Alstonefield (Staffordshire)

This remarkable Romanesque corbel was discovered in 2007 by Ms Akiko Kuroda, who was on a Northern Earth field-trip
which included St Peter's church, Alstonefield in its itinerary.
This church has 'Saxon' (i.e. 10th century) crosses and other fragments, but the exhibitionist corbel has never been recorded.
A description was subsequently published in the magazine Northern Earth, vol. 110 (2007).
The corbel is of a compact squarish kind typical of many in Western and Central France,
and probably belongs to a particular school or fraternity of sculptors.

Photo by John Billingsley

This could be a very interesting variation of the 'sinner in the jaws of Hell' motif which is so common in Romanesque sculpture.
Hell in this carving is personified in a feline monster which has already swallowed the head and torso of a female (seen from behind),
and is stuffing the rest of her down its maw while its thin arms pull apart the labia of the lascivious victim's enormous vulva.

Or are the thin arms those of the victim ? This is more likely, because if it were the monster which was pulling the vulva,
the gross act of exhibitionism would be the act of Fate or Divine Retribution and not that of the sinner,
which would raise difficult doctrinal questions.

The nearest in style to this corbel that I have found is at Moussages (Cantal),
though the Alstonefield corbel is about half the depth.
The Moussages carving shows a pair of concupiscent or adulterous lovers about to be swallowed head-first
by the hellish feline.

Another related (and superior) carving is at Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val (Tarn-et-Garonne).
Here the hellish beast's head is upside down, and the Rich and Lascivious Woman is descending feet-first,
revealing a large circular vulva as she does so.