![]() ![]() The fantastic imagery on the walls of Nero’s extravagant Domus Aurea or Golden House (built between the Great Roman Fire of 64 and Nero’s death in 68) is an example of the “grotesque” style. Roman interiors, based on archaeological findings, were lavishly decorated. Indeed, the use of hybrid human-animal imagery was not invented during the Gothic period, but dates back to the Romans. By 1561 it had mutated into the English noun “grotesque”, and in modern times the word is used to describe anything bizarre or strange. The Italians called them grottesca (“cave painting”) and the term was adapted as a name for this art style. The uncovered chambers were called grotte (“cave”) because of their cave-like dimensions, and were found to be decorated with murals depicting fantastic flora and creatures with combined human and animal characteristics. Italians during the 15th century took interest in their country’s Roman origins and began excavating ancient buildings. Sculptures are called “ grotesque” as a reference to their style. “Gargoyle” and the verb “to gargle” have the same root. The word derives from the French word gargouille, or throat. One can guess the function of a gargoyle from its name. A grotesque from the Holy Cross Church in Great Ponton, Lincolnshire. Similar-looking sculptures that do not convey water and serve other ornamental and practical functions are called “grotesques”. Many of them suffer water damage themselves as centuries of rain course through them, and simply fall to the ground. In essence, true gargoyles are decorative waterspouts which can be seen on the facades of cathedrals, universities, and town halls built in the Middle Ages, placed there to spout rainwater away from the building’s exterior and thereby limiting water damage to the masonry. Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Strictly speaking though, these simultaneously horrifying and fascinating sculptures need to serve one purpose before they can be called a “gargoyle”–they need to be able to divert the flow of rainwater away from buildings. OriginsĮven those who have not been to the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral know its famous defining feature: the gargoyles perched on its exterior, like beastly sentinels surveying the city of Paris. ![]() Other references will be linked throughout the piece. We recommend that you check out these sources to learn more. The chief references for this article are Alex Woodcock’s Gargoyles and Grotesques, published by Shire Publications in 2011, and “ Gravely Gorgeous“, published online by the Cornell University Library. In this post we will look at the history of gargoyles and grotesques during the Gothic period to give us insight about these fascinating architectural figures perching from buildings all over Western Europe. You will find gargoyles and grotesques in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. Gargoyles and grotesques were a hallmark of the Gothic period of architecture, which grew popular in Western Europe from the 12th to the late 15th centuries, and which was carried over well into the 20th century during the age of Gothic Revival marked by fascination with the Middle Ages.
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