Nectan, Metal Worker
(fl. c. 1100)
Metal Worker
From A Dictionary of Irish Artists 1913
The maker of one of the finest examples of the goldsmith's art that has been found in Ireland, the crozier of Niall, Bishop of Lismore. It is inscribed: "Pray for Niall, son of MacAeducain, for whom this work of art was made. Pray for Nectan, the artisan, who made this work of art." Niall was Bishop from 1090 to 1113. The crozier is of bronze with ornaments of gold, silver and niello, and bosses of coloured enamel. The crook is bordered with a row of grotesque animals like lizards or dragons. It was found in 1814 in in a tower of Lismore Castle where it is still preserved.