Right – this is the last Pictish animal for a while, I promise. Next week something different! But meanwhile I really like this wolf, appliqueed with metallic leaf. It can be difficult to figure out what was in the Picts’ minds when they drew animals. Some (like this one and last week’s boar) are beautifully observed and completely realistic in treatment, while others are pure fantasy - so much so that we moderns can’t figure out exactly what they’re supposed to represent. I have a couple of these strange creatures in the files and will get round to digitising them eventually. But meanwhile there’s no mistaking this one - a memory of the days when wolves roamed the Scottish forests
The Pictish wolf
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