York Minster's Chapter House has the most wonderful medieval carvings. The octagonal space dates from the 1280s and was where important meetings were held (including a gathering of the Parliament of King Edward 1). The stonemasons clearly had a lot of fun in their work: the carvings include animals, mythical beasts, angels and all manner of human faces, some beautiful, some grotesque and some downright funny. It's a wonderful touch of humanity amongst all the grandeur of the Minster.
Don't you think all those serious monks or nuns or whoever was staying there, must have had a giggle quietly when looking at them?
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see that the masons enjoyed themselves at work.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! Stone carvers' having fun.
ReplyDeleteGargoyles are fun to check out if you can find them usually up high.
ReplyDeleteThese are quite the sight and the pity is you have to really look high and hard to make out all the wonderful details, but then gargoyles are always high up on buildings.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful.
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