Fragment of a Cornice with a Bird

Art Historical Context

This delicate fragment of a carved limestone cornice, dating to the 4th–5th century, hails from the Late Antique period and now graces the Islamic Art department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. about 9 inches high, 19 inches wide, and 18 inches deep, it once formed part of an architectural ornament, likely crowning a building's entablature. The central motif—a finely sculpted bird perched amid stylized foliage—showcases the era's masterful stone carving techniques, where artisans skillfully rendered feathers, wings, and natural details in shallow relief for a lively, three-dimensional effec...