Gutter Spout
ca. 1600 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Elaborate and whimsical gutterspouts are characteristic of southern German blacksmith's work of the seventeenth century. Decorative ironwork was used to adorn the streets of cities, towns, and even villages, and marked the presence of inns, hostelries and shops of various crafts. Some of the ironwork would stretch well across the roadway and the decorative effect was heightened by the application of colour and gilding. Such decorative embellishments could also take the form of grotesque sheet-iron gargoyles or gutter spouts, projecting far beyond the eaves of a building to ensure that rainwater fell clear. A tradition of ecclesiastical gutter spouts and corbels in the form of exotic beasts and grotesque human faces was well established in Europe in the medieval period and this no doubt informed such secular forms of the object as the present example. Several examples can still be seen in situ, notably on the town hall of Tallin in Estonia.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Iron, embossed and painted |
Brief description | Iron gutter spout, embossed and painted. A devil's head sits on top of the spout, with small wings sprouting at the sides. |
Physical description | Iron gutter spout, embossed and painted. A devil's head sits on top of the spout, with small wings sprouting at the sides. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | GUTTER SPOUT
Wrought iron
Germany; 17th century
In the form of a devil's head.
Museum No. 1210-187(07/1994) |
Historical context | Elaborate and whimsical gutterspouts are characteristic of southern German blacksmith's work of the seventeenth century and the V&A possesses two examples; the present winged devil's head and a dragon (1208-1872). Decorative ironwork was used to adorn the streets of cities, towns, and even villages, and marked the presence of inns, hostelries and shops of various crafts. Some of the ironwork would stretched well across the roadway and the decorative effect was heightened by the application of colour and gilding. Such decorative embelishments could also take the form of grotesque sheet-iron gargoyles or gutter spouts, projecting far beyond the eaves of a building to ensure that rainwater fell clear. A tradition of ecclesiastical gutter spouts and corbels in the form of exotic beasts and grotesque human faces was well established in Europe in the medieval period and this no doubt informed such secular forms of the object as the present example. Several examples can still be seen in situ, notably on the town hall of Tallin in Estonia. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | Elaborate and whimsical gutterspouts are characteristic of southern German blacksmith's work of the seventeenth century. Decorative ironwork was used to adorn the streets of cities, towns, and even villages, and marked the presence of inns, hostelries and shops of various crafts. Some of the ironwork would stretch well across the roadway and the decorative effect was heightened by the application of colour and gilding. Such decorative embellishments could also take the form of grotesque sheet-iron gargoyles or gutter spouts, projecting far beyond the eaves of a building to ensure that rainwater fell clear. A tradition of ecclesiastical gutter spouts and corbels in the form of exotic beasts and grotesque human faces was well established in Europe in the medieval period and this no doubt informed such secular forms of the object as the present example. Several examples can still be seen in situ, notably on the town hall of Tallin in Estonia. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1210-1872 |
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Record created | June 13, 2006 |
Record URL |
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