Decorated Period

The Decorated Style is a phase in the architecture of the English Gothic style, which lasted from 1250 to 1370 by Nikolaus Pevsner. In England itself, this phase The Decorated Period, Decorated Gothic, or simply Decorated called.

The term was originally created by Thomas Rickman in his work "An Attempt to Discriminate the Styles of Architecture in England " (1812-1815) and is still in use today. Rickman dated the Decorated from 1307-1377, but, as so often with architectural styles, there are overlaps between the individual periods, particularly for large buildings such as churches and cathedrals, whose long construction times could provide already by itself that different style ideals in same building were expressed.

Style characteristics

In the late 13th century took place in the sacred building, the change from Early English to the Decorated style. The decision was taken from the introduction of the French Gothic tracery, which occurred for the first time in Binham Priory, and in Westminster Abbey in England. In the early period of the Decorated style prevail simpler geometric circle forms ( Geometric ) and later develop convex-concave curved shapes ( curvilinear ).

A second important stylistic feature is the abundance of decoration, all surfaces, arches and gables as possible - for example as a leaf pattern - coats. In this jewelry needs, you can see a resumption of Anglo-Saxon art traditions. This sheet forms are not representation of nature, but clearly stylized and often reminiscent of seaweed (English seaweed ). In the space formation in the Decorated style, the unexpected look through, particularly preferably in diagonal directions.

In continental Europe, the turn to style was at the same time been rayonnant to observe the " radial " style, which lasted from about 1260 to 1370. He was first occurred in the 1230s years the new building of St. Denis and the Sainte -Chapelle in Paris. The English Gothic does not follow this model, but developed independently decorative elements on.

The main works of the Decorated are the choirs of the Cathedral of Bristol ( 1298 ) and Wells (around 1290-1340 ), the Lady Chapel and the servatives octagon of Ely ( 1321-1353 ), The Chapter - House in Southwell ( end 13. century), as well as the choir screen in Lincoln and the choir stalls in Exeter.

The star and fan vaulting of the cathedral of Lincoln had indeed already left the original ribbed pattern and thus broke the limitation to purely structural elements were in use of their funds but still relatively frugal and " classic ". In the Decorated style is - as its name implies - this tendency increased enormously and it will be created with the introduction of Lierne - ribs ( nor emanating from fighters from Capstone secondary ribs ) at the beginning of the 14th century vaulted patterns that have almost exclusively decorative function and in a continuous chain of rhombuses the architectural clarity on play (sample vaults or net - vaults ). The really supporting ribs can often be identified only on the larger section thickness or at the end at the size of the key stone them. It was an " experiment without schema ", they tried playfully to equip the vault richer, albeit in the use of light and shadow effect of highly profiled ribs.

The view was thus no longer directed from yoke to yoke, but rather followed the "origin" of the pattern and went from fighter to fighter. These were the new cardinal points of the arch design. This does not mean that the game lost in decorative details. On the contrary one can prefer to speak in this time of a tendency to fusion of individual rooms, which is especially evident in the Cathedral of St. Peter (Exeter) in the absence of a Vierungsturmes and thus a continuous nave (as opposed to the later Perpendicular ).