GP 108 Gothem kyrka I

Context and Discovery ⓘ
“Fragment that is used as the second roof tile (counted from the bottom) in the upper third of a staircase to the choir’s attic, located in the wall between choir and sacristy. The obverse, partially hidden in the masonry, is facing downwards” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 47–48; cf. Roosval 1947, p. 101). The stone was known to Olof Sörling, who made a drawing around 1910. More picture stones have been found installed as bottom slab in a niche on the east side of the wall opening between choir and sacristy (GP 109 Gothem kyrka II), in the floor of the sacristy (GP 110 Gothem kyrka III), and in the floor of the choir, just in front of the altar (GP 111 Gothem kyrka 4).

The choir and the sacristy are the oldest parts of the current building, erected in the early 13th century (Lagerlöf/Svahnström 1991, pp. 146–147; cf. Andrén 2011, pp. 184–186). They replaced an earlier Romanesque choir from the 12th century, parts of which have been found under the floor during a renovation in 1949/50 (Lagerlöf 1964).
GP 109 Gothem kyrka II
GP0110
GP0111

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
The visible part of the fragment is perfectly rectangular, the left long side preserving the original lateral edge of the monument, and the right long side representing a break. Both long sides are about 55 cm long, the short sides 35 cm. “Limestone slab, 19 cm thick. The obverse dressed, with remains of a chamfer, which features two shallow, parallel grooves, along the [left] long side. This latter is parallel to the break that runs through the roundel, is slightly concave lengthwise, and probably once formed the picture stone’s left vertical edge.” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 48). The upper and the lower edges of the monument are hidden by the masonry and a wooden board. The front side has light patches, which are probably due to vegetation.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
The only available documentation of the carvings is a drawing by Olof Sörling from about 1910 (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, fig. 356). The mentioned grooves (see V) are not considered in this drawing. Furthermore, in Sörlings’s drawing the left long side looks slightly convex rather than concave as described by Lindqvist (see V). However, in the manuscript for Lindqvist’s book kept in the university archive of Uppsala, a sketch of the stone has been preserved, which shows the side as clearly convex, and the grooves on the edge are also indicated. The obverse features a roundel divided exactly in the middle by the straight, vertical broken edge. It has a diameter of about 45 cm and shows a whirl pattern of alternating slightly raised and carved crescent elements. The halo surrounding the roundel is formed by a series of accurate three-quarter circles that are open towards the outside. Lindqvist mentions “decoration by means of lines and slightly chiselled fields both inside of the two grooves along the chamfer and in every second of the crescent-shaped fields of the roundel” (ibid. p. 48).

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
Regarding the interpretation of whirl motifs as symbols of the sun, see in particular GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV.
GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV

Type and Dating ⓘ
The fragment represents a part of the head of an early-type picture stone, i.e., Type A according to Lindqvist’s typology, dating to between AD 400 and 600. Lindqvist assigns the stone to his Brotypus, named after GP 43 Bro kyrka I, which is characterized by a large central and two smaller roundels, simple grooves featuring the lateral border decoration, and a more elaborate pattern at the upper edge of the tall monument (1941/42 I, p. 26–27; cf. Hauck 1983a, pp. 541–542).
GP 43 Bro kyrka I

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 47–48, fig. 356; Roosval 1947, p. 101; Guber 2011, p. 119 cat. no. 20.

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