Writhing discs
Object number: ROMGH.1999.14
Type: Drawing
Material: Paper, Pencil
Width: 20.2cm | Height: 25.4cm
Production date: 1935 - 1951
George Bain drew each of these complex discs of interlaced beasts and birds from an illustrated summary of the Book of Kells. They are fabulous – six intertwined snakes, three hunting dogs, six beautiful birds and three writhing reptiles.
Bain used each of these roundels in his Methods of Construction chapter on ‘Zoomorphics’. He uses them to explain how to draw such complicated interlaced designs. Today’s craftspeople use these drawings to help them create their own masterpieces.
Sullivan, E 1914 The Book of Kells
See Bain's Celtic Art, Methods of Construction pages 110-113, Plate 4, 6, 7 & 9
Author: Alastair Morton
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