Pair of beam corbels; Spain, 16th century.

Pair of beam corbels; Spain, XVI century.
Carved wood.
They show wear.
Measurements: 63 x 16 x 15 cm; 46 x 15 x 15 x 15 cm (frame).
Set of 16th century wooden beam corbels. Both are carved at one end. The 16th century beam corbels in Spain represent an outstanding manifestation of the art and carpentry of the period. These pieces, carved in wood and located on the underside of structural beams, served both an aesthetic and practical function within traditional architecture. Their presence was common in religious and civil buildings, where they not only decorated the eaves and roofs, but also helped to distribute the weight of the roof and prevent the deformation of the beams over time.
A pair of corbels from this period could show a great diversity of iconographic motifs. Some reflect geometric and vegetal elements, while others display anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures or scenes from everyday life. Particularly in the 16th century, when the Renaissance influenced the decorative arts, carvers incorporated a greater degree of detail and symmetry, with more refined representations compared to earlier Romanesque or Gothic models.