Corbels Guide

The term “corbel” was first used in its architectural application in the 15th century. Nevertheless, the actual supports date back further than that. Some sources claim the beginning of corbels to be somewhere in the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, era. They were also in use in B.C. era China.

The French in particular made exacting demands on what could and couldn’t be called a “corbel”. They said that it had to be perpendicular to both the wall and the surface that it was supporting. They went further than this even, claiming that a support was not allowed to be classed with corbels if its horizontal surface was not longer than its vertical edge running up the wall. The term itself derives from the Old French language via the Latin word corbellus, which means “appearing like the beak of a crow”.

In Classical architecture, designers were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild regarding corbels. They added much variety to this formerly mostly functional piece. This brought it closer into our modern era, where corbels are mostly just a fanciful design piece rather than an actual necessary support structure for buildings.

In medieval architecture the technique of corbelling was very much in use. It was a common way of supporting parapets which came out from a vertical wall. Corbels were also historically used during this period to support upper stories. This was then taken on and adopted via the Scottish baronial style.

This trading back and forth, and adoption and renewal style, has been common throughout the history of corbels and continues up to the present. They are in a constant state of evolution and there is always some architect who thinks up a new implementation for them.

Modern Uses

Finally we can trace the history of corbels up into even the present day. Now you can buy them at your local home improvement store and use them to support shelving, fireplace mantles, and even kitchen countertops. This is an ever increasing place to find them: in use in the modern kitchen. They are more for design than necessity or architectural stability today.

The history of corbels is a long and storied one. From the Neolithic era up through the medieval one they tended to serve one purpose. Found all across Europe and parts of Asia they are a true sight-seeing destination today. Once the French sunk their teeth into the corbel, it became a very stylistic thing. Now they are readily available for whatever use modern homeowners may want to put them to.