The Dream of St. Joseph on the Anglo-Saxon Cross from Rothbury

Abstract

The Rothbury Cross, although fragmentary and damaged, remains one of the glories of Anglo-Saxon sculpture. The iconography of the surviving panels has recently been the subject of investigation. Contrary to a current view that identifies one of the reliefs as the Raising of Lazarus, this article demonstrates that the subject instead is the Dream of St. Joseph, a theme that was popular in the early Middle Ages. The author draws comparisons between the Rothbury panel and other early medieval works of art to corroborate his contention.