Bracket (architecture)

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Brackets in Badami Cave Temples in India
Brackets in Badami Cave Temples in India
Chinese system of wood brackets (Dougong) topping a column supporting the crossbeam.
Chinese system of wood brackets (Dougong) topping a column supporting the crossbeam.

A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely ornamental and serve no supporting purpose. Among the types of bracket is the corbel.[1][2]

A bracket is also defined as a decorative or weight-bearing structural element, two sides of which form a right angle with one side against a wall and the other under a projecting surface, such as an eave or a bay window.[3]

Corbel bracket, Venice, Italy
Corbel bracket, Venice, Italy


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ bracket. britannica.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
  2. ^ Poppeliers, John C. (1983). What Style is it?. New York: John Wiley & Sons, p 106. ISBN 0471144347. 
  3. ^ Bracket. Free Dictorionary. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
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