Eileen Moylan

Jewellery Designer Cork

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Silver Cone

12.07.2011 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

Silver Cone 10th Century
Silver Cone 10th Century

I’ve been following the Irish Times series ‘A history of Ireland in 100 Objects‘

Every Saturday Fintan O’ Toole writes about an object, giving an insight into different periods of Irish history.

He adopts three main rules when selecting each item.

An “object” is defined as a single man-made entity, a definition that excludes buildings. The objects are generally presented chronologically. And unless there is an overwhelming reason to the contrary, the objects themselves are accessible to readers in public institutions or spaces’.

 

The series started in February with a Mesolithic fish trap and brought us up to iconic pieces such as the Tara Brooch and Ardagh chalice in Spetember.

While there have been many great objects discussed I chose to write about this silver cone. Firstly because it is so beautifully made and also to give me the opportunity to pick apart the techniques used to make such an intricate piece.

By now you will know that when I look at an item of silver (or any metal really) I analyse the way it was made and dissect each process and technique. I’m hoping it’s something most makers do and not just a weird trait that I’ve developed!. I love trying to figure out how an item was made and seeing how the techniques used affect the aesthetic. Some of my favourite pieces are the ones which still baffle me.

Silver Cone, 10th Century
Silver Cone, 10th Century

This silver cone dates from the 10th century and is made from woven silver thread. O’ Toole describes it beautifully when he says

It sits in the palm of the hand as lightly as a confection of spun sugar

It gives a sense of the delicacy of the piece. The cone is woven from three separate strands of silver each of which is made up of between 15 -18 extremely fine wires. The effect is amazing with hundreds of wires appearing to seamlessly make up this three dimensional form.  Researchers in the National Museum found a residue of some sort of organic material inside the cone which they believe to be a wax. This wax would have acted as a support on which the woven design would have been created.

When you consider the hours it would have taken to create such an item it comes as a surprise to find it was one of 18. The hoard was found in a cave in Dunmore just north of Kilkenny city. A length of silver wire was also found which seems to have been attached to the cones. They also discovered a tiny piece of fine silk which suggests that this was a very ornate dress with a silver wire border and the silver cones acted as tassels or perhaps buttons. The silk was one of the most exciting finds as it was more valuable than all the silver ornaments put together. It was dyed either red or purple (making it even more expensive) and most probably came from the Byzantine empire or the Arab world.

When I read about the hoard and the function of the silver cone it not only made me appreciate fully the beauty of the object but also made me question the wearer. As O’ Toole puts it

Who this woman was is as mysterious as the presence of this extraordinary example of Viking power-dressing in Co Kilkenny. All we know is that someone had a dress worth a king’s ransom, shoved it in a crack in a cave in a moment of panic and never got to come back for it.

 

Categories // My Inspirations Tags // National Museum, National Museum of Ireland, Silver, silversmith, silversmiths techniques

Irish Silver: My Current Top Five

03.16.2011 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day I’m dedicating this post to all things Irish and of course silver! It seems to be the week to compile lists of all the good things in our country so I’m doing my bit for the silver side of things.  Thankfully the silversmiths of Ireland make this a very easy job. So in no particular order.

1. Cara Murphy’s silver. I can’t pick just one so here’s a sample of her work.

'Growing Reflections', Cara Murphy, Silver
'Growing Reflections', Cara Murphy, Silver

 

'Meniscus', Cara Murphy, Silver
'Meniscus', Cara Murphy, Silver

 

'Seed Heads Wave', Cara Murphy, Silver
'Seed Heads Wave', Cara Murphy, Silver

 

2. The Tara Brooch. I know we’ve been looking at it for years on the covers of school copy books and in tacky reproductions but it’s worth taking a look at the real thing. You won’t be dissappointed, the work and detail is truely amazing.

Tara Brooch
Tara Brooch

 

3.Seamus Gill Silver. I love this silver jug, unfortunately the only picture I could find of it has it being held by a naked blue woman. If you can see past that I’m sure you’ll appreciate the complex forms and beautiful design of this piece.

Jug, Seamus Gill, Silver
Jug, Seamus Gill, Silver

4. The Ardagh Chalice. Like the Tara brooch familiarity really has caused us to overlook the beauty of this chalice. I saw it in the ‘flesh’ for the first time this year. It was smaller than I had expected which only made the level of detail all the more unbelievable. Go and have a look for yourself, it’s in the National Museum on Kildare St, Dublin.

Ardagh Chalice
Ardagh Chalice

 

5. Kevin O’ Dwyer’s teapots. This Tullamore based silversmith makes these amazing creations that are just crying out to be poured! If anyone has one of these lying around I’d love to call for tea!

Mad hatter Teapot, Kevin J. O' Dwyer, Silver
Mad hatter Teapot, Kevin J. O' Dwyer, Silver
'Teapot on the crest of a wave', Kevin J.O' Dwyer, Silver
'Teapot on the crest of a wave', Kevin J.O' Dwyer, Silver

 

There you have it, five good things about Ireland. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Categories // Silver Surfing Tags // Ardagh Chalice, Cara Murphy, contemporary Irish silver, contemporary silverware, Irish Silver, Kevin O' Dwyer, National Museum, Seamus Gill, Silver, silversmith, Tara Brooch

Rosary Beads

03.09.2011 by Eileen Moylan // Leave a Comment

Since it’s Ash Wednesday I thought I might as well give this post a religious slant but as always keeping to my silver roots. So for the first day of Lent I’ve dedicated this post to rosary beads!

Rosary Beads, Ireland, Silver
Rosary Beads, Ireland, Silver

While rosary beads are considered to be almost exclusively Christian it turns out they originated in Eastern religions and had been used by Hindus before they were introduced to Christianity in the 11th century. Because of their religious function they are often overlooked as works of art and therefore are not very well documented. When I went looking up the subject there was plenty of information on the religious side of the rosary and very little on the history of the actual beads. From a silversmiths point of view I wanted to discover the origin of the design apart from the obvious function of counting decades of prayer. How and where they were made, decorated and sold.

 

Rosary Beads, France, Ivory 16th c
Rosary Beads, France, Ivory 16th c

You would think Ireland would have an amazing collection of rosary beads since our history is so linked to Catholicism but there are surprisingly few documents on the history of rosary beads and how they reflected the taste of the time. It seems the reason for this lack of artifacts is to do with the fact that it was (and still is) tradition to be buried with ones rosary beads.

Rosary Beads, Ireland, Fruit Stones, Galway City Museum
Rosary Beads, Ireland, Fruit Stones, Galway City Museum

The one place I found that had an amazing collection of religious artifacts was the Hunt Museum in Limerick. And the real beauty of this museum was that I didn’t have to travel to Limerick to see its exhibits! Their website has a brilliant photograph archive of all their exhibits which they have lovingly divided into categories. The National Museum could learn a thing or two from them.

Before I go on my rant about how hard it is to access any information on the artifacts of our National Museum they did launch a virtual tour of the museum online. Click here to have a look. I tried two different mouses/mice to try and zoom in on the exhibits but neither would work. I hope it’s just me and my mice!

Another great resource was the Galway City Museum website. They have a piece on the history of the beads as well as some pictures of the exhibits in their collection.

Rosary Beads, Ireland, Silver, decorated with a Spanish coin
Rosary Beads, Ireland, Silver, decorated with a Spanish coin

In the Hunt Museum website I found lots of great examples of Irish rosary beads and how they have developed and changed over time. I found it really interesting how the materials varied from the very modest to the most ornate. I suppose unlike a piece of jewellery it was essential to the faith as opposed to a mark of wealth and power. Depending on your station in life and your budget your beads could be made from a string of cord with fruit stones or fish bone or an extravagant string gold with precious jewels. I discovered that rosary beads and other religious jewellery in the Middle Ages were often exempt from taxes so wearing expensive rosary beads could be an excuse for showing off your wealth as well as your piety (real or not). This may also account for the fact that rosary beads became the most common accessory worn by all ranks of society.

In Ireland early sets of rosaries were strung on a cord or string that was tied at the end with a tassel of silk or twine. These were a straight string of ten beads and were usually simply decorated. This straight row of beads later developed to a loop form with the number of beads increasing.  As the design progressed they began to look like the contemporary jewellery of the time and often incorporated jewellery such as medallions, brooches and sometimes even rings. There are even examples in Europe of the end of the beads being decorated with tiny purses and pomanders (small containers for holding different scents)

In Ireland they developed from early materials such as wood on a string to silver chained rosaries with glass or silver beads. These would most often be finished with a hollow silver cross that was made out of sheet metal. This silver would be very thin sheet which would be formed into tubes and soldered along the seams. The figure would be cast separately and soldered on to the hollow cross. This design which dates back to the 17th century remains mostly unchanged to the rosary beads which are produced today.

If anyone has any other information on the origin of rosary beads let me know…

Thanks to Mary Cogan who sent me the link to the Galway City Museum.

 

 

Categories // My Inspirations Tags // Galway City Museum, Hunt Museum, Irish Silver, National Museum, Rosary Beads, Silver, silversmith

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About

Jewellery Designer based in Cork, Ireland. Since finishing my Masters in design, I have worked as a Silver & Goldsmith creating unique jewellery, Wedding & Engagement Rings and Sculptural commissions. Read more about what I do here.

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