Rare engraved and gilded bronze curved plate.... Lot 205

Rare engraved and gilded bronze curved plate. In its lower part, it depicts the Nativity, framed by two twisted columns with leafy capitals supporting a pointed roof: In the foreground, the Virgin is lying down, her right elbow resting on a bolster; a midwife, one of her arms surrounding Mary's halo, comforts her by bringing her a cup; on the right, Saint Joseph is sitting on an upside down Corinthian capital, in a pensive attitude, one cheek resting on his hand; between the two, the swaddled Child rests in a masonry cradle with arches and matching walls; Above him, the ox and the donkey warm him with their breath; in the background, on the left, the eight-pointed star punctuated by small circles; in the upper register, bordered by small columns decorated with upright and superimposed leaves, different architectures, bell towers, facades with porticoes, galleries, ramparts symbolizing the city of Jerusalem; at the tympanum, Christ sits in a curled-up armchair with a backrest against the background of a hanging curtain; with his head surrounded by a cruciferous nimbus, he blesses with his right hand and holds a closed book with the other; he is dressed in a tunic and a mantle with one side around his right arm; the scraps of clothing draw waves between the legs and on each side; he is surrounded, on either side, by twelve ewes in groups of six; the lower part of the plate is bordered by a slightly advancing frieze decorated with chevrons and trifoliate motifs, while the arcature is underlined by an antique frieze of diamond-shaped olives alternating with billets; intermediate band and pointed arch decorated with foliage and palmettes. This plaque is set in a thick copper leaf with a socket with a plate on the back and ends with accolade points. Carolingian art or more probably Byzantine Empire, IX/XIth century Rear mount ? Height: 18.3 cm - Width: 12.2 cm - Thickness at the lower part of the plate ?