When a lot of folks hear the term "architectural sculpture" what comes to mind (I know, because I've asked) is a gargoyle. By definition a gargoyle is a water spout on a building that is used to project the falling water away from the building it self. The root word - I think via French - is the same as where the English work "gargle" (think LISTERINE here) comes from. Many modern buildings (okay, so I'm an historian and to me "modern" means anything after, say 1800 a.d.) use gargoyles as purely decorative devises raising the question as to whether they are really gargoyles or not.
The gargoyle pictured is a "true" gargoyle in that it serves as a water spout. It is located on the National Cathedral in Washington DC and is famous, at least with those who track these things, because it represents stone carver Roger Morigi in the process of "blowing his top". Clutched in his left hand is a chisel while a few others are tucked in his back pocket. His right hand, not seen in this picture, holds a hammer.
Since I am just beginning this blog I need to step back a bit and see what this looks like. I'm not expecting much traffic, but you never can tell. eeeeeeek
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