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France (Autun, Burgundy)
Mask / Foliate Head Historiated Capital from the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare
2214
High Romanesque (12th Century), c. 1120–1135 CE
A Romanesque historiated capital by Gislebertus (c. 1120–1135 CE) featuring a monumental anthropomorphic mask or Green Man foliate head — hair and beard dissolving into sweeping acanthus scrolls and tendrils — a rich apotropaic and symbolic motif representing the vitality of nature intertwined with human spirit, guarding the holy sanctuary.
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