Pulvinus, Capitals

These fragments of capitals belong to the Romanesque decoration
of the church of the Benedictine nunnery of Santa Maria d'Aurona and were found
in 1868-1869 during excavations carried out in Via Monte di Pietà, Milan for
the construction of the Cassa di Risparmio's head office. The church, probably founded by Aurona,
daughter of Longobard king Ansprando and sister of King Liutprando, was
destroyed by fire in 1075 and then rebuilt before 1095. They are a vivid
testimony to the nature of Milan’s Romanesque sculpture in its mature phase,
characterised by plastic vigour and a tight, imaginative layout.