Crucifixion plaque

The term Crucifixion plaque refers to small Early Medieval sculptures consisting of a central panel of the still alive but crucified Jesus surrounded by four smaller ancillary panels showing Stephaton and Longinus (the lance and sponge bearers) in the lower quadrants, and two hovering attendant angels in the quadrants above his arms.

[4] It is thought that their format and iconography are based on similar designs from earlier illuminated gospels, including the Book of Kells and Southampton Psalter.

[12] In six examples, he is naked except for a loincloth;[5] in the Rinnegan and Clonmacnoise plaques, he is given a full-length long-sleeved garment decorated with interlace patterns.

[13] The reverse of the panels are typically plain and unadorned and contain multiple rivet holes (some of which are still in place in the Clonmacnoise plaque),[12] indicating that they were once attached to larger metal or wooden objects.

[10][14] The plaques were rediscovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, having been buried or hidden since the early medieval period, most likely to protect them from invading Vikings or Norman forces.

[16] The Clonmacnoise plaque is further linked to contemporary metal objects such as the Lismore Crozier, including its technical and stylistic approaches and the yet then use of the difficult-to-source silver inlay.

[6] The plaques were most likely intended to decorate larger ecclesiastical objects such processional wooden crosses, book shrines or altar frontals (antependiums) .

[22] Stylistically, Harbison argued that the ancillary figures on the Clonmacnoise plaques stand upright, while the angels in the Dungannon group hover and the soldier are crouched.

Based on this findings, Murray further divided the plaques into the "Tynan", "Clonmacnoise", "Klllalon" groups (centred around Kells, County Meath, north-west of Dublin) and "others".