Diaperwork (or Diapering), in Architecture

Diaper-work (or Diapering), in Architecture

an ornament of flowers applied to a plain surface, whether carved or painted; if carved, the flowers are entirely sunk into the work below the general surface; they are usually square, and placed close to each other, but occasionally other forms are used, as in the choirscreen of Canterbury; this kind of decoration was first introduced in the Early English style, when it was sometimes applied to large spaces; as if Westmiinster Abbey and Chichester Cathedral; in the Decorated style it was also extensively employed. An example may be seen in the illustration of part of one of the Eleanor Crosses given under CANOPY. In the Perpendicular style diapering was used only as a painted ornament, and, as no attention has been paid to the preservation of such decorations, but few specimens remain. The origin of the name has been a source of dispute, but it is generally supposed to be taken from a kind of cloth worked in square patterns, which was then very commonly used. This cloth was called "Dyaper" i.e., D'Ypres, from the chief manufactory being at Ypres, in Belgium.