(for images of the cross, have a look at Dr. Alexander Bruce's photos at Florida Southern College)
- begun in the 8th century (though the runic inscriptions and upper stone may have been added in the 9th century)
- provenance = southwest coast of Scotland
- contains red sandstone wedged between limestone
- one camp of scholars believes that the cross was created in one campaign
- another camp believes that the red sandstone was added much later
(if you agree with the latter of the two camps, you can read the cross as a "work in progress", like so much of Anglo-Saxon art was - it was often never quite finished)
- perhaps the cross stood on the Scottish shore as a beacon for people approaching the location from places across the water such as Ireland
- viewer is meant to move around the cross - meant to be read and seen
Panels of the West Face (top to bottom)
- John the Baptist with the Christ child (Let us adore the Lamb of God and not them singly, but the whole Trinity)
- Christ standing over the beast (Jesus, the Judge of Justice. Beast and dragons acknowledged in the desert the Savior of the World.)
- Hermits Anthony and Paul breaking bread
- Flight from - or into - Egypt
North and South sides - contain scrollwork and text, which are equal partners
Panels of the East Face (top to bottom)
- Debated: Visitation ( Mary and Elizabeth) and/or sisters Mary and Martha
- Mary Magdalene washing Christ's fet
- Christ healing a blind man
- Annunciation (And having entered the angel said to her "Hail, full of grace, the lord is with you. You are blessed among women.")
This cross achieves balance between genders, voices (Latin vs. runic), themes (e.g., eucharist on the west face and baptism on the east face; life-giving cross on one side and gallows on the other; Anthony and Paul symbols of male monasticism whereas Mary and Margaret symbols of active vs. contemplative lives), Old Testament vs. New Testament
(though imbalance can appear if you think about the males in a eucharistic context - since the women are not placed in this context)
Inscriptions are shallowly carved though the figures are in relief and set back
Some scholars have commented that the east side's images relate closely to Bede's commentary on Luke (written between 709 and 715)
Old Roman Rite may be the key text to understanding this cross as well as the reforms of Pope Sergius in the late 7th century (insertion of Marian feasts, for example)
Ruthwell Cross is an example of the overlap of insular and Anglo-Saxon art
- style is Anglo-Saxon - for example, its classical, 3 dimensional characters of figures
- whereas insular art is often characterized by 2 dimensionality that often relies on pattern and color)
- ambiguity is one of the defininf characteristics of Anglo-Saxon art - riddles and games are presented to the viewer, challenging you to puzzle out the message. Works a lot like Aldhelm's riddles!
- Roman infleunce may be suggested by the movement between Mary and Gabriel as the Virgin pulls away from the angel
The cross is one of the earliest freestanding stone crosses to survive *if* it was actually created as a cross (and not turned into one at a later date)
Many thanks to Catherine Karkov for the knowledge she generously shared.
- begun in the 8th century (though the runic inscriptions and upper stone may have been added in the 9th century)
- provenance = southwest coast of Scotland
- contains red sandstone wedged between limestone
- one camp of scholars believes that the cross was created in one campaign
- another camp believes that the red sandstone was added much later
(if you agree with the latter of the two camps, you can read the cross as a "work in progress", like so much of Anglo-Saxon art was - it was often never quite finished)
- perhaps the cross stood on the Scottish shore as a beacon for people approaching the location from places across the water such as Ireland
- viewer is meant to move around the cross - meant to be read and seen
Panels of the West Face (top to bottom)
- John the Baptist with the Christ child (Let us adore the Lamb of God and not them singly, but the whole Trinity)
- Christ standing over the beast (Jesus, the Judge of Justice. Beast and dragons acknowledged in the desert the Savior of the World.)
- Hermits Anthony and Paul breaking bread
- Flight from - or into - Egypt
North and South sides - contain scrollwork and text, which are equal partners
Panels of the East Face (top to bottom)
- Debated: Visitation ( Mary and Elizabeth) and/or sisters Mary and Martha
- Mary Magdalene washing Christ's fet
- Christ healing a blind man
- Annunciation (And having entered the angel said to her "Hail, full of grace, the lord is with you. You are blessed among women.")
This cross achieves balance between genders, voices (Latin vs. runic), themes (e.g., eucharist on the west face and baptism on the east face; life-giving cross on one side and gallows on the other; Anthony and Paul symbols of male monasticism whereas Mary and Margaret symbols of active vs. contemplative lives), Old Testament vs. New Testament
(though imbalance can appear if you think about the males in a eucharistic context - since the women are not placed in this context)
Inscriptions are shallowly carved though the figures are in relief and set back
Some scholars have commented that the east side's images relate closely to Bede's commentary on Luke (written between 709 and 715)
Old Roman Rite may be the key text to understanding this cross as well as the reforms of Pope Sergius in the late 7th century (insertion of Marian feasts, for example)
Ruthwell Cross is an example of the overlap of insular and Anglo-Saxon art
- style is Anglo-Saxon - for example, its classical, 3 dimensional characters of figures
- whereas insular art is often characterized by 2 dimensionality that often relies on pattern and color)
- ambiguity is one of the defininf characteristics of Anglo-Saxon art - riddles and games are presented to the viewer, challenging you to puzzle out the message. Works a lot like Aldhelm's riddles!
- Roman infleunce may be suggested by the movement between Mary and Gabriel as the Virgin pulls away from the angel
The cross is one of the earliest freestanding stone crosses to survive *if* it was actually created as a cross (and not turned into one at a later date)
Many thanks to Catherine Karkov for the knowledge she generously shared.