24-01-2025 Joseph Halfpenny engraving ~ Gothic Ornaments ~ Cathedral Church of York ~ 1795 Antique print engraving architecture Gothic Ornaments J Halfpenny 1795 Stunning engraved plate of the English Gothic architectural details of York Minster The plate came from book "Gothic ornaments in the cathedral church of York" by Joseph Halfpenny which contains the world's largest intact collection of Medieval stained glass. PLATE 58. A FINIAL to the end of one of the Seats in the Choir. It is one foot one inch in height, and nine inches in breadth, at the greateft projection. There are fixteen of thefe Finials to the firft Seats before the Stalls, and originally there have been thirty-two, of a fmaller dimenfion, to the Seats below, all of which are executed in Oak. York Minster is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, begun in 1227 and taking more than 250 years to complete. The edifice displays the development of Gothic architecture from Early English to the Perpendicular Period. The book includes engravings of the interior of the Chapter House, and the stained glass. Between 1794 and 1797, the architect John Carr undertook a major series of repairs at York Minster. Carr’s clerk was the Yorkshire draughtsman Joseph Halfpenny who took advantage of the scaffolding in the Minster to made detailed drawings of the church’s ornamentation. He published some of these in this book Gothic Ornaments in the Cathedral Church of York, funded by subscription and issued in parts from 1795 to 1800. It was reprinted in 1807 and a second edition followed in 1831. The work consisted of 175 examples of the church’s architecture and four views of the interior of the Minster. Excellent condition. A good crisp plate impression. Some minimal age/handling marks at extremities Page size: 13 1/2" x 10 1/2" (34 cm x 26,5 cm)