Engaged Double Base

Art Historical Context

Nestled in The Cloisters collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art *Engaged Double Base* a captivating marble sculpture from late 15th-century France. Carved from a single block of marble measuring 19 x 12 x 11 inches, this architectural element likely served as a foundational support for engaged columns—protruding pillars integrated into walls—in grand Gothic structures like cathedrals or châteaux. Bequeathed by Susan Vanderpoel Clark 1967, it the exquisite stonework of the period, blending utility with ornate decoration. In the waning years of the Gothic era, French sculptors mastered ma...