Our selection of Romanesque artworks and medieval sculptures. The collection brings together Enthroned Virgins, figures of Christ and the Apostles, as well as architectural elements emblematic of Romanesque sculpture: historiated capitals, sculpted modillions, reliefs and decorative friezes. Carved in stone, marble or wood, these works reflect the rich iconography, religious symbolism and technical mastery of medieval sculptors.
Collection of Romanesque Art
Our selection of Romanesque artworks and medieval sculptures. The collection brings together Enthroned Virgins, figures of Christ and the Apostles, as well as architectural elements emblematic of Romanesque sculpture: historiated capitals, sculpted modillions, reliefs and decorative friezes. Carved in stone, marble or wood, these works reflect the rich iconography, religious symbolism and technical mastery of medieval sculptors.
This rare Romanesque baptismal font, carved from white Pyrenean marble probably quarried near Céret, is a remarkable example of late 12th-century liturgical furnishing from Roussillon. Its quatrefoil plan is contained within a broadly quadrangular outer volume, while an astragal moulding defines its circular base and accompanies the outward flare of the walls. The closest comparisons are found among the capitals of the south portal of Notre-Dame de Brouilla, as well as in the cloister of Elne Cathedral and at the Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou...
Frieze panel carved in pale limestone, depicting a group of two confronted fantastical animals, identified here as a griffin and an asp, in a composition that may evoke a psychomachy, that is to say a symbolic struggle between Good and Evil. With its dense and vigorous composition, this fantastical bestiary is characteristic of the height of Romanesque art. The upper register is occupied by a group of two confronted fantastical animals, carved in high relief against a hollowed ground: an asp to dexter and a griffin to sinister. The whole strongly suggests an origin in Southern Burgundy, in the second quarter of the 12th century, within the orbit of workshops belonging to the Cluniac circle...
Three-sided applied capital in marble, carved with two monstrous busts of winged sirens with serpentine tails; Romanesque work from the Rhône Valley, probably between the Velay and the Rhône regions, second half of the 12th century. The main face shows a zoomorphic mascaron (short muzzle, upright ears) flanked by two winged sirens whose serpentine bodies unfold onto the adjoining faces. Between the mascaron and the astragal emerge stylised acanthus leaves. The sirens’ faces are set into the angles of the capital, reinforcing the three-dimensional reading of the piece. Their cylindrical necks are encircled by a beaded headband worked with the drill. This is neither the classical bird-sirens nor the pure fish-sirens; the winged, scaly body ending in a fin suggests a creature at once aerial, chthonic and marine, evoking the three realms of sky, earth and sea...
Romanesque historiated capital in dolomitic limestone, carved in high relief on three figured faces, the fourth presenting a vegetal decoration. The main face shows King Herod seated in majesty, his bearded head with mid-length hair encircled by a diadem. The cheekbones are strongly marked, as in the Massacre of the Innocents on the portal of the cathedral of Saint-Trophime in Arles. The body, wrapped in a broad garment whose incised folds form characteristic V-shaped rhythms, emphasises the frontality of the figure. Next to the king, in the angle of the capital, stands a smaller soldier wearing a mail hauberk similar to those on the capital in the cloister of Saint-Trophime in Arles, which likewise represents the Massacre of the Innocents. The lateral faces develop the theme of the Massacre of the Innocents in a continuous narrative. On one side, a soldier in mail brandishes his sword above the bodies of the young victims, whose small size and nakedness accentuate the brutality of the action. On the other, the mothers are crowded into two registers, expressing panic and desolation...
Important statue of Saint-Peter in very strong relief. This exceptional oolitic limestone sculpture shows traces of polychromy. The saint rests barefoot on a large base with an inscription “S SIM…” for Saint Simon Peter. Flat back.
The apostle, with curly beard and hair stylized in large locks, is represented standing draped in a mantle with vertical folds holding his classical attributes, the Book and the key.
The stylized beard, the wide eyes, the folds and the patterns of the clothing direct us towards a production from the end of the 12th century with still clear Romanesque influences. This work undoubtedly comes from an apostolic college...
Rare enthroned Virgin and Child in limestone carved in very high relief. The Virgin holds the Child between her two knees in perfect frontality, a characteristic of the first Romanesque virgins known as Sedes Sapientiae. Mary is wearing a crown decorated with rectangular and diamond-shaped cabochons, her face in an elongated oval with protruding cheekbones and eyeballs. The throne, of fine quality of execution, has solid armrests with two arches resting on ringed cylindrical Romanesque columns with a molded base. Christ is represented with aged features recalling the anteriority of Christ over the Virgin. He adopts the same attitude as Marie, a shoulder strap diagonally across his chest. If parallels exist with the Auvergne Romanesque virgins, the more refined style of the characters and the throne, the geological analysis of the limestone lead us to place this sculpture in Burgundy, Champagne or Lorraine, in the second half of the 12th century...
This work belongs to the Romanesque tradition of the Enthroned Virgin (Sedes Sapientiae or Seat of Wisdom), typical of the Pyrenean mountain regions. The Virgin is depicted seated on a bench-throne with molded side posts and presents Christ standing on her left knee. Mary holds a frontal, hieratic pose, characteristic of Romanesque Virgins. This hieraticism is reinforced by the oval shape of the Virgin's face with its slightly prominent almond-shaped eyes. The veiled head was encircled by a crown, now missing. The treatment of the body, however, heralds Gothic influences: the chest and hips are slightly accentuated. The treatment of the drapery is characteristic of the late Romanesque style. Below the Virgin's belt and its pendant, there are "V"-shaped folds followed by simple vertical folds. The treatment of Christ's hair, and his slight forelock (dorelot), allow the creation of the work to be anchored in a phase of stylistic evolution specific to the late Romanesque period, likely in the first half of the 13th century...
Small column capital in pink sandstone characteristic of the Main basin. Carved on all sides, it probably comes from a cloister or an arcade. The basket, an inverted truncated cone, flares out to meet an integrated rectangular abacus. The decoration is entirely governed by a composition of ribbon interlace of great geometric rigor. This capital stands out for its use of tripartite ribbons, each band divided by two longitudinal incisions creating three parallel cords. In the lower corners of the basket, the ribbons are joined by transverse bindings. This ornamental grammar, typical of Imperial art under the Hohenstaufen, points to the workshops of Würzburg in the second half of the 12th century, around 1150–1170...
Male mask, a cornice element from a Romanesque church. The almond-shaped face narrows markedly toward a slim, prominent chin. This inverted triangle structure is typical of certain regional schools, in Artois or the Oise Valley. The eyes are the most striking feature: almond-shaped and slightly bulging, they are defined by sharply cut, hollowed eyelids. The absence of a carved pupil suggests an intentional hieratic effect. The hair is rendered in a graphic, geometric manner: parallel vertical incisions form a straight fringe, while at the sides the hair follows the contour of the skull, separated from the face by a slight ridge evoking a headband. These features link the mask to productions from the Oise Valley around the mid-12th century...
Important and rare romanesque Christ in polychrome walnut wood. This large crucified Christ from a village in Burgundy is unpublished and is a significant piece in the corpus of Romanesque sculpture in Burgundy because its geographical origin is known. The head with the beautiful hieratic face, surrounded by a crown with traces of gilding is in a frontal position. The chest is weakly marked, above a perizonium revealing the knees. The legs are parallel and rest on the suppedaneum. The village of origin of our sculpture is within a radius of less than 20km from the virgins of Nolay, Anzy-le-Duc and Lantenay with strong plastic similarities with these 3 works, leading us to date this Christ from the end of the 12th century...
Important Christ head in grey sandstone, probably from an applique statue adorning a Romanesque church. The iconography follows the tradition of the majestic and hieratic Christ. The face is treated in a stylized manner, with schematic features and a strict symmetry. The deeply incised almond-shaped eyes create a penetrating and timeless expression, while the barely suggested brow ridges reinforce the overall frontal aspect. The finely drawn mouth is framed by a mustache and a beard worked into parallel, slightly wavy strands. The hair is structured in long, wavy locks that fall symmetrically on either side of the face, a recurring feature in the iconography of Christ Pantocrator or the Christ in Majesty on Romanesque tympana. The robust style of this sculpture places it towards the late 12th century, following the works of the Masters of Eschau and Andlau, in the style of the sculptures of the eastern choir of Worms Cathedral in the third quarter of the 12th century, also represented in Alspach, Rosheim, and Marmoutier...
Rare and significant Romanesque marble sculpture with pink and yellow veins, representing a female head in almost full-round. The oval-shaped face exhibits fine chisel work in the eyes and the corners of the lips. The eyes, with lead inlays in their cavities, give the sculpture a unique intensity, emphasizing the sober and hieratic expression of the face. The hair, combed into stiff strands, falls asymmetrically over the forehead. These formal characteristics, combined with the material used, a marble from the Pyrenees probably extracted from the Bouleternère quarries, confirm the prestigious origin of this piece, undoubtedly from the choir screen of the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Cuxa or that of the Priory of Serrabona in Occitania...
Gilt-silver openwork pendant showing a stylized face surmounting a trefoil interlace with six loops. The interlace bears a double-outlined ribbon design with bilateral symmetry, emblematic of the Borre–Jelling vocabulary at the end of the 9th or the beginning of the 10th century. The mask grows out of the interlace and shows a round head with pellet eyes beneath a continuous brow. The mouth is reduced and topped by a crescent-shaped moustache. Its features and placement support a 10th-century date, with parallels in Scandinavia and eastern England...
Large enthroned Virgin from the Romanesque period in polychrome wood. This unpublished Virgin and Child is part of the corpus of Romanesque Virgins from Burgundy. Mary is seated on a throne and carries the crowned Child on her knees, in an off-center position. The Virgin is dressed in a long coat with straight folds, her head veiled under a low crown. This beautiful sculpture has retained its original polychromy and presents characteristics found on the examples known in Burgundy, and more particularly in Côte d'Or. The execution of the faces, the hands with very elongated fingers, evoke the Virgin of Viévy preserved at the museum of sacred art in Dijon and dated from the end of the 11th century. However, our sculpture presents differentiating elements placing it later in the 12th century, by the clothing details and the off-center position of Christ...
Limestone capital carved on all sides. The basket is carved in high relief and features monsters, lions, birds, and a bat. The abacus is carved with a scroll and foliage motif known in Languedoc and Occitania during the Romanesque period. The Cleveland Museum of Art collections hold a slightly later capital (Inv. 1916.1983) with an abacus showing a very similar design, as do the abaci of the Romanesque capitals (Inv. 83 12 3 & Inv. 59 7 3) in the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse, dated to the 12th century. Moreover, the basket’s decoration recalls a capital very close to one in the ambulatory of the cloister of Moissac, allowing us to place this sculpture in Occitania in the second half of the 12th century...
Important Romanesque appliqué statue representing an apostle sculpted in very high relief. The saint, depicted barefoot with a nimbate head, is slightly turned to the right, holding the open Book. Carved from limestone from the Oise region, a material favored for major religious construction projects in Île-de-France, notably the collegiate church of Saint-Denis, this sculpture stands apart from the classic Romanesque productions of the region. Certain details, particularly its atypical mustache, reveal a southern influence, most likely Spanish. This distinctive feature links the work to the statues of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, reflecting the artistic exchanges associated with this major pilgrimage to the Galician sanctuary...
Pilaster capital in carved limestone on three faces. This capital features two registers. The upper, flared register is carved with fleurs-de-lys and rosettes within a punched geometric band decorated with diamond points. The lower register is adorned with fan-shaped palmettes. The combination of fleurs-de-lys and this palmette typology suggests an affinity with Parisian workshops. In the 12th century at Saint-Denis, Abbot Suger was the first to develop these two motifs, which then spread throughout the Île-de-France...
This Romanesque corner capital in limestone, of great elegance, is distinguished by a vegetal sculpted decor characteristic of the Parisian Romanesque style of the first half of the 12th century. It features a basket adorned with scrolls, palmettes, and interlaced toruses, classic elements of Romanesque ornamentation from this period. This capital shows striking similarities with those in the apse of the church of the Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory in Paris, dated to around 1130-1135. The ambulatory of this church, an important witness to Romanesque sculpture in Île-de-France, also features corner capitals with comparable vegetal motifs, both in the density of the decor and the use of high relief and interlaced forms...
Interesting Romanesque Auvergne capital carved on three sides and representing the three wise men. The sculpted faces represent three crowned kings on a decoration of stylized acanthus leaves. This Romanesque wall capital finds analogies in Auvergne Romanesque art from the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century. The material used, the naivety of the faces and the treatment of the eyes bring this sculpture closer to certain capitals of the cloister of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-André de Lavaudieu, the only Romanesque cloister in Auvergne preserved and dated from the 12th century...
Limestone modillon carved in high relief representing a man's head. The features and hair are stylized with locks originating between the eyebrows, eyebrow arches in an arc, hollow pupils, long mustaches which frame the open mouth, visible teeth, goatee in wavy locks. Beautiful illustration of early Romanesque art...
Exceptional Viking stone slab from Normandy (Hattenville). This Scandinavian-style sculpture features a very stylized crosier with a bird's beak (or snake's head). Due to erosion, it is difficult to read, but in the body of the crosier we can see a figure with fists resting on his chest. Below, a horned head, probably a helmeted man. This undeniably Viking sculpture finds no comparison in France and would thus be the first known Viking stone slab or runestone on the french territory...
Marble capital from late antiquity or Visigoth. Capital with stylized acanthus leaves presenting a corded decoration on the abacus. Absence of astragalus common at this time. The base was dug at an undetermined time, perhaps to accommodate a column. This capital is part of the corpus of capitals from late antiquity with Roman remnants but already barbarian influences. The typology of this capital leads us to place it in the 5th century. Our capital would have been discovered anciently in the city of Nîmes, which places us in the Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse. The material used, a white marble from the Pyrenees, is typical of Occitanie production in the very early Middle Ages...
Gravestone in fossiliferous limestone representing a woman with long braids holding back a part of her dress and holding an object with the other hand, probably a crown. Feet in pointed shoes rest on a cushion. The scene presented probably evokes a high-ranking woman resting in a sarcophagus. This sculpture is a continuation of the Gallo-Roman gravestone of late antiquity, but is distinguished by the details of clothing (dress) and the general staging which leads us to place it in the 5th century, in the very high middle ages...
Large romanesque statue of Saint Lucy of Syracuse is dated from the 12th century. The saint is represented veiled and diademed, she wears a long dress, with an important tie. Stone sculptures of this period and this size are rare. The origin, by the stone used, and the style of the work directs us towards the region of Castile and Leon and especially towards La Bureba. This Romanesque statue is probably an element of an archivolt or splay of a Romanesque church portal...
Hairless and stylized mask with almond-shaped eyes and hollow pupils. Piece from the collection of Doctor Stephen Chauvet (1885-1950) and probably coming from the surroundings of Monpazier (Dordogne) where he had a residence and collected works from this period during the Second World War. ..
Important Virgin and Child in carved wood, carved back. Sitting on a throne bench, Mary carries Christ seated on her left knee. The Virgin has a face with stylized features with semicircular eyebrow arches, almond-shaped eyes with protruding eyeballs. Marie is wearing a belted dress with a simple neckline and a coat with a flap that goes back to the front. Tiny traces of polychromy...
Small marble capital from the Carolingian period decorated on all sides. This pre-Romanesque capital is decorated with masks with an acanthus leaf decoration on the basket.
Trephine work characteristic of the period...
This preromanesque marble frieze is probably an altar piece or a capital abacus. It presents two confronted birds pecking bunches of grapes. This theme, like the one with two birds drinking from the chalice, is typical of early Christian and Byzantine sculpture. The morphology and style of the birds link this sculpture to the first Longobard representations, before their expansion towards southern Italy...
Rare and beautiful Romanesque enthroned Virgin from the 12th century. Our Virgin can easily be identified as a Romanesque virgin from the Pyrenees, from Cerdanya, a region of Catalonia shared between France and Spain. The Virgin carries the child on her left knee, Christ holding the globe in his left hand. The missing right arm was to give the blessing. Remains of polychromy show that the Virgin wore a golden pectoral. The back is full, slightly hollowed out of the bench-throne. The dress of the Virgin, with very vertical folds, confirms our dating, as do the faces of the Virgin and of Christ, which bring our majesty closer to the black Virgin of Belloc preserved in the church of Saint-Jean de Dorres and dated from the 12th century. ..
Rare and early Romanesque impost or applique capital of a Romanesque half-column. It precedes the exceptional sculptures of the Saint-Pierre church in Aulnay-en-Saintonge, and more particularly the sculptures adorning the capitals of this church with a striking analogy with the large mask of the capital of the nave on the south side. Our capital, probably coming from the church which preceded the new construction of the 12th century, is the prototype. ..
Important corbel depicting a queen with heraldic lily crown. The features are reminiscent of the Romanesque sculptures of Poitou. A possibly depiction of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and wife of Louis VII. The corbels featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine are known in Poitou...
The romanesque sculpture is mainly architectural and the works, with some exceptions as the enthroned wooden virgins , mainly come from religious buildings. Romanesque sculpture decorates capitals, corbels, columns and pillars but also porches, tympanums and arches. These often stylized works and fragments have become relatively rare on the market. The Ekinium gallery is passionately looking for these works with such a particular aesthetic.
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