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French

Tracery Arch, ca. 1300

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

French

Title

Tracery Arch

Year

ca. 1300

Medium

Limestone

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • limestone

Dimensions

109.2 x 141 x 27.3 cm (43 x 55 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches)

Type

  • Sculpture

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

40.156.1

About

This Gothic arch is an architectural element known as tracery, open stonework that supported increased height and allowed the passage of light into a building. The general crispness of the carving suggests that it was originally part of the interior decoration of a cathedral or abbey church. It may have been a segment of a triforium, a horizontal arcade defining a shallow gallery above the side aisles. The arch would have been supported by three slender columns, forming two tall lancet openings that ended in the tri-lobe curves seen here. The intersecting circles in the round opening above the lancets form fish-bladders, a configuration that was often incorporated into Gothic stone tracery and stained glass window designs. The delicate appearance of tracery enhanced the sensation of lightness and transparency that was a key component of Gothic architecture.

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Exhibition History

Exhibition History

European Galleries

This arch is an example of tracery, open stonework that provided the sensation of lightness and transparency that was a key component of Gothic architecture. This work’s crispness suggests that it was interior decoration protected from the wear of harsh weather. In its original setting, it may have defined a shallow gallery above a church’s side aisles. The three lower points were once supported by slender columns, forming two tall lancet openings that ended in the tri-lobe curves. The intersecting circles at the top form fish-bladders, a pattern often used in tracery and in stained-glass window design.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Tracery Arch with the accession number of 40.156.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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