A mascaron is a carved face or mask applied as ornament to a facade, most often on the keystone of an arch above a window or door. The motif comes from classical antiquity, is taken up again in the Renaissance, and reaches its height in the Baroque and in nineteenth century urban architecture.
Where you find them
- On the keystone of a flat arch or an arch — the classic position
- At the crown of a segmental arch over a gateway or carriage entrance
- On brackets and corbels beneath a balcony or bay window
- In the frieze or on the cornice of a substantial facade
- As a spout, where the mask is functional: water leaves the gutter through the mouth
What they depict
Execution ranges from dignified to frankly grotesque: mythological figures, satyrs and Bacchus, lions’ heads, heads representing the four seasons or the continents, and on commercial buildings sometimes references to the owner’s trade. In many cases there was an apotropaic idea behind it — a frightening face was supposed to keep misfortune away from the house.
Material and maintenance
Mascarons were made in natural stone, fired terracotta, plaster or — from the late nineteenth century onwards, very commonly — in cast artificial stone or cement based ornament. Repair follows a few fixed rules:
- Iron cramps. Ornaments are often fixed to the facade with iron pins. When these corrode they expand and split the stone. This is the single most common cause of damage to facade ornament
- Water loading. A projecting ornament collects rain. Without good water shedding or a lead flashing above it, the top surface weathers first
- Reproduction. A weathered mascaron is usually repaired by taking a counter mould: a cast is made from a sound piece or from an identical example elsewhere on the facade, and a new piece is then carved or cast
- Cleaning. No pressure washing and no aggressive chemicals on weathered carving — you will wash the last of the detail away. Have a conservator assess it
Related terms
- Ornament
- Keystone
- Cornice
- Corbel
- Relief
- Counter template
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