A double profile portrait relief of a saint.
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
301 AD - 400 AD
Materials
Marble
Measurements
25 mm (Depth); 215 mm (Diameter)
Collection
Knole, Kent
NT 131105
Summary
Marble relief, profile portrait of two saints, possibly late antique. This marble relief depicts the portraits of two saints in profile, looking intently towards each other. Both figures are bearded and wear the same type of outer garment. Haloes are lightly carved above each figure. A top section of the relief was cracked or broke off and was later reattached. The Christian subject matter is depicted with the verism of Roman portraiture, indicating that this is possibly a late antique relief (from the 4th century). Alice Rylance-WatsonSeptember 2018
Full description
A circular marble plaque depicting two bearded men in profile, looking into the face of the other. They may be the same man shown from the left and right sides. Above the heads are faint haloes, symbolic of a Christian saint. It was created in the fourth century AD, when Christianity was the state religion.
Credit line
Knole, The Sackville Collection (National Trust)