Gable stone

Gable stone

Gable stones (Dutch "gevelstenen") are carved and often colourfully painted stone tablets, which are set into the walls of buildings, usually at about 4 metres from the ground. They serve both to identify and embellish the building. They may also tell us something about its owner.They are a particularly charming feature of the urban fabric of Amsterdam, and are also found in cities such as Brussels, Lille and Copenhagen. Some 2,500 of these stones are still to be found in the Netherlands, of which around 850 are in Amsterdam and 250 in Maastricht. Many have been conserved by the [http://www.amsterdamsegevelstenen.nl VVAG] (Friends of Amsterdam Gable Stones).

Gable stones came into use in the 16th century, in the days before house numbers, taking over from hanging signs as a way of simultaneously and memorably identifying and adorning a house. They normally combine a picture with an inscription, or sometimes just a date. Some illustrate the name or profession of the owner, for instance a quill pen as a badge for an author, or a ship for a sailor. Some are named after notable people (The King of Bohemia) or faraway trading destinations (Königsberg). Some stones act as talismans, quoting from holy scripture. A pious motto repeatedly found on Dutch gable stones is "Nooit Volmaakt" (Never Perfect), a testimony to the householder's belief that only God can achieve perfection. Going beyond practicality or superstition, some stones make a joke, usually a visual pun.A variation on the theme is a tablet bearing a biblical quotation or more worldy motto, but without an image. (Mediaeval builders also often carved mottos in wooden beams or painted them on plaster panels.) An interesting example is the Dutch-language tablet in Österlånggatan in the Hanseatic old town of Stockholm, Sweden. It reads: :"Gaet het wel men heeft veel vrinden :" kert het luck wie kan se vinden" : [When things go well one has many friends :If your luck changes who can find them?]

The tradition is alive and has moved with the times – new stones are still commissioned, and for instance the Rabobank at Frederiksplein 54 in Amsterdam wistfully commemorates the introduction of the euro with a stone entitled "De eerste en de laatste gulden" (The first and the last guilder), created by Zutphen sculptor [http://www.hanstmannetje.com Hans 't Mannetje] . Nowadays one can even buy a new gable stone off the shelf on the web!

ee also

*Marriage stone
*Datestone


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gable (disambiguation) — A gable is the portion of a wall between the lines of a sloping roof.Gable may also refer to:* Gable (surname), a surname * Gable Garenamotse (born 1977), Botswana long jumper * Gable hood, an English woman s headdress * Gable stone, an ornament… …   Wikipedia

  • Stone, Carpenter, and Willson — Stone, Carpenter and Willson was a Providence, Rhode Island based architectural firm in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It was named for the partners Alfred E. Stone (1834 1908),cite web|url=http://www.sah.org/index.php?src=gendocs… …   Wikipedia

  • Green Gable — See Green Gables for the fictional farm in Anne of Green Gables .Infobox Mountain Name = Green Gable Photo = GreatAndGreenGables.jpg Caption = Great and Green Gable from Sprinkling Tarn. Green Gable is the smaller hump on the right. Elevation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Great Gable — from Wasdale. The cliff at centre is the Napes of Great Gable. Elevation 899 m (2,949 ft) …   Wikipedia

  • Clark Gable filmography — Main article: Clark Gable Contents 1 Films as an extra 2 Main filmography 2.1 1930s 2.2 1940s …   Wikipedia

  • Crow-stepped gable — Crow steps on a Scottish baronial building. A Stepped gable, Crow stepped gable, or Corbie step is a stair step type of design at the top of the triangular gable end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Michael Salyer Stone House — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Marriage stone — A marriage stone is usually a stone lintel carved with the initials, coat of arms, etc. of a newly married couple with the date of the marriage. They were very popular until Victorian times, but fell out of general use in the 20th century. Many… …   Wikipedia

  • Lewis Stone — Infobox Actor bgcolour = silver name = Lewis Stone caption = from the trailer for Woman Wanted (1935) birthname = Lewis Shepard Stone birthdate = November 15, 1879 location = Worcester, Massachusetts deathdate = September 12, 1953, aged 73… …   Wikipedia

  • Plano Stone Church — Infobox nrhp name =Plano Stone Church nrhp type = caption = location = Plano, Kendall County, Illinois, USA nearest city = lat degrees = 41 lat minutes = 39 lat seconds = 32 lat direction = N long degrees = 88 long minutes = 32 long seconds =10… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”