W face of cross, detail of middle section.
SC 449864
Description W face of cross, detail of middle section.
Catalogue Number SC 449864
Category On-line Digital Images
Copy of D 46802 CN
Scope and Content Ruthwell Cross, Ruthwell Parish Church, Dumfriesshire The Northumbrian Angles had been converted to Christianity by Irish monks led by St Aidan and sent from Iona to Lindisfarne in 635 AD. In 664 AD Northumbrian bishops and abbots brought over continental stonemasons who introduced Mediterranean traditions. It is thought that large free-standing stone crosses were unknown in Early Christian art until they were designed in the 8th century in Northumbria. This part of the shaft is decorated with birds and animals feeding on the Tree of Life, a Classical motif. The carving is surrounded by an Old English poem about the Crucifixion written in runes, an early form of writing. Constructed from two blocks of local sandstone, the cross is probably the most important sculptural survival of Anglo-Saxon Britain. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/449864
File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap
Attribution: © RCAHMS
You may: copy, display, store and make derivative works [eg documents] solely for licensed personal use at home or solely for licensed educational institution use by staff and students on a secure intranet.
Under these conditions: Display Attribution, No Commercial Use or Sale, No Public Distribution [eg by hand, email, web]
