Corpus of the misericords at Cologne Cathedral
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. |