Scanned image of a watercolour drawing of two painted pebbles from the excavations by Sir Francis Tress Barry at Keiss.

Description Scanned image of a watercolour drawing of two painted pebbles from the excavations by Sir Francis Tress Barry at Keiss.

Date c. 1890 to 1893

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

Catalogue Number SC 876670

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Watercolour of painted pebbles from Keiss broch, Caithness, Highland Keiss broch stands on the flat raised beach on Sinclair's Bay in north-east Caithness. It is one of a number of archaeological sites excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry (1825-1907) between 1890 and 1904. This watercolour by John Nicolson (1843-1934) shows quartz pebbles painted with spots and lines. Painted pebbles have been identified from Iron Age and Early Medieval contexts at other sites but there function remains uncertain. It is possible that they were used as gaming pieces or as charms. Due to their abstract design, they are often associated with Pictish Art. On 26th May 1898, Barry exhibited these painted pebbles during a talk to the Society of Antiquaries of London. Nicolson was born in Stemster, John O' Groats, and lived at Nybster for most of his life. He was a skilled sculptor and artist with a keen interest in the archaeology of the area and assisted with many of Barry's excavations. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap