WHAT WE LEARN FROM WILDE'S "CATALOGUE OF THE ANTIQUITIES IN THE MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY."

BY THE REV. JAMES GRAVES, A. B. M. R. I. A.

As a contribution to our knowledge of the armour, weapons, dress, and ornaments in use amongst the ancient people of Ireland, the fourth and fifth chapters of Wilde's "Catalogue of the Antiquities in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy," far exceed anything that has yet been written. In a previous article (vol. ii., p. 110) I laid before the Members of the Society the admirable classification on which this Catalogue is based. In pursuance of the plan, the public have now before them a portion double the size of the first instalment of the Catalogue, and profusely illustrated by wood-cuts, in a style of art fully equal to anything of the kind brought out in this country, or England.

In the two chapters which form the recently published portion of the Catalogue, Mr. Wilde treats, firstly, of Animal Materials, and secondly, of Metallic Materials, so far as they are formed of copper and bronze. Useful as the work must prove to those who desire to make a thorough examination of our great national Museum at the Royal Irish Academy, it is no less useful to the student of Irish archæology, who, far away from the advantages of the metropolis, reads it in his own study. In proof of this, I shall proceed to give examples, almost taken at random from the work. Under the head of Class IV. Species IV. we find "articles of household economy, furniture, domestic use, and the toilet, &c.," treated of; and our fair members may not be indisposed to learn the fashion of ancient Irish combs :

"On Tray A is arranged a collection of forty-four combs, in either a perfect or fragmentary stage, numbered from 116 to 172. From their shape it is evident they were used more for toilet purposes than as ornamental objects; indeed, we have not as yet met with any ancient combs in Ireland specially used for holding up the female hair. If the hair was plaited, it was, in all probability, fastened as well as decorated with a bodkin of bone or metal. We have no warrant for supposing that the early Irish were acquainted with the manufacture of such horn combs, nor were they likely to have had much knowledge of ivory, or the use of tortoise-shell; and there is no evidence to show that our females, in early times, retained the hair in position by means of a comb of any kind, the introduction of which fashion is modern. The Irish, both males and females, were celebrated for the length to which they wore their hair (hence called glibbs and cuil-fion); and it is not unlikely that the latter sex

adopted the fashion of plaiting it. (See Walker's Essay on Irish Dress,' and also Lady Moira's paper in the Archæologia,' vol. vii.).

"The combs in the Academy's collection may be divided into three varieties, the long rack-comb, the single fine-tooth comb, and the double fine-tooth comb. The first vary in length, from No. 123, which is about 4 inches, to No. 120, Fig. 175, which, judging from the half that remains of it, must have been 10 inches: in breadth they range from half an inch to 1 inches. With the exception of Nos. 135, 136, and 137, which appear to be ornamented pocket-combs, there are no specimens in this collection formed out of a single piece. The sides of these rack-combs are generally hog-backed, and taper from the centre to the extremities, the great majority of them being highly decorated, many with pleasing patterns. Between these sides are set the pectinated portions, varying in breadth from half an inch to an inch and a quarter, according to the size of the bone out of which they were cut, the whole being fastened together with metal pins, generally brass, riveted on each face of the side. The back of the pectinated portion generally rises above the handle in the centre and at each extremity, as may be seen in the following illustration,

Fig. 175, restored from the remaining half of No. 120, which must have been 10 inches in length, and 1 wide. These toothed portions are in separate pieces, on account of the grain of the bone, as well as the cavity in its centre: for it is manifest that a durable comb of this size could not have been cut out of a single bone without great liability to fracture. By this ingenious contrivance, also, the pectinated portion, if worn or broken, could easily be repaired by driving out a rivet in the side-pieces, withdrawing the injured part, and inserting a new toothed portion.

"The accompanying illustrations, drawn two-thirds the natural size,

present us with two beautiful specimens of the short one-sided or single fine-tooth comb, and both of which are highly decorated. No. 137, on Tray A, Fig. 176, is 2 inches long by 1 deep, and formed out of a single piece. Its decoration chiefly consists in its graceful outline, and the

number of dotted lines and circles upon its sides. The three elevated rivets projecting above the toothed portion fastened metal plates, which, either in the original formation, or when the article had been accidentally broken, were attached to it. Figure 177, drawn from No. 159 in Rail-case H, numbered in continuity with the combs on Tray A, is the finest specimen of its class in the Collection. It is 2 inches long, and 1 deep, and the three pectinated portions are held together by flat sides, decorated with scrolls and circles. The top or handle shows a triple open-work decoration, and the side-pieces are grooved at one end for receiving the clasp of a metal tooth, which replaced one of the lost bone ones. It was procured from the Ballinderry crannoge (see Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 129). "The third variety resembles very much the modern fine-tooth comb, and generally varies from 3 to 4 inches in length, and from 1 to 2 across, the teeth portions being double, and passing through and through the sides to which they

Dress and Personal Ornaments (Species v.) come next under review. Here is what we learn from the "Catalogue" as to the ancient Irish dress in general:

"Our only authentic histories afford but meagre references to dress or personal decoration; and the Fenian tales and bardic romances, in the garb in which they now appear, present too many anachronisms and incongruities to be worthy of quotation until they have been carefully edited and annotated.

"The figures in the Books of Durrow and Armagh are altogether ecclesiastical. In the Book of Kells, a Latin vellum MS. of the Gospels, said to be as old as the sixth century,' and undoubtedly one of the most beautifully written and most elaborately illuminated works of its period in Europe, there are a few lay figures introduced by the artist, for the mere purpose of decoration, or to fill up space. As the work is thoroughly Irish in every respect, these figures may fairly be presumed to represent the costume of the country at the time they were painted. In some instances the illuminated initial letters are composed of human figures; and although the attitudes are of necessity grotesque, the costume appears to be, in most respects, identical with that of the figures alluded to. following facsimiles (traced and cut by Mr. G. Hanlon), give perhaps the oldest representations of Irish costume now extant. Fig. 190, from folio

"1 See the Rev. Dr. Todd's paper on 'The Biblical Manuscripts of the Ancient

The

Irish Church,' in the Irish Ecclesiastical
Journal for 20th Sept., 1846, No. 75."

200, is evidently that of a soldier, armed with a spear and round target and placed either in the act of receiving an enemy, or compressed by the artist to suit the space on the page unoccupied with writing. The headdress is yellow, with a mitred edge along the brow, as occurs on many other human heads in that work. The coat is green; the breeches, which come

Fig. 190.

ham

Fig 191.

down below the knee, are light blue, picked out with red; and the beard and moustache brown. The legs and feet are naked. The shield is yellow; and the spear-head blue, exactly resembling some of those of iron in the Academy's Collection, in which the cross rivets project considerably beyond the socket. A line of red dots surrounds the outline of the figureas is usual in the Book of Kells, and as may be seen in many of the initial letters, especially those used in this Catalogue, which are all copied from that work. At folio 201 there is a sitting figure, in the act of drinking

from a circular goblet (Fig. 191), wearing a sort of turban, principally yellow, with a flesh-coloured border; the cloak is dark red, bound with yellow; the tunic blue, with a yellow border and green sleeve; the feet are naked, and partially concealed by the letters, which shows that the illumination was made after the text had been completed.

"In the two small equestrian figures on page 300, we have another phase of costume. Figure 192, from folio 89, shows the ancient short

cloak remarkably well, and, from a careful examination of both figures, it would appear that the horses were also clothed or caparisoned. The cap is yellow, fitting tightly to the head, and hanging down behind-or this head-dress may represent the natural hair. The cloak is green, with a broad band of bright red, and a yellow border; the breeches green; the leg covered, but the foot naked. The cover of the horse is yellow; but the head, tail, and such portions of the right legs as appear, are green. The word over which it is placed is engraved, to show the position of the illumination. Fig. 193 occurs on folio 255; the parchment has been injured underneath the cloak, but a sufficiency of the colour remains to show that it was green; the cap is yellow.

"If we seek for documentary evidence before the period of the AngloNorman invasion, the earliest accessible authority upon the subject of costume is the Book of Rights,' already quoted in this work. There, among the tributes paid by the different states or kingdoms of the Irish Pentarchy, we read of the cloak or brat, the outer garment, of which the following varieties are specified: A thousand cloaks not white— speckled cloaks, -cloaks with white borders,—red cloaks,—red cloaks not black,-blue cloaks,-royal cloaks,-green cloaks,' and 'green cloaks of even colour,-cloaks of strength,-coloured cloaks,-chequered cloaks of lasting colours,-napped cloaks, with the first sewing, which are trimmed with purple,-purple cloaks of fine brilliance,-purple cloaks of fine texture,-purple cloaks of four points, and cloaks with golden borders.' The cochall, hooded cloak or cowl, is seldom mentioned among these tributes.

"The matal (which word is not translated by O'Donovan), was probably smaller than the cloak, and may have been worn beneath it, or as an ordinary coat, and it is remarkable that on only one occasion, where we read of its having a 'golden border,' is it mentioned that that article of dress was decorated; but we read of 'fair beautiful matals,―royal matals,' and also of matals soft in texture."

"The tunic, inar, formed a considerable portion of the ancient tributes, and is described as brown red,-deep red,-with golden borders,-with gold ornaments,—with golden hems,'—and also with red gold.'

"The leann, translated by O'Donovan 'mantle,' would appear to have been a white woollen garment, probably a sort of loose shirt; but, from its being almost invariably mentioned along with coats of mail,' it lends probability to the conjecture that it was only used in connection with armour. Thus, the chief of Cinèl Eana was entitled, among other tributes, to receive 'five mantles, five coats of mail;' and the king of Tulach Og, to 'fifty mantles, fifty coats of mail,”— but 'mantles [leanna] of deep purple' are also enumerated.

"Matal was probably another name for the Fallaing, which in latter ages was applied to the outer covering or cloak; but this is far from certain. Matal is applied in Leabhar Breac to the outer garmeut worn by the Redeemer.'-See note to Leabhar na g-Ceart, p. 38."

"2 The subject of mail and armour will be considered under the head of Bronze and Iron Weapons. Dr. O'Donovan has afforded

the writer the following note :-'The word lean (which has nothing to do with lëine, a linen shirt) is explained in a MS. in Trinity College Library, H. 3, 18, p. 75, and in Cormac's Glossary, sub voce lenn, as a white brat of wool; and the word is understood in this sense by Colgan and the writers of the seventeenth century. The word is simply rendered brat by O'Clery.' The Gaulish term lenna occurs in Isidore."