Boss

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Bosses were frequently placed where the ribs of a vault (or ceiling) met. They usually performed a functional role as well as a decorative one. Bosses used in cathedral vaults can be very large in scale. This small rectangular boss, once part of wooden church ceiling, has been carved in the form of a flattened and stylised rose with leaves at each of the four corners. The size of this example, and the fact that the back is flat and plain, indicates that this boss was used purely for decorative effect. This example is probably from Llanbadarn Fawr church, near Aberystwyth in Wales.