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The Clonmacnoise Crucifixion Plaque is a late-10th or early-11th century (often given as c. 1090–1110) Irish gilt-bronze sculpture showing the
Crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and conside ...
, with two attendant angels hovering above his arms to his immediate left and right. Below them are representations of the Roman soldiers
Stephaton Stephaton, or Steven, is the name given in medieval Christian traditions to the Roman soldier or bystander, unnamed in the Bible, who offered Jesus a sponge soaked in vinegar wine at the Crucifixion. In later depictions of the Crucifixion, Stepha ...
(the sponge-bearer) and
Longinus Longinus () is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal G ...
(the lance-bearer) driving spears into his chest. The plaque is one of eight such
Early Medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
Irish crucifixion plaques to have survived,Moss (2014), p. 272 but was, in its closely observed detail, especially around the figure's clothing, described by the art historian
Máire de Paor Máire is the Irish language form of the Latin Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name or M ...
as the "most charming of the series".de Paor (1954), p. 40 It measures x , and was acquired by the
National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Seandálaíocht, often known as the "NMI") is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland located on Kildare Street in Dublin, Ireland, that specialises in Irish and ...
, Dublin, in 1935.de Paor (1954), p. 35


Description

Christ is shown as still alive and with open eyes.Mitchell (1977), p. 99 His head and outstretched arms are disproportionally large compared to the rest of his body, and he is clothed in a long
chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Easter ...
(a type of liturgical
vestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...
) that reaches to his knees. He is smiling despite the nail-heads or puncture wounds in the palms of each of his hand, which have been incurred from the spears held by
Stephaton Stephaton, or Steven, is the name given in medieval Christian traditions to the Roman soldier or bystander, unnamed in the Bible, who offered Jesus a sponge soaked in vinegar wine at the Crucifixion. In later depictions of the Crucifixion, Stepha ...
and
Longinus Longinus () is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal G ...
.Harbison (2000), p. 12 The panel is similar to the more well-known and earlier Rinnegan (or Athlone) Crucifixion Plaque in its rendering of the figure's hair and garments. The plaque contains a number of resemblances to a stone cross on the
Calf of Man Calf of Man ( gv, Yn Cholloo ) is a island, off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. It is separated from the Isle of Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound. Like the nearby rocky islets of Chicken Rock and Kitterland, it i ...
island off the southwest coast of the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...
. In that work, Christ is also depicted with a moustache, forked beard and long hair, and is also similar (and closer in date) to Christ in the Rinnegan plaque, while bearing resemblance to the cleric on the 11th century side panel of the Soiscél Molaisse.de Paor (1954), pp. 37–38 The figures are surrounded by a rectangular frame, the lower border of which Jesus, Stephaton and Longinus stand. No part of the cross is visible.


Function

Archaeologists believe that it was built as an attachment to a larger metal or wooden object given that the reverse is flat and unadorned, and that it contains eight rivet-holes (only one rivet –or nail– remains) on the outer borders.de Paor (1954), pp. 97 It is unknown as to what the precise intention was; such plaques adorned wooden
cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...
es, book covers or altar frontals.Mitchell (1977), p. 91Johnson (1998), p. 97


Notes


Sources

* Johnson, Ruth. "Irish Crucifixion Plaques: Viking Age or Romanesque?". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 128, 1998. * Harbison, Peter. "A lost crucifixion plaque of Clonmacnoise type found in County Mayo". ̄''Irish Midland Studies: essays in commemoration of N.W. English'', Athlone, 1980 * Mitchell, G. Frank. "Foreign Influences and the Beginnings of Christian Art". In:
Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin
'. NY:
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...
, 1977. * Moss, Rachel. ''Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland''. London: Yale University Press, 2014. * de Paor, Máire. "An Openwork Crucifixion Plaque from Clonmacnoise". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 84, no. 1, 1954.


Further reading

* Kelly, Dorothy. "Crucifivion Plaques". ''Irish Arts Review Yearbook'', 1990 {{Insular art Collection of the National Museum of Ireland Crucifixion plaques