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Doorway from the Church of San Nicolò, San Gemini

carved 1000s, assembled 1100s or 1200s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300
This doorway is an example of the reuse of materials during the life of a single medieval church. All of the marble used to make the doorway originally came from the ruins of nearby Roman buildings. Displaying an array of styles and techniques, the principal elements were carved at different times in the eleventh century. The lions were possibly made for another location and then inserted in the portal. The whole was assembled for the church one to two centuries later. The animal imagery used in decorating the portal may refer to medieval bestiaries, books that combined descriptions of animal life with legend, thereby investing the animals depicted here with symbolic significance.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Doorway from the Church of San Nicolò, San Gemini
  • Date: carved 1000s, assembled 1100s or 1200s
  • Geography: Made in San Gemini, Umbria, Central Italy
  • Culture: Central Italian
  • Medium: Marble (Lunense marble from Carrara)
  • Dimensions: H. 11 ft. 9 in. x 8 ft. 4 in. (358.4 x 254.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1947
  • Object Number: 47.100.45a–g
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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