gothic capital with foliate decoration - 13th century

Gothic capital with foliate decoration
limestone
France, 13th century
17 x 16,5 x 15 cm

The leaves are organically arranged around the core of the abacus; the bottom of the capital is composed of a simple rounded base; the upper part is squared. The capital is flat on the back, suggesting that it was an engaged capital.
In the early 13th century, there was a development away from figurative ornament on capitals towards carving naturalistic foliate form; this small capital illustrates the interest of this period for a naturalistic rendering.