Appearance
The Queen Mary harp is noted for being the most complete and best-preserved of all the old harps. It is covered in original and intricate carving. The forepillar or Lamhchrann is elaborately carved with a double-headed zoomorphic figure and the instrument retains traces of pigment. Some traces have been analyzed and identified as vermilion. The decoration includes a number of pieces of Christian symbolism suggesting that the harp may have been made as a commission for a church or monastery. The vine-scrolls and the particular shape of the "split palmette" leaves have clear parallels with 15th century West Highland grave slabs from the Argyll area, suggesting that this is the time and place that the harp originated. A grave-slab in the chapel at Keills in Knapdale has a carving of a harp similar in appearance to the Queen Mary.
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