Corbels Guide

Corbelling is rich in design history. In this article we’ll take a look at five of the most popular styles of corbels that are still in use today. This is not about the material, but rather the actual shape and design of these bracket supports. All of these styles can be found through most any corbel manufacturer / distributor worth his weight in salt today.

Acanthus

The acanthus plant is native to the Mediterranean area, but is found virtually everywhere these days. It has large and spiny leaves, and gives white and purple flowers. This is a very common type of corbel in use today. I suppose it is popular because it can be fairly easily carved and is a nice, light wooden color. The designs of these acanthus corbels are very intricate. They are also typically pretty wide, so this allows for even more detailing and patterns.

Acanthus Pilaster

The Acanthus Pilaster corbels have long, spiky leaves which cover their entire body. They are often thinner, though, than their cousins described above. The pilaster corbels in general are taller vertically than they are wide horizontally. They have a long, sleek construction which is somewhat refined.

Traditional

Normal or traditional corbels have a very plain functional look. This comes out of the Norman / Normandy era when they were first in use. Back then (as is often the case at the inception of a new technology) nobody really had the thought to make them stylistic. They were only trying to provide support for whatever was jutting out from the wall. Nevertheless, the traditional style is still being manufactured today because there is a demand for the simpler corbel still.

Wave

Wave style corbels obviously incorporate the shape of a wave into their design. These are very nice looking. They typically come up and around from their lowest point to the supporting top. At the top is where the wave’s crest is, and it loops around and under itself, providing the basis for the shelf or other surface to rest upon.

Grape

Finally we can take a look at grape corbels. This style incorporates the look and feel of grape vineyards or bunches into itself. This is another one which demands a very detailed design, as each little piece of the fruit is carved out meticulously.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of corbels available today. In fact, I doubt that such a list even exists. But these are some of the most popular choices.