mascarons

Noun

mascaron (plural mascarons)

1. A carved, ornamental face, either human-like or grotesque, whose alleged function was originally to frighten away evil spirits so that they would not enter the building.
   • As one approaches nearer it is easy to see these round bosses transform themselves into mascarons, or sculptured decorative details, like the escutcheons and plaques so frequently seen stuck into the walls of so many civic edifices in Italy.1909, Francis Miltoun, Castles and Chateaux of Old Burgundy, Boston: L C. Page & Company