Knotwork key holder
Object number: ROMGH.1999.356
Type: Key holder
Technique: Carved
Material: Wood
Width: 10.6cm | Height: 15.4cm
Production date: 1920 - 1968
Claire, George Bain’s daughter, hung this wooden key holder next to her back door. Designed by her father, we presume he carved it too.
The interlaced continuous strand has been turned into knotwork. The top two-thirds of the design is formed of a single tight unit of three knots rotated three times. The strand then forms a different, much more open design in the lower third.
In his study of knotwork panels Bain expresses admiration for the Pictish sculptors who created them. He was convinced that such single strand interlace designs are a symbol of eternity.
See: Bain’s Celtic Art, Methods of Construction pages 40-55
Author: Jo Clements
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