About this Piece
A classic of Celtic tradition and steeped with symbolism, this prominent sterling silver pendant features a large Celtic cross with artfully adorned trinity knots and inlaid stones. A Celtic cross with less Celtic knotwork is also another option for you.
Specifications
Metal: Sterling Silver
Weight: 2.9 grams
Width: 16mm
Height: 26mm
History of the Celtic Cross
The Celtic Cross first appeared in Ireland and Britain during the early middle ages, when missionaries were busy planting the roots of Christianity among Celtic populations. The style represents a unity of Christian and Celtic motifs - after all, early missionaries are largely responsible for recording and thus preserving many Celtic customs and artwork. This hybrid art form is known as insular art (from 'insula', the Latin for 'island').
The cross typically features a nimbus - a ring around the intersection - which also provides support. Its true origin is unknown, though some historians have suggested it may have originally represented the Roman sun god Invictus.
The most famous surviving versions of these crosses are found in the monumental stone 'high crosses' erected from the 9th-12th centuries, which also depicted stylized Biblical scenes. Though insular art would later be overtaken by Romanesque art, it earned a comeback with the 'Celtic Revival' of the 19th Century, during a time when Ireland was rediscovering its heritage.
