Description

A McHarp cast stone Irish Celtic cross based on Moone Cross, County Kildare, Ireland.

A tag accompanies the cross: "In an old graveyard of Moen Cholum Cille, site of an early Columban monastery, is perhaps the most striking of all Irish high crosses. The cross at Moone is 17 feet high thus making it the second tallest high cross in the country. It consists of three parts that were re-erected in 1893 after being lost for centuries, having been broken and the fragments buried. The animals depicted on the shaft of the cross are domestic animals. Animals, which then as is true now, were very important to the people of the time. Perhaps this is a blessing for the animals that they so depended on. The spirals on the head of the cross symbolize all that is rhythmical, the seasons of the year, life and death, of becoming and passing away-- cycles that were very important to their agricultural way of life."

Cast in the USA by McHarp-- the mother-daughter team of Ruth McKay and Linda Harp. Linda has a masters degree in anthroplogy, and Ruth has an extensive background in art and sculpture. Each cross is inspired by an actual carved stone cross in Ireland.

The piece is first carved in clay, and then a mold is taken from the carving. The molds are used to cast the crosses in a durable stone-like material, and the pieces are then stained and sealed several times to achieve the final finish. The cross comes with an attached wire hanger on the back, and is ready to be displayed indoors or outdoors in sheltered areas.

15 inches high by 5 inches wide. Lovely weight and feel (somewhere between ceramic and stone).

To see a larger view, please click on the image.