We
tend to call any piece of architectural sculpture that depicts animals
a gargoyle. Strictly speaking, however,
gargoyles are decorative waterspouts
that preserve stonework by diverting the flow of rainwater away from buildings.
The word, gargoyle, derives from the
French gargouille, or throat, from which the verb, to gargle, also
originates. Although the sculptural waterspout originated in Antiquity,
it grew in popularity on Romanesque
structures, and proliferated during the Gothic
period. Grotesques, while similar in
appearance, serve a variety of other practical and ornamental functions,
as corbels or capitals,
for instance. The term, grotesque,
can apply to any fanciful human or animal form, especially when it indulges
in caricature or absurdity. These sculptural creatures appear most commonly
on religious structures, but also on university buildings, town halls
and even on homes.