About the Work

The Romanesque capitals bear witness to the artistic vitality and boundless creativity of the sculptors of the Middle Ages. Brimming with detail and teeming with characters, these creations combining plant motifs and ornamentation, creatures from the fantastic bestiary and human figures which have captivated the imagination for centuries. True narrative supports, illustrating with remarkable attention to detail biblical episodes, legends or scenes from everyday life, they can be found at the heart of Romanesque churches and abbeys as meditation aids, commenting not only on the Bible but also on certain moral principles transcribed in stone with vivacity and wit in a universal language.

This capital, depicting a figure emerging from rich vegetation, can be attributed to the Poitou school of Romanesque sculpture, renowned for its richness and expressiveness. The style and some of the motifs on this capital can be traced back to some of the most prestigious building sites in the region and it can be dated to around 1140. Its decoration evokes man's struggle against the forces of evil, symbolised by the dense network of vegetation pierced by its protagonist, a symbol of the forest, a negative entity in the Middle Ages, synonymous with darkness and danger, and a place of trials and tribulations. Beyond its plastic perfection, this work, through its ornamental and universal sculptural language, calls on us to penetrate its mystery and invites us to search for meaning, invariably stimulating the gaze and imagination of the man who seeks.

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