GP 66 Barlingbo Stava

Context and Discovery
The stone fragment was discovered somewhere on the property, under the soil, by Hans von Corswant who was the owner of Stava gård between 1939 and 1967. In a newspaper article about Stava gård and its family history based on an interview with Hans von Corswant and his son Gunnar, who owned Stava gård since 1967 (Gotlands Allehanda 1972-12-23), a photo of the stone was published for the first time. The find was registered in the course of the 1976 inventory and is recorded in the inventory book. However, it is not in Lamm’s list.

Stava gård, which was one of the largest farms on Gotland, was bought in 1866 by the Pomeranian immigrant Arthur von Corswant, and it remained family-owned throughout five generations. During this period, many prehistoric items were discovered on the property by the owners, in particular by Hans von Corswant – Iron Age burials, grindstones, stone axes, fragments of medieval stone sculpture as well as fragmented medieval grave slabs with inscriptions.

Measurements, Material and Condition
The stone represents the fragmented head and neck of a dwarf stone. Its convex upper edge as well as the left side including the mushroom head’s typical emphasized corner are preserved, while the right side and the lower part of the small slab are broken off. The fragment is 25.5 cm wide, 22.2 cm high, and its longest diagonal is about 27.9 cm. The small limestone slab is 3.2 cm thick. The carved lines on the stone’s surface have been traced with paint, which in the 1972 photo seems to have been freshly applied and is still visible today. The stone is attached onto the brick pillar with three iron rods. It shows certain signs of weathering (in particular, covered by moss); however, its condition is still relatively good, as it is protected by the pergola’s roof to some extent.

Description of Ornament and Images
The decoration of the stone is only carved with simple but relatively deep lines, and no relief is carved out. The border ornamentation is quite crude, a simple step pattern, which frequently occurs on Type B stones and can be regarded as simplified interlace pattern (Lindqvist calls it “vereinfachtes Schnurmuster”). In the head field, a very simple depiction of a vessel is largely preserved, featuring a canoe-like hull and a raised, inward-bent stem.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The stone must have been very small, less than 1.00 m high. The shape of the head and the decoration of the dwarf stone clearly indicate a Type B picture stone, dating to between AD 500 and 700. The stone belongs to those Type B stones described by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 38–39) as dwarf stones with almost semi-circular head and slightly downward pointing corner edges. Best parallels regarding the head’s shape, the border pattern and the vessel are GP 96 Garda Smiss I, GP 143 Halla Broa I, GP 142 Halla Broa VII, and GP 147 Halla Broa X (all of them belonging to Lindqvist’s so-called Stenstugruppe, see ibid. pp. 37–38). The way the vessel’s stem is harmoniously integrated into the corner of the head field is reminiscent of GP 96 Garda Smiss I and GP 19 Ardre Petsarve II (Stenstu-group as well).
GP 96 Garda Smiss I
GP 143 Halla Broa I
GP 142 Halla Broa VII
GP 147 Halla Broa X
GP 19 Ardre Petsarve I

References
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