- Gallery Text
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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
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- Object Number
- 1926.4.2.A
- People
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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
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Level 1, Room 1003, West Arcade
View this object's location on our interactive map - Physical Descriptions
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- 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
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- inscription: abacus: ISTO: ARCO FECI[T] RODRICUS GUSTIUT (us) VIR VALDE BONU[S] MILITE(s) ORATE PRO IL(1)O
- Acquisition and Rights
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- 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
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- Publication History
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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
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32Q: 1003 West Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050
- Subjects and Contexts
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Google Art Project
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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