A pear-shaped bead is a moulding whose cross-section has more or less the shape of a pear: a rounded, full head that narrows towards the back or the base. It is one of the characteristic Gothic profile forms and occurs in both timber and stone. The Dutch term is *peerkraal*, literally “pear bead”.
Form and recognition
The profile consists of a projecting rounded member — the bead — that is not a true half-round but pear-shaped, with a sharper or waisted transition to the surface behind it. In section you usually see:
- a hollow (cavetto) introducing the profile
- the pear-shaped bead as the main member
- and often a fillet or flat band closing the profile
That distinguishes it from a plain bead, which is a true half-round, and from ogee or cyma profiles.
Applications
The pear-shaped bead appears above all in late medieval work:
- Corbel blocks — the carved timber blocks beneath the main beams in Gothic houses and churches frequently terminate in a pear-shaped bead.
- Door and window jambs — as a running moulding along the reveals of dressed stone surrounds.
- Vault ribs and wall shafts — as part of a compound profile.
- Internal joinery — on cornices, brackets and panelling.
Practical significance
- Dating — profile shapes are among the most reliable dating tools available to building archaeologists. The precise form of the bead and its accompanying hollow varies by period and region.
- Restoration — when piecing in or replacing, the profile is taken from a sound section, usually with a template cut from thin sheet, and then worked with plane irons or cutters. Work in the same species and mind the grain direction, or the bead will break out.
- Paint — a thick paint build-up fills the profile and dulls the crisp transitions. Restoration of decorated work therefore often starts with reducing the paint layers.
Related terms
- Bead
- Corbel block
- Main beam
- Ogee
- Cavetto
- Gothic
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