Description

Brackets are an architectural element that is both decorative and structural. They often protrude from the corners to support the weight of the building’s upper structure. One of the most common types of brackets is a corbel. This is more decorative than it is structural and often carved to add to the visual appeal.

There is much symbolism incorporated into their design. In the Ancient world, people used acanthus leaves for medicinal purposes and are revered. It is one of the oldest plants in the Mediterranean. Greco-Roman architecture often decorated their temples and palaces with acanthus leaves to drive home the theme of immortality and rebirth. Ironically, Christianity treats the acanthus leaf as a symbol of pain and suffering.

The acanthus leaf motif owes its survival into the modern age to this duality. It still finds itself incorporated into other forms of architecture, jewelries, metalwork and even funerals.

This item is part of Museo de La Salle’s Santos Joven Panlilio collection which boasts of antique turn-of the-century furniture and decorative furnishings from the family’s ancestral home in Bacolor, Pampanga. Some pieces were collected through the years by art connoisseur, antique collector and interior designer Jose Ma. Ricardo Panlilio, the museum’s founding director.

Donation

JRP