Plate with Pelican

Netherlandish, 1400-1500
Brass
Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 64.101.1498

The center depicts a pelican piercing her own chest to feed her young. (Unfortunately, the latter look more like beetles than birds!) This action imputed to the pelican is traditionally taken as a symbol of Christ's giving the blood shed in his Passion for the life of mankind.

Circling the image is a grapevine. The grapes are also refer to Christ's blood, and the vine to his teaching that he is the vine and his disciples the branches (John 15:1-6).

View this image in full resolution.
Read more about the pelican symbol.

• Home Page
• The Pelican Symbol
• This Page

Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.