Mascaron
A mascaron (French: grimace face ) or grimace head ( grimace ) is a semi-sculptural decoration on structures in the interior and exterior in the manner of a drolerie and, in a smaller form, on furniture, vessels, weapons and in heraldry . The mascaron represents the grotesquely or terrifyingly designed, human-like face of a mythical creature or a deity. In contrast to the envious head , which has its origins in magic belief, and the gargoyle , which is used to divert rainwater, the mascaron has a purely decorative function.
history
The mascaron has been known as a caricaturing form of a mask representation since ancient times. In contrast to the mask , the mascaron is firmly attached to the object it adorns. It can be found as architectural ornament on keystones of vaults, gate and window arches, on consoles and as room decoration. The intention to make a statement fluctuates between joke and allegory . The rigid mask representation is often enhanced by elements of movement - distorted facial features, open mouth, inflated cheeks - which heighten the fantastic to the point of a surprising shudder. The mascaron designed as a wall fountain is a special form, from whose mouth water flows into a fountain bowl.
Late 16th century the painter designed Federico Zuccari for his Roman palazzo garden portal in the form of a large Mascherone , could be entered through the garden.
At the time of the "Sun King" Louis XIV , mascarons were occasionally provided with a halo. In the 19th century, the mascaron was rediscovered as a (mostly prefabricated) facade decoration for city houses. An oversized mascaron can be found on a rock face in the Giardino Giusti in Verona.
heraldry
- 1500: The coat of arms of Ebner von Eschenbach , along with another one in which two hedgehogs are in the shield. In a rich setting with figures. At the bottom in the middle is the year 1500, between a column that is decorated with a mascaron.
numismatics
- The thaler on the capture of Gotha (1567) shows on the obverse a demonstratively large Kurschild in a Renaissance cartouche with a mascaron on top.
porcelain
On porcelain vessels, the mascaron is a relief ornament in the form of a face or mask. Such reliefs are preferably found as handles of terrines and vases as well as on the spouts of jugs.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ DIRECTORY OF THE v.DERSCHAUISCHE Kunstkabinett zu NÜRNBERG. Nuremberg, from the obliged auctioneer Schmidmer, 1825, p. 82 (available online at Google Books )
- ^ Wilhelm Ernst Tentzel: Saxonia Numismatica (1712) 3rd book, Fig.Tab. 12
- ↑ Beatrix Freifrau von Wolff Metternich, Manfred Meinz : The Porcelain Manufactory Fürstenberg . A cultural history in the mirror of Fürstenberg porcelain. Ed .: Richard Borek Foundation and Foundation Nord / LB. tape 2 . Prestel, Munich / Berlin / London / New York 2004, ISBN 3-7913-2921-9 , pp. 504 .