Fitz Jenő (szerk.): The Celts in Central Europe - István Király Múzeum közelményei. A. sorozat 20. A Pannon konferenciák aktái 2. (Székesfehérvár, 1975)

J. V. S. Megaw: The orientelizing theme in early celtic art: East or West

scabbards, that from Hallstatt, grave 994, will be briefly referred to below (PI. I,4\ fig. Ij ; suffice it here to note that despite the current lack of obvious antecedents for the floruit of the sword-smith’s art in Hungarian and Swiss flat-grave region, one or two bridging pieces of LT Aa/Bj date do exist(19).

Since all of us concerned with the study of the allusive art of an illusive people have been guilty of the seductive sin of trait-chasing it is worth recalling

X. Sandars’ warning that :

,It is generally unprofitable to tear to pieces individual objects and say this or that motif or treatment comes from here or there because, with a few exceptions, they have been so assimilated and fused that the final product retains little of its origins’)20).

Although I think that some of the current argument of orientalizing, east or west is indeed due to this sort of misuse of stylistic analysis, such analysis cannot totally be dismissed and more particularly as, at long last, early Celtic art is being related to not just individual traits but rather overall distributions. There is a need to Auden the westward bias of P. Jacobsthal (followed by myself and others) and here one need only draw attention to F. S c h w ap p a c h ’ s studies of that largest and until recently largely ignored class of La Tène decorated material, stamped pottery. It can be seen that there is a clear dichotomy)21) ; in the western Early La Tène area one finds classical and in fact often clearly Italic floral ornaments based on tendrils, lotus buds and plamettes such as can be seen in the fine metal-work of the Fürstengräber. In contrast to the south and east, in Bavaria, Bohemia and western Austria there are arc-designs, circles and friezes. Occasionally both eastern and western elements come together as on the sieve from Hoppstädten, Ldkr. Birkenfeld, barrow 2, a piece which we will have to cite again)22) (fig. 2). It is noticeable that such pieces of floralbased decoration that do appear in the east — such as the gold mount from Chlum, Bohemia)23) — prove the close relationship with Fürstengräber art. Again, ,, on objects like the Eigenbilzen, Limburg gold horn mounts — horns which if graced with animal tertio) U. Osterhaus, Zu verzierten Frühlatèneivaffen. Fundber. aus Hessen, Beiheft I, 1969, 134 — 44, esp. p. 141 and Abb. 4.1 = Festschr. Dehn.

(20) N. K. Sandars, o. c., Celtic art in protohistoric Europe.

(21) O.-H. Prey - F. Schwappach, Studies in Early Celtic design. World Arch., IV/3, 1973, 339 — 46; F. Schwappach, Floral-designs and arc-designs in the ’Early Style’ of Celtic art. EC, XIII:2, 1973, 710 — 32; O. — H. Frey, Early Style-Waldalgesheim Style : remarks on the development of Early Celt ic art. Celtic art in protohistoric Europe. 1975, m press.

(22) L. Kilian, Hügelgräber bei Hoppstädten: Ergebnisse der Grabung 1952. Trierer Zeitschr., XXIV, 1956 — 8, 59 — 102; J. V. S. Megaw, Style and style groupings in continental early La Tène art. World Arch., ÍII/3, 282 f. and figs. 14.4, 15,3.

(23) EC A, 92, PI. 274; 392; J. V. S. Megaw, o. c., World Arch., III/3, 1972, 276 ff. and fig. 11,6.

2 Alba Regia

Fig. 1 : Hallstatt, Oberösterreich, gr. 994. Detail of incised decoration on sword scabbard (after Naturhis t. Muse u m, Vienna).

minais as on the Klein Aspergle, Kr. Ludwigsburg pair woidd suggested once more Achaemenian influence)24) — the Italic prototypes for a design based on palmettes and lotus blossoms is clear)25). In parenthesis one may note that only in LT Bx does one find clear evidence of Celtic penetration and settlement of the Great Hungarian Plain and the appearance — important here — of lyre designs and other regional versions of early La Tène style)26).

(24) Klein Aspergle: ECA, no. 32; AE1A, no. 41.

(25) Eigenbilzen: ECA, no. 24; AEIA, no. 40: J. V. S. Megaw, o. c., World Arch.,III/3, 1972, o.c., and fig. 11,3; O.-H. Frey — F. Schwappach, o. c., World Arch., IV/3, 1973, 339, PI. I top and fig. 9; O.-H. Frey, o. c., Celtic art in protohistoric Europe. 1974, esp. fig. 1.

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