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A selection of Romanesque and medieval artworks, sculptures and reliefs from the 11th century to the 13th century. Romanesque statuary and architectural elements like Sedes Sapientiae, enthroned Virgin and Child, stone and marble capitals and modillions or friezes. Also explore our early medieval collection featuring Merovingian and Carolingian sculptures, reliefs, and artifacts from the 6th to 9th centuries. Explore our collection of romanesque art for sale.
Romanesque Virgin of Cerdanya. France or Northern Spain.
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.
Provenance: ex Sotheby's.
Viking Norse stone slab from Normandy. Scandinavian sandstone sculpture.
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.
Merovingian late antiquity tombstone. Merovingian funerary art.
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.
Romanesque sculpture Saint Lucy. Northern Spain.
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.
Early Byzantine Marble Sculpture. Northern Italy.
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.
Head of an apostle or prophet Romanesque period. France.
Very beautiful head of an apostle or a prophet. Bearded with long locks of hair falling down the neck. The almond eyes, wide, have well marked pupils. Our sculpture is characterized by a high quality of execution. This work is strongly influenced by the sculptures of the cathedral of Autun, attributed for the most part to the sculptor Gislebertus around 1130. However the plastic of our sculpture already shows Gothic influences, which leads us to place it in Burgundy towards the last quarter of the 12th century, around 1180. A fine example of the period of transition to Gothic.
Romanesque Cistercian marble capital. Northern Italy.
Large capital with water leaf in red Verona marble. This type of capital is typical of 12th century Cistercian abbeys and represents a transition between Romanesque and Gothic art. The sobriety and aesthetics of this capital stand out clearly from the Cluniac and Benedictine sculptures. Our capital is carved on all sides and has a lily on the basket on the 4 sides, the astragal is well marked. The sheets of water, by their rounded extremities, initiate a transition towards the capitals with balls, also well known in Cistercian architecture. This style is very well represented at the Abbey of Sénanque (South of France).
Head of a bearded man. Romanesque period.
Head of a bearded man with marked and aged features, probably an old man from the apocalypse. The hair is curly and stylized, bifid beard. Eyelids and cheekbones are well defined. The eyes and ears are worked with a trephine.
Enthroned Madonna and Child. 13th century.
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.
Romanesque capital sculpted on all sides. Important Romanesque capital decorated with masks.
This rare capital of the first Romanesque art presents an ox mask on one side, a monster mask on the adjacent side and two rosettes on the other sides. The basket is decorated with plant motifs and acanthus leaves.
Carolingian capital. Pre-Romanesque marble.
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.
Romanesque capital. 11th century.
Romanesque capital with hooks in sandstone probably from the abbey of Chaumousey (Vosges). This capital is carved on its 4 sides, with a rosette at the start of the hooks on 3 sides and a cross on the last. Digitations (degenerate acanthus leaves) on the first crown. It does not have an astragal like many 11th century Romanesque capitals. The abbey of Chaumousey was an abbey of the order of Saint-Augustin founded in 1090. The departmental museum of Epinal preserves a capital and various Romanesque and Gothic sculptures coming from this destroyed abbey, and all cut in this same gray sandstone.
Romanesque wall capital. First Romanesque art Saintonge.
Rare and early Romanesque impost or applique capital of a Romanesque half-column. Due to its origin (Aulnay), 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.
Corbel depicting a crowned queen. Romanesque art Poitou.
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.
Pre-Romanesque capital. Carolingian Empire
Capital with large smooth stylized and cubic leaves. Abacus with a macaroon and horizontal stripes. Style of the late Merovigian period and early Carolingian period. Comes from a property on the site of the former abbey of Saint-Basle de Verzy (7th century). In 991, Hugues Capet convened the Council of Saint-Basle de Verzy at the abbey of Verzy to judge Arnoul, son of Lothaire.
Romanesque capital decorated with masks. Corinthian type altered.
Capital with large smooth leaves and fruit on the corner horns of the abacus. Corinthian epannelage, indented abacus.
Enthroned Virgin XIIIth century.
Enthroned Virgin in carved walnut, hollow back. Seated on a bench-throne, her bust erect, Mary carries the Child on her left knee in a frontal position; oval face with protruding eyes stretched towards the temples, pointed chin, thin-lipped mouth; head wearing a crown placed on a veil descending to the shoulders; she is dressed in a dress with a simple neckline, belted at the waist, and a coat with open sides. Dressed in a long tunic, the Child, with mid-length hair with curved ends, is also crowned.
Historiated Romanesque capital. Sculpture in high relief.
Very important engaged capital from the Romanesque period depicting Saint-Thomas and the Christ between two columns. On the side faces, holy women under Romanesque arches.
Head of crowned king. Romanesque art.
An exceptional plastic in the Cluny tradition. Part probably coming from a portal or arch. Burgundy, first quarter of the 12th century, to compare with the works of the masters of Vezelay and Autun.
Carolingian sculpture. Pluteus Element
Exceptional Carolingian marble pluteus element from the San Salvatore abbey in Orvieto, Italy. The frieze shows crosses and a bird in typical 9th century tracery. Pluteus elements of this size are rare for this period and mainly kept in religious buildings or museums.
Romanesque corbel. South West of France.
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.
Visigoth capital. Marble.
Rare Visigothic capital in marble from the Pyrenees. This pre-Romanesque capital is carved on all sides and has a very stylized decoration derived from acanthus leaves. The composition of leaves in the center of the sides of the basket evokes an extremely stylized human head. The highly stylized nature of the patterns directs us towards production from the first centuries of the kingdom of Toulouse, before the Visigoth style asserted itself with vigor. Related works: Visigoth capital from the Alcazaba Museum, Almeria, Spain.
Important pre-romanesque capital. Carolingian sculpture.
Large pre-romanesque capital with two birds facing each other turning away. Interlacing frieze on the basket.
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.