D.W. Harding. The Archaeology of Celtic Art.

D.W. Harding. The Archaeology of Celtic Art. D.W. HARDING. The Archaeology of Celtic Art Celtic art(kĕl`tĭk, sĕl`–). The earliest clearly Celtic style in art was developed in S Germany and E France by tribal artisans of the mid- to late 5th cent. B.C. . xvi+302 pages, 25colour plates. 2007. Abingdon & New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of (NY): Routledge;9780-415-35177-5 hardback 70 [pounds sterling]; 978-0-415-428668paperback 24.99 [pounds sterling]; 978-0-203-69853-2 e-book. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A question which confronts any reader of yet anotherEnglish-language introduction to pre- and post-Roman Celtic art is: dowe really need an addition to a fairly extensive list? Clearly thethird--and possibly last--Abercromby Professor thinks so and so do hispublishers who have recently produced the largest and most expensivepublication ever in the field of Celtic studies (Karl &Stifier's collection of 2007, 4 volumes at 600 [pounds sterling]). One should never hold an author to his book's blurb blurb?n.A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket.[Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951), American humorist.]blurb v. writers;thus we need not take too literally Routledge's claim that here is'the first major work to look at Celtic art from an archaeologicalpoint of view' or that it presents 'afresh and innovativeperspective on Celtic art'. Indeed, in one of many references toour own work (more recently Megaw & Megaw 2001), Hardingacknowledges how we have emphasised 'the need to set the study ofCeltic art in the context of Celtic society' (p. 3). No, this isnot a pioneering exercise into the study of the archaeology of art forwhich we may have to await Thomas Dowson's long-promisedvolume--another Routledge title. In fact, the only overview we knowreally to break the art-historical mould is that by Miranda Green(1996), undeservedly un��de��served?adj.Not merited; unjustifiable or unfair.unde��serv missing from Harding's bibliography togetherwith the Laings' title in the 'World of Art' series whichis deservedly missing (Laing & Laing 1992). What Harding presents us with is a chronological survey of Iron Age'art'--nowhere very precisely defined--starting with aprologue dealing with the perceived Late Bronze Age and early Hallstattorigins. The by now tired and tiring argument as to the use of the veryterms 'La Tene', 'Celt' and 'Celtic' arereasonably dealt with, Harding being of the view that there is more thansufficient reason to retain all three if not all of the time. Hispostscript on early Christian art needs no justification and indeed herehe simply follows several other overviews. A series of shorter sectionsdeal with such topics as 'Materials and techniques','Craftsmen and production', 'Funerary practice andritual', 'Fortifications, settlements and society' and'Ritual sites and cult practices'; these are useful but hardlyadd up to a new archaeological approach. On the other hand, almost as aLeitmotiv leitmotivIn music, a melodic idea associated with a character or an important dramatic element. It is associated particularly with the operas of Richard Wagner, most of which rely on a dense web of associative leitmotifs. , Harding puts the accent on what he believes to be theunderlying religious element in Celtic art of both the pre- andpost-Roman period--a view with which we would again wholeheartedly whole��heart��ed?adj.Marked by unconditional commitment, unstinting devotion, or unreserved enthusiasm: wholehearted approval.whole agree. 'What is the use of a book without pictures orconversation?' said Alice. Alas we are denied those conversationswith the producers of the material we study which would do so much toreveal their meaning. Pictures are essential to the topic and Hardingand his publishers have given us a generous allowance though it has tobe said that nearly half of the colour plates are marred by poor colourcorrection. Harding's own line drawings on the other hand areadmirably clear, uncluttered interpretations of the original objectsonly sometimes suffering from being second- or even third-handrenditions of an original. Also, both photographic and line drawingsoccasionally lack the essential indication of scale. More basically, wecannot accept Harding's argument that it has been too difficult toobtain adequate photographs. Our own extensive experience is that evenwhen one cannot take one's own images, face-to-face contact willalmost invariably in��var��i��a��ble?adj.Not changing or subject to change; constant.in��vari��a��bil pay off. And though the camera almost always lies interms of scale and unrealistic lighting, the drawing, however skilful,is always an interpretation. And here may be the clue as to why, in the end, we findHarding's book somewhat disappointing. It is quite clear--and hedoes not deny it--that he has not been able to arrange this closeencounter with much of the material that he discusses. And there reallyis no substitute for actuality. A spot-check of the substantialbibliography shows a largely good listing of the literature on InsularCeltic art and a less complete but adequate selection of French andGerman titles with however some major lacunae especially amongst generaltitles (e.g. Baitinger & Pinsker 2002; Kruta 2000). Also there isnot enough by Frey, Kruta, Sankot or Szabo, and nothing at all by MitjaGustin, Flemming Kaul, Felix Miiller, Daniele Vitali ... It might seem churlish churl��ish?adj.1. Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar.2. Having a bad disposition; surly: "as valiant as the lion, churlish as the bear"Shakespeare. to end on so negative a note. Harding, likehis draftsmanship drafts��man?n.1. A man who draws plans or designs, as of structures to be built.2. A man who draws, especially an artist.drafts , produces a clear and attractive line which certainlyoffers an introduction to the fascinating and enigmatic world of Celticimagery. It's just such a pity that its author has not had theopportunity--or perhaps the inclination--to make it a more original andmore deeply researched one. References BAITINGER, H. & B. PINSKER (ed.). 2002. Dos Ratsel der Keltenvom Glauberg: Laube--Mythen-Wirklichkeit. Stuttgart: Theiss (exhibitioncatalogue). GREEN, M. ALDHOUSE. 1996. Celtic art: reading the messages. London:Weidenfeld & Nicolson. KARL, R. & D. STIFTER (ed.). 2007. The Celtic world: criticalconcepts in historical studies. London & New York: Routledge. KRUTA, V. 2000. Les Celtes: histoire et dictionnaire. Paris:Lafont. LAING, L. & J. LAING 1992. Art of the Celts. London: Thames& Hudson. MEGAW, R. & V. MEGAW 2001. Celtic art from its beginnings tothe Book of Kells Book of Kells:see Ceanannus Mór. Book of KellsIlluminated manuscript version of the four Gospels, c. late 8th–early 9th century. . London: Thames & Hudson (second edition). RUTH and VINCENT MEGAW Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide,Australia, and Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow, UK (Email: vincent.megaw@flinders.edu.au)