The Manx Crosses - Cross 61[50] Calf of Man Crucifixion
The Calf of Man Crucifixion Slab 61[50]
This outstanding example of Celtic art is carved on a slab of slate. Only a portion of it has survived and this measures about 26 inches by 10 inches (660 X 250 mm). It was discovered around the 1770s on the Calf of Man, a small island to the south of the Isle of Man, by workmen who were demolishing the ruins of an ancient keeill, an early Celtic chapel, to obtain stone for use as building material.
The slab probably formed part of an altar panel and is thought to date from about the late 8th century, a few years before the arrival of the Vikings. The carving depicts the crucifixion of Christ whose clothed figure is flanked on the left hand side by a Roman soldier with a spear. On the missing right hand portion of the slab there may have been another soldier with a sponge of vinegar as related in the Gospels.
For fineness and delicacy of workmanship in stone at that early period it is unequalled. It is typically Byzantine in style and serves as an example of the artistic influence which the eastern Mediterranean Church had on the Celtic Church at that time. Similar work on bronze plates and in other metal has been found in Ireland. The decorative circular feature covering Christ's upper body might indicate that the carver of this slab was copying an ornamental rivet head on a similar work in bronze.
This unique example of early Celtic artistic craftsmanship may be seen at the Manx Museum in Douglas.