Celtic knot

One very basic form of Celtic or pseudo-Celtic linear knotwork.

Stone Celtic crosses, such as this, are a major source of knowledge regarding Celtic knot design.

Carpet page from Lindisfarne Gospels, showing knotwork detail.

Almost all of the folios of the Book of Kells contain small illuminations like this decorated initial.

Celtic knots (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic and Northumbrian styles of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century St. Teilo Gospels, the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Most are endless knots, and many are varieties of basket weave knots.

History

The use of interlace patterns had its origins in the late Roman Empire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Knot patterns first appeared in the third and fourth centuries AD and can be seen in Roman floor mosaics of that time. Interesting developments in the artistic use of interlaced knot patterns are found in Byzantine architecture and book illumination, Coptic art, Celtic art, Islamic art, Kievan Rus' book illumination, Ethiopian art, and European architecture and book illumination.

Spirals, step patterns, and key patterns are dominant motifs in Celtic art before the Christian influence on the Celts, which began around 450. These designs found their way into early Christian manuscripts and artwork with the addition of depictions from life, such as animals, plants and even humans. In the beginning, the patterns were intricate interwoven cords, called plaits, which can also be found in other areas of Europe, such as Italy, in the 6th century. A fragment of a Gospel Book, now in the Durham Cathedral library and created in northern Britain in the 7th century, contains the earliest example of true knotted designs in the Celtic manner.

Examples of plait work (a woven, unbrokenTemplate:Clarify cord design) predate knotwork designs in several cultures around the world,<ref name=georgebain>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Cite book</ref> but the broken and reconnectedTemplate:Clarify plait work that is characteristic of true knotwork began in northern Italy and southern Gaul and spread to Ireland by the 7th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The style is most commonly associated with the Celtic lands and England (particularly the Kingdom of Northumbria) and was then exported to Europe by Irish and Northumbrian monastic activities on the continent. J. Romilly Allen has identified "eight elementary knots which form the basis of nearly all the interlaced patterns in Celtic decorative art".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Celtic knot as a tattoo design became popular in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Celtic art
• Celtic button knot
• Celtic cross
• Croatian interlace
• Endless knot
• George Bain (artist)
• Islamic interlace patterns
• Khachkars
• Knot garden
• Knot (mathematics)
• Oseberg style
• Triquetra
• Turk's head knot

External links

• Make Your Own Celtic Knotwork Comprehensive list of links to both knotwork tutorials and different variations of Celtic Knots.
• Celtic Interlace - An Overview by Stephen Walker, reproduced with permission from Dalriada Magazine, 2000
• Font with Zoomorphic (animal) ornaments GPL Font and generator project
• Celtic Knot Generator Online Celtic knot designer that uses the Knots typeface.