Bracket

Salabhanjika bracket figure. Hoysala sculpture, Belur 12th century AD.

Chinese system of wood brackets (Dougong) topping a column supporting the crossbeam.

Corbel bracket, Venice, Italy

A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight.^[1] 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 these types of brackets is the corbel.^[2][3]

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.^[4]

Brackets also act as an element in the systems used to mount modern facade cladding systems onto the outside of modern buildings as well as interior

[edit] Notes

1. ^ "Brass,Bronze,Iron Hand rail Brackets". http://www.mascotmetal.com/brass-brackets.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
2. ^ "bracket". britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9016097/bracket. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
3. ^ Poppeliers, John C. (1983). What Style is it?. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. p 106. ISBN 0471144347. 
4. ^ "Bracket". Free Dictionary. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bracket. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 

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