Starry Quatrefoil Decorated With A Lion - Veneto, 15th Century

This brick, which reinterprets the Gothic motif of the starry quatrefoil in a highly ornamental way, features a coat of arms in its centre depicting a majestic lion standing on its hind legs, a symbol of power and vigilance. In terms of its material and typology, it is typical of Veneto production, of which a few very comparable examples, depicting sirens, heraldic motifs or allegories, are now on display in the rooms of the Museo Civico in Padua. Together with our work, these extremely rare examples attest that brick was deliberately associated at the end of the Middle Ages with the expression of prestigious architecture.