would allow a plait of hair to be squeezed into the centre and the tube then turned out of line with the opening in the cones to capture the hair in the centre (Fig. 21.20).
Lock rings take the form of two cones made of fine gold wire connected at their outer edges, with an open-sided tube set in a centre opening.
Figure 21.19 The Gorteenareagh Lock Rings. Tube with open edge
Fine gold
wires soldered together
Tube made a centre for the lock ring
Tubular rim holding top and bottom cones together
Figure 21.20 The construction of the Gorteenareagh Lock Rings.
Create a design for a piece of jewellery based on Bronze Age models. Make a number of sketches showing how your piece might be worn.
Put ‘Irish Bronze Age artefacts’ into a web search and you will be offered a range of objects that will add to your understanding of Bronze Age design. Make sketches and take notes from some examples you can use in your own work.
Analysis
Note how the new technology created a new style of art and design. Observe the development of skills and design. Who do you think the work was being made for?
The art of the metalworker reached a very high standard of craftsmanship in the Late Bronze
