Portion of a Pilaster with an Acrobat in the Cloisters, Sept. 2007

Portion of a Pilaster Capital with an Acrobat, ca. 1150–1170
French; From the Abbey of Saint-Martin-de-Savigny (now destroyed), near Lyon
Limestone; H. 12 in. (30.5 cm), W. 9 in. (22.9 cm), D. 11 in. (27.9 cm)
The Cloisters Collection, Purchase, 1947 (47.101.25)

Carved on the corner of what appears to have been the capital from a pilaster (projecting pier), a youthful acrobat contorts his body into a reverse arc. As if springing out from an acanthus background, the acrobat clutches his ankle with his chin touching the ground. Musicians and acrobats often appear in manuscripts and sculptures of the eleventh and twelfth century, amusing reminders of the world beyond the walls of the church or monastery.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/arch/ho_47.101.25.htm