Birds pecking at fruits

On each side of the capital two birds stand antithetically facing each other. They flank a plant motif placed in the middle axis. The tails of the birds touch each other. The birds swivel their necks, so that their beaks are turned towards each other. At the same time the birds seem to be pecking at the fruits placed between them.
Each of the birds’ twisted tails ends in a blossom, from which a tendril springs. So the bodies of the birds seem to morph into a plant. This is a widespread motif in Romanesque art, and often represents the souls of the blessed, especially when the birds are shown drinking from a chalice or well.
Such paired birds are stylistically akin to representations in ivory reliefs or Andalusian textiles from the time of the Caliphate of Córdoba.
The impost is decorated with five-leaf palmettes, alternately enclosed from above or below in a tendril.

fruit bird