Corner-Oriel at Augsburg

H. W. Brewer

c. 1880

Signed with initials lower left

Source: Stevenson’s House Architecture, I, 169

“In Germany, as in other countries, the tracery abandoned geometric forms and became flowing in character like the French flamboyant. . . . The over sweetness and softness of the forms of flowing tracery, which began after a time to be felt everywhere, was counteracted in Germany, and a foil given by simply breaking off the lines of the tracery and letting them end in a broken stump, whence the variety is called Stump Tracery.

In the fine Eckfenster, or corner-oriel, at Augsburg, this kind of tracery is used as panel decoration, and also to support the base of the window, where it takes the form of intertwining branches” [continued below].

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“It looks almost as if its designers had believed in the theory that this was the origin of Gothic, and wished to illustrate it. The introduction of such forms shows that no farther advances were to be made in the style by legitimate methods that it was becoming worked out. It was a sign of old age, and showed that its end was near. The term " degraded," which is applied to the style which produces them, is in a sense true. It has not the simple and direct beauties of the earlier styles which found a legitimate architectural effect in the necessities of construction ; but its results are picturesque and interesting, and often beautiful, and it produced noble buildings, of which the nation is justly proud.”

Bibliography

Stevenson, J. J. House Architecture. 2 vols. London: Macmillan, 1880.

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Last modified 17 July 2017