Figure 25.30 (above) A brooch from Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. It is a pseudo-penannular brooch in cast silver with gold filigree decoration and amber studs.
Figure 25.31 (right top and bottom) Two thistle brooches, two bossed penannular brooches and a kite brooch. Cast-silver brooches became more common during the period of the Viking invasions.
outlined in a crest of semi-circles filled with amber. A band of simple animal interlace, inside this border, surrounds panels of loose spirals in filigree. The overall effect is simpler and bolder than the Tara Brooch but it does not have the subtlety of design and ingenious craftsmanship of the older brooch.
New brooch types were also introduced at this time; large silver kite brooches, bossed penannular brooches, and thistle brooches (Fig. 25.31) became more common in the 10th century. The laws, which dictated the size and value of brooches that could be worn by people from different layers of society, were still very much in evidence at this time.
The Derrynaflan Chalice
The Derrynaflan Chalice (Fig. 25.32), found in the same hoard as the paten that we looked at earlier, is the finest piece of 9th-century metalwork yet discovered.
l Form: It is 19.2 cm high and 21 cm in diameter. It is made of silver and decorated with gold filigree and amber studs.
l Function: A large decorated chalice for use on special occasions.
l Technique: The bowl and foot are turned silver sheet with a cast stem joining them. Filigree sections decorating the rim, foot and stem are separated by amber studs.
l Decoration: The decoration is laid out in a similar way to the Ardagh Chalice. There is a band of
370 NEW APPRECIATING ART IRELAND AND ITS PLACE IN THE WIDER WORLD
