DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.67683#0322
ilO
GOTHIC PERIOD
century
Fig. 97. Reims. Buttress of
the chevet, spanning a double
aisle.
in France, the most noteworthy of
which were Notre Dame in Paris,
Amiens, and Remr13 (Pl. 84). Each
was constructed on the same basic
principles as Chartres. Only in detail
and ornamentation do they differ.
All are incomplete and the impression
of squatness produced in some ob-
servers would have been eliminated
had the towers been carried up by
spires to the intended height. In
fagade composition, the tendency is
toward elaboration. Notre Dame has
sobriety and repose due to the almost
classic balance of line and the quiet
unadorned spaces of wall and but-
tress; at Amiens, there is richness of
detail, effective interplay of line, and
richness of light and shade; at Reims,
decoration has become excessive and
the vertical line predominant; at
Rouen, ornamentation is supreme.
We notice in all of these fagades the
decorative beauty and the suggestion
of welcome in the deeply recessed
portals that extend the width of the porch. The flying buttress
also developed from the simple, robust type of Chartres into the
lighter and more elaborate type of Reims which, with its niches,
pinnacles, crockets, and finials (Fig. 97 and Pl. 83 b), contributes
to the soaring quality of the cathedral.
The sculpture of these great thirteenth-century cathedrals,
while akin to that of the north and south portals of Chartres,
still shows marked differences. The Vierge Doree (Pl. 85 a), a
gracious virgin, stands holding the child and playfully smiling;
13 As each of these cathedrals bears the name Notre Dame, it has become the habit to designate
them by the towns in which they are located, with the exception of the Paris example, which has
persisted to a greater degree than the others in retaining its original name.
northern climate, nothing but faint traces now remains. Further-
more, accessories of the service — the rich robes of the clergy,
the gold and silver jeweled crosses, reliquaries, and chalices, the
carved ivory crosiers, and the great tapestries — testify to the
love of color and contribute to the magnificence expressive of
the religious exaltation of the times.
Many other great Gothic cathedrals were built, particularly
in the thirteenth
GOTHIC PERIOD
century
Fig. 97. Reims. Buttress of
the chevet, spanning a double
aisle.
in France, the most noteworthy of
which were Notre Dame in Paris,
Amiens, and Remr13 (Pl. 84). Each
was constructed on the same basic
principles as Chartres. Only in detail
and ornamentation do they differ.
All are incomplete and the impression
of squatness produced in some ob-
servers would have been eliminated
had the towers been carried up by
spires to the intended height. In
fagade composition, the tendency is
toward elaboration. Notre Dame has
sobriety and repose due to the almost
classic balance of line and the quiet
unadorned spaces of wall and but-
tress; at Amiens, there is richness of
detail, effective interplay of line, and
richness of light and shade; at Reims,
decoration has become excessive and
the vertical line predominant; at
Rouen, ornamentation is supreme.
We notice in all of these fagades the
decorative beauty and the suggestion
of welcome in the deeply recessed
portals that extend the width of the porch. The flying buttress
also developed from the simple, robust type of Chartres into the
lighter and more elaborate type of Reims which, with its niches,
pinnacles, crockets, and finials (Fig. 97 and Pl. 83 b), contributes
to the soaring quality of the cathedral.
The sculpture of these great thirteenth-century cathedrals,
while akin to that of the north and south portals of Chartres,
still shows marked differences. The Vierge Doree (Pl. 85 a), a
gracious virgin, stands holding the child and playfully smiling;
13 As each of these cathedrals bears the name Notre Dame, it has become the habit to designate
them by the towns in which they are located, with the exception of the Paris example, which has
persisted to a greater degree than the others in retaining its original name.
northern climate, nothing but faint traces now remains. Further-
more, accessories of the service — the rich robes of the clergy,
the gold and silver jeweled crosses, reliquaries, and chalices, the
carved ivory crosiers, and the great tapestries — testify to the
love of color and contribute to the magnificence expressive of
the religious exaltation of the times.
Many other great Gothic cathedrals were built, particularly
in the thirteenth