A trefoil is an ornamental shape made up of three intersecting circles or circular segments forming a clover-leaf (three-lobed) figure. It is a familiar motif of Gothic architecture, used both decoratively and symbolically (the Trinity) in tracery, balustrades and vault panels.
Forms and variants
- Trefoil — three round lobes, often arranged in an equilateral triangle
- Quatrefoil — four lobes in a square arrangement
- Cinquefoil, sexfoil — variants with more lobes
- Open trefoil — only the arcs, the central area is open
- Closed trefoil — a full clover-leaf motif, sometimes filled with tracery
Symbolism
In Christian art the trefoil represents the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is why the motif became so popular in medieval church architecture: in tracery, stained-glass windows, altar pieces and as blind motifs in wall panels.
Applications
The trefoil appears in:
- Window tracery — in the head of the window in the arch filling
- Balustrades — trefoils as a repeating pattern in stone or timber railings
- Vault bosses — a trefoil shape around a keystone
- Carved choir screens and furniture — in Gothic woodwork
- Neo-Gothic buildings — widely reused in the 19th century by architects such as Pugin, Cuypers and Viollet-le-Duc
Construction
In stone tracery the trefoil is carved from a block of limestone or sandstone. The three circles are scribed and the intervening areas are cut away. In stained glass the pattern is formed by lead cames and coloured glass. In timber balustrades the trefoil is sawn or routed out of the panel.
Difference from the trefoil arch
A trefoil is a flat decorative motif. A trefoil arch is an actual arch whose profile is made up of three small arcs, often used above a window or niche.
Related terms
- Trefoil arch
- Gothic
- Tracery
- Arch
- Quatrefoil
- Stained glass
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