The Plutei of Theodota are two mid 8th-century Lombard marble

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s or plutei from the oratory of San Michele alla Pusterla in Italy. Lida Capo, 'Commento' in Paolo Diacono, ''Storia dei Longobardi'', pp. 556-557. They are now held in the Civic Museums of Pavia. Naturalistic in style, they were produced during the Liutprandean Renaissance. One shows the

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...

between two griffins and the other shows a cross and font between two

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

s. They are named after Theodota, a Byzantine noblewoman who became the lover of king Cunipert (688–700), who later placed her in the Santa Maria Teodote monastery, also known as Santa Maria della Pusterla Paolo Diacono, ''

Historia Langobardorum The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' () is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate no later than 796, maybe at ...

'', V, 37 in {{cite book, editor= Georg Waitz, title= Monumenta Germaniae Historica, year= 1878, page= ''Scriptores rerum Langobardicarum et Italicarum saec. VI–IX'', 12–219 (now the Diocesan Seminary for Pavia), near which was later built the oratorio di San Michele.

References

category:Lombard sculptures category:8th century in art Architectural sculpture Reliefs in Italy Marble sculptures in Italy