COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Wood Hewn From Stone: Material and Meaning in the Ruthwell Cross
Creator:
Hall, Emma
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"While the Ruthwell Cross' inscriptions and imagery have been studied at length, the significance of its material is often overlooked. The Anglo-Saxon high cross was built with sculpted stone, evoking a sense of permanence which associated it with eternity and Heaven, while its Biblical associations also reflected its worthiness for the preservation and transmission of sacred information. At the same time, the Ruthwell Cross' material is complicated by its form, inscriptions, and iconography, referencing both the wooden True Cross and Insular manuscripts. As a monument intended to represent the wooden True Cross made from stone, the Ruthwell Cross is representative of both transformation and paradox, both of which added to its theological resonance. Finally, the use of stone in the multicultural landscape of early medieval Northumbria sent a message of Anglo-Saxon authority over local populations. It represented a permanent mark of their victory over the land as well as a tangible symbol of their connection to the Roman Church. Ultimately, an investigation of the significance of stone in the context of the Ruthwell Cross reveals it to be a material with multiple theological and cultural connotations that deepen messages present in the sculpture's iconography and inscriptions." --Abstract
Keywords: Anglo-Saxon, Insular, material, Ruthwell Cross, stone
Keywords: Anglo-Saxon, Insular, material, Ruthwell Cross, stone
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2025-05
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 52 pages, color illustrations)