MYSTERY OBJECT

We shine a spotlight on an intriguing item that may not be what it appears

At first glance you might imagine this to be the lost head of an ancient statue, but it is in fact a stone corbel – a projection jutting out from a wall to support a structure above. Dating from the 16th or 17th century, it is a Celtic design depicting the ‘old man of the woods’. From the heyday of the Green Man, this example was likely added by stonemasons to hedge bets for a good harvest, giving a nod to the old beliefs and pagan gods. The Green Man is often seen incorporated as a carved decorative ornamentation on British and other European churches and buildings, both ecclesiastical and, sometimes, secular.