A candid heron emerges from an indigo background, suspended on a
branch with lush leaves. Its long beak is in warm-toned grey tesserae.
The body is rendered through rounded lines of grey tesserae framing
the head, the long neck and the back. White tesserae flow from the
forehead to the neck to the feet, which are the same colour as the beak.
For the Greeks, the heron was sacred to Athena and, in the Iliad (Book
10), it was a symbol of protection, sent by the goddess to Diomedes
and Odysseus. Pliny the Elder also claimed that if seen flying south
or north, it was a good omen, as this bird was said to deliver from
dangers and fears. In the Physiologus (2nd-3rd century AD) – a text
where animals, plants and gems were interpreted allegorically through
quotations from the Holy Scriptures and associated to metaphysical
meanings related to heavenly realities or human behaviour – the heron
is compared to the faithful who avoids places frequented by heretics
and their teachings, only following those of the Lord.