Journal article
Drawings of French Gothic towers and spires; an analysis of the geometrical construction of three notable examples
Bulletin monumental, Vol.179(2), p.109
06/01/2021
Abstract
This article explores the geometrical logic of three French Gothic drawings that depict tower elevations: the famous view of the Laon Cathedral tower by Villard de Honnecourt; a sixteenth-century design for the crossing tower of Orleans Cathedral; and a remarkable recently discovered drawing likely associated with Rouen Cathedral. All three drawings incorporate pseudo perspectival depth cues to suggest the three-dimensional character of the depicted towers. In geometrical terms, however, they were all developed by the stacking of modules defined in their ground plans. In this respect they resemble the Laon towers themselves, the great tower drawings created in the German world, and the pinnacles described by Matthaus Roriczer in the fifteenth century. This analysis thus sheds light not only on the geometrical logic of the French drawings, but also on the chronological continuity and geographic reach of Gothic design practice.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Drawings of French Gothic towers and spires; an analysis of the geometrical construction of three notable examples
- Creators
- Robert Bork - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Bulletin monumental, Vol.179(2), p.109
- Publisher
- Soc Fr Archeologie Musee Monument Francais
- ISSN
- 0007-473X
- Number of pages
- 18
- Language
- French
- Date published
- 06/01/2021
- Academic Unit
- Art and Art History
- Record Identifier
- 9984398314502771
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