Capital with Four Heads, ca. 1230
Southern Italy, Apulia, probably Troia
Limestone; Overall: 14 1/8 x 13 x 13 in. (35.9 x 33 x 33 cm); Diam. of base: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); Diam. of hole for pin mount: 9 1/16 x 2 3/16 in. (1.4 x 5.5 cm)
Gift of James Hazen Hyde, 1955 (55.66)
Technical Glossary
Southern Italy, Apulia, probably Troia
Limestone; Overall: 14 1/8 x 13 x 13 in. (35.9 x 33 x 33 cm); Diam. of base: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); Diam. of hole for pin mount: 9 1/16 x 2 3/16 in. (1.4 x 5.5 cm)
Gift of James Hazen Hyde, 1955 (55.66)
Four heads emerge from bunches of acanthus leaves to form the corners of this capital. One is an elderly man wearing a turban, presumably a Muslim; the second is a youth with long wavy hair; the third is a Moor with tightly curled hair, prominent cheekbones, and deep-set eyes; and the fourth is a youth with curly hair. These heads, which may allude to the Nations of Man, are close in style to examples by Apulian sculptors working for the court of Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen (r. 1215–50).
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Related Index Terms
Material and Technique
- • Sculpture, In the Round, Europe
- • Sculpture, in the Round, Europe, Italian Peninsula
- • Stone, Limestone
Object
- • Architectural Elements, Secular
- • Architectural Elements, Secular, Europe
- • Portrait, Sculpture, Europe, Italian Peninsula
