Capital
Unknown Artist
late 12th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
Overall: 11 3/4 x 19 5/8 x 9 5/8 in. (29.8 x 49.8 x 24.4 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Architectural
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1925
Accession Number
25.120.96
Art Historical Context
This exquisite stone capital, crafted by an unknown artist in late 12th-century France, once crowned a column in a grand ecclesiastical structure, such as a church or monastery. Measuring about 12 x 20 x 10 inches, it exemplifies architectural sculpture from the Romanesque period's twilight, when elaborate carving transformed functional elements into storytelling canvases. Displayed in The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1925, it invites us into the world of medieval builders who adorned sacred spaces with intricate stonework. French masons of this era mastered the art of hi...