Knotwork extraordinary
Object number: ROMGH.2011.16.1
Type: Box
Technique: Engraved, Painted
Material: Linoleum, Wood
Width: 34cm | Height: 25cm | Depth: 15cm
Production date: 1920 - 1968
It’s only when you look closely at the engraved designs that their forms come to life. The tan-painted lino border is decorated with 16 single strands of interlace. Twelve of them are copies of each other. But the flow of each corner strand is different – they’re so accomplished. The pattern is brought to life by painting it yellow. This is emphasised by the original colour of the lino, which defines the edges of the strands.
The central, dark brown, knotwork panel is not a design that appears in Bain’s Methods of Construction. Its complexity reflects Bain’s mastery of Pictish knotwork and his wish to create new forms.
See Bain's Celtic Art, Methods of Construction pages 45-49, Plates 1-9
Author: Diana Cobden
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