GP 488 Tingstäde kyrka I

Context and Discovery
The stone is incorporated into the steps leading up to the western tower portal of Tingstäde church. Together with a much smaller limestone slab, the fragment of a very tall picture stone forms the first step. The fragment is situated to the left (north), the smaller slab to the right (south). The lower part of the tower was erected between ca. 1230 und 1270, the upper part was added during the 14th century. The western portal is one of the largest Romanesque portals on Gotland, comparable to the so-called ʻbride portalʼ of Visby Cathedral (Lagerlöf/Svahnström 1991, p. 245). The picture stone was detected by Fredrik Nordin in 1913. A drawing by him reproduced in Lindqvist’s “Gotlands Bildsteine” is the only published picture of the stone available (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, fig. 533).

In total, not fewer than 26 picture stones from Tingstäde church are registered in Lamm/Nylén 2003 – The stones Tingstäde kyrka I–XX were published by Lindqvist, while GP 507–509 Tingstäde kyrka 21–23 and GP 494 Tingstäde kyrka 24 were discovered and published by B. Böttger-Niedenzu in 1984. Two more stones, which are incorporated into the wall of the tower, were found between 1990 and 2002 (GP 497–498 Tingstäde kyrka 25–26).
GP 507 Tingstäde kyrka 21
GP 508 Tingstäde kyrka 22
GP 509 Tingstäde kyrka 23
GP 494 Tingstäde kyrka 24
GP 497 Tingstäde kyrka 25
GP 498 Tingstäde kyrka 26

Measurements, Material and Condition
The rectangular block is 2.67 m long and has a visible width of between 17.5 and 14 cm. Probably, the fragment is even wider, as a significant part of the stone is hidden by the upper step of the portal which lies on top of it. According to Lindqvist (1941/42, 130–131), the left (northern) end of the stone is hidden, and the fragment could be even longer. However, in the present condition of the steps, the left end of the picture stone fragment is easily visible and it don’t seems to be much longer. However, the left edge is not chamfered as documented by Nordin, but relatively straight instead. The limestone is predominantly light grey but quite dark in the somewhat deeper parts of the surface. As a result, the stone looks a bit marbled. Apart from that, the surface is almost completely worn and smooth.

Description of Ornament and Images
According to Fredrik Nordin’s drawing, there are only a few carved lines left in the southern (right) part of the surface. They in all probability represent the very poor remains of a rhombic pattern, which probably indicates the sail of a lost ship depiction. However, it is very hard to verify these lines on the original stone surface.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The very poor remains of a checkered sail and the dimensions of the monument appear to indicate a picture stone of type C/D. Thus, the stone could be roughly dated to between the 8th century or about 800 and the 10th century.

References
Lundmark 1925, pp. 172–173; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 130–131, fig. 533.

mer grejer

Find Context

The Stone

Carvings

Detailed Information

Svensk sammanfattning

Identification

Links

Export

More media

Plane	Position	Flip