MENSOLA. — In architecture, a load-bearing element, consisting of a block of stone or wood (from the Latin *mensula* = small table) that projects partly from the wall in which it is embedded, and is thus capable of supporting other architectural parts (architraves, balconies, ceiling beams, etc.) or decorative elements (statues or spires). When used to support beams or overhangs, it is generally plain and takes the name *beccatello*; it is called a *modiglione* when the projection from the wall is less than its height, and in this form it is commonly used to support cornices.
In Romanesque architecture, the *mensola* supporting cornices is mostly smooth or adorned with simple leaves (series of cornices with stringcourses characterize the Roman bell towers of the Middle Ages); whereas when it supports a series of arches, it is mostly carved with twisted leaves and human and animal heads. This fanciful decoration with figurative elements is very frequent in Gothic architecture, which also widely uses the *mensola* with a conical section, known as *a fondo di lampada*, to support statues or pinnacles. The Renaissance, even in the decoration of the *mensola*, draws inspiration from classical art, with elegantly twisted acanthus scrolls in the form of an "S," or with palmettes, leaves, and interlacings in the more elaborate types, such as the large *modiglioni* of Palazzo Fava in Bologna. When the projection must be very pronounced, to avoid an effect of excessive heaviness, the *mensola a gattello* is used, consisting of two or more *mensole* superimposed: elegant examples are those carved by B. da Maiano for the pulpit of Santa Croce in Florence (1474) and those of the cantoria of Modena Cathedral. The *mensole a fondo di lampada*, used to support pulpits, have the form of a basket or half-capital richly ornamented; they assume a flatter shape and more complex decoration, with cornucopias, putti, and garlands, when supporting tabernacles. Finally, the Baroque style complicates the *mensola* to the extreme with the most bizarre decorative forms and ends up removing from this element any constructive appearance.
In furniture, *mensole* also serve the same load-bearing function, but instead of being embedded in the wall, they are hung with nails. Arranged in series, they serve as supports for shelves; isolated, for statues or vases; in this case, they take the form of *a fondo di lampada*. The name *mensola* is also given to wall tables with inward-curving legs close to the wall, known in France as *consoles*; they enjoyed great vogue and lavish decorations especially in the central sector, and their use continued in neoclassical furnishings. See pl. XLII.