Title & Author:

Gothic by design : the dawn of architectural draftsmanship / Femke Speelberg ; with an essay by Melanie Holcomb.

Publication:

New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art, [2026]
New Haven ; London : Yale University Press
©2026

Description:

219 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 32 cm

Notes:
"This catalogue is published in conjunction with Gothic by Design: The Dawn of Architectural Draftsmanship, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from April 16 through July 19, 2026."--Colophon
Includes bibliographical references (page 214) and index
Director's Foreword / Max Hollein -- Acknowledgments -- Lenders to the Exhibition -- Contributors -- Rough Sketches : A Prehistory of Architectural Drawing in the Middle Ages / Melanie Holcomb -- Vision Made Visible : The Gothic Building Tradition and Architectural Draftsmanship / Femke Speelberg -- "Endowing Massive Walls with Variety" : Structure, Ornament, and Artistic Expression in Gothic Design / Femke Speelberg -- Plates -- Making Their Marks -- Scaled Architecture -- Variation and Transformation -- Constructive Geometry -- The Promise of Gothic Geometry -- Notes -- List of Plates -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- Photography Credits

Summary:

"Long before the towers of Gothic cathedrals could pierce the sky, architects outlined their vision and ambitions by creating intricate designs. The Gothic era, known for soaring structures like Notre-Dame in Paris, produced some of the Western world's most breathtaking buildings. Their overall height, tall spires, pointed arches, and light-filled spaces were a striking departure from the more rounded and fortress-like features of the preceding Romanesque period. These innovative elements resulted from a new focus on the design process that is documented in original architectural drawings. Gothic by Design: The Dawn of Architectural Draftsmanship reveals how master masons and other artists began to visualize and communicate their complex ideas for cathedrals and other architecture-inspired structures in drawings and, later, prints. Between the 13th and 16th century, these little-known artworks on parchment and paper became a significant factor in the stylistic evolution of Gothic architecture and art at large. This rare presentation of more than 90 works of art--drawings and prints alongside goldsmith works, architectural elements, sculpture, and painting--sheds new light on the artistic choices and expansive knowledge that informed the Gothic building practice. Explore the vision, imagination, and skillful artistry embedded in the carefully drawn plans of medieval architects and other artists of the day." -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website

ISBN:

9781588398086
1588398080

Subject:

Architectural drawing, Medieval Exhibitions.
Architecture, Gothic Designs and plans Exhibitions.
Dessin d'architecture médiéval Expositions.
Architecture gothique Dessins et plans Expositions.
ARCHITECTURE / History / Medieval.
Architecture, Gothic
Architecture, Medieval

Form/genre:

exhibition catalogs.
Designs and plans.
Exhibition catalogs.
Catalogues d'exposition.

Added entries:

Speelberg, Femke, author, curator.
Holcomb, Melanie, contributor.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), hosting institution, issuing body.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 325352
Call No.: 325352
Copy: 1
Status: Available