Rain Spout in the Form of a Mask

myminifactory

This expessive head, as well as much of the collection of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, originates from the exterior living of the original works of art created for the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Cathedral (Duomo) of Florence. Rain spouts were created to aid in the drainage of rainfall on the Duomo's roof. These figures vary in shape, but many took the form of bizarre heads with contorted bodies. These are commonly known in gothic architecture as Gargoyles, which would usually take the space of grotesque animals or dragons in order to protect the building from bad spirits. This head's large mouth hole is where the water would drain from, and was most likely attached to a contorted body of a human or mythical winged beast (see here), though this is not confirmed.