Scanned image of a watercolour drawing showing three views of a painted pebble from the excavations by Sir Francis Tress Barry at Hillhead broch, 1901. Titled: 'Quartzite pebble (true size), Painted ...

Description Scanned image of a watercolour drawing showing three views of a painted pebble from the excavations by Sir Francis Tress Barry at Hillhead broch, 1901. Titled: 'Quartzite pebble (true size), Painted in unctuous pigment, Hill-Head Broch, nr Wick. Sept 1901 J.M.J'.

Date 9/1901

Collection Papers of John Nicolson, antiquarian, Keiss, Caithness, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 876635

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Watercolour of painted pebble from Hillhead broch, Caithness, Highland Hillhead broch, or 'The Pap', is situated near Broad-haven in Wick, Caithness. The site was excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry (1825-1907) at the beginning of the 20th century, sometime between 1901 and 1902. Hillhead was one of the last brochs excavated by Barry. As with many of Barry's excavations, John Nicolson (1843-1934) supervised the work and illustrated some of the objects discovered. This watercolour by Nicolson shows three views of a painted pebble that was discovered at Hillhead broch. Similar objects have been found on other Caithness broch sites, such as Keiss. These objects are often associated with the Picts. What they were used for is a mystery - they may have been charms or gaming pieces. A lecture given by Barry in 1902 gives us a clue to where the object was found. Barry notes that, 'A Painted Stone was met with in the Debris of the Entrance Passage'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/876635

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap