GP 557 Väskinde kyrka III

Context and Discovery
The only available information is given by Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 141): “This stone was found by [Fredrik Nordin] in 1913, lying on the cemetery wall just south of the western lychgate.” The three lychgates were erected around 1300, together with the current nave and tower.

Measurements, Material and Condition
Lindqvist describes the stone fragment as follows (1941/42 II, p. 141): “Limestone slab, up to 14 cm thick. The obverse is reasonably smooth, but unhewn. Both vertical edges appear to have been roughly hewn at right angles towards the obverse, but of the original left narrow side, nowadays only a small part remains, close to the broken-off upper left corner. Otherwise, the stone is defined on the left by a recent, roughly hewn narrow side. At the upper right corner, there is a clear, right-angled crack (next to it, the upper part of the vertical edge is slightly damaged). The upper edge, the contour of which is most likely to have corresponded to that on the stone Ardre Petsarve I, has been treated like the vertical sides. The reverse is rough and unworked. The stone’s total height is 113 cm, of which 72 cm are accounted for by the section above the root. The width is 59 cm.” The surface is much weathered and worn. As the stone is so much fragmented and only small parts of the original edges are preserved, it is difficult to determine its original shape (see IX).

Description of Ornament and Images
According to Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 141), “[…] only a number of insignificant lines are preserved that probably represent a vessel with rounded, towering stems and a sail with square pattern. Close below the keel, two horizontal lines of the border can be seen. The background field is chiseled.” In his book, however, he only reproduces a photo of the unpainted stone (ibid. fig. 555), on which nothing more than a horizontal border line and presumably some parts of the square pattern can be discerned. An unpublished drawing by Olof Sörling depicts the described ship’s hull, as well as minor parts of its mast, sail, and rigging (ATA, Run- och bildstenssamling).

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The stone is very fragmented and only small parts of its original edges are preserved. Therefore, it is difficult to determine its original shape and type (see V). The dimensions of the fragment and the rudimentary sailing ship indicate a late-type picture stone, ʻAbschnittʼ C/D or E according to Lindqvist, which means a dating between the 8th century and about AD 1100. Due to the shape of the preserved upper right corner of the Väskinde slab, which he compares to the small gable- or wave-shaped picture stones GP 19 Ardre Petsarve I and GP 103 Garda Smiss II, Lindqvist regards it as a Type C ʻcist stoneʼ (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, p. 44; 1964, p. 67). If this interpretation is correct, Väskinde kyrka III represents the only known cist stone depicting a ship (ibid.). According to Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 40, 47–48, 58–61; 1964), those gable-like picture stones with wave-shaped upper edge, the so-called cist stones, were used either pairwise representing grave markers or in a group of four that form cist-shaped (grave or sacrificial) monuments. However, all known cist stones have been discovered in secondary contexts (Stenkvist 2014). In Stenkvist’s study, the fragment from Väskinde church is not considered at all, presumably due to its fragmentary condition and uncertain typology.
GP 19 Ardre Petsarve I
GP 103 Garda Smiss II

References
Lundmark 1929, pp. 222–223; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 141, fig. 555; 1964, p. 67.

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