France (Autun, Burgundy)

The Feast at Emmaus Historiated Capital by Gislebertus from the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare

2188

1120–1135 CE; High Romanesque (12th Century)

A historiated capital depicting the New Testament Feast at Emmaus: Christ and his disciples seated behind a long banquet table set with vessels and bread loaves beneath an arcade of rounded carved arches supported by small columns, while a servant figure attends to the side. Expressive wide-eyed faces, elongated proportions, and sharply defined linear drapery characterize the figures; deep undercutting within the hollowed arches creates powerful chiaroscuro contrasts.