GP 344 Sanda kyrka II

Context and Discovery ⓘ
According to Per Arvid Säve’s Samlingar (III, p. 417), GP 341 Sanda kyrka I “[…] was found in 1863 in the cemetery, about 40 ells south of the church nave and about two ells below ground. There it had lain among a number of rough building stones that belonged to a rectangular building of about 10 square ells. [Sanda kyrka] II and [GP 345 Sanda kyrka] III also were discovered among these building stones. No. I was transferred to SHM in 1927; No. II and No. III are still standing in the cemetery. […] [Sanda kyrka II] now stands leaning against the outside of the east wall of the sacristy” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 107, 109). The fragments of the large Type A picture stone GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV, however, were discovered in 1902 while grave digging work and in 1956 under the church floor. It is now on exhibition in Gotlands Museum.

On photos dating to 1994, Sanda kyrka II can be seen still leaning against the outer wall of the sacristy (ATA dnr 3666/94). Shortly after 1994; however, it had been moved to the storage building, which is located in the churchyard, north of the church. There it had been leaning against the outer wall of the building. Since 2006, however, the large slab was re-erected just in front of the eastern outer wall of the churchyard.
GP 341 Sanda kyrka I
GP 345 Sanda kyrka III
GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 109) described the stone as follows: “Limestone slab, about 15 cm thick. The obverse is even, the narrow sides are rounded towards the back, which is rough and unworked. The height is 2.55 m. The width of the head is 74 cm, that of the neck 69 cm, and that of the base 130 cm.” The very tall mushroom-shaped picture stone is completely preserved. As it has been exposed to the weather since 1863, and only insignificantly protected by the eaves of the sacristy or the storage building respectively, the destruction of its original carved surface has already reached an advanced stage. The earliest photographs from the 1920s show the picture stone overgrown with lichens. In 1994 or shortly afterwards, conservation measures have been taken, the surface was cleaned and broken parts and cracks, in particular, in the lower half of the stone, were fixed with mortar.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
The only available documentation of the monument and its carvings is a drawing by Olof Sörling, which has been reproduced in Lindqvist’s book (1941/42 II, fig. 486). In accordance with Sörling’s interpretation, but somewhat skeptical, Lindqvist describes the remaining decoration in the following way (ibid. p. 109): “Of the decoration on the severely weathered obverse, only a number of very shallow, frequently doubtful lines may be observed that indicate a narrow framing border, both ends of which are curved inwards and upwards. The field appears to be partitioned into three panels by horizontal bands. It is possible that both the middle one and the lower one bore the image of a ship with a sail with rhombic pattern; the upper ship then would have been positioned on a saw-like row of waves(?).” In Sörling’s drawing, the carvings appear inaccurate and sketchy.

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Runic Context and Comments ⓘ
According to Sörling’s drawing and Lindqvist’s description, both ends of the apparently empty framing border are curved upwards in the lower third of the surface. A curved horizontal band seems to connect both ends of the border. This element is reminiscent of the iriskt koppel, which occurs frequently on Late Viking Age mainland rune stones, and also on Type E picture stones such as GP 22 Ardre kyrka III, GP 208 Hogrän kyrka I, and GP 235 Linde kyrka. Therefore, it is a plausible assumption that the border had contained a runic inscription (cf. Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 109).
GP 22 Ardre kyrka III
GP0208
GP 235 Linde kyrka

Type and Dating ⓘ
Tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, belonging to ʻAbschnittʼ C/D or E according to Lindqvist. If there is no decoration left, those monuments can only be roughly dated to the period between the 8th century and around AD 1100. The design of the border appears to indicate a Type E monument with runic inscription (see VIII). However, two arguments speak against this interpretation – 1) Tall Type E picture stones with rune stone ornament do not depict figurative motifs like ships and 2) they are usually decorated with deep grooves, which could not have been the case here. If there had been an inscription, it must have been very faintly carved, or it had never been executed and the stone must be regarded as an unfinished slab, the carvings as a kind of sketch.

There is another feature, which makes the Sanda monument exceptional – the depiction of two large sailing ships in two panels below each other.

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 109, fig. 486.

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