CORBEL (Lat. corbellus, a diminutive of corvus, a raven, on account of the beak-like appearance; Ital. mensola, Fr. corbeau, cul-de-lampe, Ger. Kragstein)

This article appears in Volume V07, Page 136 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: COM-COR

CORBEL (Lat. corbellus, a diminutive of corvus, a raven, on account of the beak-like appearance; Ital. mensola, Fr. corbeau, cul-de-lampe, Ger. Kragstein) , the name in medieval architecture for a piece of stone jutting out of a

wall

WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the
original
- ORIGINAL
O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

to carry any super-incumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a tassel or a bragger. Thus the carved ornaments from which the vaulting shafts

spring

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

at Lincoln are corbels. Norman corbels are generally plain. In the Early English period they are sometimes elaborately carved, as at Lincoln above cited, and sometimes more simply so, as at Stone. They some-times end with a point apparently growing into the

wall

WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the
original
- ORIGINAL
O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

, or forming a knot, as at Winchester, and often are supported by angels and other figures. In the later periods the foliage or ornaments resemble those in the capitals. The corbels carrying the arches of the corbel tables in Italy and France were often elaborately moulded, and sometimes in two or three courses 7rojecting over one another; those carrying the machicolations of English and French castles had four courses. The corbels carrying balconies in Italy and France were sometimes of

great

GREAT

size and richly carved, and some of the finest examples of the Italian Cinquecento style are found in them. Throughout England, in half-timber

work

WORK

wood

corbels abound, carrying window-sills or oriels in

wood

, which also are often carved. A " corbel table " is a projecting moulded

string

STRING

course supported by a range of corbels. Sometimes these corbels carry a small arcade under the

string

STRING

course, the arches of which are pointed and trefoiled. As a

rule

RULE

the corbel table carries the gutter, but in Lombard

work

WORK

the arcaded corbel table was utilized as a decoration to subdivide thestoreys and break up the wall surface. In Italy sometimes over the ceabels will be a moulding, and above a plain piece of projecting wall forming a

parapet

PARAPET (Ital. parapetto, Fr. parapet, from para, imperative of Ital. porare, to cover, defend, and petto, breast, Lat. pectus; the German word is Brustwehr)

(see also
MASONRY).

End of Article: CORBEL (Lat. corbellus, a diminutive of corvus, a raven, on account of the beak-like appearance; Ital. mensola, Fr. corbeau, cul-de-lampe, Ger. Kragstein)

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