PAIR OF EAGLE LECTERNS. BRONZE, IRON. 16TH CENTURY

Pair of eagle-shaped lecterns. Bronze and iron. 16th-17th century. Later supports. A pair of lecterns with tripod bases, claw-shaped legs with spheres, and a triangular section from which three baluster-shaped legs emerge. These legs are decorated with light-colored elements that meet at the top of this section, leaving a vegetal motif towards the bottom. The finials are two eagles on spheres, each facing a different direction with their heads tilted upwards and their wings half-extended. The back of the eagles is plain, lacking the details of feathers, eyes, beak, and talons that are present on the front. The eagles may be of the Spanish or Dutch school, dating from the 16th-17th centuries, while the bases are from the 20th century. It appears that, at least in Spain, the widespread use of tall lecterns began in the 14th century. This was due, in part, to their importance for the text contained in books, but also, and above all, to their use in holding the Missal in the sanctuary of churches (previously it was held by acolytes, and from the 9th century onwards it was placed on a cushion on the altar), making it visible to all. This also led to an increase in their use in secular settings. To the existing variations, a type was added from the mid-15th century onwards that featured a wrought-iron eagle with outstretched wings on its inclined surface for holding the text, sometimes with a halo and occasionally with its beak open. This lectern was named after the animal depicted. One of these lecterns is preserved in the Cathedral of Cuenca, another in the Parish Church of Villanueva de los Infantes (Ciudad Real), and some are in private collections, among others. It is also worth remembering its frequent use in Protestant churches, with some truly striking Victorian-era works. The presence of the eagle is often associated with Saint John and his Gospel, or with an allegory of the grandeur and exaltation of the Word, but it is important to remember that it was also a bird identified with the sun (it was thought to spend its life continuously under its rays) and with the idea of masculine activity (strength, power of flight, etc.). It is frequently mentioned in Sacred Texts with an allegorical meaning (Divine Protection, Christian Church, etc.) or by equating the bird's flight with divine protection and design (Exodus 19:4: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself), or by linking it with the Resurrection (verse 5 of Psalm 102, which reads, "My youth shall be renewed like the eagle's"). Recall, for example, that Beatus of Liébana states that the eagle is the Church, and that its wings are the two Testaments, by means of which it flies in the sky, or that Dante refers to the bird as "of God." Weight: 125 kg., detectedSourceLanguage: es

· Size: 44x50x181 cms