Carved marble column shaft from a cloister. The... Lot 32

Carved marble column shaft from a cloister. The shaft of the column shows complex carving and decorative work in five registers. From top to bottom: a horizontal frieze of acanthus leaves; a network of intersecting lozenges, reminiscent of a fisherman's net. In the centre of each lozenge are acanthus leaves, symbol of a spiritual life in contact with the Holy Spirit, and crosses; four busts of bearded figures with haloes: two show a book (open and closed), one places his arms in a cross, and the last raises his hands in prayer. Between each bust, vertical stems extended by a triangular bunch of leaves resembling palm trees, they may be representations of the trees of life of divine wisdom; a second motif of rhombuses with acanthus leaves in the centre and crosses; a frieze of acanthus leaves in curved volutes. The base of the column has a decoration of acanthus leaves carved at the four corners. Byzantine art, 12th century (Southern Italy?). Provenance : Former collection of Philip Whiteway, son of Lord Whiteway, Cimiez, Nice, before 1940. H.147 Diam.15 cm; Barrel.137 cm; Base.25x24.5 cm. Traces of rust, small accidents and fixing holes. Ref.: For a very similar decoration, MET NY inventory number 17.190.2125, baptistery in marble from southern Italy and dated 1137.