• Faith, Memory, and Barnyard Foul: The Hen and Chicks Sculpture of the Basilica di Giovanni Battista at Monza

    Author(s):
    Intaglio Journal (view group)
    Date:
    2019
    Subject(s):
    Art and history, Duomo di Monza
    Item Type:
    Article
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/f6tb-y702
    Abstract:
    Within the treasury of the Basilica di San Giovanni Battista, in Monza, Northern Italy, one object stands out: a golden statue of a hen, surrounded by her seven chicks, all placidly pecking grain from a large disk (figure 1). According to local tradition, the hen and her brood were discovered in the thirteenth century within the sarcophagus of Queen Theodelinda (c. 570-628 C.E.), when her remains were transferred from their original resting place in the chapel of her sixth-century palace to Monza’s newly-built basilica. Among the remnants of medieval treasuries that have managed to survive to the present day, the hen is undoubtedly an unusual piece. Yet it is often described as unique, “un unicum assoluto” without any point of comparison —an assertion that is patently untrue.
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. Date:
    Spring 2019
    Journal:
    Intaglio Journal
    Volume:
    1
    Issue:
    1
    Page Range:
    59 - 81
    ISSN:
    ISSN 2816-914X
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    11 months ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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