Gundestrup Cauldron
Type:
Bowls
Date:
first–third century CE
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Denmark
Medium:
Gilt-silver,
Glass,
Silver
Dimensions:
diameter 69 cm
Description:
This large gilt-silver cauldron has recently been dated to the first three centuries CE, based on lead-isotope analysis of the silver and the carbon-14 date of the beeswax used in its decoration. The figural imagery on the seven (originally eight) exterior and five interior plates is in repoussé, punched, and chased. Stylistically the cauldron resembles Thracian metalwork from eastern Europe, but it depicts Celtic objects, such as crested helmets and dragon-headed trumpets, and the lead analysis indicates an origin in northwestern Europe . The tin used for soldering the plates and for filling behind the glass eyes came from Cornwall, in Britain; the glass was produced in a Mediterranean coastal area between the second century BCE and the first century CE. How the cauldron reached Denmark is unknown, but it was found dismantled in a peat bog at Gundestrup in 1891.
The outer plates depict the heads of divinities in high relief, the inner plates scenes in lower relief with warriors and a wide range of animals, including unicorns, griffins, and elephants. On one inner panel, warriors are being thrown into a cauldron. A figure seated cross-legged and wearing antlers is often identified as the Celtic god Cernunnos, holding a torc and a serpent. On the base is a medallion with bull being defeated by a woman wielding a sword. In the absence of written records, the images on the cauldron are difficult to interpret, with suggestions ranging from the astronomical to the mythological and theological. The cauldron may originally have played a role at ritualized banquets when stories were told.
The outer plates depict the heads of divinities in high relief, the inner plates scenes in lower relief with warriors and a wide range of animals, including unicorns, griffins, and elephants. On one inner panel, warriors are being thrown into a cauldron. A figure seated cross-legged and wearing antlers is often identified as the Celtic god Cernunnos, holding a torc and a serpent. On the base is a medallion with bull being defeated by a woman wielding a sword. In the absence of written records, the images on the cauldron are difficult to interpret, with suggestions ranging from the astronomical to the mythological and theological. The cauldron may originally have played a role at ritualized banquets when stories were told.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
1
Repository and Online Resources:
• The cauldron is in the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen.
Image Credits:
Linda Safran; Wikimedia Commons
