What is a fan vault?
A fan vault (Dutch: waaiergewelf) is a vault in which funnel-shaped (conical) surfaces rise from the springing points, with ribs that all fan out with the same curvature. Seen from below, each section looks like an open fan. It is the best-known contribution of English late Gothic, the Perpendicular style, to European architecture.
Features
- Funnel-shaped conoids: a half or full funnel rises from each wall shaft or pier. Where the funnels meet, a flat or slightly curved panel remains, often with a boss or hanging keystone.
- Equal ribs: all ribs have the same curvature and length, creating a regular, circular pattern, unlike a rib vault.
- Decorative ribs: the ribs are often carved from the same stone blocks as the vault surface, with fine tracery between them. They no longer carry load on their own but are mainly ornament. The same development can be seen in the net vault and the cellular vault.
- Pendant variants: in some fan vaults the funnels hang down as pendants, related to the pendant vault.
Well-known examples
- The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral (second half of the 14th century), among the earliest surviving examples.
- King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, with a vault from the early 16th century.
- The Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey, London, with pendant fans.
In practice
When studying a Gothic building or restoring a Gothic Revival interior, you recognise the fan vault by its equal, radiating ribs. Repairing stonework in such vaults needs specialist craftsmanship: vault surface and ribs often form one unit, so replacing one part affects the whole pattern.
Related terms
- Rib vault
- Net vault
- Palm vault
- Pendant vault
- Cellular vault
- Perpendicular style
- Gothic architecture
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