Celtic Design: Maze Patterns (Paperback)

by Aidan Meehan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The brilliant, beautiful designs, decorations and patterns of the Celts - expressed in their metalwork, stonework and jewellery, and continued in the manuscript illumination of Celtic Christianity - are an astonishing art form whose legacy has fascinated both Celtic and non-Celtic peoples for many centuries right through to the present day. The versatile power of these ornamental designs, and hence their use as a source of inspiration for designers and craftspeople of all kinds, is revealed to the full in this step-by-step guide. Celtic mazes belong to an ancient class of spiral ornament which Celtic artists of the early middle ages developed with unequalled ingenuity and virtuosity. These patterns can even be drawn freehand following the method described here - a technique used by the ancient masters, now rediscovered and clearly illustrated for the first time. The beauty and simplicity of the designs makes them an ideal introduction to Celtic art, comprising delightful calligraphy and illumination which everyone can produce for themselves.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; Unknown edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500277478
• ISBN-13: 978-0500277478
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #735,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs., March 30, 2001

By	Aquaria.Info "Aquaria.Info - Aquarium Fish On... (Aquaria.Info) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches the primitive geometric pater, the origin of the maze pattern, the mammoth hunter's maze, the meaning of mazes, and the camonica valley maze. It then goes into drawing mazes freehand, and has a collection of maze patterns.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

All in all this is a great book for someone looking to create celtic designs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and useful, December 11, 2008

By	Karen Tiede (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've had a lot of fun playing with color and these patterns, figuring out how the pattern itself could drive color changes and how few colors are needed to not abut each other (the map problem, in mazes). Good history and overview.

Good how-to section, as well as an fairly deep collection of maze patterns to use as starting points for your own design / art work.