Green Man or a Leaf mask as ornamental decoration | Bamberg Green Man | THE ACANTHUS MAN | Bamberg

The Green Man or Acanthus Man.
The “Groene Man” is the Dutch translation of the English term 'Green Man'. Although less well known than in neighboring countries Green Men are also commonly found in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the literature it is also referred to as a mask of leaves or acanthus man.

The Bamberg Green Man |  Bamberg horseman

Not long ago I was a guest for few days in Bamberg, in the northern part of Bavaria, in Germany. The historic center of Bamberg is very beautiful and has much to offer, especially in the cultural field and has numerous historic buildings, museums and churches.

One of the attractions that I had on my list of “things to see” and that should not be missed was the “Groene Man” or the Green Man in the Bamberg Cathedral.

The Green Man from Bamberg Cathedral is an ornament – console/corbel made of sandstone which works as support of the Bamberg horseman, a beautiful sculpture from around 1240. The Bamberg Green Man console/corbel from the 13th century is an acanthus leaves motif, and has a nice human form, this type of ornament is a beautiful example, and it is one of my personal favorites.

Ornament

A Green Man is usually an ornamental addition or embellishment.
Most Green Men are found in Christian churches, finding the vast majority in England, France and Germany and were mainly used in Western architecture from the 11th to the 16th century. They are not always easy to recognize, often they are hidden behind stalls or are located high in the structure of the ceiling, but mostly they are just in plain sight and on columns, corbels or above the main doorways.

In terms of size, they range varies from small images to life-size images. They can also be found, although less frequently, in other secular and ecclesiastical buildings or to decorate the graves and memorials.

The interior of a Green Man can be made of stucco or feature polychrome. They could be made of wood and found in church furniture.
  

Generally it is a human head, but it can also be an animal figure. From the openings of the face grow branches with leaves or a composition of acanthus leaves. The often fierce-looking figures were made to keep away the evil spirits. This use was already known throughout Europe for many centuries. Celts, Greeks and Romans knew that the heads would have vegetation growing through the holes of the face. Also in ancient Asian and American cultures this figures were used.

 

Bamberg, In the background Bamberg Cathedral

The Green Man is seen as the archetype of the male productive energy of the earth. In ancient mythology of many cultures it is the companion of Mother Nature, and their lusty association creates fertility every spring, again and again.

The figure of Christ was portrayed too as a Green Man; having a plaited crown of thorns leaves growing out of his head.

In England, the Green Man is a popular part of the tradition. Quite a few pubs are called The Green Man, because the image at the entrance. In a Scottish church, the Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin in Edinburgh, more than 100 images of a Green Man were found.

Translation, Lis Alvar R

Here are some images of the  

Bamberg Green.

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The Bamberg Green Man

 

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17th Century Style Wood carving | Acanthus leaf design carved in walnut | North German Baroque | Baroque Cabinet from DANZIG

17th Century Style Woodcarving

Woodcarving inspired by the style of the 17^th century

 Acanthus leaf design carved in walnut

In this modest project I will introduce you to the method and technique for carving an acanthus leaf design for the 4 corners of the supporting or constructive part of a Danzig baroque cabinet. 

During the baroque a piece of furniture had to look luxuriant and rich in detail. With its robust yet elegant curls, the acanthus leaf is extremely suitable to radiate that luxuriant and rich feel, which makes it a design that is characteristic for this period.

Often they would use various types of wood as well as a variety of decorative techniques such as inlay, sculpting, gold leaf, etc. 
These techniques were used on one and the same piece of furniture to create that overwhelming sensation of richness. But the personality of a piece of furniture mainly came from the baroque woodcarving.

The symmetrical and crossed acanthus leaf design still tends to be the eye-catcher; a simple yet effective solution for limited space on the piece of furniture.

In its most basic form, a panel consists of a frame, a constructive part and the filling. An architectural frame is inlayed into the constructive part, to create a luxuriant effect and to add depth to the piece, which is another typical characteristic of the baroque period. 
The panel is completed with the inlay of a symmetrical composition executed in walnut, rosewood and coromandel wood.

The concerning panel is destined for a so called Danzig baroque cabinet or “Danziger”. 
A Danzig baroque cabinet is a typically regional 17th century piece of furniture, which (as you can tell by its name) originated from the region in and around the north German city of Danzig (currently the Polish Gdansk). 

17th Century Style Woodcarving , Acanthus leaf design

Baroque

The 17th century is an era that is marked by a great number of changes that took place throughout Europe: exploratory expeditions, rediscovery of Greek and Roman art and science. 

The architecture of these two peoples came back into fashion, giving rise to a new style: baroque. Baroque stretches from the middle of the 17th century to the first half of the 18th century. Baroque wasn’t just limited to architecture alone. 

Quite the contrary! Sculpture, furniture, ornamentation and music were all influenced as well.

Early baroque found its origin in Italy, more specifically in Rome, and slowly started to fan out to northern Europe. It’s interesting to see that the style developed differently in different areas, according to the temperament of the inhabitants of a certain region, and due to the influences of artists and tradesmen.

These differences in style are specifically noticeable in the ornamentation.

A distinction is made between early, high and late baroque. Late baroque is also known as rococo. 

Early baroque still inclined towards the renaissance, whereas late baroque overindulged in luxuriance, with much pomp and circumstance.

Over time many rulers discovered the effects of the dramatic baroque style; we see it used by the Vatican during the Counter Reformation. By putting the emphasis on splendor and magnificence in the architectural style of churches, the Roman Catholic Church was trying to impress people and lure them back to church.  

This, however, caused a breach within the Roman Catholic Church: Protestantism was born, leading to austerity in protestant countries.

One of the developments of the baroque period is that pieces of furniture display less and less architectural characteristics. They no longer resemble miniaturized constructions; there’s a tendency to use more exotic types of wood, rather than local types of wood; and other materials are applied, such as brass, tin and tortoise.

The use of exotic wood (ebony, palisander, acajou) coincides with the expeditions made to East and West India.

The fact that people at this time are more self-assured and start acting as individuals, who tend to make their own choices (notably among artists and tradesmen), leads to a decline in the use of traditional materials and to the creation of completely new furniture. 

The upper class, that is growing ever richer, wants to flaunt its wealth. The result of this is that we now have an amazing collection of furniture from this period in our patrimony.

The carving of a stylized

acanthus leaf design in walnut

Acanthus leaf design carved in walnut

Baroque Cabinet from DANZIG

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THE ACANTHUS LEAF | ACANTHUS ORNAMENT | CARVING A AKANTHOS LEAF

Antique roman acanthus leaf

Patrick Damiaens

Ornamental Woodcarver

The Acanthus Leaf   

Acanthus leaf carved in wood

A blog entry from this site:

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

Of all the ornamental designs which have been borrowed from nature, the Akanthos is the most popular. This is an ornament which lends itself for endless many applications.

Acanthus Mollis

Since its introduction by the Greeks, it recurs again and again in every Western style. A symbolical significance has never attached to the Acanthus, its frequent and varied application is due to the ornamental possibilities  and beautiful serration of its leaves.

This plant grows wild in the South of Europe , there are many varieties , Akanthos Mollis, Akanthos Spinosus,…. The conception and treatment of the margin and shape of the leaf, is the principal characteristic of the different period styles.

A Baroque Acanthus Leaf

The acanthus leaf is also called acanthusmotif , it is applied extensively within the Corinthian order of ancient Greek architecture, mostly on columns and friezes

The Greek foliage has pointed leaf-edges, in the Roman style, the tips of the leaves become rounder, broader, to some extent wiyh more vigorous curves.

The Byzantine and Romanesque styles, again return to stiffer, less delicate forms.

Drawing, Construction of a Acanthus leaf

The Gothic style, which used the foreign  acanthus in addition to a number of native plants, adopted in the early period, round, bulbous forms. Later Gothic, on the contrary, preferred bizarre, long-extended, thistle like folige. In both cases the general conception  is more or less naturalistic, but the details are usually idealised beyond recognition.

Acanthus Leaf

The Renaissance which revived Antique ornament, developed the Acanthus, and particularly the Tendril, to the highest degree of perfection. The Renaissance  is the following  period styles a great source of inspiration.

But the following style periods have still their own specific look, character and detail, which only a specialist in or expert in the ornamentation can be distinguished.   

Liege style ornaments, Acanthus leafs

An acanthus leaf used in the furniture design

The style of the period acanthus is sometimes only by very small details and changes in the shape of the ornament  detected

Even in the 16th to 19th century, the appearance of the acanthus is not only different in the western stylistic periods (Baroque, Rococo, Louis styles, Neo-Styles ...) but even from one country to country. (France, Germany, Netherlands, England ...

Here are some examples of acanthus leaves.  Applications for the interior (Wall-panelling)

Wall-Panelling | Louis XVI Style ornaments , Petit Trianon in Versailles

Le Grand Trianon in Versailles

Wall-Panelling in The Palace of Versailles

Drawings: I have studied (1985-1989) for Ornamental Woodcarver, 4 years at the famous 'Section Sculpture Don Bosco " in Liège ,Belgium  . These are a few drawings and designs of that school.

Pictures Patrick Damiaens

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