The Plaster Cast as a Decorative Factor 
But the most curi¬ 
ous casts are those 
of the gargoyles from 
the Notre Dame de 
Paris. These quaint 
waterspouts which 
project from the 
eaves of Gothic 
churches and whose 
name originated from 
the gurgling sound of 
the water that issued 
from their ungainly 
throats, assumed, to 
quote a writer in the 
“ Bulletin of the Met¬ 
ropolitan Museum of 
Art,” “strange gro¬ 
tesque shapes reflect¬ 
ing as it were some 
of the dark and ter¬ 
rible beliefs of the 
time in demons half¬ 
animal, half-human, 
forever hovering 
about ready to as¬ 
sault the unwary 
soul.” These un¬ 
couth conceptions 
first originated in the 
minds of pious 
monks and were de¬ 
picted by them on 
the illuminated mar¬ 
gins of missals and 
hour books. 
As an example a 
pair of ga rgoy les is 
shown used as a deco¬ 
rative feature over a 
mantel and hanging 
A reproduction of an old Gothic suspended flOlll then 
ornament stained to resemble open mouths by 
weathered wood chains small lamps 
and incense burners. 
These casts were toned to represent stone, but may 
be successfully stained any color to correspond with 
the woodwork. It is claimed that much of the 
vigor of Gothic buildings is concentrated in these 
hideous beasts. Gargoyles used as a part of the 
decoration of a fireplace or suspended close to the 
ceiling on a plain wall, give a certain dignity and 
accent to the architectural lines of a room. 
A droll little figure reproduced commonly in this 
country from the celebrated Lincoln cathedral, 
England, makes a decorative acquisition in a library 
or study, though bizarre and diabolical as is this 
little “Lincoln Imp” in appearance. 
The story goes that through the misadvertence of 
one of the workmen, the original block of stone which 
was to have been carved into a good little angel, like 
the host of other little angels that decorate the cathe¬ 
dral, became a wicked imp. 
Frequently in the construction of an inexpensive 
house, false beams or rafters are introduced, and 
these should be carefully made and finished to obtain 
the excellent and decorative effect which is to be 
expected of them. In a certain house, however, just 
outside of New York, through the carelessness or 
avarice of the contractor, these beams were not 
properly finished but had been carried across the 
ceiling and the ends had been cut too short to reach 
the plaster. The effect was incomplete; the room 
seemed unfinished and the beams apparently lacked 
support. The owner, an artist by profession, not 
caring to go to the expense of having woodwork 
fitted in almost at the ends of the rafters, selected a 
plaster bracket of scroll design in one of the little 
Italian plaster shops. He ordered at fifteen cents 
apiece the number of brackets necessary ; then he 
stained them a dark oak color to match the wood¬ 
work and nailed them to the wall directly under the 
awkward rafters’ ends. As he stepped away to 
view the result, the transformation astonished him. 
Immediately the room had assumed the stately ap¬ 
pearance of an English manor-hall. The brackets were 
to all appearance the work of a skilful wood-carver, 
and had they been actually carved in wood would 
have represented an outlay of several hundred dollars. 
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