Pelican in her piety
Pargetting ( sculpted plasterwork) on the frontage of the Ancient House, Ipswich. A Grade 1 listed building, it dates back to the 15th century but the plasterwork was a later addition ( between 1670 and 1680) by owner, Robert Sparrowe. It was restored in the 1980s and refreshed in the past couple of years. This piece shows the popular medieval Christian symbol of the Pelican in her Piety, a bird thought to have fed her chicks with blood from her own breast and thus adopted as a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ.
Pelican in her piety
Pargetting ( sculpted plasterwork) on the frontage of the Ancient House, Ipswich. A Grade 1 listed building, it dates back to the 15th century but the plasterwork was a later addition ( between 1670 and 1680) by owner, Robert Sparrowe. It was restored in the 1980s and refreshed in the past couple of years. This piece shows the popular medieval Christian symbol of the Pelican in her Piety, a bird thought to have fed her chicks with blood from her own breast and thus adopted as a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ.