Ball flower

The ball-flower (also written ballflower) is an architectural ornament in the form of a ball inserted in the cup of a flower. It came into use in the latter part of the 13th century in England and became one of the chief ornaments of the 14th century,[1] in the period known as Decorated Gothic.[2]

Ball-flower ornamentation at Gloucester Cathedral
Ball-flowers at the top of a capital
in St Mary's Church, Bloxham, in Oxfordshire

Ball-flowers were generally placed in rows at equal distances in the hollow of a moulding, frequently by the sides of mullions.[1] Examples are found in many churches of the period including Gloucester Cathedral; St Mary's Church, Bloxham; St. Michael's Church, Swaton (c. 1300);[3] and Tewkesbury Abbey (c. 1330).[4] The presence of ball-flowers on the west part of Salisbury Cathedral has helped date this facade to the 14th century.[5]

References
  1. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ball-flower". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 270.
  2. Gibbs, W. J. R. (1931). English History Notes from the Earliest Times to the League of Nations. Cambridge University Press. p. 55.
  3. Gardner 1922, p. 216
  4. Gardner 1922, p. 177
  5. Gleeson White (898). Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Salisbury (2nd ed.) – via Project Gutenberg.

Sources
Look up ball flower in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.


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