Column Base
Unknown Artist
late 12th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
Overall: 5 x 10 3/16 in. (12.7 x 25.8 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Architectural
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1925
Accession Number
25.120.35
Art Historical Context
This exquisite stone column base, crafted by an unknown artist in late 12th-century France, exemplifies the architectural artistry of the High Gothic period. Measuring a modest 5 x 10 3/16 inches (12.7 x 25.8 cm), it once supported a column in a grand ecclesiastical structure, such as a cathedral or abbey where such elements bore the weight of vaulted ceilings while adding subtle decorative flair. Housed in The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1925, it invites visitors to ponder the masons' skill in transforming raw limestone or sandstone into enduring architectural supports. ...