- Chapter Thirty-Seven -
Figure 37.10 Top left: The fine cross of Muiredach, Monasterboice, Co. Louth, Ireland, and
(below) detail, showing the arrest of Christ in naturalistic style. (Photo: Office of Public
Works, Ireland.) Top right: Cross of Moone, Co. Kildare, and (bottom right) detail showing
twelve apostles. (Photo: Office of Public Works, Ireland.) The naive nature of some sculpture,
such as the tall, ninth-century cross at the ecclesiastical centre at Moone, contrasts with the
naturalism of others, for example, the cross of Muiredach. On the west side of the base of the
Moone cross, a simple Crucifixion is placed above a remarkable panel of the apostles, each
with conventionalized body in simplified style. The style may have been influenced by the
difficulty of working the stone, but the arrangement indicates deliberate stylization to create
a sequence of patterns.