The Quadrangle

Bosses

In architecture, bosses are ornaments carved in stone on horizontal and curved string courses and on vaulted ceilings. Most bosses on the Quadrangle are on horizontal string courses. Many of the Quadrangle's bosses use heraldry symbols.

• Bosses on horizontal string courses: plants, the University, individuals, royal emblems, crosses, birds, animals and grotesques.

• Bosses on two arches in the Cloister: monsters and mythical figures.

• Bosses on the Nicholson Gateway arch: monsters and mythical figures with symbols representing a number of different fields of university study.

• Bosses on the Nicholson Vestibule vaulted ceilings: mythical creatures, floral motifs and symbols representing various fields of university study.

Photos are courtesy of the University Secretariat unless otherwise indicated. Click on images for enlargement.

BOSSES ON HORIZONTAL STRING COURSES

A horizontal string course is a continuous band of stone that extends across the facade of a building and forms a part of the design.

Plants	The University	Individuals
Plants are extremely common in heraldry.	A number of bosses depict study disciplines and University life	Many recognise individuals, e.g. by faces and by initials.
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Royal emblems	Crosses	Birds
Royal emblems occur repeatedly on the early buildings.	The cross is often used in heraldry.	The female pelican symbolises self-sacrifice & parental love.
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Animals	Lions	Grotesques
The dog represents courage, vigilance and loyalty	Most lions in the Quadrangle have a sinister expression.	These include animals with sinister expressions & chimeras - imaginative creatures made up of various parts of other creatures.
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BOSSES ON TWO ARCHES IN THE CLOISTER

Two of the arches in the cloister are decorated with bosses depicting monsters and mythical figures.

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BOSSES ON THE NICHOLSON GATEWAY ARCH

The bosses around the Nicholson Gateway arch combine monsters and mythical figures with symbols representing a number of different fields of university study.

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BOSSES ON THE NICHOLSON VESTIBULE VAULTED CEILINGS

The vaulted ceilings of the Nicholson Vestibule, the stone staircase and the passageway between the Professorial Board Room and MacLaurin Hall are elaborately carved. Carvings include mythical creatures, floral motifs and symbols representing various fields of University study.

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LB