Gothic Art History

Sutton Hoo Burial Items

Jeweled Cross of Lothair II

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Luke portrait page

Book of Kells Chi-Rho page

Book of Kells Virgin Mary page

Reliquary of Sainte Foy

Sainte Chapelle 

Röttgen Pietà

Death of the Virgin

Arena Chapel

Giotto’s Lamentation

Giotto’s Kiss of Judas

Interlacing Animal Style

complex interlacing of stylized animals in tight, richly colored patterns

Carpet page

decorative, non-figurative page in an illuminated manuscript, often filled with geometric patterns and interlacing motifs

Hiberno-Saxon 

style of art merging of Irish and Anglo-Saxon, 6th to the 9th centuries, interlacing patterns, colors, and intricate designs

Horror Vacui

avoiding empty space

Reliquary

A container ornately decorated, used to hold relics (remains or possessions of saints) in Christian churches

Tympanum

The space above a doorway, filled with relief sculptures

Ambulatory

A walkway that runs around the apse, allowing people to move around the altar and relics

Barrel Vault

A continuous series of arches used in Romanesque churches to create the ceiling.

Flying Buttress

A support structure used in Gothic churches to transfer the weight of the walls and roof allowing for taller buildings and larger windows

Nave

The long aisle of a church. In Gothic churches, the nave leads to the chancel

Radiating chapels

Small chapels from the apse, house relics

Arcade

The series of arches supported by columns or piers. (1st)

Triforium

usually a passageway or decorative element (2nd)

Clerestory

containing windows that allow light into the interior (3rd)

Rose windows

circular windows, often filled with stained glass, characteristic of Gothic

Rayonnant style

Gothic style with an emphasis on light and verticality. Sainte-Chapelle

Pieta

depiction of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ, often showing deep emotional expression