Grotesque (architecture)

Uncommon card · No. 110211

In architecture, a grotesque () is a fantastic or mythical figure carved from stone and fixed to the walls or roof of a building. A chimera () is a type of grotesque depicting a mythical combination of multiple animals (sometimes including humans). Grotesque are often called gargoyles, although the term gargoyle refers to figures carved specifically to drain water away from the sides of buildings. In the Middle Ages, the term babewyn was used to refer to both gargoyles and chimerae. This word is derived from the Italian word babbuino, which means "baboon". Grotesques often depict whimsical, mythical creatures in dramatic or humorous ways. They have historically been a key element of architecture in many periods including the Renaissance and Medieval periods and have stylistically developed in conjunction with these times. Although grotesques typically depict a wide range of subjects, they are often hybrids of different mythical, human, and animalistic features. Many scholars describe grotesques...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Sillerkiil, CC BY-SA 4.0