c.1100-1125 A.D. A carved sandstone capital from an architectural column with square upper face developing to a round base; the spandrel decorated with a frieze carved in the half-round, two winged lions each with its tail looped around its body from an interlaced vegetation motif with trefoil finials towards a looped serpent with its head in the jaws of one lion and tail looped around the head of the other; made in South West France, possibly from the church of Saint Constant, Cantal, France. Cf. a limestone capital with lions, from France, Charente, Church of Saint-Constant, about 1100-1125 A.D., originally in a French Museum, now in The Chicago Art Institute, inventory ; Igarashi-Takeshita, M., ‘Les lions dans la sculpture romane en Poitou’ in Cahiers de civilisation médiévale, 23e année (n°89), Janvier-mars 1980, pp.37-54, figs.1,11, pl.III; Lassalle, V., ‘Les chapiteaux, l’organisation du décor et quelques particularités architecturales de l’église Notre-Dame, à Saignon (Vaucluse)’ in Archéologie du Midi médiéval. Tome 20, 2002, pp.37-55, for similar capitals with foliage interlaces, fig.4; Toman, R., Romanesque Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Cologne, 1997, p.279, for examples of the type. 11.4 kg, 22 cm (8 5/8 in."). Swiss private collection. UK trade, 2018. Apanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is apanied by AIAD certificate no.11252-189569. [No Reserve] [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions ]Condition Report: Fair condition.