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A spectacular Anglo-Saxon silver cross has emerged from less than 1,000 years of encrusted earth after careful conservation. Such is its quality that the one who commissioned this treasure may have been a high-level cleric or even a king.
It was a pitiful-looking object when it was first unearthed in 2014 from a plowed field in the west of Scotland as part of the Galloway Hoard, the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-era objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. Acquired by the National Museums of Scotland. (NMS) in 2017.
Galloway Treasure
The tiniest glimpses of its gold leaf decoration could be seen through its grimy exterior, but its impressive and intricate design had been hidden until now. A supreme example of Anglo-Saxon metalwork has been revealed. The equal-armed cross was created by a goldsmith of exceptional skill and art. Its four arms bear the symbols of the four evangelists who wrote the New Testament Gospels: Saint Matthew (man), Mark (lion), Luke (cow) and John (eagle).
Dr. Martin Goldberg, Senior Curator of NMS Viking and Early Medieval Collections, recalled his “astonishment” after seeing the cross in a gleaming state.
He told the Observer: “It is simply spectacular. There really is no parallel. That’s partly due to the time period it came from. We imagine that many ecclesiastical treasures were stolen from monasteries, that is what the historical record of the Viking age describes. This is one of the survivals. The quality of the workmanship is just amazing. It is a true privilege to see this after 1,000 years. “
Galloway’s hoard was buried in the late 9th century at Dumfries and Galloway, where it was unearthed by a metal detector in 2014. The cross was among more than 100 gold, silver and other objects, including a beautiful gold-shaped pin. of bird and a gilt silver vessel. Incredibly, the tissue in which the objects had been wrapped was among the organic matter that also survived.
Goldberg said: “In the early 10th century, new kingdoms arose in response to the Viking invasions. The dynasty of Alfred the Great was laying the foundations of medieval England, and Alba, the kingdom that became medieval Scotland, is mentioned for the first time in historical sources. “
Galloway had been part of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Goldberg said, and was called the Saxon coast in Irish chronicles until the 10th century. But this area would become the Manor of Galloway, named for the Gall-Gaedil, people of Scandinavian descent who He spoke Gaelic and dominated the Irish Sea area during the Viking era.
“The mixed material from the Galloway Hoard exemplifies this dynamic political and cultural environment,” added Goldberg.
“Cleaning has revealed that the cross, made in the 9th century, [has] a late Anglo-Saxon style of decoration. It seems like the kind of thing that would be commissioned at the highest levels of society. The first sons used to be kings and lords, the second sons would become high ranking clergymen. It is probable that it comes from one of these aristocratic families. “
The pectoral cross has survived with its intricate spiral chain, from which it would have been suspended from the neck, deployed on the chest. The chain shows that the cross was worn. Goldberg said: “You could almost imagine someone taking off their neck and wrapping the chain around it to bury it in the ground. He has that kind of personal touch. “
Conservators carved a porcupine feather to create a tool that was sharp enough to remove dirt, yet smooth enough not to damage the metal frame.
Dr Leslie Webster, former Guardian of Britain, Prehistory and Europe at the British Museum, said: “It is a unique survival of high-status Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical metallurgy from a period when, in part thanks to Viking raids , so much has been lost. “
Why the treasure was buried remains a mystery. Goldberg said the cross now raises many more questions and the investigation continues.
The exhibition, Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure, will be at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from February 19 to May 9, before traveling to Dundee and Aberdeen.
