TRACERY. That kind of pattern traced in the head of a Gothic window or panel by the divergence and intersec tion of the mullions.
The origin of this kind of work is to he observed in the works of the close of the 12th century, from which period it was gradually developed into its more perfect form. At a very early period it became customary to enclose two small arches within one larger one ; and when this form came to be applied to window s, it must naturally have been observed that the tympanum, or blank space, contained between the larger arch and the heads of the smaller ones. offered a very favourable opportunity for increasing the area by perforating it either wholly or partially: in tiict, it appeared to form part of the window ; and the idea of making it really so must readily have occurred to many persons ; as a blank space, it is heavy, and rather offensive to the eye.
the first advance towards the development of tracery then occurred in this way ; the tympanum was relieved by being pierced with an aperture in the form of a circle. quatrefoil, or some other simple figure, and sometimes the spandrels were treated in a similar manner. To this method of per foration the name of plate-tracery has been applied, while that in which the sides of the adjacent openings are always parallel, so that the patterns of the openings appear to be formed by the intersection of bars, is termed bar-tracery. This latter form arose, naturally enough, from the former, by the multiplication of the piercings, or apertures, till at last the plate disappeared, save what was just sullicient to sepa rate the openings. Sometimes we find bar and plate tracery in the same window, which shows one stage in the develop ment of the former.
At first, the bar-tracery was disposed in simple geometrical patterns, to which the name of geometrical.tracery has been
given. This term, however, is scarcely apppropriate, as all tracery is described geometrically, although not composed of the more common or regular geometrical figures, such as circles, squares, triangles, &c., of which the so-called geome trical tracery was mostly composed. The flowing-tracery is designed with greater freedom. and curve-lines of variable curvature are made to flow gracefully one into the other, branching off in various directions, and forming. in their progress, an infinite variety of patterns, the apertures so produced being, for the most part, in the shape of a leaf. Regular geometrical figures are sometimes fl mud combined with the last system. As we near the Perpendicular period, the curves gradually become straight, the bars assume a vertical position, and are at last divided horizontally by transoms.
In all the above instances, the practice of cusping the various figures is very common, such ornamentation being seldom omitted. When the tracery is of a complicated cha racter, we find a sort of subordination observed amongst the less significant members ; thus, the principal compartments of a window are divided by large bars, consisting of a large assemblage of mouldings, of which only a portion are em ployed in the bars which form the sub-divisions.
The Gothic buildings of France are noted for a peculiar form of tracery, termed flamboyant, from its flame-like appe,arance. It is similar to some examples of our flowing tracery, but differs in this, that the leaflike openings always terminate in a sharp point at the top, and thus assume rather the appearance of flames.
Tracery is employed, not only in windows, but also in screens, panels, &c., even when not pierced.