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
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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.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1926.4.2.B
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Abacus of Engaged Twin Columns from Abbey of Santa María de Lebanza, Palencia
Classification
Architectural Elements
Work Type
architectural element
Date
c. 1185
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Spain, Palencia
Culture
Spanish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/231650

Location

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

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Limestone and motar with red paint
Dimensions
16.2 x 80 x 48 cm (6 3/8 x 31 1/2 x 18 7/8 in.)
203 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.B
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, "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-2, fig. 215

Exhibition History

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

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