The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Engaged Capital with a Supporting (Caryatidal) Figure Flanked by Lions

Engaged Capital with a Supporting (Caryatidal) Figure Flanked by Lions

c. 1125–1150
Overall: 34.3 x 47 x 34.3 cm (13 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 13 1/2 in.)

Description

This sculpture is an excellent example of the Romanesque sculptor’s ability to accommodate his subject to the format of the capital. Much of the artistic quality of this work derives from the skillful contrast and balance of rounded solids, deep voids, and shallow prismatic hollows. It also illustrates the love of fanciful subject matter in largely religious contexts. A capital is essentially the top element of a column, usually carved, that acts as a mediator between the column and the load it supports. In this way, the subject of this capital serves as a metaphor.
  • Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 48 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 48 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 53 archive.org
  • The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century. Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (organizer) (May 1-June 22, 1969).
    Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=Engaged Capital with a Supporting (Caryatidal) Figure Flanked by Lions|url=false|author=|year=c. 1125–1150|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.477