The Ruthwell cross disrupts the binary of male and female representation in Anglo-Saxon art and sculpture. Gender in art is a topic which has become very popular in the last few decades but at the time that the Ruthwell cross was being made was not even being mentioned. Art in the Anglo-Saxon period often included animals, nature and plants, and religious and mythological imagery. However, there is never a plethora of female representation in Anglo-Saxon sculpture. The Ruthwell cross is one of the few works from this period that includes many different depictions of women. On the east side of the cross depictions of women include: Martha and Mary Magdalen embracing, Mary Magdalen anointing the feet of Christ with her tears, and the annunciation
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Although, as previously mentioned in this essay, the Ruthwell cross is made of sandstone, it does, in several ways, break down the theoretical boundaries between stone and wood. The first way that the Ruthwell cross does this is through the poem which is inscribed on the north and south sides of the monument. Since the poem uses the text written in the first person to take on the role of the original cross from that of the crucifixion of Christ, the Ruthwell cross is already, in a way, transforming from sandstone into cedar, pine and cypress wood (which is what the Eastern Orthodox church believes the original cross to have been made of) …show more content…
Both in its current location inside of the Ruthwell Parish church and in its original outdoor location, part of the bottom section of the shaft of the cross would be buried in the earth for support. This part of the cross acts as like the roots of a tree, the rest of the shaft as the trunk of a tree, and the arms of the cross as the tree’s branches. The poem on the north and south sides of the cross surround a number of vine scrolls which cover add to the idea that the Ruthwell cross symbolises a tree, making references to nature and the leaves and vines which would cover and adorn tree. By examining the poem, the placement of the cross, and the vine scroll imagery, it can easily be argued that even though the Ruthwell cross is very clearly made of stone, it can be understood as both stone and
Although, as previously mentioned in this essay, the Ruthwell cross is made of sandstone, it does, in several ways, break down the theoretical boundaries between stone and wood. The first way that the Ruthwell cross does this is through the poem which is inscribed on the north and south sides of the monument. Since the poem uses the text written in the first person to take on the role of the original cross from that of the crucifixion of Christ, the Ruthwell cross is already, in a way, transforming from sandstone into cedar, pine and cypress wood (which is what the Eastern Orthodox church believes the original cross to have been made of) …show more content…
Both in its current location inside of the Ruthwell Parish church and in its original outdoor location, part of the bottom section of the shaft of the cross would be buried in the earth for support. This part of the cross acts as like the roots of a tree, the rest of the shaft as the trunk of a tree, and the arms of the cross as the tree’s branches. The poem on the north and south sides of the cross surround a number of vine scrolls which cover add to the idea that the Ruthwell cross symbolises a tree, making references to nature and the leaves and vines which would cover and adorn tree. By examining the poem, the placement of the cross, and the vine scroll imagery, it can easily be argued that even though the Ruthwell cross is very clearly made of stone, it can be understood as both stone and