No 37D

Location: On the eastern wall of the south gallery, inside the south buttress.

Material: Marble surface, 6th century.

Dimensions: 17.7 cm (height) by 15 cm (width), located 185 cm above floor level.

Condition: Likely incised; not intersected by other marks.

Technique: Incised.

Description: A contour drawing of a bird in profile, featuring a rounded body, an upright posture, and a relatively short neck compared to its bulk. The legs are straight, ending in simple strokes representing the feet. The beak is short and pointed, and the tail is rendered schematically as a small triangular outline.

Аttribution: Possibly a domestic hen.

Publications: none.

Commentary: The proportions, body shape, and lack of ornamental elements such as a crest suggest this is a hen (domestic chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus). The hen is a common motif in Christian symbolism, associated with protection and maternal care, echoing biblical passages like Matthew 23:37 (“…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…”). In medieval art, hens could symbolize both vigilance and the nurturing aspect of the Church. The schematic nature of the drawing, combined with its simplicity, suggests it was executed as a symbolic rather than a naturalistic representation.

Date: 13th–15th century AD?