Lectern in the Form of an Eagle in the Cloisters, Sept. 2007

Lectern in the Form of an Eagle
Brass
Attributed to Aert van Tricht the Elder
South Lowlands, Limburg, Maastricht, about 1500
From the church Saint Peter at Louvain

Accession # 68.8

Lecterns were used by the clergy to read from the scriptures or to sing the liturgy. Here, an eagle's wings support a bookrack, with a smaller rack, possibly for the use of choirboys, below. The eagle, symbol of John the Evangelist, may refer to his Gospel, which begins with praise for the Word of God. The bird's claws hold a dragon, an allusion to the Word's victory over evil. The figures attached to the structure include Christ, Saint Peter, and the Virgin and Child with the three Magi. The first Magus and Saint Barbara are 19th century replacements.

Text from the Cloisters label.