GOTHIC ART. The art of the times and the countries in which Gothic architecture flour ished. The term is a misnomer, because even if the architectural style were rightly designated the wall-paintings, metal work, etc., of the time are not properly so described. Still no other term exists for those arts which prevailed in Europe from 1150 to the beginning of the Risorgimento in Italy (about 1375), and in the North until the decided be ginning of the Renaissance (about 1500). There are certain arts of decoration which flourished in a wonderful way during this period, while others attained little excellence. Thus the pottery of the north of Europe and even of Italy during the period named has never attracted much interest in modern times; very few examples of it remain, and what little there is that is effective in an artistic sense is decidedly Oriental (Saracen and Moslem) in character. Glass, too, is of little interest ex cept in connection with windows, and apparently few glass vessels were made during the Middle Ages. On the other hand, metal-work was of singular interest. Bronze was not as common. as It has always been in the East and as it was to be in Europe at a later period, but wrought iron reached a splendid development in the gratings, gates, window-bars, etc., of buildings, and in the singular enclosures made for tombs. Brass was cast in large sheets and hammered smooth and then engraved with arms and legends befitting the burial slab of a knight or noble lady; silversmiths' work was carried to a high pitch of excellence, and the common use of colored enamels applied to both bronze and to silver made the ecclesiastical implements and sacred vessels of the time extremely rich. Toward the close of the Middle Ages the com plete plate armor of the nobles received a splendid decoration by means of reliefs and embossings, and by gilding in patterns and etching with acid. Very beautiful stuffs were hardly ever woven in Europe during this period; for splendid weaves France, Germany and England sought the East; but the cloths and linens of the time were good and the common use of embroidery made the costume of the wealthy very splendid. The beauty of the costume, both in color and in form, affected the sculpture of the time; for, as the nude was hardly ever represented, .the drapery of the fig ures became the chief object, with expression of face and gesture, of the architectural sculp tors of the day. Both form and color were used freely in the beautiful ivory carvings which were richly painted and gilded.
Sculpture in connection with architecture is treated above. In the semi-architectural condi tions of tombs and cenotaphs., life-size statues, usually recumbent, are found as early as the 13th century. These are of marble and other stone; and it is quite well ascertained that great numbers of statues in hammered bronze richly decorated with enamels existed at one time in the churches of western Europe; these also being of life-size for the most part. The raised chest or what seems the sarcophagus, the huge stone box which gives the name of altar-tomb to these monuments, often had its sides pierced with niches, and these occupied by statuettes of religious or symbolical meaning, often of great beauty. The carvings of decorative objects are of great variety, such as mirror backs and boxes to contain small mirrors panels of book covers and statuettes of sacred subjects, some times 15 inches or more in height, in addition to elaborate bases upon which they stand.
Painting in the highest sense of the word, that is, the representation of human life and human sentiment, was used with reserve be cause it had to be applied either to the walls of the church and the palace, or to the vellum pages of a manuscript book. On this account we hardly think of the paintings of the Middle Ages as having led up to that of modern times: we think rather as the origin of modern work of the painting of the 14th century Italians, who themselves derived much of their art directly from Constantinople. Still there was a great skill showing itself in those two ways and the comparatively few remains which exist in France and Germany of the paintings on walls and vaults during the years before 1500 are worthy to be compared with the splendid minia tures in the manuscripts. These last are not always religious; some manuscripts were of history and poetry and the illustrations given to those books were in keeping with their sub ject. There had been a great destruction of these splendid manuscripts, but many remain in public and private collections, and modern books have been devoted to their study and to the reproduction of their finest paintings. The special achievement in the art of decoration was in the brilliant windows of the time, but for this subject see &ass; also Gcrrnic ARCHI TECTURE and WINDOW.
De Lasteyrie, 'Etudes sur la Sculpture Francaise au Moyen Age' (1902); Gonse, 'L'Art Gothique' (1890) ; Viollet-le Due, 'Dictionnaire du Mobilier Francais.'