Beleaguered

The third in my series capturing 8 wonderful carvings that adorn the badly damaged south portal's west pinnacle at the cathedral.
It seems appropriate that this fellow wears an expression of despair in light of his troubles; you can see a large patch of exposed mortar
(revealed when the lower block shifted several inches) and 2 bright areas below his beard where the limestone block broke and fell away.
These heads (whether human, animal or fantasy) are a common gothic design element called grotesques, often found at the intersection
of two gablets on a pinnacle (seen here as the two diagonal lines converging above his forehead.)

© Chris Budny

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