Mask
Mask
or NOTCH-HEAD, is the technical term in ecclesiastical architecture for a kind of corbel, the shadow of which bears a close resemblance to that of the human face. It is common in some districts in work of the 13th and 14th centuries, and is usually carved under the eaves as a corbel-table. A good example occurs in Portsmouth Church, where it is mixed with the tooth-ornament. It is a favorite ornament in Northamptonshire in the cornices of the broad spire, and under the parapet of the chancel; but it is by no means confined to any particular district. — Parker, Glossary of Architecture, s.v.
