quatrefoils
Gothic window shapes
Quatrefoils are decorative motifs consisting of four lobes or leaves arranged symmetrically around a center, resembling a four-petaled flower.
Common in Gothic architecture and medieval design, they appear in window tracery, stonework, and ornamental borders: The cathedral windows featured intricate quatrefoils.
The shape also appears in heraldry and furniture design.
Decorative branching stonework
- windowGlass-fitted wall opening
- cathedralBishop's principal church
- stoneworkConstruction using rock
- mullionVertical window bar
carved · ornamental · pointed arch · flying buttress · rose window · cloister · abbey · medieval
Recurring thematic element
- patternRecurring arrangement or template
- ornamentThing that beautifies
- tileFlat surface-covering piece
- mosaicInlaid pictorial arrangement
lattice · fretwork · scrollwork · arabesque · medallion · inlay · textile · wallpaper
Handheld defensive armor
- coat of armsHereditary symbolic emblem
- blazonHeraldic shield notation
- chargeCost or accusation
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
crest · escutcheon · armorial · badge · insignia · nobility · medieval · device
Three-leafed legume plant
- leafPlant's photosynthetic organ
- petalBloom's colorful segment
- flowerPlant's reproductive organ
- shamrockThree-leafed Irish emblem
trefoil · cinquefoil · botanical · naturalistic · stylized · blossom · floret · symmetrical
tracery
Decorative branching stonework
mullion · carved · ornamental · pointed arch · flying buttress · rose window · cloister · abbey · medieval · masonry
motif
Recurring thematic element
- patternRecurring arrangement or template
- ornamentThing that beautifies
- tileFlat surface-covering piece
mosaic · lattice · fretwork · scrollwork · arabesque · medallion · inlay · textile · wallpaper · stencil
shield
Handheld defensive armor
- coat of armsHereditary symbolic emblem
- blazonHeraldic shield notation
- chargeCost or accusation
emblem · crest · escutcheon · armorial · badge · insignia · nobility · medieval · device · motif
clover
Three-leafed legume plant
shamrock · trefoil · cinquefoil · botanical · naturalistic · stylized · blossom · floret · symmetrical · organic
- ornamentationornaments, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental, embellishment
- decorative motifsscrolls, flourishes, swirls, spirals, curls
- Gothic Architecturepointed arches, flying buttress, flying buttresses, pointed arch, rose window
- Gothic woodworkchoir stalls, carved panels, tracery, finials, trefoils
- Medieval revivalTudor revival, medievalism, Ruskin, Houses of Parliament, Neuschwanstein
- NeoclassicalCorinthian columns, Palladian, pediment, portico, colonnade