Relief with a Bird

Italian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 304

This relief, cut down from a larger composition, shows an imaginary bird, a cock with a griffin-like head, set within foliage. It is from Salerno, where it was said to have been built into the masonry of a church. It was reused at a later date, and cut into its present form. While its original function is unknown, it may have been part of a chancel screen, a low wall in front of the sanctuary of a church. The exotic and orientalizing bird reflects the rich interchange of design motifs between the Islamic, Sasanian, Byzantine, and south Italian cultures in the century around 1000.

Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian

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Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian
Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian
Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian
Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian
Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian
Relief with a Bird, Marble, Italian

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