Cloister
Cosmatesque Columns with Lions and SphinxesCloister Lion SupportCosmatesque Twisted ColumnsTwisted Cloister ColumnsCloister

CloisterVassalletto Workshop

297
This cloister (c. 1215) shows paired columns with plain shafts, twisted forms, and inlaid cosmatesque mosaics (marble inlay). The Vassalletto workshop used carved capitals and patterned stone to organize the walk around the garden. Monks used the space for circulation and study within the medieval complex. The design indicates the refined ornament favored in papal Rome.