Thu, 16 May 2024 14:33:31 -0700WeeblyWed, 03 Jul 2019 21:25:50 GMThttp://gargoyleprints.com/journal/july-03rd-2019Architectural Sculpture is the use of sculptural designs as an integral part of a structure's / building's facade.
It is decorative in nature but can at times display the function of the structure. ]]>Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:36:03 GMThttp://gargoyleprints.com/journal/gargoylesGargoyles have traveled throughout history from Barbarians to Greek and Roman civilizations into Medieval times and the European Renaissance era and eventually across the oceans into America.
 
The word gargoyles originated from an old French word gargouille and goule meaning throat, neck or gullet. There was an old folk tale about “The Legend of Gargouille”. One of the many versions of the story has it that in the 7th century on the country side of the French town of Rouen a fire breathing monster was devouring people and beasts in its fields. Saint Romanaus took a condemned prisoner with him to hunt for the dragon. When they came upon the monster, Romanaus exorcised the dragon and led it back to the town square where it was burned at the stake. The dragon’s neck and head survived the fire, stood in the square and was mounted on a church wall to protect the church from evil spirits. The condemned prisoner who had accompanied Romanaus was pardoned starting the tradition of the bishop’s privilege that lasted over a hundred years.
Before the word gargoyle came into use in medieval times, castles used water spouts, decorated with carved grotesque figures. Their purpose was twofold, to drained rain water away from the castle’s walls and to keep away evil spirits.
The earlier Roman and Greek civilizations also used carved figures on the walls of their buildings – the figures depicted either: beauty, ugliness or fantasy – grandeur or ridicule, separately – traditionally not combining them as did the grotesque figures that related more directly to the earlier Celtic civilizations. The grotesque figures strove to combine beauty and ugliness in the same work – sometimes by making a graceful body with a hideous head or face.
In the 12th century it was the grotesque gargoyles that became closely associated with the Gothic style of architecture commonly used for churches and cathedrals. In the 14th and 15th century there was said to be a competition between the estates and castles of wealthy Europeans as to who could have the biggest and best Rococo gargoyle. Some of the best artist of the day were hired to create the gargoyles. But it seem that some of the artist resented having their works used as a drain pipe for dirty water and created distorted grotesque sculptures that were also caricatures of the very wealthy men who paid them.
And then there is the Irish legend of an old hag of a fertility goddess who created regents (Kings) in 16th century Ireland, is said to be the inspiration for sheela na gigs the malformed, diatorted female gargoyles and grotesques  that appeared on the walls of churches and buildings in Ireland and to a lesser extent in Europe.
 
We need to understand the differences between a gargoyle and a grotesque and the difference between the word grotesque when it is a noun (an ornament) or when the word is used as an adjective to describe something, like a grotesque gargoyle.
 
Grotesques do not have a water spout like gargoyles, but are simply stone carvings, or paintings of creatures. They can be used as protection like gargoyles, or decorative paintings, and sculptures. Another name for a grotesque, is a chimera. These are mythical creatures very similar to grotesques. Both can be imaginary creatures, human and animal hybrids, dragons, or demons. They both like gargoyles can be found on a church, or an old styled building.
 
A Caryatid is a column, pillar or architectural support sculptured into a female figure with an entablature on her head. Caryatids date back to the ancient Greek civilizations. Karyatides is an ancient Greek term meaning "maidens of Karyai" (Karyai was an ancient Greek town with columns carved into female figures).
 
An Atlas (Atlantid or Telamon) is a male version of a caryatid, i.e. a sculpted male statue / figure serving as an architectural support or as a column
 
 In Architecture, Aedicule refers to a frontpiece and / or  shrine as part of a building’s façade.]]>