Romanesque capital. Paris, potentially Saint-Martin-des-Champs.

This Romanesque corner capital in limestone, of great elegance, is distinguished by a vegetal sculpted decor characteristic of the Parisian Romanesque style of the first half of the 12th century. It features a basket adorned with scrolls, palmettes, and interlaced toruses, classic elements of Romanesque ornamentation from this period. This capital shows striking similarities with those in the apse of the church of the Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory in Paris, dated to around 1130-1135. The ambulatory of this church, an important witness to Romanesque sculpture in Île-de-France, also features corner capitals with comparable vegetal motifs, both in the density of the decor and the use of high relief and interlaced forms.

The scrolls, flexible and coiled, symmetrically develop across the entire basket. The palmettes, stylized but imposing in shape, emerge forcefully from the decor and contribute to the overall sense of volume. The interlaced toruses, large rounded moldings, reinforce the decorative structure and emphasize the architectural strength characteristic of this period.
Related works:
- Capitals from the lapidary collection of Saint-Martin-des-Champs.
- Corner capital with palmette decoration, Cluny Museum, RF 1131 (Cl. 19510).
Consulted references:
- "Sculptures des XIe - XIIe siècles Roman et premier art gothique", catalogue of the National Museum of the Middle Ages, Thermes de Cluny, Xavier Dectot, Paris 2005.
- "Musée du Louvre, département des sculptures du Moyen Âge, de la Renaissance et des Temps modernes. Sculpture française, t. I, Moyen Âge", Paris, RMN, Françoise Baron, 1996.

Origin: Paris, France

Medium: Limestone

Size: Height: 28cm Width: 31cm

Period: First half of the 12th century

Condition: Missing part at the bottom of the basket.

Price: on demand

Ref.227