Paul II Papal Stemma

Abstract

This wooden sculpture (c. 1468–1470) depicts the papal stemma (coat of arms) of Pope Paul II (Pietro Barbo) and is housed at the Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia in Rome. The design features a rampant lion on a blue field, with a red roundel behind it, showcasing a papal tiara and crossed keys. The roundel is framed by a carved, gilded laurel wreath and ribbons on a sky-blue background. This stemma is located in the Pope’s bedroom, part of the apartment he built in 1451. Elements of the coat of arms are repeated in the room’s intricate marble floor tiles. Discovered in the basement of the palace in the early twentieth century, the stemma was originally inlaid into one of the ceiling coffers in the Sala del Mappamondo. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.