Epistyle in two fragments (fragment 1). Height: 24,5, length: 314, thickness: 40 cm.
Epistyle in two fragments (fragment 1). Height: 24,5, length: 314, thickness: 40 cm.
Epistyle in two fragments (fragment 2).  Height: 24,5, length: 314, thickness: 40 cm.

Epistyle in two fragments, Thisseion Collection

Area: Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens
Date: 12th century

Description:
Marble epistyle of a screen in two fragments. Dense floral ornamentation, on low-relief, covers the background, while decorative elements, such as birds, the tree of life, angels and a cross on a medal appear on a higher level. The combination of various imaginative decorative patterns is very interesting. The characteristic technique of the two-level-relief is a typical feature of the sculpture of the period. It comes from Athens and it was formerly part of the Thisseion Collection. It is dated to the twelfth century A.D.