List of Crucifixion Plaques

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Killaloe Crucifixion Plaque, late 7th or early 8th century Killaloe Crucifixion Plaque.jpg
Killaloe Crucifixion Plaque, late 7th or early 8th century

The following is a complete list of the nine surviving Early Medieval Irish Crucifixion plaques , although many more would have been produced. Eight are extant and one is known from a 19th-century watercolour reproduction. Four have an established provenance; the others are grouped based on figurative similarities to these known examples. It may be that the examples in each group were produced by separate workshops.

Contents

Crucifixion plaques are a rare example of figurative in early Irish art. Their iconography and form seems to be influenced by The earlier illuminated manuscripts and stone sculpture. [1] The Rinnegan Plaque is dated to c. 700 AD and is 21 cm (8.3 in) in height, making it much larger and pre-dating the other examples by over three centuries, and is the finest of the group. Based on their artistic style and iconography, archaeologists dated the other plaques to within the late 10th and early 12th centuries. The other plaques are square-shaped and of a similar size (c. 9 cm (3.5 in) x 9 cm (3.5 in)), and made of cast bronze or copper alloy. [2] They are all made using openwork with the exception of the Lismore Plaque.

The plaques

In 1980, the archaeologist Peter Harbison identified the then-known six plaques as a distinct type. He divided them into the Clonmacnoise (in County Offaly and Dungannon, County Tyrone groups, based on their find-spots, iconography and form, including the pose of the figures and decoration of the borders. [3] Harbison believes that, except for the c. 700 AD Rinnegan plaque, they all dated to c. 1100 AD. [4]

Since Harbison's publication, the Dungannon Plaque is now localised to Tynan, County Armagh, near the find-spot of a recently found plaque from Anketell, County Monaghan, while another example is now thought to originate from Lismore, County Waterford. Based on these findings, the archaeologist Griffin Murray further divided the plaques into the "Tynan", "Clonmacnoise", "Klllalon" (or "Kells") groups and "others" (i.e. those unlocalised either by find-spot or style and the very early and geographically distinct Rinnegan Plaque). [5]

WorkTitleDateFind spotMaterialHeightHarbison numberMurray GroupingCurrent location
Placca della crocifissione, in bronzo, da st. john's rinnagan, contea di roscommon, viii secolo.jpg Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque c. 700AD [6] Rinnagan, near Athlone, County Westmeath Bronze 21 cm (8.3 in)n/an/a National Museum of Ireland (NMI), Dublin
Placchetta con crocifissione in lega di rame, da clonmacnoise, 1090-1110 ca.jpg Clonmacnoise Crucifixion Plaque 10th century [7] Clonmacnoise monastery, County Offaly Bronze, gilt openwork, repoussé [8] 8.0 cm (3.1 in)2 [9] Clonmacnoise [10] NMI
Placchetta con crocifissione in lega di rame, da Lismore in irlanda, 1110 ca. 01.jpg Lismore Crucifixion Plaque c. 1090—1113 [11] Lismore, County Waterford brass [12] 7.6 cm (3.0 in)4 [13] Killalon [14] NMI
Tynan Crucifixion Plaque c. 1100 [15] Tynan, County Armagh Bronze [16] 8.2 cm (3.2 in)Tynan [10] NMI
Placchetta con crocifissione in lega di rame, da Anketell in irlanda, 1110 ca. 02.jpg Anketell Crucifixion Plaquec. 1110 [17] Emyvale, County Monaghan gunmetal [12] 8.0 cm (3.1 in)5 [18] Tynan [10] NMI
Placchetta della crocifissione in lega di rame, forse da killaloe, co. di clare, xi secolo (cropped2).jpg Killaloe Crucifixion Plaque11th century [19] Killaloe, County Clare leaded gunmetal [12] 7.3 cm (2.9 in)3 [20] Killalon [10] NMI
Academy Crucifixion Plaque.jpg Academy Crucifixion Plaque?Unlocalised [21] brass [12] 7.2 cm (2.8 in)Killalon [10] NMI
The Kells Crucifixion plaque BM.jpg Kells Crucifixion Plaque11th or 12th century Kells, County Meath brass [12] 8.2 cm (3.2 in)6 [22] Killalon [14] British Museum, London [23]
Mayo Crucifixion Plaque.jpg Mayo Crucifixion Plaque? County Mayo ?8.5 cm (3.3 in)? [24] 1 [25] Clonmacnoise [10] Lost [26]

References

  1. ↑ Johnson (1998), p. 95
  2. ↑ Johnson (1998), p. 96
  3. ↑ Murray (2014), p. 286
  4. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 24–38
  5. ↑ Murray (2014), pp. 287–289
  6. ↑ Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 212
  7. ↑ Moss (2014), p. 272
  8. ↑ Johnson (1998), p. 98
  9. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 26–29
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murray, p. 292
  11. ↑ Murray (2014), pp. 300–301
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Murray (2014), p. 301
  13. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 29–30
  14. 1 2 Murray, pp 295–296
  15. ↑ Hamlin; Haworth (1982), pp. 112, 115
  16. ↑ Johnson (1998), p. 101
  17. ↑ Murray (2014), p. 292
  18. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 30–31
  19. ↑ Harbison (1980), p. 28
  20. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 28–29
  21. ↑ Murray (2014), pp. 297, 308–309
  22. ↑ Harbison (1980), p. 32
  23. ↑ "Plaque, 1983,0701.1". British Museum. Retrieved 4 May 2025
  24. ↑ Harbison (1980), p. 24
  25. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 26–27
  26. ↑ Harbison (1980), pp. 24, 34

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