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French
Capital with head of a king on the angle
12th century
Limestone
Height: 28 cm x Depth: 25.8 cm
(8348)
This 12th-century capital, fully-carved on three faces, but with some damage, depicts animated scenes of animals, vine scroll, acanthus leaves and a fine carving of a king. The spiraling foliage metamorphoses into the head of a bird and then back again into a vine scroll, perhaps symbolizing the ever-changing world, inlaid with deception and evil. The King and beasts intermixed may symbolised a lesson that every person and creature can be caught in deception.
The capital is very finely carved with drill-holes along the vine scroll, creating an elaborate pattern typical of designs of very high status from this period. Nothing is known of its original situation, but the imagery and shape of the capital, as well as its refinement, would suggest it might be from the cloisteral range of a monastic house in France.
sold
