Glossary · B
Boss
Also called bosses, keystone of a vault
A carved block of stone at the intersection of ribs in a vault, often sculpted with foliage or figures.
See also: Rib
Rules that use the word
Level crowns over an oblong bay. Over an oblong bay, make the diagonal ribs semicircular and strike the transverse and wall arches as pointed arches of the heights needed to bring every crown nearly level with the central boss.
Liernes make stars. Add short ribs (liernes) that spring from neither the springers nor the central boss but run from rib to rib, linking them into star and net patterns across the vault.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters Vaults, Romanesque and Gothic.
Nearby in the glossary
BIM · Bipedalis · Blind arcade · Bosquet · Brahmasthana · Bressumer · Brise-soleil · Broderie