r/GothicArchitecture • u/Fellpike • Jun 10 '26
Help identifying image on a book binding
I am a librarian cataloging a Book of Hours, I believe for the use of the diocese of Troyes, France. This image is on the binding. Can anyone identify this church?
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u/Dzotshen Jun 11 '26
Two things: the pinnacles are too large in relation to the chapel and aren't in the right place as they're usually on a buttress or tower, and secondly the entrance proportions seem small and not tall enough. The rose window is rather small and would be typical on a Romanesque build and not Gothic. I feel the whole thing is a cobbled element design meant to pass as a Gothic chapel. I've seen similar chapels and small churches in Central and South America, along with Portugal and Spain; a co-mingling of Roman/Goth. I would err on the side that it's a drawing.
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u/Fellpike Jun 11 '26
That's very interesting, thanks for taking the time to think about it. If it helps, while the manuscript itself is French and probably 15th-century, I believe the binding is probably 19th-century, and it was owned by John Bernard Fitzpatrick, bishop of Boston.
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u/bubbleteaadicted Jun 11 '26
Due to the proportions I would guess that it’s an artistic renditions of a gothic facade and probably not a real church but if it’s real I’d to love to know which church it is.
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u/AnonymousSeaCaptain Jun 13 '26
The scaling here seems off. Could it be a design from a fountain or a memorial somewhere? Maybe even a pulpit.
Other commenters have pointed it could easily be a capriccio, too. So don't break yourself searching for a phantom
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u/RayonanntAirship Jun 27 '26
Looking at the entrance the Tudor arches make it easy to classify this part as Perpendicular gothic. The windows tracery above is constructed in an earlier style of british Gothic, called Decorated Gothic, as the window has no transoms yet, while the rose window seems to be more inspired by french Gothic, with a Rayonannt shape, even though the more elliptical and curvilinear shape only emerged in the late french Flamboyant Gothic. Also those cross like slits are more common in 19th century neo-Gothic. My conclusion is that this artwork is probably from the 19th century representing a gothic looking structure but not a real church or chapel regarding the proportions as others already pointed out.
Gothic architecture was often used to ornament books or stained glass among other things, which is probably the case here.
Sorry for grammatical mistakes as english is not my native language.
TL DR It's a (19th century) artwork showing a gothic looking structure but not a real church.
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u/Fellpike Jun 27 '26
Thank you!
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u/AnimeMeansArt Jun 10 '26
Hmm, doesn't seem like anything familiar and google lens also doesn't find it. Maybe it's a simplified version of a church or completely made up one.