Accolade (architecture)

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Accolade over an arch in Portugal

In architecture, an accolade is an embellished arch found most typically in late Gothic architecture. The term comes from French (l'accolade), referencing a "braced" arch.[1] It is also known as an ogee arch (English), un arco conopial (Spanish), resaunt (Middle English), arco carenato or inflesso (Italian), and kielbogen (German).[1][2]

An accolade is a pointed arch composed of two ogee curves, also known as sigmoid lines, which mirror one another.

three-centred arch ending in a vertical finial.[4][5] The form can also be described as the combination of a convex arch and a concave arch.[6]

Usage

An accolade is usually a decorative molding placed over an opening.[7] The structures are unable to support significant loads, so they are primarily decorative.[6] It has been primarily used over small openings like niches, tombs, windows, and screens as it is difficult to construct.[3][7][5]

History

The accolade was introduced and was most commonly used during the Decorated period of Gothic architecture.[3] It was an element of Church architecture in England from the eleventh to sixteenth century.[8] The peak of the accolade's popularity was during the thirteenth century.[9] During the fourteenth century, there was an evolution in its appearance.[2]

The first accolades in English Gothic architecture appear on the crosses constructed by Edward I in memory of Eleanor of Castile.[10] They are also used in Gothic goldsmithing as in the shrine of St. Gertrude of Nivelles, which was originally built in the 13th century.[1] The entrance to Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye is an accolade.[11] The St. John's Church, and one of its major influences, Strawberry Hill House, incorporates accolades into its design.[12]

Accolades appear as stylistic framing elements in artwork as early as the fifteenth century.[13] It also appears in Dutch art, like the woodcut illustration in The Book of the Golden Throne.[13]

Influences

The form was likely imported to England during the Crusades.[10] There exist accolades in the Byzantine style of architecture, as at the Monastery of St. Constantine on Lake Apolyon.[14] Demus argues that the accolades, or ogee arches, at the Porta dei Fiori and the Tesoro entrance, have Islamic influences.[15] Additionally, Venetian ogee arches resemble an Iranian mihrab niche that was brought to Paris.[15] However, there is no consensus regarding how the accolade became an element of Gothic architecture.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.15304/qui.16.5593
    .
  2. ^
    OCLC 1138500631
    .
  3. ^ a b c Parker, John Henry (1850). A Glossary of Terms Used in Grecian, Roman, Italian, and Gothic Architecture: Text. J.H. Parker.[page needed]
  4. ^ Sturgis, Russell (1901). A Dictionary of Architecture and Building, Volume I. Macmillan. p. 10.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-967499-2
    .
  6. ^
    ProQuest 1919412319
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-486-24444-0.[page needed
    ]
  8. ^ Bond, Francis (1913). An Introduction to English Church Architecture from the Eleventh to the Sixteenth Century. H. Milford.
  9. OCLC 941907107.[page needed
    ]
  10. ^ a b Prache, Anne (1981). "Jean Bony, The English Decorated Style, Gothic Architecture transformed 1250-1350. Oxford, Phaidon, 1979, 92 p." Bulletin Monumental. 139 (2): 109–110.
  11. ProQuest 1311938677
    .
  12. ^ "A 'Bastard' Building; a Child of Strawberry [Hill] uglier than its Parent: St John's Church, Deansgate". Visit Manchester. 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  13. ^
    JSTOR 3774319
    .
  14. JSTOR 1291440
    .
  15. ^
    S2CID 192359421
    .
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