Grotesque head at The British Museum, London

Medieval Europe - 1050-1500 In medieval Europe, monarchy and the Church were the two most important institutions. Throughout the period they competed for political supremacy. Society was based on a feudal system, where the majority of people were peasants working the land for their lord. However, the rapid growth of towns and an influential merchant class stimulated properity and changed traditional social structures. This grotesque head with a protruding tongue may have been carved for a castle belonging to Bishop Roger of Salisbury (1107-39). The Bishop owned castles at Sherborne and Devizes. Grotesques were also found in church architecture and were probably purely decorative.   This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)