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mittelalterlichen Miserikordie Chorgestühl.  středověké miserikordie. miséricordes médiéval.  middeleeuwse misericords.  Misericordia misericordias.  Misericordia medievale

Corpus of the misericords at Cologne Cathedral

www.misericords.co.uk HOME

Bibliography

Cologne Cathedral photo page

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NB01

Double-headed eagle. [19th Century]

NB-2

Lion

NB03

Foliage -oak leaves.

NB04

Mask. [partly restored]

NB05

Monster

NB06

Armed Hybrid. The hybrid has the head and upper body of a human with a lizard tail, animal hind quarters and cloven hooves. The figure, possibly a female, is clothed and her head is covered with a wimple. She holds an upraised sword in one hand and a shield in the other as she stands in a vineyard. She may represent a composite of sins.

NB07

Winged ape-monster. [restored] He has huge ears, heavy eyebrows and the lower part of his body is reduced to a few bits of hairy skin.

NB08

Intertwined Monsters. [19th Century]

NB09

Monster with grapes. [19th Century]

NB10

Bearded hybrid. He wears a conical hat, possibly a Judenhut and holds up the seat with his head as he stands on his cloven hooves.

NB11

Foliage

NB12

Bi-corporal monster. [Restored 20th Century]

NB13

Foliage Mask

NB14

Foliage [Restored 20th Century]

NB15

Two hybrids dance. The male, with Bishop’s mitre, blows a horn. The female, with draped head, probably represents a nun. They may be the dammed who entertain at the devil’s court.

NB16

Woman, shield and monsters. The woman faces the monsters, one at each side, raises one arm [now broken] and holds a shield in the other.

NB17

Bearded hybrid sits. The bald man, sitting before a pair of large leaves, holds his beard with one hand and the other hand rests on his knee.

NB18

Bald man with hand on rear end. He bends to side and may be smiling.

NB19

Foliage

NB20

Monk rings bell. With head and body draped, he kneels on one knee before foliage, raises one hand with a bell and holds up the seat with his other hand.

NB21

Acrobat handstand. Woman in long gown gracefully performs a handstand or dance with legs bent at the knees.

NB22

Hybrid bagpiper. He has the same lower body as the other Cologne hybrids and wears a hood with tail. He has ribbed bat-wings and cloven hooves, signs of the devil, and holds the bagpipes before him. It looks as if he plays the instrument by squeezing the bag with one arm and covering the holes in the pipes with fingers of both hands. The bagpipes have no windpipe which usually goes over the shoulder. [Northumbrian pipes?]

NB23

Foliage

NB24

Dancer: rear view. She stretches her arms out to hold up fabric tat falls gracefully in pleats.

NB25

Bearded head. It has Negroid features

NH01

Grotesque mask with tongue extended. The face is triangular with trumpet ears, thick curved eyebrows and a wide nose. [Restored 19th Century]

NH02

Foliage. [new mounting]

NH03

Man with wings. [19th Century] He sits with his enfolding wings, hands to his hooded head. Legs with cloven hooves extend beneath the wings.

NH04

Bi-corporal animal. [19th Century] It has a dog’s head with foliate ears and four legs with cloven hooves.

NH05

Siamese monsters with ape heads. [19th Century]

NH06

Grotesque head. [19th Century] It has snaky eyebrows, straggly beard and two sharp teeth in its smiling mouth.

NH07

Monster. [19th Century]

NH08

Bearded hybrid. [Restored and section added 19th Century] His bearded head and upper body are draped. He stands, large wings raised, on two large hands with a long tail curved under his body.

NH09

Fiddler. [Ledge replaced 19th Century] He is presented from the rear but with face tilted towards the viewer. He wears a pointed hood, loose shirt and tights. He holds his fiddle over his shoulder with one hand and a long bow with the other. His knees are bent as if jumping or dancing to the music.

NH10

Dancer. She stands, hands raised, holding up the veils of her long simple gown.

NH11

Female hybrid. Her body s draped over a lion’s rear paws. With smiling face, wavy hair with a bun at each side, and no apparent arms, she walks with her body horizontal.

NH12

Hybrid with shield. He stands on his animal hind legs and tail and reaches up to hold the edges of his seat. His head and body are draped and he holds a shield before him.

NH13

Woman bends over. Her body is draped and her head is hooded. One hand is on her knee and the other at her head. Her feet are in a position to walk rather fast but the position of her body would make this rather difficult.. She may be hiding under the seat.

NH14

Seated man with a Tau Crutch. He sits before foliage, clad in long gown and turban. He leans on his crutch, eyes closed and head tilted down.

NH15

Two men dancing. They are back to back both clad in long loose garments with hoods. Their arms and knees are bent. One, with African features, has his head thrown back, hand to his open mouth, and the upper part of his body twisted in the opposite direction to the lower part. The other man has one hand on his hip and leans his head sleepily on the other arm.

NH16

Foliage

NH17

Foliage

NH18

Physician and patient. The man at left, in loose partly opened robe and soft coif

covering his head, leans his head on one hand and lifts up his robe with the other. The bearded man behind, in loose robe and cowl, which possibly has ass ears, places one hand on the patient’s chest and the other on his bare rear end. He may be diagnosing an ailment.

NH19

Hybrid. The body is similar to NH-12 but with an animal head.

NH20

Atlas. The draped young man kneels on one knee and holds up the seat with one hand.

NH21

Zither player. A woman, head tilted, with hair curled over her ears, plucks a zither.

NH22

Man’s head in hood. His eyes are closed and fabric is drape over his head.

NH23

Bearded Hybrid Fighters. Two hybrids stand one behind the other. The one in front holds a knife and shield but seems oblivious to the imminent attack by the other.

NH24

Armed man in woods: rear view. He holds a shield in one hand and a sword in the other as he peers among the oak trees replete with acorns. It appears to be the month of November since several of the acorns have fallen to the ground.

NH25

Dancer. [Damaged] The woman raises one hand and circles her waist with the other.

NH26

Courting couple. They are probably monk and nun, clad in long gowns and head coverings. She has one hand on his chest and he has one hand on her knee which she covers.

NH27

Grotesque King’s Head. [19th Century] He has a deformed body.

SB01

[19th Century]

SB02

[19th Century]

SB03

[19th Century]

SB04

[19th Century]

SB05

[19th Century]

SB06

[19th Century]

SB07

[19th Century]

SB08

[19th Century]

SB09

[19th Century]

SB10

Two owls. They stand back to back, each with one foot raised, heads pointed down. A foliate ornament is between them.

SB11

Seated lion. In profile with head turned towards the viewer, the right forefoot is raised; it is flanked by foliage.

SB12

Missing

SB13

Crouching monkey. It wears a hooded garment.

SB14

Two Horses in woods. . [20th Century]

SB15

Man between Monster-Lions. A bearded man sits calmly, hands crossed on his lap, head inclined as if sleeping. The heads of two Monster-lions peer over his shoulders.

SB16

Two fabulous animals Back to Back. They have curly hair, long ears which appear to join at the top of their heads, long stringy tails and one pair each of claws.

SB17

Bearded atlas. He wears a belted robe with hooded cape. On his knees, he raises his right elbow and with his tilted head holds up the seat. He touches his foot with his left hand.

SB18

Hybrid plays fiddle. The instrument has two sound holes and four strings, The bow, along with the hybrid’s arms are missing.

SB19

Half-figure of a man. He wears a hooded garment and extends his arms.

SB20

Mask with extended tongue. It has slanted eyes, a flat nose and large ears. Its forehead seems to be stretched as it falls under three large oak leaves.

SB21

Hybrid musicians. An ape’s head tops a body with cloven hooves. With the bottom part reversed. He extends his arms and

holds in one hand the broken jawbone of an ass. He undoubtedly once held a bow or pic to play the instrument. His only

clothing is a scarf around his shoulders.

SB22

Woman dancer. Like the other dancing ladies she holds up the edges of a shawl which is over her long belted gown.

SB23

Large bird. The bird, wings closed, curls back its long neck to bite its wing. It has a pair of claws, therefore is not an ostrich,

but probably an ibis

SB24

Foliage around head. The head is realistic and the foliage is like a fur collar.

SH01

Modern.

SH02

Modern.

SH03

Modern.

SH04

Modern.

SH05

Modern.

SH06

Modern.

SH07

Modern.

SH08

Modern.

SH09

Modern.

SH10

Foliage

SH11

Seated person. The smiling figure wears a hooded garment and a loose robe, places hands on knees and crosses bare feet.

SH12

Pair of Parrots. They stand back to back, each with a nut in its claw.

SH13

Grotesque crouches. His face is an animal mask. His shoulders are draped and his lower body is nude. He holds a urine flask in his right hand and probably a cover to cover the flask in his left.

SH14

Two apes on lions. Shoulders draped, they are seated back to back. The lions face away and the apes face each other, arms around each other’s neck and face.

SH15

Two dogs eat wings. One with head down gnaws wing. The other sits, head up, with bird’s head and wing in his mouth.

SH16

Hybrid. The human head is almost as large as the two-clawed tailed body. It is bearded, winged and wears a flat hat.

SH17

Mask of bearded grotesque. He has human features, beard fiery hair and trumpet ears.

SH18

Woman dancer. With hands raised, one touching the seat, she leans to the side and dances before foliage.

SH18

Hybrid. With ape head and cock body it is armed with a shield carved as a grotesque mask and holds a goat’s head, symbol of the devil in one hand.

SH20

Foliate ornament.

SH21

Woman dancer. Her back is turned toward the viewer and she moves, one arm raised and one down, before foliage.

SH22

Mask in foliage.

SH23

Harpy and fabulous animal. They wear hooded garments.

SH24

Missing

SH25

Shield. [restored]

SH26

Foliate lion mask.

SH27

Pride. Original seat reinforced. Soldier, his breast pierced with an arrow, broken sword in hand, cross on shoulder, falls backwards from his horse with decorated saddle.

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