ROOF BOSSES IN MEDIEVAL CHURCHES: AN ASPECT OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1948. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Yellow cloth. Plates. viii, 235p. Some shelf wear present. Some corner bending as well. Otherwise, a clean and tight book in good condition. Item #141024
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood. Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the keystones at the intersections of a rib vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses (or ceiling bosses) are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations. Many feature animals, birds, or human figures or faces, sometimes realistic, but often grotesque. A different sense of boss was also an important feature of ancient and Classical construction. When stone components were rough-cut offsite at quarries, they were usually left with bosses (small knobs) protruding on at least one side. This allowed for easy transport of the pieces to the site; once there, the bosses also facilitated raising and/or inserting them into place. This book is a study of roof bosses in the Gothic period. The book is a combination of Cave's text and over 350 black and white photographs of bosses from all over Europe.
Price: $100.00