France (Saint-Denis, Île-de-France)

Impost Block with Acanthus and Birds Decoration

2223

Romanesque-Gothic Transition (12th Century), c. 1140–1150 CE

An architectural impost block (c. 1140–1150 CE) from Saint-Denis carved with deeply undercut acanthus leaves and confronted birds pecking at a central pinecone — the birds' feathers rendered in precise parallel incisions contrasting with the pebbled texture of the seed pod; now at The Met Cloisters.