Lectern in the Form of an Eagle

Attributed to Jehan Aert van Tricht Netherlandish
ca. 1500
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 16
Atop this large lectern, which was used for reading from the Gospels, is an impressive eagle, symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, perched with a dragon beneath its talon. A complex object assembled from many separately cast parts, the lectern is supported by three lion feet and embellished with figures of the Magi, Christ, Saint Peter, Saint Barbara, and Old Testament prophets. In the nineteenth century, John Talbot, sixteenth earl of Shrewsbury, donated the lectern to the cathedral of Saint Chad in Birmingham, England, designed by the renowned Gothic revival architect A.W.N. Pugin (1812-1852). The figures of Saint Barbara and the first Magus are nineteenth-century replacements, dating from the time of Pugin's involvement with the lectern.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lectern in the Form of an Eagle
  • Artist: Attributed to Jehan Aert van Tricht (Netherlandish, active Maastricht 1492–1501)
  • Date: ca. 1500
  • Geography: Made in Maastricht, the Netherlands
  • Culture: South Netherlandish
  • Medium: Brass
  • Dimensions: 81 1/8 × 47 3/4 × 40 1/4 in. (206.1 × 121.3 × 102.2 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Brass
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1968
  • Object Number: 68.8
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

Audio

Cover Image for 70. Lectern in the Form of an Eagle

70. Lectern in the Form of an Eagle

Gallery 16

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NARRATOR: This elaborate eagle lectern was made for the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Louvain, Belgium in about 1500, probably by Aert van Tricht the Elder and his son, of Maastricht. Maastricht was famous for the production of cast brass pieces at this time. The lectern is assembled from many parts. It rests on four lions and is surmounted by a fierce eagle clasping a small winged dragon in its talons. The eagle's wings support a large bookstand. Smaller figures attached to the structure include Christ, as Savior of the World; St. Peter, as patron saint of the church and city of Louvain; St. Barbara, with her tower at her feet; and the Virgin and Child with the three Wise Men. Churches usually had two lecterns: a large one like this for reading the Gospels, and a smaller one for the reading of Epistles. The eagle is the symbol of St. John the Evangelist, and the winged dragon symbolizes evil, so the overall theme of this powerful lectern is the triumph of the Word. Eagles often adorned lecterns because the first words of the Gospel of St. John are "In the Beginning was the Word." It is interesting to note that this lectern was once in the collection of the English architect A.W.N. Pugin, who contributed greatly to the Gothic Revival in the nineteenth century.

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