60 ORNAMENT ON THE EARLY CROSSES OF CORNWALL. 



obliged to omit in my analysis of Part II, a column of corres- 

 ponding instances, such as I was able to insert in connection 

 with the analysis of Celtic ornament. The same reason accounts 

 for its absence in Part III. 



Incised work was very commonly employed in the decoration 

 of Christian monuments in Great Britain, and chiefly, perhaps, 

 in Scotland. In that country, the oft recurring figures, known as 

 the spectacle ornament (either alone, or in conjunction with, a 

 sceptre), and other figures of a different character, are all 

 beautifully finished examples of the art. In this class of work 

 again, as in the other forms of ornament, the Cornish examples 

 are roughly executed, the hardness of the stone, no doubt, 

 being responsible for the rudeness of the work. 



We find specimens of incised decoration on nearly all the 

 different types of our crosses, but more particularly on the 

 wheel crosses, and I have noticed that where it does occur, the 

 entasis on the shafts is more pronounced than on the other 

 stones which are differently ornamented. 



The kinds of figures of which we possess examples, are not 

 exactly patterns, but representations of objects, and, (excluding 

 a variety of Greek and Latin crosses) consist chiefly of the 

 following : — 



(1). A. parallelogram, or a square, with diagonal lines 

 from corner to corner, which latter, may, or may not, be intended 

 to represent a S. Andrew's cross. 



(2). A figure something like an hour-glass, at least it bears 

 more resemblance to one than to anything else. 



(3). A shield; while others are simply composed of straight 

 lines, zigzags, rude scroll work, and the like. These with 

 other miscellaneous forms, complete a list of those in most 

 general use. Of all the different designs — if they may be so 

 called — which have been introduced in this style, the most 

 curious and common consists of a number of little conical holes, 

 placed either in horizontal rows, diagonal rows, or, indiscrimin- 

 ately on the face of the stone, — but always close together. They 

 are I believe, peculiar to Cornwall, and therefore deserve special 

 mention. They measure rather less than an inch in diameter, 

 from half to three-quarters of an inch in depth, and from an 



