Roundel with a Bird Couple Venetian Sculptor

In twelfth- and thirteenth-century Venice, it was customary to decorate the façade of buildings with carved roundels (patere) that were adorned with animals and floral motifs. The roundels held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest were made from limestone in thirteenth-century Venice. The majority of the designs derive from Byzantine and Islamic decorative arts. Certain motifs must have had symbolic meaning beyond their decorative function. For example, it is possible that this depiction of two birds with their necks interwined is a symbol of Christian love.