eagle attacking a hare roundel

eagle attacking a hare roundel , 1100s

Where object was made: Venice, Republic of Venice (present-day Italy)

Material/technique: marble

Dimensions:
Object Diameter (Diameter): 26.1 cm
Object Diameter (Diameter): 10 1/4 in

Credit line: Museum purchase through The Kansas University Endowment Association

Accession number: 1958.0034

Not on display

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Label texts

Empire of Things

Venice prospered as a significant trading power with a reach extending far into the eastern Mediterranean regions of the Byzantine and Islamic empires. Merchants obtained trading privileges from the emperors, establishing relationships in Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, and Tripoli, among other major cities. Venice’s centuries-long commercial contact with the Near East also stimulated artistic production. Workshops in and around medieval Venice reproduced and reworked ancient Near Eastern decorative motifs, such as the attacking eagle and hare and the perhaps more peaceful pair of birds with a leaf, both depicted on these roundels.

Exhibition Label:
"Empire of Things," 2013, Kate Meyer
Venice prospered as a significant trading power with a reach extending far into the eastern Mediterranean regions of the Byzantine and Islamic empires. Merchants obtained trading privileges from the emperors, establishing relationships in Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, and Tripoli, among other major cities. Venice’s centuries-long commercial contact with the Near East also stimulated artistic production. Workshops in and around medieval Venice reproduced and reworked ancient Near Eastern decorative motifs, such as the attacking eagle and hare and the perhaps more peaceful pair of birds with a leaf, both depicted here on these roundels.