Byzantine stele; 6th century A.D.

Byzantine stele; 6th century AD.
Carved limestone.
It has slight damage caused by the passage of time.
Measurements: 49 x 52 x 13,5 cm.
Byzantine stele in limestone that constitutes an example of the sculpture in relief produced in the Eastern Mediterranean area during the 6th century A.D., a period of artistic refinement under the Byzantine Empire. The piece presents a frontal female bust, framed by an exuberant vegetal decoration of stylized scrolls and leaves, while the upper part depicts ibexes facing each other and peacocks, a very common combination in the late antique and Christian imaginary, where peacocks evoke the idea of immortality and resurrection, while ibexes refer to fertility and abundance.
From the aesthetic point of view, the balanced composition and the volumetric clarity of the relief, characteristic of early Byzantine sculpture, stand out. The female face, with idealized features and fixed gaze is framed in a symmetry and hieratism typical of the formal language of the period. The treatment of the vegetal elements and the decorative border reveals an expert hand.
At a historical level, the stele is inscribed in a key moment of cultural transition, in which the classical models inherited from Rome are reinterpreted under a new Christian worldview. This type of piece, destined for funerary contexts, not only fulfilled a decorative function, but also a didactic and symbolic one.