Parish Find Location ⓘ
Vall

Find Location ⓘ
Vall churchyard

Find Context Classification ⓘ
Churchyard

Coordinate Find Location (lat) ⓘ
6380322

Coordinate Find Location (long) ⓘ
700309

Present Location ⓘ
Unknown. Lost?

Present Location Classification ⓘ
Unknown

Material
Limestone

Height ⓘ
208

Width ⓘ
99

Thickness ⓘ
20

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone

Runic Inscription or not ⓘ
No

Context and Discovery ⓘ
The picture stone from the churchyard of Vall is published in Lindqvist’s “Gotlands Bildsteine” (II, p. 138–139), based on archival material, which is kept at ATA: According to a brief report by Per Arvid Säve from 1864 (Berättelser), including a drawing of the stone, the monument was standing at the northern wall of the churchyard at that time. Lindqvist also refers to a sketch or drawing of a picture stone from Vall churchyard by Fredrik Nordin, dating to 1880. Both depictions are so similar that, according to Lindqvist, they probably represent one and the same stone, even though the given dimensions differ a bit from one another. Strangely enough, the only picture reproduced in Lindqvist’s book, however, is a drawing by Olof Sörling (II, fig. 550), which is dated between 1909 and 1918. According to Lindqvist, the stone could not be found after 1880.

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
According to the report by Per Arvid Säve from 1864, the picture stone had been 2.08 m high, 0.99 m wide, and about 0.20 m thick. On his 1880 drawing, Fredrik Nordin notes the following measurements instead. Total height: 2.22 m, width at the stone’s basis: 0.94 m, width at the stone’s neck: 0.67 m, maximum width of the head: 0.74 m, height of the head alone: 0.50 m high, thickness: 0.14 m. According to Säve, no traces of ornament or inscriptions were preserved on the surface. Nevertheless, the stone itself was completely preserved; only the left part of the root had apparently been broken off.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
According to Säve’s report dating to 1864, there were no remains of ornament or inscriptions discernable on the stone. Even then its surface had been completely weathered.

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
The large stone’s typical mushroom shape is completely preserved and indicates a late-type picture stone, “Abschnitt” C/D according to Lindqvist’s typology. Those stones date between the 8th century and the 10th century. As no carvings were preserved on the stone, it is unlikely to represent a Type E monument. The ornament and inscriptions on the large Type E rune stones are so deeply carved that weathering and footsteps have been unable to obliterate them entirely.

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 138–139, fig. 550.

 ⓘ
Fyndplats
Bildstenen omtalades första gången 1864, då den stod mot den norra kyrkogårdsmuren vid Valls kyrka.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Okänd. Bildstenen avbildades 1918, men placeringen var okänd redan 1941.

Beskrivning
En stor svampformig bildsten (typ C-D), 208 x 99 cm.

Datering
Dateringen kan inte anges närmare, men den tillhör perioden 700-900-talen.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA

Title
GP 535 Vall kyrka

Jan Peder Lamm ID
321

Lindqvist Title ⓘ
Vall, Kirchhof