An accolade is a pointed arch composed of two ogee curves, also known as sigmoid lines, which mirror one another.[3][1] It can be formed by a pair of reverse
ogee curves over a
three-centred arch ending in a vertical
finial.[4][5] The form can also be described as the combination of a convex arch and a concave arch.[6]
Usage
An accolade is usually a decorative
molding placed over an opening.[7] The structures are unable to support significant loads, so they are primarily decorative.[6] It has been primarily used over small openings like niches, tombs, windows, and screens as it is difficult to construct.[3][7][5]
Accolades appear as stylistic framing elements in artwork as early as the fifteenth century.[13] It also appears in Dutch art, like the
woodcut illustration in The Book of the Golden Throne.[13]
Influences
The form was likely imported to
England during the
Crusades.[10] There exist accolades in the
Byzantine style of architecture, as at the Monastery of
St. Constantine on Lake Apolyon.[14]Demus argues that the accolades, or ogee arches, at the Porta dei Fiori and the Tesoro entrance, have
Islamic influences.[15] Additionally,
Venetian ogee arches resemble an
Iranianmihrab niche that was brought to
Paris.[15] However, there is no consensus regarding how the accolade became an element of Gothic architecture.[1]
^
abK., R. A. (1958). "An Ivory Diptych from the Waning Middle Ages". Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University. 17 (2): 55–64.
doi:
10.2307/3774319.
JSTOR3774319.
^Mango, Cyril (1979). "The Monastery of St. Constantine on Lake Apolyont". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 33: 329–333.
doi:
10.2307/1291440.
JSTOR1291440.
^
abHoward, Deborah (1991). "Venice and Islam in the Middle Ages: Some Observations on the Question of Architectural Influence". Architectural History. 34: 59–74.
doi:
10.2307/1568594.
JSTOR1568594.
S2CID192359421.