Unknown Maker, French

This arch is an example of tracery, open stonework that provided the sensation of lightness and transparency that was a key component of Gothic architecture. This work’s crispness suggests that it was interior decoration protected from the wear of harsh weather. In its original setting, it may have defined a shallow gallery above a church’s side aisles. The three lower points were once supported by slender columns, forming two tall lancet openings that ended in the tri-lobe curves. The intersecting circles at the top form fish-bladders, a pattern often used in tracery and in stained-glass window design.