Patera Lion & Prey, Venice 12th century

These architectural elements (roundel or ‘patera’) were integrated in the exterior walls of Italian houses (especially Venice) to ward off evil. They were highly fashionable during late 11th until 13th century and are Byzantine in origin. Their diameter can go from 20 to 80 cm and they can be up to 10 cm thick. Next to the round form, there was also a rectangular architectural element, often ending in an arch, with the same sort of iconography. These are called 'Formelle'.
The patere have next to their esthetic dimension also a symbolic meaning: two fighting animals refer to the struggle between good and evil.
It is this motif that is represented here: the upper animal is a lion (cf its manes) fighting with a quadruped prey (sheep?).
It has the round frame of one inwards sculpted rectangle alternating with one outwards sculpted rectangle (‘relievo in biglietti’), typical for those 12th century Venetian patere. It bears resemblances to the patere (classified as ‘roundels’) in the Detroit Institute of Arts Accession Number 26.196
https://dia.org/collection/roundel-fox-attacking-sheep-24852
and Accession Number 26.200 https://dia.org/collection/roundel-feline-animal-attacking-rabbit-24853
and Accession Number 26.192 https://dia.org/collection/roundel-bird-attacking-rabbit-24850
Our patera is weathered but in good condition (not broken) and has a good size (it is the largest from the three that we have had over the years). Thick. Coarse greyish-white limestone. Diameter: 37cm. Thickness: 5-6cm.

References:
The Detroit Institute of Arts has a collection of 17 patere and one formella. They are all from Venice and from 12th-13th century. They are published in their catalogue “Italian Sculpture in the Detroit Institute of Arts Volume One: Eighth to Sixteenth Century, pp.42-53”. They can also be found online on their website when you search their collection under ‘roundel’.

There is an exhaustive study of these romanesque patere and formelle. it is the standard reference:
“Romanische Reliefs von Venezianischen Fassaden ' Patere e Formelle ' Mit 165 Abbildungen im Text und 567 Abbildungen auf 88 Tafeln”
Swiechowski, Zygmunt / Rizzi, Alberto / Hamann-Mac Lean, Richard
ISBN 10: 3515029435 / ISBN 13: 9783515029438
Editore: Franz Steimer, Wiesbaden, 1982