The Romanesque capitals bear witness to the artistic vitality and boundless creativity of the sculptors of the Middle Ages. Brimming with detail and teeming with characters, these creations combining plant motifs and ornamentation, creatures from the fantastic bestiary and human figures which have captivated the imagination for centuries. True narrative supports, illustrating with remarkable attention to detail biblical episodes, legends or scenes from everyday life, they can be found at the heart of Romanesque churches and abbeys as meditation aids, commenting not only on the Bible but also on certain moral principles transcribed in stone with vivacity and wit in a universal language. This capital, representing a figure emerging from dense vegetation, can be attributed to the Romanesque sculpture school of Poitou , renowned for its richness and expressiveness. Its style and some of its motifs to some of the most prestigious works in the region and date it to around 1140.The setting evokes man's struggle against the forces of evil, symbolised by the dense network of vegetation through which his charcater pierces. Symbol of the forest, a negative entity in the Middle Ages, synonymous with darkness and danger and a place of trial and tribulation. Beyond its plastic perfection, this work, through its ornamental and universal sculptural language invites us to penetrate its mystery and to search for meaning, invariably stimulating the gaze and imagination of the man who seeks...
