‘St Columba’s Pillow’ Cross
‘St Columba’s Pillow’ Celtic cross and chain, silver, hallmarked Birmingham, 1966, designed by Alexander Ritchie of Iona
‘St Columba’s Pillow’ Celtic cross and chain, silver, hallmarked Birmingham, 1966, designed by Alexander Ritchie of Iona
‘St Columba’s Pillow’ Celtic cross and chain, silver, hallmarked Birmingham, 1966, designed by Alexander Ritchie of Iona
This Celtic ringed cross is based on a carved stone example that was found in the ground near the Abbey of Iona on the west coast of Scotland in 1870.
The accompanying new silver chain is a ‘diamond cut curb’, 40cm in length, 1.2mm thickness, and is marked ‘925’ for sterling silver.
Alexander Ritchie, the celebrated Scottish Arts & Crafts maker, was inspired by the carved stone cross and incorporated the design into a pendant. It is hallmarked on the reverse for Birmingham, 1966, 925 sterling silver, and made by the Birmingham silversmithing firm William H. Darby. Mr Darby visited Alexander Ritchie and his wife, Euphemia’s, Celtic Art shop on the island of Iona and subsequently became a longstanding business link. His firm carried out the production of jewellery from the Ritchie masters thereby supporting the spread of the Celtic Revival movement during the first half of the twentieth century.
The cross is featured in a book on ‘Iona Celtic Art: The Works of Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie’ by E. Mairi MacArthur, p.22.
Dimensions:
Length of cross 3cm
Width of cross 2.1cm
Chain 40cm
Weight including chain 4.4g