Capital of a Column with an Armored Knight on Each Side

Unknown

ca. 1100 · Marble · Arms and Armor

Bashford Dean (1867–1928), founding curator of the Department of Arms and Armor, formerly owned this early medieval capital. As part of his large private collection of arms and armor, Dean eagerly sought out and acquired works of art, which he called documents, if they accurately depicted historical armor and weapons, particularly rare or early types. In this case, the capital is carved with an armored cavalryman, equipped with a teardrop-shaped shield, and shows features that were characteristic of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1100

Medium

Marble

Culture

Italian

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, 1929