Lacertine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lacertines, most commonly found in Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Insular art, are interlaces created by zoomorphic forms.[1][2][3] While the term "lacertine" itself means "lizard-like,"[4] its use to describe interlace is a 19th-century neologism and not limited to interlace of reptilian forms.[2][5] In addition to lizards,[6] lacertine decoration often features animals such as birds, lions, and dogs.[7][8]
Although examples of lacertine have been found in stone sculpture and architecture,[9][10][11] such as in a fragment from the Church of St. Mary of the Rock,[12][13] it is more comment to find lacertines in illuminated manuscripts.[14] Notable examples of lacertine decoration can be found in the Book of Kells, Book of Durrow, the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Lichfield or St. Chad Gospels, and the Mac Durnan Gospels.[3][14][15]
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