Capital - Lions in Scrolling Foliage

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This capital, originating from the Monastery of La Daurade, boasts a bas-relief of lions set amidst scrolling foliage. The Musée des Augustins' collection of Romanesque sculpture is comprised mainly of remnants from the three most significant religious buildings in Toulouse: the Monastery of La Daurade, the Collegiate Church of Saint Sernin and Saint Etienne Cathedral. It was a decision made by clerics (monks or canons) responsible for the upkeep of these buildings to live as a community that led to the construction of functional convent buildings, organized around large cloisters decorated with simple or elaborate sculpture. As the capital of a powerful county and a rapidly growing economic, political and religious centre in the 11th and 12th centuries, Toulouse enjoyed a context highly favorable to the birth of an original art movement. The quality, diversity and exceptional longevity of this movement place Toulouse firmly among the major centres of Romanesque art. Thus, the works in the Musée des Augustins constitute fundamental milestones for the history of sculpture.