Thickpenny, C. Rose. (2018). Abstract pattern on stone fragments from Applecross: the master carver of northern Pictland?. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 148. Vol 148, Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. pp. 147-176. https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.148.1253. Cite this via datacite

Title The title of the publication or report Title:	Abstract pattern on stone fragments from Applecross: the master carver of northern Pictland?
Issue The name of the volume or issue Issue:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 148
Series The series the publication or report is included in Series:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Volume Volume number and part Volume:	148
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. Page Start/End:	147 - 176
Downloads Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS Downloads:	Cynthia_Thickpenny.pdf (23 MB) : Download
Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. Licence Type:	ADS Terms of Use and Access
DOI The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report. DOI	https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.148.1253
Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book Publication Type:	Journal
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report Abstract:	Eighteen early medieval carved stone fragments (Applecross 5.1–5.18) were recently recovered from Applecross, Wester Ross, Scotland, a site that functioned as an important ecclesiastical centre in the early medieval period. These 18 fragments join a pre-existing collection of monuments and other carved stones at Applecross, including three fragments (Applecross 1, 2 and 3) that together likely belonged to the same cross-slab. Both the Applecross slab (Applecross 1–3) and the newly discovered fragments are decorated with relief-carved, geometric ornament common to early medieval Britain and Ireland, including interlace, key and step patterns, and are of exceptional workmanship. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the patterns, which reveals that at least 16 of the 18 new fragments also belonged to the same monument as Applecross 1–3. In particular, the author has applied a new, artist-focused, artwork-centred approach to the study of key pattern and its structure, drawn from her doctoral research of this type of ornament. Through close physical analysis of the internal symmetry of individual spiral units and the negative (carved-out) lines in these key patterns, it is possible to identify where the new fragments were located on the Applecross monument, as well as their orientation within it. Furthermore, detailed analysis of the patterns’ negative lines confirms that Applecross was linked to Nigg and likely also to Rosemarkie – two contemporary, high-status, Pictish ecclesiastical sites in Easter Ross – and that a single carver or team produced stone sculpture in all three places. The Nigg cross-slab and Rosemarkie’s collection of carved stones are widely recognised as amongst the finest in the Pictish corpus, and the Applecross fragments rival them in their supreme, virtuoso quality. This is the first concrete evidence for a single Pictish artistic hand on multiple artworks – a master carver or expert team whose oeuvre spanned both Easter and Wester Ross and who created some of the greatest surviving art-historical monuments in Britain.
Author The authors of this publication or report Author:	Cynthia Rose Thickpenny
Publisher The publisher of the publication or report Publisher:	Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published Year of Publication:	2018
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Locations:	Place: Nigg Place: Applecross Place: Rosemarkie County: Ross and Cromarty Country: Scotland District: Highland District: Highland Grid Reference: 171350, 845830 (Easting, Northing) Grid Reference: 273720, 857630 (Easting, Northing) Grid Reference: 280460, 871710 (Easting, Northing)
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Subjects / Periods:	EARLY MEDIEVAL (ENG) ORNAMENT (Monument Type Scotland) SCULPTURE (Monument Type Scotland) CARVED STONE (Monument Type Scotland) CROSS SLAB (Monument Type Scotland)
Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. Source:	ADS Library (ADS Library)
Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report Relations:	URI: http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas
Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered Created Date:	10 Jan 2020