'A pillar curiously engraven; with some inscriptions upon it': What is the Ruthwell Cross? (review)

The Ruthwell Cross has fascinated historians, art historians and literary scholars since the seventeenth century. It occupies an important position in our understanding of Anglo-Saxon art. A large monumental stone cross, it stands inside the church at Ruthwell in southern Scotland. It is one of many such stone crosses that remain, often in a fragmentary state, across northern Britain, Wales and Ireland. It has a troubled history; having been demolished during the 1640s by order of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and restored in the nineteenth century, when it was erected in the garden of the manse, before being enclosed within the church proper. It has been the subject of antiquarian scrutiny and its appearance recorded in engravings and photographs. It consists of a series of carved panels and inscriptions in both Latin and in runes. The runic text has been connected to the well-known Mercian poem, 'The Dream of the Rood'.

In this study, based on her PhD from Sydney University, Pamela O'Neill returns to this work to produce a comprehensive study of each of its component elements: decoration, inscriptions, and iconography. Given the number of articles and monographs that have been published on this work, this is a very ambitious project. The presentation is, however, quite humble. Following the format of a British Archaeological Report, it clearly sets out the parameters of the investigation and deals with each issue covered succinctly. It is generously illustrated with sometimes grainy and blurred, scanned images, plans, tables and maps.

O'Neill examines the historical descriptions of the Ruthwell Cross, previous interpretations by scholars and the physical remains. A significant part of this study is the statistical analysis of likeness between the Cross and other early British sculpture, a quantitative approach not previously applied. While this highlights some striking connections, as well as significant differences, between the surviving fragments, there is little discussion of the criteria chosen to aid the non-statistically minded reader. While useful in a discussion of certain features of the vinescroll decoration, the figural sculpture and the shape of the Latin inscriptions, for stylistic analysis across objects and media this seems more an additional tool rather than a satisfactory alternative.

At the same time, O'Neill's careful re-examination of the state of the cross leads to some intriguing reinterpretations. Given the almost universal acceptance of the runic inscription's connection to the Dream of the Rood, O'Neill's rejection of this provides an unexpected challenge. She returns to Kemble's first interpretation of the text published in 1840, written before he became aware of the Vercelli manuscript poem. In his first article on the Cross he identified the protagonist as Mary Magdalene. Comparing the extant runic inscriptions on the monument with the later poem, O'Neill highlights the lack of commonality and argues that the inscription describes the response of one of Christ's followers to the Crucifixion. This is probably Mary Magdalene. The inscription, together with the figural sculptures, provides instruction on the 'proper response to Christ's incarnation.' This interpretation is further supported by her equally compelling argument that the Ruthwell Cross originally consisted only of the lower stone and that the iconography on this section, with the unusual prominence given to female protagonists, suggests that it was most likely designed for a female religious community. The upper section of the sculpture was probably added later, although it too is early medieval in origin. O'Neill briefly also explores both the historical and geographical contexts for the work, pointing out that Ruthwell's location during the seventh and eighth centuries was in a network of religious communities. It was also close to Roman roads and settlement sites. This suggests that the monastic community that possibly existed on...