The Nigg stone 790–799 AD carving of a Pictish harp in a 19th-century illustration, minus the top sectionThe harper on the Dupplin Cross, Scotland, circa 800 ADThe harper on the Monifeith 4 Pictish sculpture, Scotland, 700–900 ADThe earliest depiction of an Irish harp, c.1000—1100 AD. Depicted on the side of the reliquary shrine of St. Máedóc or Mogue of Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland.
The origins of the triangular frame harp are unclear. Triangular objects on the laps of seated figures appear in artwork of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, as well as other parts of north-west Europe. This page outlines some of the scholarly controversies and disagreements on this subject.
