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Source Description
The scenes on this expressive capital and on its companion (Walters 27.305) have yet to be identified precisely but appear to involve tests of justice. This capital shows two men swearing an oath by placing their hands in the mouth of a Roman lion mask, "the mouth of truth," that will bite down on those who swear falsely. The capitals were made for the interior of a church and may illustrate stories from Spanish literature of the time, in which themes of virtue and justice were common.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
85
label
Capital with the Mouth of Truth
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
85
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Capital with the Mouth of Truth
description
The scenes on this expressive capital and on its companion (Walters 27.305) have yet to be identified precisely but appear to involve tests of justice. This capital shows two men swearing an oath by placing their hands in the mouth of a Roman lion mask, "the mouth of truth," that will bite down on those who swear falsely. The capitals were made for the interior of a church and may illustrate stories from Spanish literature of the time, in which themes of virtue and justice were common.
provenance
Joseph Brummer, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1921, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1175-1200 (Medieval)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
capitals
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
34.6
height
34.6
depth
38.9
dimensionsRaw
H: 13 5/8 x W: 13 5/8 x D: 15 5/16 in. (34.6 x 34.6 x 38.9 cm)
style
Romanesque
Source extras
cul
Spanish
RelatedObjects
30351
med
limestone
creator_ids
6242
collection_ids
MED
exhibition_ids
313
314
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f1c106b11a06919c