The history of Scottish visual art which we can take to mean the visual art prouced within the modern political boundary of Scotland since the earliest times, forms a distinctive tradition within British and European art. It may be considered to begin with early carvings and artifacts that can date from Neolithic through Bronze Age and Iron Age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the medieval period and continuing in an unbroken tradition to modern times.