Dating back to 600 CE, Class 1 Pictish symbol stones have a mysterious feel. They convey an unknown mystical energy to the viewer.
There is a disarming simplicity, through the use of a minimal set of marks, appearing to be made from a single groove, as they create a set of sinuous lines and gentle curves.
And even after more than a thousand years, with no discovery yet of a written language from the time, there is no common understanding of the meaning of the shapes. However, we can still sense the importance of these marks to the patrons that commissioned them, the artists that made them, and the audience they were designed to influence.
These images represent stones that can still be found in the outdoors in Aberdeenshire. And a recent discovery at Doune suggests that the same culture may also have been present in Stirlingshire too.
These images continue to resonate with us today, through natural and supernatural experience.
Take a closer look at the sculptures, follow the links to the research material, and then make your own mind up about what these monuments are saying within the landscape. From the first millennia, and onwards through the third.
Sculpted in aluminium strips, fastened with stainless steel.
