. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. even when springing from thesame level. As regards the desire for light the solution of theone problem solved also the other, for the fact that the buttresses and piers did thework took away all necessityfor side walls save as curtainsor screens; so that with theaid of a discharging arch thewhole space between the but-tresses could be converted intowindow, if needed, as may beseen in the Church of (Plate XXXIX). Theoretically the thrust ofa vault was conveyed directlyto a single point, but practical-ly it was tran
. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. even when springing from thesame level. As regards the desire for light the solution of theone problem solved also the other, for the fact that the buttresses and piers did thework took away all necessityfor side walls save as curtainsor screens; so that with theaid of a discharging arch thewhole space between the but-tresses could be converted intowindow, if needed, as may beseen in the Church of (Plate XXXIX). Theoretically the thrust ofa vault was conveyed directlyto a single point, but practical-ly it was transmitted to twopoints, above and below thew£vf i-^^7* theoretical one. Wherefore two flying buttresses were em-ployed, one above the were sometimes con-nected by radial columns, as in Chartres (Fig. 129),or by small arcades, as in Amiens (Fig. 130), to stiffenthe whole. Flying buttresses performed the further duty ofducts to carry off the water from the roof, whichwas discharged from the mouths of gargoyles. Thus, briefly recapitulating, all the beautiful. Fig. 129.—Buttress in thecathedral of Chartres. USES OF GOTHIC ORNAMENT. 327 things of early Gothic had their duties to perform :the graceful groin to carry the roof; the pointed archto gain the height;the flying buttressto prop the latter,earn the water, andaid, but not infringeupon the light; itstracery of radial col-umns or small ar-cades inserted tostiffen, yet not de-stroy its resilientelasticity ; and, final-ly, the pinnacleplaced on every but-tress to act not onlyas an ornament, butas a weight, to in-crease the powerof resistance in that buttress. THE STYLES. All Gothic architecture may be divided into threeprincipal periods, a useful classification by which todetermine the approximate date of its buildings at aglance. In France these periods are catalogued as fol-lows: First, Early Frencli or Lancet period, coveringthe latter half of the twelfth and whole of the thir-teenth centuries [circa 1150-1300): s
Size: 1090px × 2294px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidstoryofarchi, bookyear1896
