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double column capital with jousting knights

This double capital spans two columns and is decorated with jousting knights on horseback as well as acanthus leaves, pomegranates, and creatures such as an owl, a lizard and some kind of mythical beast. The columns are decorated with elaborate coloured mosaic patterns.

 

Monreale is a Norman cathedral, begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily. The cloister was completed in about 1200 and is famous for the decorative patterned geometrical carving ('diaper work') and the mosaics on its columns, as well as the high relief sculptures on its column capitals which include Biblical scenes, foliage and allegories.

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Uploaded on July 21, 2010
Taken on June 13, 2006