Gothic Cathedral Architecture - Earthlore Glossary: Expression and Craft Technique

Expression and Technique of Craft
within Gothic Cathedrals:

Damp fold : A sculpting technique in which the lines are long and subtle, giving the featured material a look as though it were damp and clinging to the figure.

Image at right: A portal figure at Rheims, featuring the Damp fold technique.
Dog tooth molding : An ornamental feature in which pairs of 'tooth-like' pieces of wood or stone are set to each other in diagonal rows.
Fresco : The technique of blending wet plaster with water based paint. As the plaster dries it becomes a lasting surface base. The term applies to the technique as well as the painting itself.
Impasto : A painting technique where the material is applied in thick layers to wooden panels or canvas. This method creates a textured effect.
Intaglio : A technique of stylized engraving which is carved beneath the surface layer of a hard material, often stone or metal.
Intarsia : Essentially a Mosaic inlaid within a wooden panel, table or chest. Elements may include ivory or precious stone.
Mandorla : The artistic interpretation of a halo or aura surrounding the head of holy figures. An almond shaped motif often used in imagery of the Virgin, Christ or particular saints. Symbolically, the Mandorla has great significance within Medieval Christianity, and is related to the Vesica Pisces. The space which represents the shape of a Mandorla is the overlapping segment of two intersecting circles. In Christian context, the place where Heaven and Earth join as one, perhaps even the doorway between the two. Many cathedral portals feature Christ or the Virgin enthroned within a Mandorla frame.
Polychrome : A painted finish applied mostly to sculpture work, consisting of multiple combinations of color. Popular during the late nineteenth century.
Relief : A sculpture form in which elements project out of the background of the work.
Stucco : Traditionally, a soft, workable plaster sometimes used in sculpting, primarily it is worked into a decorative background.
Tapestry : A heavy fabric incorporated with intricate design or imagery, used as wall hung decoration or covering.

Image at right: A unique depiction of the Crucifixion, within an English Tapestry at Canterbury cathedral.
Tempera : A paint material mixed with egg white, casein or glue, to create an effect of luminescence.
Tracery : Ornamental stonework consisting of patterned bars; used most often within windows to support the weight of glass. When utilized in this way, such work is more specifically known as Bar Tracery, for its use of thin, decorative bars of stone. Larger window formations are known as Plate Tracery and designs upon solid surfaces without windows are called Blind Tracery.

Further
Resources

Theme Introduction

Content Directory

Glossaries

'Must Know' Terms

Cathedral
Components

Decoration & Motif

Unique Features

Structural Elements

Art Periods & Styles

ITCFonts - Quality Typefaces for 35 Years

E-mail Newsletter
is distributed
Free to all
interested viewers
of Gothic Dreams.

Receive regular updates on:

Site additions

Projects

Web events

New learning
resources

Stay informed!
Request your
Free Subscription to:

Subscribe Today

Earthlore Historic Overview: Notre Dame de Paris

Earthlore Explorations Content Directory - The Harbor of Journeys

Bibliography

Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française
      du XIe au XVIe siècle,
      E. Viollet-le-Duc, Paris (1858-68)
Mont Saint-Michel and Chartres,   Henry Adams (1904)
Gothic Painting, Jacques Dupont & C. Gnudi, Skira (1954)
The Gothic Cathedral, Otto von Simson, Pantheon, NY (1956)
The Gothic,  Paul Frankl , Princeton U. Press (1960)
The Cathedral Builders, Jean Gimpel, Grove Press, NY  (1961)
Gothic Architecture,  Robert Branner, G. Braziller, NY  (1961)
High Gothic, Hans Jantzen ,  Pantheon, NY (1962)
Medieval Art I, II, III  Georges Duby, Skira, Geneva (1966-67)
The Medieval Architect, J. H. Harvey,  London (1972)
The Age of the Cathedrals,  Art and Society 980-1420,
      Georges Duby, London  (1981)
French Gothic Architecture of the 12th and 13th Centuries,
      J. Bony ,  Berkeley (1983)
The Gothic Cathedral, C. Wilson , Thames & Hudson (1990)
The Art of Gothic, Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, (1999)

Development & Production Credits

Theme Editor :   Nicole Blackford   —   Primary Text :   Rhey Cedron
Art Direction :   Thierry Alberto   —   Art Research :   Malcom Hurrell
Principal Photography :   Rhey Cedron
Structural Design :  Mark Nelson   —   Research Assistant : Walter McCrae
Support Production : Henry Craig, Joan Flandrin, Clara Kelly

E-mail : @elore
Your questions or comments are always welcome!
Learn more about the Earthlore story, upcoming web features and future cultural projects. Ask to receive your

Content Copyrights: ©1995-2004 - Exclusive rights reserved.
Individual use of enclosed material is encouraged for the purposes of education and enjoyment.
The republication of content, without license, is an infringement of Copyright laws.

Additional Glossaries Organized by Theme Must Know Term's of a Builder's Apprentice Unique Cathedral Features | Decoration and Motif Structural Design | Cathedral Components | Art Periods and Styles

Site additions Projects Web events New learning resources Stay informed! Request your Free Subscription to:

Bibliography

Additional Glossaries Organized by Theme

Must Know Term's of a Builder's Apprentice

Unique Cathedral Features | Decoration and Motif

Structural Design | Cathedral Components | Art Periods and Styles

Site additions

Projects

Web events

New learning
resources

Stay informed!
Request your
Free Subscription to: