GP 48 Bro socken

Context and Discovery
Regarding this picture stone find, labelled by Lindqvist just as “Bro Kirchspiel” (= Bro ʻparishʼ, Swedish socken) he notes: “In 1934, on behalf of the antiquarian Erik Lundberg, a stone was delivered to SHM, about which the inventory sheet (under no. 20722) merely contained the note ‘part of a picture stone’ and, for a place of destination, ‘Bro parish’. This stone could not be identified with certainty in the museum. However, the possibility must be considered that this stone was the same as that reproduced here in Fig. 324 and described below, as this is the only Gotlandic picture stone found by [Sune Lindqvist] in SHM that could not be assigned through available information to a different find place” (1941/42 II, pp. 32, 34).

However, that this is obviously incorrect can be seen from J. Niehlén’s report from the year 1925 on the discovery of a fragment of a picture stone in a grave in the Laubackar burial ground in Lau parish (ATA dnr 2150-25; cf. Run- och bildstenssamling 1750:29a, 1750:69b) that has the inventory number SHM 17794:7. The drawings and photographs of this stone, GP 229 Lau Laubackar, unmistakably show the same fragment that Lindqvist depicts under “Bro Kirchspiel” (Bro socken) in his fig. 324. His description of the stone under “Bro Kirchspiel” (Bro socken) also erroneously refers to GP 229 Lau Laubackar. Consequently, no further information is available on the Bro socken stone that Lundberg delivered in 1934. The stone itself cannot be found in SHM.

According to Lindqvist, Bro socken and GP 51 Bro kyrka VII could be identical. He notes that “[I]n addition to the stones Nos II–VI, according to a note by [Fredrik Nordin], ‘the upper part of a picture stone, lying on a stone pile outside of the church’ was reported by E. Lundmark in 1913. Possibly, this is the same stone that is discussed under ‘Bro, Kirchspielʼ [Bro socken]” (1941/42 II, pp. 32, 43). However, this conclusion is not at all compelling. In this online edition, the two stones are therefore treated separately.

In a note by Jan Peder Lamm from 1975, which is attached to the SHM catalogue, he states that the stone from Bro socken with inventory number SHM 20722 should be connected with a picture stone find mentioned by Wennersten in Gotlands Allehanda 1924-11-15 (cf. Nya dagligt Allehanda 1924-11-18). According to Lamm, it originates from an agricultural field belonging to Erik’s farm, about 100 m north-northwest of the two picture stones still standing there, GP 37 Bro Eriks I and GP 45 Bro Eriks II. However, the corresponding newspaper report says otherwise. Wennersten writes that the fragment of a picture stone head was found in the same field near Stenstugu farm where the two picture stones GP 38 Bro Stenstu I and GP 39 Bro Stenstu II are still standing. Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 34) also mentions in his book that two (!) other picture stone fragments were found not far from these standing stones and were thrown onto a pile of stones near the farm. Lindqvist refers to a communication from Wennersten. Whether Lamm confused the two localities with each other or had other sources of information cannot be clarified. Therefore, the name Bro socken must be retained. No further information, pictures or descriptions of the find mentioned by Wennersten and Lamm can be found in the catalogue in SHM or in the archives of ATA and Gotlands Fornsal. According to Wennersten, it is in any case the head of a picture stone without any trace of carvings.
GP 229 Lau Laubackar
GP 51 Bro kyrka VII
GP0037
GP0045
GP0038
GP0039