Abbot Suger oversaw the construction of the abbey church of Saint-Denis in the mid-12th century, introducing many elements of the new Gothic style including pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and increased use of stained glass windows. This new style spread across France with the construction of great Gothic cathedrals like Chartres, Reims, and Amiens that featured towering naves, elaborate facades, stained glass, and sculpture. The Gothic style also developed distinctive national variations like the Perpendicular Gothic style seen in English cathedrals and the emphasis on dramatic sculpture in German Gothic cathedrals such as Naumburg.

1. 1
Chapter 13
Gothic Europe
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
14e

2. 2
Europe About 1200

3. 3
Goals
• Understand the origins and spread of the Gothic style.
• Understand the changes in European religious concepts that
make Gothic art and architecture possible.
• Understand the art, architecture and architectural decoration of
the Gothic style in France.
• Examine the variations of the Gothic Style in England, Germany
and Italy.
• Examine the development of sculpture, book arts, and other
media in the Gothic era.
• Name and identify important Gothic cathedrals.

4. 4
French Gothic
• Examine architecture and architectural decoration in the
Gothic style.
• Examine the basic architectural elements of the Gothic style.
• Understand the religious attitude that makes the Gothic style
desirable.
• Examine the great Gothic Cathedrals of France.
• Explore the art media used to express religious concepts in
the Gothic era.
• Explore sculpture, book illustration and luxury arts.

5. 5
Abbot Suger and the Gothic Style
• Understand the origins and spread of the Gothic style.
• Examine the basic architectural elements and decoration.
• Understand the religious attitude of the Gothic era.

6. 13-3A West facade of the abbey church, Saint-Denis, France, 1135–1140.
6

7. 7
Figure 13-2 Ambulatory
and radiating chapels, abbey
church, Saint-Denis, France,
1140–1144.

8. Figure 13-4 Diagram (a) and drawings of rib vaults with semicircular (b) and pointed (c) arches.
8

9. 9
The Chartres Cathedral
• Examine the sculpture at the Chartres Cathedral.

10. Figure 13-5 West facade, Chartres Cathedral,
Chartres, France, ca. 1145-1155.
10

11. 11
Figure 13-6 Royal Portal, west facade, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1145–1155.

12. 12
Figure 13-7 Old Testament kings and queens,
jamb statues, central doorway of Royal Portal,
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1145–
1155.

13. 13
Great Gothic Cathedrals
• Examine the Gothic Cathedrals of France.

14. 14
Figure 13-8 West facade of Laon Cathedral,
Laon, France, begun ca. 1190.

15. 15
Figure 13-9 Interior of Laon Cathedral
(looking northeast), Laon, France, begun
ca. 1190.

16. Figure 13-12 Cutaway view of a typical French
Gothic cathedral (John Burge). (1) pinnacle, (2)
flying buttress, (3) vaulting web, (4) diagonal
ribs, (5) transverse rib, (6) springing, (7)
clerestory, (8) oculus, (9) lancet, (10) triforium,
(11) nave arcade, (12) compound pier with
responds.
16

17. 17
Figure 13-10 Nave elevations of four French Gothic cathedrals at the same scale (after Louis Grodecki).

18. 18
Figure 13-11 Notre-Dame (looking north), Paris, France, begun 1163; nave and flying buttresses, ca. 1180–1200; remodeled
after 1225.

19. Figure 13-1 Aerial view of Chartres Cathedral (looking north), Chartres, France, as rebuilt after 1194.
19

20. 20
Figure 13-13 Plan of Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, as
rebuilt after 1194 (after Paul Frankl).

21. 21
Figure 13-14 Interior of Chartres Cathedral
(looking east), Chartres, France, begun 1194.
© 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd.

22. 22
French Stained Glass Windows
• Examine the stained glass windows, the materials,
techniques, and the Gothic spiritual attitude about the light
of God.

23. 13-15 Stonemasons and sculptors, detail of a stained-glass window in the northernmost radiating chapel in the ambulatory,
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1200-1220
23

24. 24
Figure 13-16 Virgin and Child and angels (Notre Dame de
la Belle Verrière), detail of a window in the choir of
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1170, with 13th
century side panels. Stained glass, full height 16’.

25. 25
Figure 13-17 Rose window and lancets, north
transept, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France,
ca. 1220. Stained glass, rose window 43’ in
diameter.

26. 26
Figure 13-18A Saints Martin, Jerome, and Gregory,
jamb statues, Porch of the Confessors (right doorway),
south transept, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca.
1220–1230.

27. 27
Figure 13-18 Saint Theodore, jamb statue, Porch of the Martyrs (left doorway), south
transept, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1230.

28. 28
Gothic Interiors and Heights
• Examine the interior of Gothic structures, Gothic rib
vaulting and the extension of height.

29. 29
Figure 13-20 ROBERT DE LUZARCHES,
THOMAS DE CORMONT, and RENAUD DE
CORMONT, interior of Amiens Cathedral (looking
east), Amiens, France, begun 1220.

30. 30
Figure 13-21 ROBERT DE LUZARCHES,
THOMAS DE CORMONT, AND RENAUD DE
CORMONT, vaults, clerestory, and triforium of the
choir of Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France, begun
1220.

31. 31
Figure 13-19 ROBERT DE LUZARCHES,
THOMAS DE CORMONT, and RENAUD
DE CORMONT, west facade of Amiens
Cathedral, Amiens, France, begun 1220.

32. 32
Figure 13-22 Christ (Beau Dieu), trumeau statue of central doorway, west facade,
Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France, ca. 1220–1235.

33. 33
High Gothic Architecture
• Understand how the builders at Reims and in Sainte-Chapelle
carried the High Gothic style further both architecturally and
sculpturally.

34. 34
Figure 13-23 West facade of Reims Cathedral,
Reims, France, ca. 1225–1290.

35. 13-23A Nave (looking west) of Reims Cathedral, Reims, France, begun 1211; west end ca. 1260–1290.
35

36. Figure 13-24 Annunciation and Visitation, jamb
statues of central doorway, west facade, Reims
Cathedral, Reims, France, ca. 1230-1255
36

37. 37
Figure 13-25 Interior of the upper chapel,
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France, 1243–1248.

38. 13-38A Cathedral of Santa María (looking northeast), León, Spain, begun 1254.
38

39. 39
High Gothic Sculpture
• Examine the classicizing forms and suggestion of portraits in
the sculpture at the Reims Cathedral and in free standing
sculpture.

40. 40
Figure 13-26 Virgin and Child (Virgin of Paris), Notre-Dame,
Paris, France, early fourteenth century.

41. 41
Figure 13-27 West facade of Saint-Maclou,
Rouen, France, ca. 1500–1514.

42. 42
Figure 13-28 Aerial view of the fortified town of Carcassonne, France. Bastions and towers, 12th–13th centuries, restored by
EUGÈNE VIOLLET-LE-DUC in the 19th century.

43. 43
Figure 13-29 Hall of the cloth guild, Bruges, Belgium, begun
1230.

44. 44
Figure 13-30 House of Jacques Coeur, Bourges,
France, 1443–1451.

45. 45
Book Illumination and Luxury Arts
• Examine the art of illumination and book manufacture,
especially the creation of prayer books and Bibles in the
Gothic era.
• Observe the characteristics of Gothic sculpture in smaller
works such as reliquaries

46. Figure 13-31 VILLARD DE HONNECOURT, figures
based on geometric shapes, folio 18 verso of a
sketchbook, from Paris, France, ca. 1220-1235. Ink on
vellum, 9 ¼” X 6”. Bibiliotheque Nationale, Paris.
46

47. Figure 13-32 God as architect of the world,
folio 1 verso of a moralized Bible, from Paris,
France, ca. 1220-1230. Ink, tempera, and gold
leaf on vellum, 1’ 1 ½” X 8 ¼”. Osterreichische
Nationalbibliothek, Vienna.
47

48. 48
Figure 13-33 Blanche of Castile, Louis IX, and
two monks, dedication page (folio 8 recto) of a
moralized Bible, from Paris, France, 1226–1234.
Ink, tempera, and gold leaf on vellum, 1’ 3” X 10
1/2”. Pierpont Morgan Library, New York.

49. 49
Figure 13-34 Abraham and the three angels,
folio 7 verso of the Psalter of Saint Louis, from
Paris, France, 1253–1270. Ink, tempera, and gold
leaf on vellum, 5” X 3 1/2”. Bibliothèque
Nationale, Paris.

50. 50
Figure 13-35 MASTER HONORÉ, David anointed by
Samuel and battle of David and Goliath, folio 7 verso of the
Breviary of Philippe le Bel, from Paris, France, 1296. Ink and
tempera on vellum, 7 7/8” X 4 7/8”. Bibliothèque Nationale,
Paris.

51. 51
Figure 13-36 JEAN PUCELLE, David before Saul,
folio 24 verso of the Belleville Breviary, from Paris, France,
ca. 1325. Ink and tempera on vellum, 9 1/2” X 6 3/4”.
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

52. 13-36A JEAN PUCELLE, Betrayal of Christ and Annunciation, folios 15 verso and 16 recto of the Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux, from
Paris, France, ca. 1325–1328. Ink and tempera on vellum, each page 3 1/2" X 2 1/2". Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(Cloisters Collection).
52

53. 53
Figure 13-37 Virgin of Jeanne d’Evreux, from the abbey church of Saint-
Denis, France, 1339. Silver gilt and enamel, 2’ 3 1/2” high. Louvre,
Paris.

54. 13-38 The Castle of Love and knights jousting, lid of a jewelry casket, from Paris, France, ca. 1330-1350.
Ivory and iron, 4 ½” X 9 ¾”. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
54

55. 55
The Gothic Style in England
• Understand the decorated and perpendicular variations of
the Gothic style in England.
• Examine the complex tombs of royalty and other art forms
in Gothic England.

56. 56
The Gothic Cathedral in England
• Examine the decorated and perpendicular qualities of the
English cathedrals.

57. Figure 13-39 Aerial view of Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England, 1220–1258; west facade completed
1265; spire ca. 1320–1330.
57

58. 58
Figure 13-40 Plan of Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England, 1220–1258.

59. 59
Figure 13-41 Interior of Salisbury Cathedral (looking
east), Salisbury, England, 1220–1258.

60. 60
Figure 13-42 Choir of Gloucester Cathedral (looking east), Gloucester, England, 1332–1357.

61. 61
Figure 13-43 ROBERT and WILLIAM VERTUE, fan vaults of the chapel of Henry VII, Westminster Abbey, London,
England, 1503–1519.

62. 62
The Gothic Tomb in England
• Examine the distinctive and complex sculpture displayed in
the tomb of Edward II.

63. 63
Figure 13-42A Tomb of Edward II, Gloucester
Cathedral, Gloucester, England, ca. 1330–1335.

64. 13-38B RICHARD DE BELLO(?), Mappamundi (world map) of Henry III, ca. 1277–1289. Tempera on vellum, 5’ 2” X 4’ 4”.
Hereford Cathedral, Hereford, England.
64

65. 65
The Gothic Style in Germany
• Understand the building of the Cologne Cathedral and its
emphasis on height.
• Examine the structure and origins of the German Hallenkirke
and why it differs from the French-influenced Gothic.
• Examine the emotional expression and drama of the German
Gothic sculpture.
• Explore the complex altars, shrines, and reliquaries of the
German Gothic.

66. 66
Figure 13-44 NICHOLAS OF VERDUN,
sacrifice of Isaac, detail of the Klosterneuburg
Altar, from the abbey church at
Klosterneuburg, Austria, 1181. Gilded copper
and enamel, 5 1/2” high. Stiftsmuseum,
Klosterneuburg.

67. 13-44A NICHOLAS OF VERDUN, general view of the Klosterneuburg Altar, from the abbey church at Klosterneuburg, Austria,
1181; refashioned after 1330. Gilded copper and enamel in wooden frames, 3’ 6 3/4” high. Stiftsmuseum, Klosterneuburg.
67

68. 68
German Gothic Sculpture
• Examine the humanizing trend in German Gothic sculpture,
as well as the dramatic poses and gestures.

69. 69
Figure 13-45 NICHOLAS OF VERDUN, Shrine of the Three Kings, from Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany,
begun ca. 1190. Silver, bronze, enamel, and gemstones, 5’ 8” X 6’ X 3’ 8”. Cathedral Treasury, Cologne.

70. 70
Figure 13-46 Death of the Virgin, tympanum of left doorway, south transept, Strasbourg Cathedral, Strasbourg, France, ca.
1230.

71. 13-47 NAUMBURG MASTER, Crucifixion, west choir screen of Naumburg Cathedral, Naumburg, Germany,
ca. 1249–1255.
71

72. 72
Figure 13-48 NAUMBURG MASTER, Ekkehard and Uta, statues in the
west choir, Naumburg Cathedral, Naumburg, Germany, ca. 1249–1255.
Painted limestone, Ekkehard 6’ 2” high.

73. 73
Figure 13-49 Equestrian portrait (Bamberg Rider), statue
in the east choir, Bamberg Cathedral, Germany, ca. 1235–
1240. Sandstone, 7’ 9” high.

74. 74
Figure 13-50 Virgin with the Dead Christ (Röttgen
Pietà), from the Rhineland, Germany, ca. 1300–
1325. Painted wood, 2’ 10 1/2” high. Rheinisches
Landemuseum, Bonn.

75. 75
The Cologne Cathedral
• Examine the Gothic architectural elements of the Cologne
Cathedral.

76. 76
Figure 13-51 GERHARD OF COLOGNE, aerial view of Cologne Cathedral (looking northwest), Cologne, Germany,
begun 1248; nave, facade, and towers completed 1880.

77. 77
Figure 13-52 GERHARD OF COLOGNE, interior of Cologne Cathedral (looking east), Cologne, Germany, choir
completed 1322.

78. 78
Figure 13-53 Interior of Saint
Elizabeth (looking west), Marburg,
Germany, 1235–1283.

79. 13-54 PETER PARLER, choir (looking
east) of Heiligkreuzkirche (Church of the
Holy Cross), Schwäbisch Gmünd,
Germany, begun 1351.
79

80. 80
Discussion Questions
 What are the key architectural and decorative elements of
the Gothic cathedrals?
 How would you compare sculpture in the Gothic era to the
earlier Romanesque sculpture? What are the reasons for
the differences?
 Consider a person’s reaction in 14th
-century upon viewing a
Gothic cathedral for the first time. What might the reaction
be to viewing an enormous building supported by glass
walls?