Gargoyle
[7] The Italian word for gargoyle is doccione or gronda sporgente, an architecturally precise phrase which means "protruding gutter".
When not constructed as a waterspout and only serving an ornamental or artistic function, the technical term for such a sculpture is a grotesque, chimera, or boss.
[11][12] The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages, some means of water diversion, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted.
[14] Similar lion-mouthed water spouts were also seen on Greek temples, carved or modelled in the marble or terracotta cymatium of the cornice.
[clarification needed] Originally, it had 102 gargoyles or spouts, but due to the heavy weight (they were crafted from marble), many snapped off and had to be replaced.
[20] One of the more famous examples is the gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris, which dons 54 chimeras crowded around the railings of the cathedral that came to be in the 1843 restoration project.
Both ornamented and unornamented waterspouts projecting from roofs at parapet level were a common device used to shed rainwater from buildings until the early 18th century.
[25][26] While the theory that gargoyles were spiritual devices made to ward off devilish evil was very widely known and accepted, other schools of thoughts have developed over time.
For example, in the case of gargoyles unattributable to any one or two animals, some say that they were simply the product of pagan mythology passed down through generations in the medium of fireside tales.
[27] Akin to the leading catholic theory but slightly different, some suggest that gargoyles were meant not to intimidate evil spirits or demons, but humans.
In addition to serving as spouts for water, the gaping mouths of these gargoyles evoked the fearsome destructiveness of these legendary beasts, reminding the laity of the need for the church's protection.
[29] The reason why many gargoyles are depicted as these dragon-looking, unidentifiable monsters is because it is said the founding bishops of churches would rid their respective towns of these kinds of beasts.
[27] Among these divine attributes, lions were generally believed to be virtuous in a multitude of ways, such as being extremely loyal and in control of their emotions[27] Depictions of humans in gargoyle and grotesque figures were later developments from the animalistic or beastly examples one is likely more familiar with, and were almost a natural progression in subject matter for the statues.
[30] Since the initial idea behind the brutish and frightening gargoyle in the 12th century was to ward off evil, it's hard to believe that these later humorous and sarcastic figures served the same purpose.
Extremely realistic, corbel heads were the most impressive works by stone carvers as they best depicted human facial structure and emotion.
Corbel heads were not exclusive to any particular kind of person, and represented a fair array of social classes, however, it was very common for them to be mocking the clergy.
[30] Because of their frequently hidden locations, corbel heads were likely sites of practice for stone carvers, a place obscured by the public eye where they can work on their craft.
[31] Other important figures in the American implementation of gargoyles and grotesques consist of E.F Guilbert, who had the construction of various gargoyles on the Newark Manuel Training School represents the several aspects of the curriculum, as well as John Russell Pope, who carved several grotesques of varying distinct human expressions from wood at Deepdale, Long Island, a personal estate of the Vanderbilt family.
