What is a quatrefoil?
A quatrefoil is an ornament consisting of four equal circular arcs (foils) that meet in points (cusps) on the inside. In Dutch it is called a vierpas. The result resembles a four-leaf clover. In tracery a foil is part of a circle; depending on the number you speak of a trefoil, quatrefoil or multifoil.
Where do you see a quatrefoil?
The quatrefoil is a characteristic motif of Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture:
- In the tracery of church windows, often at the head of a pointed arch window above the lights.
- In parapets and balustrades, as a pierced stone or timber motif.
- In blind decoration: as a carved or brick motif on a wall surface, without there being an opening.
- In wrought ironwork and woodcarving, such as railings, choir stalls and door furniture.
- In 19th-century Gothic Revival the quatrefoil was widely used in churches, but also in houses, gateways and outbuildings.
Drawing a quatrefoil
You construct a simple quatrefoil as follows:
- Draw a square of the desired size.
- At the midpoint of each side, draw a circle with a radius of half the side.
- Erase the parts of the circles that fall within the other circles. The outer arc segments together form the quatrefoil.
Application in restoration and new build
- Natural stone tracery is vulnerable to frost and rusting iron dowels. Have damage assessed by a stonemason or conservation architect before you replace any parts.
- Copy the original dimensions: when replacing, take a template from an intact example, so that the new quatrefoil fits the existing tracery exactly.
- Modern application: a quatrefoil can also be used as a routed motif in a timber gate or shutter, or laser-cut in steel sheet. In external timber, have the bottom edge bevelled so that water does not stand on it.
Related terms
- Trefoil
- Tracery
- Gothic
- Gothic Revival
- Rose window
- Rosette
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