Capital, no not as in city, but as in the head, or crowning feature of a column.
During our visit to St Nicolas; which we wrote about on
Saturday, the captials kept vying with the frescos for our attention. We have, as some readers may have noticed, a fondness for beautifully carved stone.
So here are four more of wonderfully carved Romanesque captials from the church in Tavant.
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| individual being eaten by probably a manticore [man's face, body of a lion and stinger tail] |
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| two cocks fighting; one now sadly headless |
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| two mean-looking griffins [body of a lion, wings and head of an eagle] |
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| two basiliks? [a cock with a snake's tail] and a cup; the tails end in devil faces |
12 comments:
What great photos and the work that must go into creating these is remarkable. Diane
Sometimes you miss in the "big picture" the fine detail.
You've given us that fine detail.
Nice work.
Hello Niall and Antoinette:
These are absolutely remarkable and so very well preserved, or so they appear in your images. Such details are always worth taking the time and trouble to spot, and they are all too often overlooked in favour of the more obvious.
@Diane - they are beautifully carved and full of life and character.
@Leon & Sue - Thanks :-). The frescos are the undoubted stars of the show but these are equally lovely in their own way.
@Jane & Lance - the capitals are in very good condition and without having a close look [don't think they'd have appreciated us asking for ladders to get up close!] look original. Certainly the Adam & Eve one shows traces of polychrome painting.
Second helpings of Tavant...spoiling us!
@Fly - well our readers 'are worth it' [to steal a line] ;-)
What extraordinary beasties! And the bestiaries depicted "real" animals like the basilisk and the gryphon so they had to be true.
@Pauline - they're great aren't they?
Well, we all know, if it's written down it must be true :-)
Excellent photographs of these impressive carvings.
@LindyLou - thanks :-)
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