In this entry, we will explore one of the most fascinating aspects of gargoyle iconography: gestural expression.
We have previously examined expressiveness, particularly of the face, and today we begin to consider other gestures of the face and body in gargoyle imagery.
We will enter into the world of gestural expression in these remarkable stone figures, and we will do so in two parts.
The Gesture of Pulling the Mouth Open with the Hands
In this first entry, we begin with one of the most common gestures found in gargoyles. It is the gesture of bringing the hands to the mouth and pulling it towards the sides of the face. The art historian Janetta Rebold Benton links this gesture to the sin of gluttony, relating the figures to devouring giants. She also suggests that it may be connected to the torment endured by Christ at the hands of those who spat on him, struck him, and pulled his hair. However, for Rebold Benton, this gesture should be understood rather as something comic, joyful, and carefree; in England, such grimacing faces were traditionally represented in choir stalls, an art form closely linked to gargoyle iconography.
This gesture may likewise be associated with hell and the diabolical. In passage 92 of the Pagina Meditationum by the mystic Margarita de Oingt (13th century), where she describes her vision of hell, she writes: “Afterwards they will make them pass from one torment to another. They will be so hungry that they will eat their tongues and hands out of necessity.”
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- Guarda Cathedral (Portugal)
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- Aachen Cathedral (Germany)
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- Ávila Cathedral (Spain)
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- Guarda Cathedral (Portugal)
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- Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
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- Ciudad Rodrigo Cathedral (Spain)
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- New Cathedral of Salamanca (Spain)
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- Church of San Quirce in Burgos (Spain)
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- City Hall in Brussels (Belgium)
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- Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
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- Church of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, Coto e São Gregório in Caldas da Rainha (Portugal)
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- Church of Nuestra Señora del Manzano in Fuenterrabía (Spain)
Other Gestures Performed with the Hands
The Gesture of Pulling at Other Parts of the Body
The act of pulling at other parts of the body and the head appears frequently in gargoyles and constitutes a gesture that conveys a particular emotion and intention. We find figures pulling at their nipples; others, at their hair, probably as a sign of anger or madness; and others, at their ears.
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Aachen Cathedral (Germany)
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- Church of San Quirce in Burgos (Spain)
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- Ciudad Rodrigo Cathedral (Spain)
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- Church of Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña in Santa María la Real de Nieva (Segovia, Spain)
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- Aachen Cathedral (Germany)
The Gesture of Pulling One’s Beard
At times, we encounter figures pulling their beards, a gesture that may be interpreted as a sign of pain or suffering.
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- The Casa de las Conchas, Salamanca (Spain)
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- Plasencia Cathedral (Spain)
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Church of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, Coto e São Gregório in Caldas da Rainha (Portugal)
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon (Portugal)
The Gesture of Placing the Hand on the Throat
Another gesture that also appears frequently is that of placing one hand (or both) on the neck or throat. According to Rebold Benton, the hand on the throat has been described as the sign of the order of medieval French craft officials (signe à l’ordre du compagnon). In this case, the hand would be positioned so that the thumb forms a right angle, resembling a square. Another interpretation relates it to a warning about the dangers of the misuse of everything that passes through the throat (food, drink, words), or alternatively to the apple of Adam and Eve as a reminder of the Original Sin and the Fall.
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- Bayonne Cathedral (France)
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- Aachen Cathedral (Germany)
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- Bordeaux Cathedral (France)
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- Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
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- Church of Our Lady in Trier (Germany)
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- Bordeaux Cathedral (France)
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- Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
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- City Hall in Brussels (Belgium)
El Burgo de Osma Cathedral (Spain)
As has been observed, all are gargoyles of great expressive force, with gestures linked to intense and sorrowful emotions, carved with skill and imagination.
Bibliography
CIRLOT, V. y GARÍ, B., La mirada interior. Escritoras místicas y visionarias en la Edad Media, Madrid, Ediciones Siruela, S. A., 2008.
HERRERO FERRIO, D., La gárgola y su iconografía, Madrid, Universo de Letras, 2019.
REBOLD BENTON, J., Holy Terrors. Gargoyles on medieval buildings, New York, Abbeville Press, 1997.
This entry was originally published in January 2019 and updated in March 2026.
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
