Grotesques - Factual Friday by Charlie Elphinstone

This week we have got some rather interesting pieces of wall decor in the shop.

They can be found all over the world, some are small while others are large these are called, Grotesques.

The word grotesque comes from the Italian word “grottesca” which was first used in the 15th century.

It was when Italian construction workers accidentally dug into a set of chambers and caves deep underground that featured twisted and horrifying faces all over the walls.

This area was later identified as the ruins of Emperor Nero’s destroyed palace.

The word “Grotesca” is a variation of the word Grotte which means caves in Italian.

After the discovery of the ruined palace artists like Raphael were lowered into the chambers to examine the grotesques.

Following this a massive artistic movement started with the use of grotesques in architecture coming back into fashion.

Some scholars debate that the reason behind grotesques having such horrible faces was to ward off evil spirits.

However this theory is not accepted by all with some historians arguing that they were carved that way, simply as a novelty.

Another grotesque like feature on classic architecture is the gargoyle, despite the fact that both are often described as the same thing there is in fact a difference.

A grotesque is for decorative purposes while a gargoyle has a pipe which runs through it to redirect water from a building therefore serving a practical purpose.

There’s an interesting legend regarding gargoyle’s which goes something like this.

Between the years 631-641AD there was a dragon like creature which breathed fire and was known as La Gargouille which plagued France.