CARVED FIGURE FROM DUXSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. 185

IV.

E CARVENOTICTH F O ED FIGURE FROM DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. BY ALEXANDE . BROOKS . RJ , F.S.A, SOOT.

By the kind permission of A. J. H. Campbell, Esq. of Dunstaffnage, I am enabled to submit to the Society the well-known and interesting carving which has for some centuries been in the possession of the Campbell f Dunstaffnageso . "When I asked permission to exhibit it, I was not aware of the fact that it had already been shown. In 1833 it was exhibited by the r latDaviM e de antiquarieLaingth t i havet theo w bu ,I ,sa nwh s fancy, nearly all passed away, and a new generation now fills their places. So, in the circumstances, I concluded that it might not be uninteresting to you if it were again brought under your notice. The account handed down from generation to generation of the famil possess o foun , wa thaywh is t d i t tsi upward f threo s e hundred years ago near the ruins of an old chapel which stands close to the wall f Dunstaffnagso e Castle. e earliesTh t authentic notic t i occur f o eBishon i s p Pococke's Tours n Scotlandi n 1747(i , 1750, 1760) Junn O , 17608 e. , that well- known traveller was entertained at Dunstaffnage Castle, and he records n hisi . letters thar CampbelM t l "showe a ver s yu d curious piecf o e antiquity, found not a great many years agoe in the castle. It is a figure of ivory, sitting in a chair as supposed, of a king of Scotland, about four a halinche d f an longs , wit a beard e heaha crowd th an d.n o n The robes hang rather clumsily. .... What is very particular, his e statuth f Memnon,hands kneen o ei hi laie s n a sar o e d.a d th s an 1 Grand Signior goee sit t thiaudience.wheon o sy a s t y sda nan " . The next notice of it occurs in Pennant's Second Tour in Scotland in 1772. This tourist, in describing his visit to Dunstaffnage, after 1 Bishop Pocock thiw sesa statue durin Easters ghi n travels Poeocke'e Se . s Tours n Scotland,i e Scottis. K.emth W r . editepfo D hy db Histor y Society, 1887, 74 . ,p where a facsimile of the Bishop's drawing of the figure is given. 186 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 188911 H .

stating that the castle had been the first seat of the Pictish and Scottish princes thad famoue an ,th t s stone—the Palladiu f Nortmo h Britain— better known as the coronation stone, was long preserved- at Dunstaff- nage, says :—" Mr Campbell showed to me a very pretty ivory image, foun ruinoua n di e castles th par f o t, thas certainl wa tmemorn i t ycu y of that chair, and appears to have been an inauguration sculpture. A crowned monarch is represented sitting in it, with a book in one hand, containin lande lawe th gth f s,o swearin s whicwa e hh g to observe. They never too oate kissiny kth h b holdiny righe e Bibleb th th g t tp bu u g, hand" (vol. ii. p. 410). Before examining the figure itself with reference to this theory, it might be well to inquire into the truth of the legend which asserts that the coronation stone was preserved t Dunstaflhagea . An analysi legende th f so s connected with the coronation stone was sub- mitted to the Society by Dr Skene in 1869. In it he states that the legend in all its naked improbabilit stils yi l believed thad t stil,an i t l stands a solitary waif from the sea of myth d fablean , with which modem criticiss mha hardly ventured to meddle, and which modern scepticis t careno o questiont s d mha e H . furthe r remarkabla view s a t si e circumstance featureo legende "tw th tha e f whicso o tth t , h popular belief has clung with greatest tenacity, Fig . Chessma1 . n from viz., thastone s kepth t t ewa Dunstaffnage a t , Dunstaffuage. and that it was removed from thence to Scone y Kennetb h MacAlpi e nintth hn i n century, rest upo e statementh n t of Hector Boece alone, and are totally unknown to the older authorities." Modern criticis s demolishemha d man f theo y . mythical storie- re s corded in the pages of Boece, yet I would rather avoid pronouncing a definite opinion upon this one, although a perusal of these legends leaves considerable doubt as to the stone having ever been at Dunstaff- nage at all. CARTED FIGURE FROM DUNSTAFFNAGE7 18 CASTLE.

The figure measures 4f inches in height, 2 5 inches in breadth, and I \ inches in thickness. It is carved from a tooth of the sperm whale, and represents a crowned monarch with a trefoil crown on his head s lefa hi boot d n i handk an , sittina a squarchai f n o o gr e form, decorate bace d sideth an kn sdo wit simplha e beastripd dan e pattern. If any reliance is to be placed upon the engraving in Pennant's work, it would appear that the figure has undergone some mutilation since Pennane a portioe . bearbace th it th Pard th f w kf o an df o nt o sa t chai brokee ar r afraidm a n offI , . however, that Pennant's engraving cannot be depended upon, for the artist has rendered most inaccurately e details—notablsomth f eo e crownyth , which appears more mutilated in the engraving than it even now is. The side of the chair represented e engravininth wors hi tha s ki n g i t whic s brokenhi I thin d kan , that it can be easily demonstrated that, in completing it, the artist has followed his imagination, and that it has been very different originally. The first point to which we naturally turn on inquiring as to the probabl f thio se carvineag costumee th quits i s g i t I e .clearl y defined in the carving, and, as far as I can judge, belongs to the period of Henry VIII. of England or James V. of Scotland. The king is clothed in a close-fitting doublet or jerkin, laced across the front, the skirt reachin a littlg e belo e girdlee sleeveswth Th . , which wert a e times worn with or without it, are puffed in the manner common at that period cloae Th r robeko . , whic unfastenes hi necke th t ,da covers the back, and is gathered in folds over the knees, on which the hands rest, the right hand holding the corner of the robe. I have compared e costumth e wit hn engravina than o t g representing Henry VIII. delivering the Bible to Cranmer and Cromwell, and it presents a very striking similarity. If further evidence were desired in confirmation of t cu e thibeare th e shap e founth d sth b f dopinionan o n o e t i d s i t i , e hairoth f . Althoug e bearth h s unfortunateli d y broken t enougye , h remains to identify it with "the great round beard, like a glover's paring-knife," by which Falstaff was known. t short haie cu s Th ri , combed straight down turne d l roundan al , n di . e reig th f Henr o nn i Thi s ys preciseli swa VIII. t i s ,ya althougo n h further back thae previouth n s wor reig wa ngrean i t i n lon d t gan 188 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 11, 1889.

profusion e crowTh s formei n. f nino d e fleurs-de-lis, equa n sizei l . All the points are broken, and one of the fleurs-de-lis on the left side e heaoth fs entirel i d y broken away I hav. e been unabl fino t en a d example of a royal crown drawn exactly in this way. In.the coins of engravinge th l al n perioe o sI th examined d dan , the usualle yar y formed of four large fleurs-de-lis; in some instances four smaller fleurs-de-lis or point insertee ar s d betwee largee f opinionth o r m onesa nI tha.e th t crown has been treated in a conventional manner, and .1 do not think much weight could attach to any evidence as to the date of the carving founde. it n do The design of the chair, at a first glance, led me to suppose that it represente a dperio d much earlieo rtw thar o nfiguree e th thaOn f o .t points in the ornament which is partially broken off seem, however, to link it with the Tudor period. As to its resemblance to the coronation chair, it may be said that it is very difficult to find out of what' pattern that chair was. On the reverse of the seal of the Abbey of Scone ther representes ei dScottisa h kin pattere g chaire th seate t th nbu n , i d of tha tlowe e chaith n ri r portio s muci n h more primitive tha thin no s carving, and in the upper portion differs completely, for it has a circular back. Ther s alsei representatiooa n 157i t Hollinshedy i 7b f o n t bu , t doei t beae remotesno sth r t likenes e chai th f thi o ro t s figured an , differs fro t mboti forn hi ornamentationd man . difficulte Th dealinn i y g wit e chaith h r arises fro mutilatioe mth t ni has undergone. Mr Laing came to the conclusion that the back had been surmounted by a fleur-de-lis pattern. But for one circumstance I might have endorsed that opinion e presenc o th d tha tw an s ,i tf o e drilled holes in the back of the figure. It seems evident to me that an ornament, probably carved and pierced and extending to nearly the level of the neck and shoulders of the figure, has originally surmounted the back of the chair. Such an ornament, from its very construction, would necessarily be frail, and it is not surprising, therefore, that it should have been broken away. The centre of the ornament has been formed of a couple of holes with a champhered edge, which in itself has a dis- tinctly Tudor feeling. The drill used in making these holes has been round pointed, and as a CARVED FIGURE FROM DUNSTAFFNAGE9 18 CASTLE,

consequence the artificer has required to drill them into the figure itself. Almos e ornamene wholth th t f eo brokes i t e holeth n t soff bu remain, . e sinisteth n O e rchai th sid f re o there remain portiosa a clawfoo f no t ornament—probably a lion'tha f o ts claw—but wha e ornamenth t s ha t been when complet impossibls i conjectureo t t ei e m r efo . s Thaha t i t extended to the height of the shoulders and neck of the figure seems evident fro e e markcarver'mth th f so s tools, which terminate closo t e shoulderse linth e f th eo . e authoritieth l Al havo swh e examined this figure differ from Pennant in the account he gives as to what it was intended to represent, and the equalle yar y unanimou suggestinn si g . whais Pennan t i t t describes n inauguratio"a s a t i n sculpture. e timth et thiA "s figur pres wa -e viously exhibited there had recently been discovered the famous set of carved chessmen in the Lewis, eleven of which are now in the Museum;1 Lainr M d g conclusio e an camth o et n that this figura formed f o e ha e don simila f chessmeo t se r n mad latea t ea r period r FredericM . k Madden, . elaboratan n i e article' whic wrote hh thesn eo e chessme submitted nan d e Societth o t f Antiquarieyo Londonn si , cama simila o t e r conclusion, although he does not mention ever having seen the Dunstaffnage carving. I see no reason to differ from them. The game of chess is of considerable antiquity, and was a favourite e Scandinaviangamth f eo s fro ma remot e period e northernTh . , war- riors considere proficienca d e requisiteth f n o chesyi liberaa e f so son l education, and ranked it with the art of engraving magic runes or com- posing Scaldi cOrkneys e fine lays th earn e beginninW da f th o l. t a , g of the twelth century, thus boasting of his accomplishments :—

" At the game board I am skilful: Knowing in no less than nine arts; Runic lor ewelI l remember: Books I like : with tools I'm handy : snow-shoee th n Expero I s; m a t With the bow, and pull an oar well; And, adepbesidesn a m ta I , harpe makind th t an , A g verses."

1 See the account of these chessmen in the present volume, pp. 9-15. 0 19 PEOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , MAEC , 1889H11 .

In the " Inventories and other records of the royal wardrobe and jewel house " made durin e reigth g f followine Jameno th . sV g entries occur:— Under the category of " Jowellis" in the inventory made on the 25th March 1539—"Item ane pair of tabillis of silvir ourgilt with gold indentit with jasp and cristallyne with table men and chess men of jasp cristallyne.d an n anotheI " r inventor f 157yo f jewel8o d plenishsan - ings in the Castle of Edinburgh "pertening to our soverane lord and his hienes derrest moder, Ane quhite polk of greit chas men of bane, Ane litle grene polk with sum chas men, Ane quhite buist with chas men in personages of woid, Ane polk with table men." From these entrie I sinfe r thachessmee th tdurine us e reig n th ngi n of James V.—to which date this figure may be attributed—were fre- quently article f considerablo s e value o mean n werd y an ,b es smaln i l size e conclude, b whic y ma h d froe adjectivmth e " greit" applieo t d some of them. This figure differs in several important points from the Lewis chess- men, which leads me to conclude that it was made at a much later period, probabld an differena n yi t place from them. The first peculiarity is the arrangement of the hair. In the kings of Lewie th s chessme haie nth s plaite i r lonn di g wreaths hangd an , s over shoulderse th . Thi s saisi havo dt d Germae ol bee n a nn customt I . was also prevalen n Norwayi t . Olaus Magnus says expressly thae th t Danes and Norwegians let their hair flow over their shoulders, but con- bandy fineb t di s when they wen battleo t . Moreover t seem,i havo st e been the prerogative of royalty, and was not permissible among the in- ferio rDunstafihage classesth n I . e figurt shor haie cu l round eth s al ti r , and turned in. This form of hair-dressing may be seen in an engraving from the effigy of Sir John Peche, one of the most celebrated courtiers of Henry VIII t woulI . d seem als o havot e been peculiarly confineo t d about this reign t leasa , Englandn i t . The crowns also differ. In the Lewis chessmen the crown is com- posed of four fleurs-de-lis; in the Dunstaffnage figure of nine fleurs-de- lis, and the treatment of the individual fleur-de-lis in the former is decidedly more archai clattere thath n ni . CARVED FIGURE FROM DTJNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. 191

One remarkable feature in the Dunstaffnage figure is the absence of a Lewie swordth n I s chessme. kinge nth s have swords lying across their kneesthin i t s figurbu , e ther s onle i lefe booya th t n handki . A misapprehension as to the material of which the figure is carved has prevailed till now. Both Bishop Pocock Pennand ean e t b stateo t t i d ivory ; and Mr Laing and Mr Madden assumed it to be walrus ivory. I have submitte severao t t di l experts thed an y, agrea e statinb n ei o t t gi e cacholotootth f h o r spero t m whale. Thes t ecommonl no teet e ar h y much used for carving. They are hard and brittle, and altogether un- pleasant to work. "When they are used for ornamental purposes they are most frequently covered wit hsurfaca e decoration, incised with engraver's tools, rather than carvefree th e n di styl f thieo s figuree commoTh . n cacholot has a very wide geographical range. It may almost be said to inhabi l seasal t , althoug s mosi t hi t abundan e southern thosi tth f eo n hemisphere. Occasionall coastsn n 176I s ow i r . t foun9s i i ou t yn i do recorded that one ran ashore on Cramond Island, in the Firth of Forth. n conclusion I saie b dy thaface ma thif th to t t i ,s figure being carved of this material doe norts e t poinplacit th s no s - f origiho ea o t ex o ns clusively as if it had been of walrus ivory, but there is nothing improb- able in the supposition that it was made in Scotland. As to the date, the characte e carvingth f e o freer th , , realistic treatmen e draperyth f o t s a , contrasted with the hard folds in the Lewis chessmen, and the costume, firspoin the sixteent t the halto t of f h centur probablthe yas e datits eof manufacture.