Page "Celtic art" Paragraph 28

The often spectacular art of the richest earlier Continental Celts, before they were conquered by the Romans, often adopted elements of Roman, Greek and other " foreign " styles ( and possibly used imported craftsmen ) to decorate objects that were distinctively Celtic.

So a torc in the rich Vix Grave terminates in large balls in a way found in many others, but here the ends of the ring are formed as the paws of a lion or similar beast, without making a logical connection to the balls, and on the outside of the ring two tiny winged horses sit on finely worked plaques.

The effect is impressive but somewhat incongruous compared to an equally ostentatious British torc from the Snettisham Hoard that is made 400 years later and uses a style that has matured and harmonized the elements making it up.

The 1st century BC Gundestrup cauldron, is the largest surviving piece of European Iron Age silver ( diameter 69 cm, height 42 cm ), but though its iconography seems clearly to be Celtic, its style is much debated, and is thought by many to be more Thracian.

To further confuse matters, it was found in a bog in Denmark.