Pair of eagles; Netherlands, 16th century.

Pair of eagles; Netherlands, 16th century.
Bronze.
With iron bases of later period.
Measurements: 73 x 47 x 41 cm (eagles); 181 cm (total height).
Pair of eagle-shaped lecterns on tripod, with legs in the form of claws with spheres, and a triangular part from which three legs emerge in the form of a baluster, with elements in light tones that unite in the upper part of the piece, leaving towards the lower zone a vegetal form. The finials are two eagles on spheres, each one oriented to one side, with the head tilted upward and the wings half extended; the back is plain, without the details of feathers, eyes, beak and claws that appear on the front. The eagles could be of Spanish or Dutch school, dated to the XVI-XVII centuries, while the bases correspond to the XX century.
It seems that, at least in Spain, the diffusion of the high lecterns took place since the 14th century, as they were relevant objects for the reading of the texts, but above all for their use to hold the Missal in the presbytery of the churches (previously held by acolytes and, since the 9th century, placed on a cushion on the altar), thus being visible to all. This also led to its expansion in civilian areas. To the existing variants is added, from the middle of the 15th century, the one that presents in its inclined plane a structure in the form of an eagle with spread wings, sometimes with a nimbed head and, sometimes, with an open beak, receiving the name of the animal represented.
Examples of this type are preserved in the Cathedral of Cuenca, in the parish church of Villanueva de los Infantes (Ciudad Real), as well as in private collections. It is also worth remembering its frequent use in Protestant temples, with particularly striking pieces from the Victorian period.
It is usually considered that the presence of the eagle is linked to St. John the Evangelist and his Gospel, or that it acts as an allegory of the greatness and elevation of the Word. However, it was also a bird associated with the sun - as it was believed to live under its constant influence - and with masculine activity (strength, power of flight). It appears frequently in sacred texts in an allegorical sense (divine protection, Christian Church), or linked to the idea of divine protection and design (Exodus 19:4), as well as to the Resurrection (Psalm 102:5: "My youth shall be renewed like the eagle's").