Black-and-white photograph of a carved limestone chimera against a black backdrop: a lean, seated creature with tall pointed ears, a hooked, beaklike snout, and open jaws lined with sharp teeth, its long tongue curling out and down; ridged skin folds over the shoulders and flanks, and clawed forepaws grip a rough, textured base.

Ornamental

Carved Chimera

Limestone · 1992 · Private collection

A seated creature with pointed ears, a hooked snout, and a long tongue curling from open jaws, the lean body drawn in folds of skin over a rough-hewn base. Though commonly called a gargoyle, this piece has no water spout and is more precisely a chimera — a purely decorative figure in the medieval tradition.

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