Style II B

The Anatomy of Germanic Art

 

• Introduction
• Early Animal Style
• Style I
  • Gold Bracteates
• Style II B
  • Gold Foil Figures
  • Helmet Plates
• Style II C
• Style II D
• Style III E (Broa Style)
  • Figurative Motifs

 

• The Anatomy of Viking Art

 

 

 

This article is a work in progress and will be updated.

 

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The Anatomy of Style II B

 

c. 550 – 650

 

 

 

Shapes

 

1. Spirals.
2. Animal-heads in profile.
3. Human-heads facing forward (inside hips).
4. Eyebrow-bow framing the eye.
5. Round Eyes.
6. Long straight or curling jaws.
7. Teeth occur.
8. Pointy chin.
9. Head-lappet
10. Almond-shaped hips.
11. Feather-like feet.
12. Curling back-toe.

 

 

Outlines

 

Even outlines without tapering or indents.

 

 

Flow

 

A preference for geometric curves.

 

A. S-shapes.
B. Single loops.
C. Figure-of-eights loops.

 

 

Pattern

 

• Tight interlace with little visible background.
• Single-stranded ribbons.
• Double-stranded ribbons.
• Triple-stranded ribbons.
• Even fabric-like interlace patterns.

 

 

 

Composition

 

• Clear and simple compositions of animal and human figures juxtaposed with geometry and occasional interlacing patterns.
• Compositions based on line-symmetrical and/or 2-fold rotational-symmetrical S-shapes (A, D).
• Triskellion or swastika compositions of 3-fold and 4-fold rotational-symmetrical animal heads (D).

 

 

 

Motifs

 

• S-shaped ribbon animals (A, D).
• Animal heads (A, C).
• Four-legged animals resembling boars and wolves (A, C, D).
• Birds of prey (A, B).
• Human faces (B, D).