Parish Find Location 
Mästerby

Find Location 
The nave of Mästerby church.

Find Context Classification 
Church

Coordinate Find Location (lat) 
6374506

Coordinate Find Location (long) 
698119

Parish Present Location 
Mästerby

Present Location 
In situ

Present Location Classification 
Church
In-Loco

Coordinate Present Location (lat) 
6374506

Coordinate Present Location (long) 
698119

Material 
Limestone

Height 
125

Width 
45

Thickness 
10

Lindqvist Type 
Unclear (ca. 400-1150)

Lindqvist Shape 
Unclear

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Context and Discovery 
The rectangular choir with its semicircular apse as well as the nave of Mästerby church were finished around 1200, while the tower was erected around 1250. In the middle of the 14th century the walls of the nave were raised and arches erected over both the choir and the nave. Mästerby kyrka 2 was discovered between 1979 and 1984 in the west-facing niche in the wall north of the triumphal arch. This round-arched niche, which originally belonged to a side altar, features a Romanesque painting, depicting the Holy Mother with Child surrounded by two archangels, that can be dated to the late 12th century, probably to 1199 (Roosval 1942, p. 183). The possible picture stone fragment is incorporated into the niche and forms its sill. It is only mentioned in Jan Peder Lamm’s list. Another picture stone fragment was incorporated into the recessed cabinet in the southern wall of the apse – GP 270 Mästerby kyrka (I).
GP 270 Mästerby kyrka (I)

Measurements, Material and Condition 
The visible rectangular part of the limestone slab is about 0.45 m wide, 1.25 m long, and 0.10 m thick. However, the thickness is hard to estimate as the wall is whitewashed and thus the slab’s narrow side can only be guessed at. The slab might be larger than the visible part; at least the long side that adjoins the recessed wall with the mural painting appears to continue towards the east. There are two cracks, one in the left and one in the right half of the west-facing edge; small parts of the edge appear to be broken off but are still in place. In some places, the edge is fixed with concrete.

Description of Ornament and Images 
Approximately the far left and the far right quarter of the surface are covered by regular tool marks. Between these secondarily reworked areas, the surface features a structure that in parts could be regarded as remains of carved background fields. Occasionally, scattered raised elements can be observed, which could be interpreted as remains of bas-relief ornament. Jan Peder Lamm only notes that there are marks of carving tools discernible on the slab. The condition of the surface is rated by him as 0, which means that no remains of the images are left and the stone either has never been carved or the decoration has been obliterated (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 179). As the stone only represents a rectangular fragment, it is not clear why Lamm regarded the slab as a picture stone at all.

Interpretation of the Imagery 
No interpretation

Type and Dating 
The stone’s type cannot be determined. If there are remains of bas-relief discernible (see VI), the slab should represent a late-type picture stone (Type C/D or E), dating to between the 8th century and about AD 1100. However, as the possible remains of carvings are uncertain, it is not possible to verify that this slab represents a picture stone.

References 
No references

 
Fyndplats
Observerades första gången mellan 1979 och 1984 i altarnischen till det tidigare norra sidoaltaret.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Samma plats som 1979-84.

Beskrivning
Fragment av oklar typ av bildsten om det över huvud taget rör sig om en bildsten. Synlig längd 125 cm och bredd 45 cm. Märken efter redskap synliga på fragmentet, men oklart om det rör sig om en bildsten.

Datering
Dateringen oklar.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA

Title
GP 272 Mästerby kyrka 2

Jan Peder Lamm ID 
421

ATA