Noratus tapanakar 08

Front side. Possibly a 16th-century (1558) cradle-shaped tombstone.
The carved surface presents a dense, multi-figured scene. On the south face, a mounted figure thrusts a long, cross-shaped staff into the mouth of a dragon coiled beneath the horse’s hooves. In the Middle Ages, the cross was portrayed as the ultimate weapon, often associated with driving away serpents and slaying dragons. The horseman’s face is poorly preserved. Holding the horse’s reins is another figure, who in his other hand carries the Tree of Life. The composition continues with a figure holding a wine jug and a goblet, and two musicians playing a dap (frame drum) and a zurna (double-reed wind instrument). The dragon-slaying warrior is an “idealized hero,” whose depiction was intended to emphasize the power of the deceased. Similar scenes appear on the tombstones of Geghhovit and Litshq. The act of slaying the dragon symbolizes the overcoming of death, while the Tree of Life represents fertility, abundance, and the idea of new life. In parallel with the conquest of death, the imagery also symbolizes the beginning of a new life. The upper band bears a single-line inscription.

Back side. Beneath four columned arches are stylized cross designs, with the upper part framed by a wide wedge-patterned ornamental band.

Lateral sides. One face depicts an eagle clutching a lamb in its talons; the other bears a cross design.

Upper side. An exceptional example in which the concave top section also features sculpture. It appears as a braided mesh, with the figure of a fish on one side and a deer on the other.