Beak-heads (Fr. becs d’oiseau), Mod. An ornament peculiar to English architecture, representing heads and beaks of birds. The ancient Peruvians used the same ornament in their architecture, as shown in Fig. [79], taken from the decoration of the monolithic door of Tianuaco.
Fig. 79. Peruvian ornament (Beak-heads).
Bear. Dancing bears are represented in Anglo-Saxon MSS.
Beards. (See barba.)
Beaver. The movable face-guard of a helmet.
Beds. Anglo-Saxon beds usually consisted merely of a sack (sæccing) filled with straw, and laid on a bench or board, which was ordinarily in a recess at the side of the room, as we still see in Scotland. The word bedstead means only “a place for a bed.” Tester beds, or beds with a roof, were introduced by the Normans. Early in the 13th century beds were covered much as now, with ‘quilte,’ counterpane, bolster, sheets, and coverlet; and stood behind curtains which hung from the ceiling. In the 15th century the beds became much more ornamental, having canopy and curtains, and these, as well as the tester or back, decorated with heraldic, religious, or other devices. At the sides were costers, or ornamental cloths. Between the curtains and the wall a space was left called the ruelle, or little street.
Beech Black. A blue-black vegetable pigment.
Bees, in Christian art, are an attribute of St. Ambrose.
Belfry (Fr. Beffroi). The campanile or bell-tower of a church. Frequently detached from the church, as at Chichester Cathedral. (See Bell-gable.)