Capital
French (Languedoc)
Medieval (Romanesque)
late 12–early 13th century
Unidentified artist
Object Place: Europe, France, Languedoc
Dimensions
25.5 x 21 x 28 cm (10 1/16 x 8 1/4 x 11 in.)
Accession Number
19.68
Medium or Technique
Stone; limestone
On View
I. W. Colburn Chapel Gallery (Gallery 254A)
Collections
Classifications
Capitals, the crowning elements of columns, provided areas for sculptural decoration in church interiors and monastic cloisters. The most extravagantly carved capitals might include figures, narrative scenes, plant life, animals, or fantastic beasts. These examples display mythical creatures including the dragon and possibly the amphisbaena–a serpent with a head at either end of its body–both believed in medieval times to exist.
Provenance
By 1919, D.G. Kelekian, New York; 1919, sold by Kelekian to the MFA with funds from J. Templeman Coolidge. (Accession Date: February 27, 1919)
Credit Line
Gift of J. Templeman Coolidge