The Seven Lamps of Architecture

by John Ruskin

"The Seven Lamps of Architecture" by John Ruskin is an extended essay published in May 1849. Ruskin presents seven principles that define good architecture, arguing that technical progress since the Renaissance had diminished architecture's spiritual vitality. He champions medieval Gothic architecture as the truest form, advocating for honest craftsmanship, natural ornamentation, and handmade construction over industrial methods. The work helped capture the ideals of the Gothic Revival movement and became a popular success, later expanding into his three-volume "The Stones of Venice."