11th-12th Anthropomorphic Protome In Stone From The Romanesque Period

A Romanesque-era corbel with an anthropomorphic protome, carved from stone. Designed as a corbel with a basin-shaped end in the form of a human head, it was positioned under the roof to channel rainwater away from the building’s walls; the holes carved to represent the figure’s nose and mouth served as a drip channel.
In the Romanesque period, religious buildings often featured this type of corbel, which frequently surrounded the entire attic of the apses in the strangest forms: from demonic figures to smiling faces, to creatures that were half-man and half-beast. The symbolism of gargoyles is complex and draws from sacred scriptures and pagan tradition: some scholars have theorized that gargoyles were used as guardians of churches to keep demons at bay, while others believe these spouts symbolized demons, from whom passersby would find refuge in the church.
Starting in the 13th century, with the advent of the Gothic style, the protome gave way to the true gargoyle—no longer just a head but the entire body of monstrous creatures clinging to the building with their claws.

Dimensions
W cm 37
L cm 22
H cm 17

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