Column Fragment - Italy, 7th - 8th Centuries

This magnificent column fragment presents motifs characteristic of Lombard art of the 7th and 8th centuries. Lombard art characterizes the artistic production of the 7th to 9th-10th centuries, introduced by the Germanic peoples who invaded northern Italy in the 7th century. This production, marked by a Germanic imprint, integrates Byzantine elements especially visible in its ornaments. The latter are then marked by a loaded symbolism, phytomorphic decorations, that is to say objects or structures with a vegetal, or zoomorphic, appearance, and a characteristic horror vacui. The column fragment that interests us here corresponds greatly to this type of artistic production. The numerous vertical friezes contain motifs of palmettes and acanthus leaves, in an interweaving that leaves no room for any gaps. It is possible to compare this fragment with an 8th-century column shaft from the church of San Salvatore in Brescia, which has similar decorations and organization. This column fragment then constitutes a characteristic expression of the Lombard iconographic tradition, shown by ornamental foliage with Byzantine evocation