115 - Gothic capital; Catalonia, 14th century.

Gothic capital; Catalonia, 14th century. Carved stone. Measurements: 22 x 20 x 20 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A capital in the late medieval Gothic tradition, carved from stone and adorned with profuse plant motifs arranged in two superimposed orders. The body is articulated by stylized leaves in relief, with sinuous outlines and curved tips, reminiscent of the repertoire of crochets or buds characteristic of Gothic architectural sculpture. The composition, with its marked symmetry and compact volume, reveals an interest in plant ornamentation as a unifying element in medieval architecture. The overlapping of the motifs, together with the rhythmic treatment of the leaves and the interplay of light and shadow, lends the piece remarkable visual richness despite its small size. Given its typology and ornamental repertoire, it belongs to the tradition of Gothic architectural sculpture from the Crown of Aragon, particularly in 14th-century Catalonia, where plant motifs played a prominent role in the decoration of cloisters, churches, and civil buildings. It shares typological affinities with medieval capitals preserved in international collections, including 15th-century Spanish examples in the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, particularly the one catalogued as number 08.164.10.