Moselkern stele

The upper cross of the stele is thought to show a crucified Christ in relief; if so, it is among the oldest sculptures of the crucifixion north of the Alps.

All four arms have parallel lines are carved into them, which are interrupted in the centre by a small Greek cross.

The figure's head is disproportionately large, his eyes are deep set, and he is depicted with thick hair and a beard.

On the reverse, opposite Christ's head, is a circle relief into which is carved another Greek cross.

[2]: 185 [4]: 176–177 Though decorated with an abundance of crosses, the stele was not immediately interpreted as a crucifixion, or even necessarily Christian.

[2]: 185–186  Art historian Lynda Coon has described the figure as "free-floating" and "struggling to pull his human form out of the funerary rock".

They are incompatible with the traditional crucifixion pose, in which Jesus is nailed to the cross by his wrists or hands.

[2]: 186–187 Nonetheless, art historian Victor H. Elbern [de] confidently identifies the figure with the crucified Jesus.

In the early medieval period, the crucifixion (and more generally the passion of Christ) was not nearly as popular a subject as it would become later, so the peculiar treatment is to be understood.

[2]: 213  Coon has described the stele as "present[ing] [Jesus as] a human figure overwhelmed by the stark geometry of the cross and by the cosmic proportions of a disembodied god", contrasting it thematically with the Christ image on the Niederdollendorf stone and the Hypogée des Dunes crucifixion relief.