Tympanum

This relief is the oldest sculpture in the Rijksmuseum. It is a curved tympanum originally from the abbey church in Egmond-Binnen. There it was placed above the entrance. In the museum the tympanum is also placed in the wall. The central figure represents St Peter. On the right is the patron who commissioned the sculpture: Petronella, Countess of Holland. The figure on the left is her son Dirk. Precisely who made the tympanum is no longer known. Perhaps it was one of the monks of the abbey. In line with the Romanesque styleRomanesqueIn the 11th and 12th centuries the Romanesque style spread through Europe. Romanesque architecture is based on that of the Romans, with rounded arches over the windows and doors. It is a style characterised by thick, solid walls and narrow windows. Romanesque sculpture, unlike the more sober architectural variant, is highly decorative. A typical feature is the interweaving ornamentation and the fantastic, almost abstract human and animal figures., the tympanum is rounded and simply executed.