Plaque

AN00013974_001_l. Walrus ivory sub-rectangular plaque, broken away along the right-hand edge. Eight attachment holes survive along the edges. The surface is highly polished, and carved in high relief with a crucifixion group. Christ in a loincloth stands erect on a cross with a stepped terminal on the upper arm; his feet rest on a 'suppedaneum'. The head is broken off, but was evidently long-haired and bearded, as traces on the shoulders show, and the halo seems to be cruciferous. On plinths below the lateral arms of the cross, left and right respectively, stand the haloed figures of the Virgin and St John in attitudes of grief. Both have long garments and St John holds a book in his left hand. Above the lateral arms are personifications of Sun and Moon. The eyes of all the figures are deeply drilled. All these images are © Trustees of the British Museum. These free low-resolution images are covered also under the British Museum's Terms and Conditions (http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use/free_image_service.aspx). The full image collection is available at: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database.aspx where you can also order high resolution copies.