About the Artwork
The capital dates from a time of great revival in monumental stone sculpture in medieval Europe, known as the Romanesque period. The church of Saint-Constant in western France was built during the first quarter of the twelfth century and destroyed in 1921. This capital with crossed lions moving in opposite directions was one of a pair surmounting columns toward the back of the small aisleless church. Romanesque churches were frequently boldly decorated with carvings of lions and fantastic animals such as harpies and griffins. The collection in Detroit also includes four smaller capitals from Saint-Constant that originally surmounted colonettes inside the church.
Capital and Abacus Block
12th century
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French
French
Stone
Overall (capital): 17 1/4 × 20 inches (43.8 × 50.8 cm) Overall (abacus): 6 1/4 × 25 1/2 inches (15.9 × 64.8 cm)
Sculpture
European Sculpture and Dec Arts
Founders Society Purchase, Edward A. Sumner Bequest Fund
49.416
This work is in the public domain.
Markings
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Provenance
Romanesque church of Saint-Constant (Charente, France). (Dikran G. Kelekian)
1949-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Pallas 14, no. 2 (January 28, 1950): pp. 14-15.
Bulletin of the DIA 31, nos. 3-4 (1951-1952): p. 73.
George, J. "Eglises Detruites." Bulletin et Mem. de la Société Architecture et Histoire de la Charente (1929): pp. 17-27, (pl. 9) (ill.).
Cahn, W. Gesta 10, no. 2 (1971): p. 74 (fig. 7) (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
French, Capital and Abacus Block, 12th century, stone. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Edward A. Sumner Bequest Fund, 49.416.
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