Szabó Miklós, Petres F. Éva: Decorated weapons on the La Tene Iron Age in the Carpathian Basin. (Inventaria Praehistorica Hungariae 5; Budapest, 1992)
III. THE HUNGARIAN SWORD STYLE - The development of the style
feet symmetry, an element determined by the presence of the zoomorphic lyre which ultimately denned the structure of the composition. A scabbard from Jutas (No.l: Cat.no. 21; PI. 10,2) housed in the Laczkó Museum of Veszprém reflects an entirely different ornamental concept and, at the same time, represents an important step forward. A symmetrical design based on the lyre-palmette can be seen under the scabbard mouth: the elements of the pattern of vegetal origin are reduced to a sort of skeleton tendril with drops derived from the palmette. 221 This composition may well be seen as a hallmark of the newly emerging artistic concept, characterised in part by a departure from vegetal design and in part by the appearance of various filler motifs in the spaces outlined by the tendrils. On another Jutas scabbard (No. 2: Cat.no. 22; PI. 22) this new decorative concept receives full treatment on the upper part of the front plate: a pelta-pair forms the horizontal axis of the vigorous and sophisticated tendril pattern from which spring vertical S-lyres which, however, are virtually concealed in the flowing maze of the tendril pattern. The relatively well preserved zone below the pelta-pair, the tendril frame of the pattern is filled with triskeles and figures-of-eight. Although the motifs used are not unknown in the grammar of the Waldalgesheim Style, the syntax as a whole shows a break with this tradition: the tendril frame and the filler motifs no longer form an organic whole, the latter forming an arabesquelike tendril maze of intertwining elements. This composition, based on the capricious play of freely flowing curved elements set within a symmetric framing design, illustrates not only the distinctive principles of the decorative concept of the Hungarian Sword Style, but also the abundant possibilities of novel and bold combinations encouraged by the new style. 222 The next step towards the attainment of a "full" freedom occurs on scabbards with diagonal or unaxial patterns which no longer required any pretense of symmetry. P. Jacobsthal cites Swiss pieces to show the birth of this " idea" : the diagonal composition is reminiscent of slings or straps of perishable material originally wrapped round the scabbard. 223 The Liter 1 scabbard, however, opens new perspectives. The tendril inserted in the middle, lozenge shaped frame is proper to the Waldalgesheim Style but, at the same time, it is set diagonally. Convincing prototypes can be quoted from the Marne region, 224 suggesting that the Celtic craftsmen of the Hungarian Sword Style followed a Waldalgesheim tradition also in this respect. In dealing with one of the scabbards of Bölcske-Madocsahegy (Cat.no. 5; PL 7) O.-H. Frey ingeniously noted that the design can be derived from a symmetric composition around which the armourer cut into two pieces its horizontal axis then adjusted these by reversing the lower element (Fig. 20) 225 This solution is a logical development from the lozenge-enclosed tendril pattern of the Liter 1 scabbard.
