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Zoe Opacic.
Diamond Vaults: Innovation and Geometry in Medieval Architecture.
London: Architectural Association, 2005.
ISBN 1902902475;
ISBN-13: 9781902902470.
Paperback, stitch bound.
169x247x6mm.
47pp, monochrome illustrations throughout, plus 22 pages of colour plates.
English
Unused bargain: unused copies with some light shelf wear to the covers.This item £8.50
[Publisher's price £12.50]
247g.
The diamond vaults of Central Europe are among the most original yet little-known creations of medieval architecture: ceilings so complex that, as their name suggests, they recall the facets of a cut gemstone. First appearing in 1471 at the palace of Albrechtsburg in Meissen, Germany, they were employed for almost a century in locations as far apart as Gdansk on the Baltic to Bechyne in southern Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic).
From a historical point of view, diamond vaults show the continuing vitality of Gothic architecture in Central Europe, at a time when the rediscovery of the classical past in Renaissance Italy was changing the course of building. Architecturally, they offer some of the most impressive examples of geometrical experimentation and versatility in both secular and sacred spaces. But perhaps their greatest appeal is visual. The stark, concave–convex shapes of diamond vaults, with their lyrical play of the effects of light and shade, strike us today as incredibly modern.
Diamond Vaults is the first publication in English to explore this singular phenomenon. A text by Zoë Opacic explores the vault’s origins, topography, structure and design, as well as function and context, focusing primarily on the Czech Republic, which boasts some of the best examples, and contrasting them with those in Germany and Gdansk. One of the chief aims is to demonstrate the undoubted aesthetic appeal of this form, which has continued to inspire generations of architects.
This book was originally published to accompany an exhibition at the Architectural Association School, November-December 2005. Zoë Opacic is lecturer in History and Theory of Architecture at Birkbeck, University of London, and has also taught at Morley College and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
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