Examples of Scottish Knots
Examples of Scottish Knots
Some of the following knots are double stranded, which is easier for carving designs. Click here for a discussion of this.
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Kirriemuir church Glasgow cathedral Millport, Cumbrae Old Govan Church, Glasgow (different page) |
These stones are in the museum at Forfar. They come from the old parish church at Kirriemuir, demolished in 1787. They date from the 9th or early 10th century.
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This stone has two knots. The top one ends with an animal head biting its own tail. The bottom one is closer worked on the right. I have spaced it out to show how the knot works (I think). It's broken on the left.
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The next stone has a knot worked into the shape of a cross. The centre is more closely worked than the arms of the cross and with thinner strands, so my version doesn't have the same proportions as the original.
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This pattern was on the edge of a stone slab in the crypt of Glasgow cathedral. The right-hand side of the pattern is damaged. The pattern is made up of rings, with a strand threaded through them. |
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This was part of a roof boss in the Blacader (or Blackadder) aisle, in Glasgow crypt. I have not got the proportions quite right, as it is 3-way rotational symmetrical, and this is hard to do on a computer. It looks like three hearts intertwined, but in fact it's a single strand. |
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This is another roof boss in the Blacader aisle, in Glasgow crypt. It is a circle, with two squares intertwined. The squares have loops in the corners. |
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This is from a lintel stone fragment which is now in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. It came from Millport, Cumbrae and is 10th century or later. There are two interleaved strands. The photo shows the pattern on the left. On the right are two simple twists and in the middle is rather a muddle of squiggles! |
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