The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3 — John Shaqi
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3MacGibbon, David
History
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3
MacGibbon, David
Church architecture -- Scotland
Amongst the later examples, Scripture scenes similar to those on the
Irish crosses are introduced in the panels, together with numerous
hunting pieces and figures of men and animals. Dr Anderson[38] shows
distinctly that the Scriptural scenes are debased and barely
intelligible representations of symbolic subjects from the Bible, such
as Adam and Eve, the Sacrifice of Isaac, David Slaying the Lion, &c.
Similar subjects are common in the Catacombs of Rome, where they are
painted so as to be easily recognised; but in course of time, and after
many imperfect efforts to copy them, they became reduced to the
conventional forms seen in the Celtic sculptures, the meaning of which
can only be explained by following the designs back to the originals.
Dr. Anderson also shows that the hunting scenes, with men on horseback,
dogs, &c., and the grotesque
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Logierait, Perthshire. (From _Scotland in Early
Christian Times_.)]
animals represented, often with much spirit in the sculptures, are
derived from the symbolic mediæval bestiaries. These figures, which at
first sight might be regarded as secular or grotesque, are thus proved
to be symbolic of Christian doctrine and moral teaching, like many of
the later and more naturalistic carvings in the Gothic churches. In the
hunting scenes the hart panting after the waterbrooks represents the
soul pursued by its worldly enemies; the shooting of the wild boar with
arrows symbolises the conversion of heathen savages to Christianity; the
pelican, with its young, is a symbol of the Resurrection; the lion, the
eagle, the phœnix are types of Christ; the fox and hyena of the
devil.[39]
The above monuments of the East of Scotland are, as we have seen, almost
all of the upright slab form, bearing the cross on the obverse. Only a
very few free standing crosses exist in that region. Some examples of
transition character are, however, found which form a connecting link
between the upright slabs and the free standing crosses. These consist
of cross bearing slabs having the circles, at the junction of the arms
with the shaft, cut through the stone. It then only remained to cut away
the remainder of the slab and leave the cross free.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--At Rossie Priory, Perthshire. (From _Scotland in
Early Christian Times_.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 7.--St. Vigeans, Forfarshire.
(From _Scotland in Early Christian Times_.)]
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