Pardon our appearance while we do some renovations on this website. During this time, some elements may not work properly. Sorry for any inconvenience.


Gargoyles and Grotesques of Hotel de Ville, Brussels

Hotel de Ville Brussels hybrid gargoyle

I just saw a photo of this hybrid gargoyle in a gargoyle book I’m reading, and my first thought was that he looks like he belongs in an alien movie. He seemed a bit more extraterrestrial in the first photo I saw, but he’s still so fabulously weird with his wings and fish tail, isn’t he? He is from the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) in Brussels, Belgium. Based on the looks of him, I’m guessing he’s relatively modern – probably Gothic Revival. However, the obvious hole in his mouth makes me think me could be a true gargoyle, not a grotesque.

Hotel de Ville Brussels hybrid gargoyle
Photo by EmDee via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Art in your inbox

Be the first to hear about new posts, handbooks, discounts, and more.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

If approved, your comment and name will be displayed publicly. Please see the comment policy.

One response to “Gargoyles and Grotesques of Hotel de Ville, Brussels”

  1. Barb Drummond

    Well caught. I often wonder what those masons were on!

Welcome

The mission of A Scholarly Skater Art History is to make historical art and architecture accessible to everyone.
I’m Alexandra, an art historian who believes that looking at art can enrich everyone’s life. Welcome to my website!
About me

Be the first to hear about new posts, handbooks, discounts, and more.

An important note

Art history is an inherently subjective field, and my perspective isn’t the only one. I encourage all my readers to seek out differing opinions and read multiple sources to get a broader and more complete view of this complex and fascinating field of study. Read my disclaimers for more information.

Advertisement

ArtHerstory advertisement

School for Art Lovers