Throne of Wisdom
Circa 1180
Fresco
Crypt, Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta
Aquileia, Italy
In this iconographic type the Christ Child holds a book or scroll and sits on the lap of his mother, who in turn sits on a throne.
Outside the circle enclosing the Throne of Wisdom are the four creatures representing the evangelists. The name of one of them, S. LUCAS, is visible in the lower right. If the others had such labels, as is likely, they have been lost to the partial decay of the fresco.
According to Tavano (197), opinions range widely as to when in the 12th century the crypt frescos should be dated, but most agree on a date around 1180.
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Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.