Neglected ogee arch in a PEC farmhouse gable |
The ogee arch is an arch with a pointed apex uniting a concave and a convex arch in a sinuous S-shape. Its is said to have been imported into late medieval Europe from the Arab world in the c.14. The ogee cannot be counted on in a pinch - it is a non-structural arch and can be seen flaunting its exotic curves over the tops of hardworking conventional arches or assuming a languid pose profile in shaped mouldings.
Beautifully maintained Old East Hill residence (c.1857) |
Ogee moulding above blind Gothic arches with wood louvres, OEH home |
Late Regency early Victorian shop-front styling, Niagara on the Lake |
The ogee arch is sometimes called the Venetian arch because of (you guessed it) its popularity in Venice, the keel arch due to its similarity to an inverted ship's keel, the horseshoe arch for some reason, and the depressed arch. Now I ask you - if you were that pretty would you be depressed?
St. Mark's Venice. Denis looking admiringly toward a set of fine ogee arches above clerestory level rounded arches |
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