. Archæology and false antiquities. gments of shale and slateto which Mr. Lang has appealed. By acomparison of these with the illustra-tions of the productions of the Cran-nog artists, readers have an opportunityof judging as to the resemblances and Fig. 52. Shale Figure i.^P , , . - FROM DOMBUCK (1) dinerences between the two series of „ ^ . , t rom Drawing byobjects. ^^ ^- Donnelly As to the nature and chronological horizon of theseBute objects there can be no doubt. Not only were theyassociated with the ruins of anearly Christian church, said to beof Norman work, but all thedesigns belong t
. Archæology and false antiquities. gments of shale and slateto which Mr. Lang has appealed. By acomparison of these with the illustra-tions of the productions of the Cran-nog artists, readers have an opportunityof judging as to the resemblances and Fig. 52. Shale Figure i.^P , , . - FROM DOMBUCK (1) dinerences between the two series of „ ^ . , t rom Drawing byobjects. ^^ ^- Donnelly As to the nature and chronological horizon of theseBute objects there can be no doubt. Not only were theyassociated with the ruins of anearly Christian church, said to beof Norman work, but all thedesigns belong to a class of artwhich is characteristic of earlyChristian times in Scotland. Theyare, however, so inferior, from theartistic point of view, that theycan only be regarded as degradedsurvivals from the most flourishingperiod of that art. In support ofthis view it may be stated that fiveportions of crosses adorned withthe familiar designs of the early Christian artists—menand animals sculptured in relief, interlacements, fretwork,. Fig. 53. Shale Object from DUMBUCK ih) 234 ARCHEOLOGY AND FALSE ANTIQUITIES etc.—were discovered in a portion of the wall of the churchwhich had to be taken down before it could be properly-restored ; thus showing that, by this time, the sculpturedcrosses had already lost much of their former sacredcharacter. Some years ago it was discovered that largeand small fragments of similarly sculptured crosses hadbeen built into the foundations of the tower of theCathedral of St. Andrews, proving that before the middle of the twelfth century theirsymbolism no longer appealedto Christian sentiment. In the decaying stage ofthis art, and long after itceased to be a ruling elementin church architecture andChristian monuments, inter-laced patterns and fretworkcontinued to be ornaments onreliquaries, croziers, brooches,powder-horns, dirk-handles,etc., up to comparatively re-cent times. Even supposingthere had been a church onthe St. Blane site previous tothe o
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