Pavia, St. Michael Basilica, the crypt.

A forest of columns and Romanesque capitals with vines, leaves, mushrooms, dragons, little birds, youngsters in flight, strange animals. A beautiful good-natured facet. It looks human, feline and canine. Eyes and ears hear and scan faraway. The Higher Being follows the things of the world clearly vigilant and detached. Not Angel nor Demon, but Master Guardian. The sound of the pipe organ is powerful, it makes tummies tremble and incense smoke vibrate. Above, the ceremony is solemn, but in the dim light of the crypt, even sculptures flicker in the candlelight, but there, a majestic face comes towards you, smiling, with a bright look, this sculpture, first gray is now pastel-colored, perhaps it is speaking to you, no, it is just a smile, but what a smile! A smile that melts the soul and invites you to smile at every aspect of the Manifestation… and the face goes away… and again the organ music replaces the hum of carved leaves… and the capitals turn to the back color of the stone, but that face with long ears, yes, that face continues to smile.

Romanesque capital – X century. – A burnished silver replication performed with three-dimensional photogrammetric methods. The sculpture repeats great proportions and details faithful to the original. We thank the Ufficio Beni Culturali Ecclesiastici of the Diocesi of Pavia and the Basilica of San Michele for their cooperation.

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