Cross Slab by Farr
Farr's Cross Slab is the name of a Pictish cross slab that stands next to the A836 , in Bettyhill cemetery in County Sutherland in the far north of the Scottish Highlands . Farr's cross-slab is 2.3 m high and just over 60 cm wide.
The cross plate dates from the 8th or 9th century. The client only had one of the two sides decorated, probably for cost reasons. The main motif of the stone is a Celtic cross with a round base, against the background of inlaid patterns. The four main elements of the Celtic ornament: knotwork, key pattern, spirals and zoomorphic connections make up the design. None of the patterns known from the Pictish symbol stones were used here, nor are there any iconographic motifs, as can be seen on many Irish high crosses .
From the triple spiral at the intersection of the cross bars, the ornament spreads in a swastika- like pattern to the adjacent area of the arms of the cross. Endless knotwork fills the rest of the cross and the rest of the stone. The arch at the base of the cross is in keeping with Irish tradition of placing the cross on a massive base that stylistically represents a hill topped here with a pair of intertwined birds.
literature
- Anna Ritchie: Scotland BC. An introduction to the prehistoric houses, tombs, ceremonial monuments and fortifications in the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Scottish Development Dept., Edinburgh 1989, ISBN 0-11-493427-4 .
Web links
Coordinates: 58 ° 31 '44.9 " N , 4 ° 12' 32.9" W.