Stone sculpture in Middlequarter

In the flower bed immediately S of a farm house within the farmyard. A church (WA036-001001-) and graveyard (WA036-001002-), no longer visible at ground level, are located in the field immediately W of the farmyard. A carved stone figure projects from the narrow S face of a broad, roughly rectangular block of sandstone (H above ground 0.91m; Wth 0.56m W face; Wth 0.58m E face; T 0.13m N side; T 0.2m S side). The lower portion of the block is buried in the ground. The upper surface of the stone dips slightly at the centre. The figure, which occupies the entire S face, consists of a roughly oval head, with eyes that have pronounced upper and lower lids with a central hollow, a wide splayed nose, a straight groove for the mouth with slightly raised lips and a rounded chin. The head projects forward of the body. The body is quite worn and difficult to interpret, but the figure appears to be wearing a garment with a wide collar. A raised vertical band runs down the centre of the figure, this could be interpreted as a part of the garment, perhaps an embroidered band similar to those interpreted on figures from White Island, Co. Fermanagh (Lanigan Wood 2004, 40-41). It is also possible that the figure is holding an object with a vertical shaft, perhaps a staff, though due to wear no obvious hands or arms could be discerned. There are four roughly circular depressions (From the top down the dimensions are as follows: 0.12m x 0.13m x D 0.08m; 0.12m x 0.13m x D 0.05m; 0.11m 0.14m x D 0.04m; 0.12m x 0.12m x D 0.03m) running along the N side, becoming shallower as they descend. The three uppermost depressions run are conjoined. Given the lack of decoration on all but the sculptured face, it is likely that this stone functioned as a caryatid, a pillar support for a structure where only the carved surface was visible. Unlike the White Island figures which have a rectangular socket in the top of the stone (Lanigan Wood 2004, 50-51), the Middlequarter stone has only a slight concave depression in the top. The depressions in the N face appear too irregular to have functioned as sockets. There is an Early Christian caryatid from Lismore Cathedral (WA021-019003-), Co. Waterford of a seated figure holding an open book (dims. H 0.57m; Wth 0.23m; projecting T 0.15), the head is somewhat similar to the Middlequarter example (Macalister 1938, 298-300; Moore 1999, 186, fig. 45). Lanigan Wood (2004, 50) suggests a date of the 8th-11th century for the White Island figures. See attached photographs: WA036-033----_01 Figure sculpture on S face from SE WA036-033----_02 N face WA036-033----_03 E face and depressions on N face Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 14 December 2017