The Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith

by Coatsworth, Elizabeth Jane; Pinder, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780851158839
• ISBN10: 0851158838
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-12-01
• Publisher: Boydell Pr

Summary

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, goldsmiths produced work of a high standard in both design and craftsmanship, both for personal adornment, and to embellish bookbindings, reliquaries, vessels and weapons. Some works are well known, particularly the magnificent gold and garnet regalia from Sutton Hoo, but this represents only a fraction even of the surviving work, and much more has been lost. This book is the first to look at the goldsmiths' products through the eyes of both a specialist in the period and a practical craftsman, combining close examination of the surface and structure of the objects with analysis of inscriptions and evidence for design, and with literary and visual sources of evidence for smiths and their work. Archaeological and documentary evidence for workshops, tools and working processes is also assessed, and up-to-date technical information on materials and techniques is juxtaposed with new practical research to throw light on manufacturing and decorative processes, and, more widely, to give a fresh idea of the position of the goldsmith in his society. Dr ELIZABETH COATSWORTH is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr MICHAEL PINDER is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Architecture, Landscape and 3DD, at the same university.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Coatsworth is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Glossary
Introduction: the background to the study of the Anglo-Saxon goldsmith	p. 1
Archaeological evidence for goldsmiths and their tools	p. 21
Manufacturing techniques	p. 64
Decorative techniques 1: Changes of surface or form	p. 102
Decorative techniques 2: Non-metallic additions	p. 132
Construction and design	p. 157
Imagined goldsmiths: the representation of smiths in Anglo-Saxon literature and illustration	p. 179
Real goldsmiths: the historical evidence	p. 207
The Anglo-Saxon goldsmith in his society	p. 227
The Anglo-Saxon vocabulary of metalworking	p. 247
App. B: Select catalogue	p. 258
Bibliography	p. 269
Index	p. 287
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.