A quite extraordinary fragmented limestone Romanesque Tympanum or Niche or tomb section.
It has been my pleasure to have this artwork at home for the past year attempting research on this enchanting piece of history.
Clearly visible are the figures of a bishop with the winged lion and bull of St Mark and St Luke.
This may well be a nod to a Venetian origin but it is difficult to trace. We do know it was discovered in a ruined barn of a large farmhouse in Gloucester. The barn was rented for decades to a stonemason (now deceased) who undertook many years of restoration work in Italy post severe earthquake damage.
This could explain why the arch is now in four sections, tied together from the reae by iron bar and a stretch of old marble which would obviously be unseen when the piece is in situ.
Equally and more importantly the tympanum may well have originated in the British Isles as without provinance or expertise in pre medieval churches more research is needed.
Some of the deterioration to the figures are recent due to manhandling by builders and left in wet conditions for years.
85 cms wide x 55 cms high x 28 cms deep
