Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/119

 Gothic Architecture. 89 during in England the beautiful fan-tracery, with which we are familiar in King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster, etc. ; and in France and Germany in many other forms of complicated elaboration. The general vertical tendency of Gothic work — the steep roofs, the buttresses, vertical breaks (i, e. projections of any part within or beyond the general face of the work), etc. — are largely traceable to the desire to obtain effects of shadow from a low sun. The horizontal cornices of classic architecture lose most of their natural effect in countries where the sun for much of the year is low in the heavens, and light is diffused and comparatively faint. In the Gothic buildings of the south of Europe (Spain and Italy) this vertical tendency was less completely developed. Window tr acery — a peculiarity of Gothic architecture which has no parallel in any other western style — was developed gradually from a d esire to group several windows together under one arch ; and a complete series of forms can readily be made out, beginning with two lancet lights (long narrow windows, with the head shaped like the point of a lancet) and the enclosing arch, leading up to such elaborate compositions as the great windows in the flam- boyant buildings of France. The external buttresses were props or piers added outside the building, opposite to the point of pressure of the groins, to strengthen the walls ; and sometimes a further support was added in the shape of an arch thrown across be- tween the wall and the upper part of the buttress, so as to help support the nave roof. This was called a flying buttress.