Stone capital with figures. The abacus of the capital is a wide, rectangular stone slab carved with text and foliage.
capital, front face (1926.4.2.A), with abacus (1926.4.2.B) above Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
capital, front face (1926.4.2.A), with abacus (1926.4.2.B) above Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

This tan stone capital is roughly rectangular, though its front face has a reverse incline, the capital being wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. On the capital’s front side, two hooded women with downcast eyes stand behind a large inscribed coffin. A winged figure stands to the left. On the column’s left side, an approaching figure holds a gardening hoe. On the right side of the capital is another hooded woman. The abacus of the capital is the flat, slab-like piece at the top that connects the column to the surface it supports. This abacus has two distinct rows of decoration. The top row is carved with Latin text with a narrow border below. The section below is carved with curling leaves that intertwine in a repeating pattern. The tips of some leaf clusters have tiny holes carved into them.

Gallery Text

Once set atop an engaged twin column in the abbey church of Santa María de Lebanza, in Palencia, this capital would remind viewers of the Christian promise of Resurrection. The narrative wraps around the entire object, and it seems likely that it would have been seen from three angles. On the front, an angel sits on the edge of the tomb, and two women stand nearby; a third woman approaches on the right. These are the three Marys, who went to Christ’s tomb only to find it empty. The figure on the left, holding a gardening hoe, may be the gardener for whom Mary Magdalene mistook the risen Christ. Perhaps in accordance with the theme of death and resurrection, the inscription above asks for prayer for the patron’s soul: “Rodrigo Gustioz, a very good man, made this arch. Knights, pray for him.” These two capitals are the only remains from the church of this important Romanesque abbey.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1926.4.2.A
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Capital from the Abbey of Santa María de Lebanza, Palencia; principal face: Two Holy Women and Angel at the Tomb: right face: Third Holy Woman; left face: Gardener (Christ?)"
Classification
Architectural Elements
Work Type
architectural element
Date
c. 1185
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Spain, Palencia
Culture
Spanish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/232084

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1003, West Arcade
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Limestone and mortar with red paint
Dimensions
64 x 64 x 50.5 cm (25 3/16 x 25 3/16 x 19 7/8 in.)
822 lb.
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: abacus: ISTO: ARCO FECI[T] RODRICUS GUSTIUT (us) VIR VALDE BONU[S] MILITE(s) ORATE PRO IL(1)O

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Friends of the Fogg Art Museum Fund
Accession Year
1926
Object Number
1926.4.2.A
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Arthur Kingsley Porter, Spanish Romanesque Sculpture, Pegasus Press and Pantheon Books (Paris, France and Florence, Italy, 1928), vol. II, p. 32, pl. 104
  • Linda Seidel Field, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, exh. cat., ed. Stephen K. Scher, Thistle Press and Clarke and Way, Inc. (Providence, RI, 1969), repr. as fig. 42a, p. 119
  • Linda Seidel, "Romanesque Sculpture in American Collections: X: The Fogg Art Museum: III: Spain, Italy, the Low Countries, and Addenda", GESTA (1973), vol. XII, no. 1/2, no. 4, repr.
  • Walter Cahn and Linda Seidel, Romanesque Sculpture in American Collections, volume 1: New England Museums, Burt Franklin & Co., Inc. (New York, NY, 1979), no. 54b-1, fig. 215

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 1003 West Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu