The porphyry head known as the head of Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola
South-west corner of the balustrade
Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica)
Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square)
Venice, September 2013
“The porphyry head, brought back from the sack of Constantinople during the 4th Crusade of 1204, was long the subject of studies and discussions aimed at historical identification of the person represented. More or less life size (40 centimetres high) there is a hole in the upper part of the head which must have been for fixing it to the wall. The large eyes framed with arched eyebrows once had vitreous paste pupils, and the dense ornamentation of the crown imitates settings of precious stones and gold plate.” (The Head of Carmagnola, Basilica di San Marco)
He looks angry and, well, . . . uhm, cross-eyed.
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