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"Joculatores," as traveling entertainers were called in medieval Church Latin, occasionally appear on Romanesque capitals. They were people without status, home or honour, which made them "dishonest people." Their social independence also made them outcasts, although people admired their artistic skills at fairs.
The capital of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Fortunat in Charlieu (Loire) depicts an acrobat whose legs are twisted over his shoulders and whose hands are stroking his beard.
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