Impost Capital with Acanthus Leaf Decoration
This capital, and the one to the right with paired birds peeking through acanthus leaves and pecking at its seeds, resemble sculpture in the crypt of the royal abbey of Saint-Denis, north of Paris. As the burial place of French kings, Saint-Denis enjoyed unrivaled prestige; artistic innovations adopted there resonated throughout the region and indeed, throughout France. The choir of the abbey constructed under Abbot Suger is often considered the first example of a new architectural style, known today as Gothic. In the wake of the French Revolution, sculpture and building materials from a number of monuments were sent to Saint-Denis for storage; these pieces may, therefore, come from another church in the area.
Artwork Details
- Title: Impost Capital with Acanthus Leaf Decoration
- Date: mid-12th century
- Geography: Made in Ile-de-France, France
- Culture: French
- Medium: Limestone with traces of polychromy
- Dimensions: Overall: 14 15/16 x 32 x 18 7/8 in. (38 x 81.3 x 48 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
- Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1983
- Object Number: 1983.226
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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French
late 12th–early 13th century
French
ca. 1250
French
mid-13th century
French
late 12th–early 13th century
French
late 13th–14th century
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