Corbels have been cropping up in designer magazines for the last couple years as a popular decorating tool. But if you asked a most home owners what decorative corbels are, chances are they wouldn’t have a clue.
A corbel is a bracket supporting or giving the appearance of supporting a heavy load above. In effect a corbel can either be decorative or structural.
As architectural styles have developed through time, the level of decoration on a corbel has changed accordingly. In medieval times corbels often appeared in the shape of humans or mythical beasts. Gargoyles seen at Notre Dame are examples of decorative corbels rather than having a structural purpose. Some were cast as biblical figures to illustrate tales to the congregation that was unable to read. Continue reading “Decorative Corbels, A Simple Guide”
Though it is an old and somewhat unknown word, corbels are still very much relevant today. In this article we’ll answer the questions of what they are, as well as what they are used for today, and what they have been used for through history. Their use dates far, far back in the history of architecture, but currently they are much more popular for indoor use than they ever were back in the old times.
Corbels are bracket-like supports which come out of one wall and hold up something else which is jutting out horizontally. They are like a fancy, carved triangle of support between the vertical and horizontal. Corbels are common to see on old buildings (even ancient) where they are form a stone or wood support between the exterior of a wall and the roof itself. You will find them everywhere, but especially throughout Europe (France, Germany, etc.) and even in old Chinese architecture. They always add a very classic look to no matter how they are used. Continue reading “What Are Corbels?”
