More Abstracts and Hebridean Impressions

Flowers - again

Sorrel

Common Spotted Orchid

Dock

Knapweed

Red Clover

Meadowsweet

 

Unusually pale Creeping Thistle

On the Beach

Flowers again

 

Common Spotted Orchid

 

 Monkey Flower (Musk)

 

Bird's-foot Trefoil

 

 Bell Heather

 

 Heather

 

Mind's gone blank - begins with a P...

 

Self-heal and a Hawkweed

 

Knapweed

 

Dandelion

 

Meadowsscape on the Briaghe

 

Scabious

More from The Chessmen Exhibition

The exhibition at the Stornoway Museum didn’t just have chessmen. There were other interesting finds on display like this ivory belt buckle. The one item in the Lewis hoard that was not a chesspiece it is thought that this may have been on the belt that fastened the bag holding the chessmen.

The item in the front of this case is a walrus ivory reliquary - probably made in Trondheim in the 12th century and originally the leg of a throne like those in which the chessmen kings are shown seated.

This ring from the 12th or 13th century was discovered near Mealasta in a midden (rubbish pit) near one of the possible sites of the original chessmen finds. It is made of bronze and provides evidence of occupation for the period when the chessmen would have been in use.

Morse, or walrus ivory, was the favoured material for carving chessmen but was hard to obtain so in some cases whale tooth ivory was used instead.

The long tusk is walrus ivory and the smaller, hollow tooth on the left is from a sperm whale.

The detail on this King shows the quality of some of the carving.

Centaury

Centaury is one of the prettiest flowers there is and yet it's so small that people can be excused passing it by without even noticing it. (I think this is Seaside Centaury - Centaurium littorale - not Common Centaury but I couldn't be sure.) 

On the shore - again