Boss from Chapter House, York
1886
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 12 3/8 x 9 15/16 in. (31.4 x 25.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Exchange, Royal Institute of British Architects, 1960
Accession Number
60.724.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intricate world of Gothic architecture, Eleanor Mercer's *Boss from Chapter House, York* (1886) captures the whimsical carved detail from York Minster's medieval Chapter House. This graphite drawing depicts a stone "boss"—a decorative keystone at the intersection of vaulted ribs—adorned with expressive faces, a hallmark of 13th-century English Gothic design. Created at a time of renewed fascination with medieval heritage during the Victorian era, Mercer's precise rendering preserves these sculptural gems, which often portray kings, saints, or fantastical figures amid foliage. Measuring...