Relief from a Pulpit with the Symbol of Saint Luke

Master Christophanus or Stephanus

ca. 1180 · Limestone with lead · The Cloisters

This relief depicts an ox, the symbol of Saint Luke, holding a book with an inscription from the opening of his Gospel. A second inscription refers to the master sculptor Stephanus and his associates. Nothing more is known of the sculptor, but the hallmarks of his style, with its crispness and richness of decorative forms contrasting with plain surfaces, are characteristic of sculpture in Abruzzi during the late twelfth century. Because of changes in the liturgy promulgated at the Council of Trent (1544-68), medieval pulpits were frequently dismantled and their parts scattered.

Artist

Master Christophanus or Stephanus

Date

ca. 1180

Medium

Limestone with lead

Culture

Italian

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1984