Page:The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland ( Volume 3).djvu/390

 On the pedestal under the arch lies the effigy of the said Alexander M'Leod of Dunvegan (Fig. 1304), clad in full armour, and holding a long sword with cross hilt. The effigy is unfortunately much decayed. The head rests on a pillow with an animal above, and the feet rest on a lion. At the side of the monument a lion encloses the tomb.

The style of the carving and the subjects represented recall the sculptures at Iona. The figures of the abbot and bishop are similar in style to that of the abbess at the Iona Nunnery, and the scene of the angel weighing souls with a demon interfering occurs on one of the caps in the Iona

—Priory Church of St. Clement. East Elevation.

choir. The division of the flat surfaces into panels, each containing a separate subject, is characteristic of Celtic decoration. The hunting scene and the ship are also common in Celtic work. The peculiar Celtic foliage of Iona is here wanting. Enough, however, exists to associate the style of the work with that of the rest of the Western Isles, while the Gothic influence is also very distinct.

The date is fixed by the inscription, and the introduction of the nail-head ornament shows the revival here, as at Iona, of earlier forms, as above pointed out by Mr. Muir.

The tomb in the recessed arch to the west of the south transept is of much simpler design than the corresponding one to the east above described. It consists (see Fig. 1300) of a semicircular moulded arch with a hood