Historic
chitecture
for the
ome=Builder
I
Walter J. Keith
r
HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE.
for the
HOME, BUILDER
By WALTER J. KE,ITH
(illustrated)
THE, KEITH CO.. Publishers
Minneapolis, Minn.
1905
BOOKS BY WALTER J. KE,ITH.
HISTORIC ARCHITE.CTURE. FOR
THE HOME. BUILDER.
272 pages, illustrated. $2.00.
KEITH'S ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES.
In 14 Volumes. Home, Church. School
and Store Building Plans.
Each $1.00.
THE BUILDING OF IT
A Book on Construction.
128 pages, illustrated. $1.00.
INSIDE OUR HOMES
A Collection of Interiors. $1.00.
THE KE-ITH PUBLISHING CO
Minneapolis, Minn.
Urban PlanOlQl
UbMiy
'(Out of the olb ficlbca,
OTontctlj itl tljia nctw coritc."
— orhumin-.
Copyright, 1904, by Walter J. Keith.
All Rights Reserved.
PRE.FACE.
The i)uri)Oso of iIk' author in oflcrint;" this re-
sume of historic architecture to the pubHc, is not
so much to i)rcscnt a compenchum of facts and
theories, as to awaken an interest in these splencUd
monuments of the past lor tlieir intrinsic l)eauty
and vahte. It is not intended here to expound
the principles of vauUs, thrusts and pressure,
nor the use of the ihiuu;" buttress. All this is in
the text l)ooks and discussed by standard au-
thiiriiies. Xor is a minute history of each archi-
tectural period, with the ])art jilayetl by this or
that nation in its development, attempted. Our
I Mil}- aim is to arrive at some portion ni the spirit
and meaning;- oi the architectura.l eftorts of the
centuries, antl to ];ercei\e that this spirit is the
quickening" impulse of all we have or strive for
in the architecture of to-day.
The author hopes therefore that the non-tech-
nical outline presented will prove of interest to
all home-builders, to the end that their sympathy
anil enthusiasm, awakened by the beauty and
loveliness of these ideals, may inspire the archi-
tect to his best endeavors.
Such a condensed view of so extended a sub-
ject would be imj)0ssible except for the assistance
ol)tained from authors who have treated the dif-
ferent branches of it exhaustively. The number
and variety of the works thus consulted make
any specific acknowledgment of the indebtedness
of this volume, other than this general one. im-
practicable.
In conclusion, the author hopes that this mod-
est volume may open to the reader new sources
of interest and pleasure, in tracing the connection
Ijetwcen the buildings of to-day and the historic
architecture of the past. W. J. K.
Alinneapolis, Minn., Januar}-, 1905.
CONTENTS
Chap.
I Egyptian Architecture ,
II Greek
III Roman .....
IV E,a.rly Christian and Byzantine
V Romanesque Architecture
VI Gothic Architecture .
VII Renaissance Architecture
VIII English Architecture
IX English Domestic Architecture
X Modern Architecture
XI Modern Domestic Architecture
Page
3
23
41
67
81
91
122
150
174
192
208
Part I
HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE,
Introduction
The arcliitcctnral work of the present is ever
linked to that of the past ; and because of this we
find absorbing interest in a stud}- of those glor-
ious examples which have come down to us,
whether preserved from the ravages of the cen-
turies or restored bv the skillful anfl enthusiastic
architect of to-day to their original form.
A knowledge of the history of architecture is
helpful in all the arts of modern civilization, for
the world's progress and development is written
in ihc architecture of the nations.
"To luiild. to I)uild !
That is the nol)lest art of all the arts."
r.ut the art of architecture is as far above mrre
building as TTenr\- Ir\in""s actincf of Othello is
beyond the performance of a local stock com-
pany. For merely to enclose space is the least
function of architecture. But to enclose a given
space so that the various divisions of it shall be
arranged to best meet their uses, to invest the
outer walls with beauty and a harmonious dispo-
sition of parts, to add to this appropriate lines and
members and refined decoration, and above all
that artistic feeling, which though indescribable
yet pervades true architecture like the perfume of
the flower — these are — faintly indicated — the fea-
tures of the art of architecture.
In those marvelous creations of the past, in the
perfect harmony of the Grecian temple, in those
Gothic towers of stone and light lit by "vast lan-
terns of delicate tracery," we find the most won-
derful of man's wonderful inventions.
And while we enjoy these beautiful ideals, we
may also glean from them much of practical ser-
vice for our own needs. For true architecture
concerns itself with the unpretentious dwelling of
the home builder, as well as the Grecian temple
or the glorious ecclesiastical cathedral.
Sphinx and Pyramids
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE
It is a far cry from Cheops" tomb to a modern
Twentieth Century home. An exhaustive his-
tory of the art of building from earhest times
would be wearisome to the average reader and
require volumes. In a resume of this nature it
is possible to touch only the more salient points
in tracing the connecting links.
Of prehistoric architecture, if we may call it
by that name, nothing remains to tell the story ;
nor are those rudimentary beginnings of man's
first efforts to provide for himself shelter and a
dwelling, of interest except to the scientist and
the student.
\\'e will begin our story therefore with the
earliest records of architecture worthy the name — ■
the tombs and i)yramids of Egypt. These won-
derful structures were not the work of primitive
man. but of a nation tar advanced in civilization,
and with a constructive knowledge in some direc-
tions which is unsurpassed at the present day.
On the banks of the Nile still are standing those
colossal structures, though "washed by the pass-
ing waves of humanity" for more than 5.000
years.
Will any work of modern architects show such
endurance? We trow not. For grandeur and
massiveness the Egyptian monuments have never
been equalled in any age or by any people. The
great pyramid of Cheops, the oldest of the pyra-
mids, covered an area of 13 acres, twice the size
of St. Paul's at Rome, and 100,000 men were
twenty years in building it. ]\Iarvellous ingen-
uit}- is displayed in solving architectural prol)-
Icms ; such for instance as strengthening the roof
of the chambers within, so as to withstand the
crushing weight of the mass overhead. ^lany
of the blocks of stone weigh as much as 50 tons,
yet they are worked into place with the greatest
exactness. The polished granite slabs that line
the interior are so perfectly fitted together that
the joinings are imperceptible. Egypt has well
been called the cradle of architecture, and the
achievements of these ancient builders continue
to interest and mystify engineers of the present
day.
How they were able to quarry those immense
granite blocks and to transport them to great dis-
tances, how they raised them to such heights as
would stump our engineers with their best tackle,
how they contrived to cover large surfaces of
polishecl granite, that most stulibnrn of all ma-
4
tcrials, with fissures and hicroi^lN phics of the most
minute "kind and highest finish — furnish inter-
esting types for speculation. With the best morl-
ern tools of tempered steel it is difficult and costly
to carve even plain letters in granite, and it is
impossible to imagine how they accomplished
these delicate carvings.
Familiar as are the forms of the Pyramids and
the Sphinx, they form a group which is always
full of interest.
The Great Sphinx has long ranked as one of
the wonders of the world. It w^as probably built
even before the pyramids that f^ank its side^^.
With the exception of the paws, which are of
masonry, and the small temple or sanctuary that
was built between them, the whole gigantic mon-
tunent is carved out of solid rock. A drill 2"]
feet deep has been passed into the shoulder and it
has been found solid to that distance. The height
from the platform or base to the top of the head is
lOO feet. The total length is 146 feet. The face
of this gigantic sculpture, though battered
through the centuries and the excavator's pick,
still looks out over the valley with its wonderful,
awe-inspiring smile.
There is much about Egyptian architecture to
interest the general reader. Its character was
largely influenced by the religious beliefs of the
nation. The Egyptians were a deeply religious
people, with a firm belief in the resurrection of
the bod}'. Hence their custom of embalming, and
the solidarity and strength of the granite struc-
tures in which their dead were deposited. This
desire for immortalit}" expressed itself in the
5
Sphinx and the j^yrainids and i^ave its impress
to all forms of Egyptian ornamentation, a part of
the suhect we shall mention later.
The Ee^yptian columns were of several orders,
in their later development from the first square
post or pillar used to support the lintel of their
tombs. A form of column similar to the Greek
Doric, wath fluted shaft, tapering outline and
square abacus, was used in the tombs at Karnac,
but they made little progress in perfecting its
form. Square outlines remained the character-
istic of their work and were never softened into
rounded or arched lines. Their neglect of the
arch is a curious feature of Egyptian builders,
though it is evident they were familiar with its
])rii.ciples, as is shown in the magnificent brick
vaulting of some of the kings' tombs lately ex-
cavated.
The grandest architectural work of the Egyp-
tians is in their built temples, ranging in an-
tiquity from about 2000 B. C. The most beau-
tiful and perfect specimen we have of these,
though not the largest, is the temple at Edfou in
upper Egypt. Though small compared to Karnac
the whole edifice covers about as much ground as
St. Paul's, London, and the facade measures 250
feet, 70 feet more than St. Paul's. Recent exca-
vations have revealed it in almost its original
grandeur, although, — "Whoever enters that gate
crosses the thrcshhold of the past and leaves two
thousand years behind him. In these vast courts
and storied halls all is unchanged. Every pave-
ment, every column, every stairway is in its
place." Even the roof, with the exception of a
7
few stones, is perfect. The magnificent pylon in
front is absolutely perfect. The plane of the
temple displays the national peculiarities. The
prand form of the propylea in front shows the in-
clined outline which pervaded every structure,
and between them the doorway or grand entrance
to the columned courts within. The peculiarly
Egyptian type of architecture, which depends for
its effect upon the inherent impressiveness of
outline alone, is here perfectly illustrated. The
sculptured enrichment over the doorway shows
the symbolic form of vultures wings outstretched.
The covered portico within the entrance measures
1 10x44 feet and consists of three rows of six col-
umns, each 34 feet high, and opens to an inner
court also composed of rows of columns. These
columns display the general features of Egyptian
columnar composition. They are perfectly cylin-
drical, have no fluting but a series of grooves and
arc inscribed with hireoglyphics. The principal
ornamentation of the capitals consists of lotus
flowers. The spaces between the columns are en-
riched with exquisite taste in a simple but elegant
lotus motif. The entablature of the portico^ con-
sists of an architrave and a coving, which is
divided into spaces by vertical flutes, and which
has been thought to be the origin of the Doric
frieze. The spaced compartments between the
flutes are enriched with hieroglyphics, except in
the center, where a winged globe is sculptured.
This l)cautiful example of Egyptian architecture
displays its principal features ; the unbroken con-
tinuity of outline, the pyramidal tendency of com-
position, tb.c l)oldncss and breadth of every part,
8
and the simplicity ami dignity of the enrichment.
]\lorc impressive still in its immensity is the
wonderful temple of Karnac. Like the mediaeval
cathedrals of Europe this temple was the work
of successive kings, and the inscriptions that
cover its walls are the sources of histor}' and a
knowledge of the people. The immensity of this
temple can be realized by comparing with St.
Peter's at Rome, which covers only half as much
ground. Its Ilypostile Hall, familiar to all trav-
elers in Egypt, is the most wonderful apartment
in the world. In length it is 340 feet and width
170. its massive roof carried by 16 rows of col-
umns, 9 in each row and 43 feet high, the shafts
of the two central rows rising to the lofty alti-
tude of 62 feet and carrying capitals which meas-
ure 22 feet across. So vivid a description of this
wonderful structure is given by Ferguson, that it
is here reproduced. "Xo words," he writes, "can
convey an idea of its beauty, and no artist has
yet been able to reproduce its form so as to con-
vey to those who have not seen it an idea of its
grandeur. The mass of its central piers, illum-
ined by a flood of light from the clerestory and
the smaller pillars of the wings gradually fading
into obscurity, are so arranged and lighted as to
convey an idea of infinite space ; at the same time
the beauty and massiveness of the forms ami the
brilliancy of their colored decorations, all com-
bine to stamp this as the greatest of man's archi-
tectural works, but such an one as it would be
impossible to reproduce except in such a climate
and in that individual stxle in which and for
which it was created."
Columns of E-gyptian Temple at Karnac
The columns of this trciiieiulous portal cast a
shadow twelve feet in hreadth, such as a tower
might cast, and are crowned hy cajntals which
might support the heavens. The capitals arc
carved lotus flowers full blown, and it would re-
quire a hundred feet of tape line to measure
around the curving petals of those stupendous
lilies. They still glow with color laid on four
thousand years ago, color as fresh as if put on
yesterday.
It is indeed a i)lace too wonderful for words.
So vast, so awe-inspiring, that no words can con-
vey an idea of it.
Karnac the wonderful, Karnac the magnifi-
cent ! There is indeed no building in the world
to compare with it. "The Pyramids are more
stupendous, the Coliseum covers even more
ground, the Parthenon is more beautiful ; yet in
nobility of conception, in vastness of detail, in
artistic beauty of the highest order, the Hall of
Pillars exceeds them every one."
We have noted that the Egyptians were the
originators of the column, and this temple, as
well as their later ones, show how important a
feature it became. Its usefulness in conveying
a feeling of mystery and awe in addition to the
constructive effect, was early recognized by them
and later by all cathedral builders. The chief
forms of capitals they used were the bell-shaped —
the clustered lotus bud and the palm cai)ital.
The bundles of reeds tightly bound together
ami plastered with nuid, which may be seen at the
present day in use as columns in Egyptian build-
ings, were undoubtedly the origin of the clustered
11
and banded lotus column, and were probalily
copied first in wood and then in stone. So beau-
tiful a motif appealed to the Grecian architect,
who elaborated it into the flowing lines of their
fluted shafts.
Some mention must be made of the Egyptian
obelisks, which were mostly monoliths of red
granite, the face of the stone highly polished and
covered with carvings. The Roman emperors
transported many of these across the sea and
set them up at Rome, and it is of course well
known that one of the finest of these obelisks,
Cleopatra's Needle, graces our own Central Park
in New York.
These slender shafts, eight and even twelve
times the diameter of their base in height, were
set in front of everv great Egyptian temple, their
tapering forms rising against the deep blue of the
Egyptian sky and casting long shadows across
the white sand of the pavement.
Color was a chief resource of the Egyptian
builder, who used it in profusion upon the walls
and columns of his structures. In the dim light
of the tem])le interiors, carving and mouldings
• — which they scarce employed at all — were at a
<lisadvantage. Hence brilliant coloring was re-
sorted to for decoration. The Egyptian colorist
used the primary colors in all their intensity. The
atmosphere of the dry climate and the color-
destroying quality of intense sunlight, to a cer-
tain extent modified this intensity and brought
into harmony the vivid blues and scarlets that
would l)e intolerable in tbe norlb.
In their decorations tbeir religious beliefs were
12
expressed, and their symbolism was of a lii,L;Ii
order. It subordinated the physical to the ideal,
and their ornaments, whether deHcate or gro-
tesque, express sentiments purely spiritual.
The Lotus, or Lily of the Nile, was their favor-
ite illustration of divine energy in the resurrec-
tion ; and the vulture, the emblem of the soul
triumphant in death, embodied the idea of the
vulture's power to create living substances out of
dead and decomposed matter. A'ultures were
frequently embalmed with the l)odies of dead
kings and with equal solicitude. The long wings
of the vulture enclosing the body adapt it effec-
tually to decorative art, and it is the first example
of the wing decoration so profuselv used upon
Egyptian temples. Other frequently recurring
emblems were the winged globe or Good Demon,
and the Scarab^us or beetle.
The wealth of ornament and decoration lav-
ished upon every Egyptian building can only be
touclied upon here. Every surface was a field for
decoration and their wonderful skill in the use of
gorgeous color, the motifs of their decorative de-
tail which they drew from nature, the play of
light and shade from the overhanging cornice'and
slopmg walls, ever continue to interest the archi-
tectural student. Xor have they ever been
equalled for grandeur of conception, dignity and
massiveness.
13
i?djm.^M^
Winged Griffin Assyrian Wall Decoratioi
ASSYRIAN ARCHITE^CTURE,
Ass\rian architecture, though next in point of
antiquity to the Egyptian, has few points of re-
semblance. They made little use of the column,
which occupied so important a place with the
Egyptians. Their halls showed none of those
columnar forests, no grand pylons, no cloistered
court, and they used sun-dried brick in place of
the huge stone blocks of the Egyptian. Their
si)hynx is the winged bull, which guarded the
portals of the palaces. These human-headed
animals with the body and legs of a bull, with
enormous wings projecting from the shoulders,
stood in i)airs on each side of the doorways of
14
palaces, which it is thought liad no doors or lin-
tels hut were open to the roof and protected by
curtains. Some of these figures were 20 feet
high and had delicately carved grarlands of leaves
and roses encircHng their heads. The illustra-
tion shows an ancient Assyrian wall of sun-
dried brick with sculptured bull. How they ac-
complished these reliefs on such a surface is still
a matter of si)ecuIation, as nothing remains but
fragments. There are, however, enough of these
to show that ancient Assyrian art attained a high
degree of refinement.
The plans of Assyrian buildings differed from
the Egyptian in the immensely greater length of
their rectangles. Eastern architects used this
rectangular outline to a great extent, and gave
grace and beauty bv carrying up a minaret or a
dome, an octagon or a circle from an ordinary
square hall. These excavated sculptures show
that this was sometimes done by the ancient
Assyrian builders. The sculptured slabs which
lined the lower walls of their palaces are all that
are left of them ; but these tell us much. They
even tell us that the private houses were several
stories high, the ground floor only having a door.
The roofs were flat and fire-proof, thick layers
of earth on strong beams, and on one of the
sculptured slabs which represents a town on fire,
the flames are stopped by the roofs and are forced
out of the windows. These sculptured slabs are
so numerous that in one ])lace alone there are
over two miles in length of them. They represent
in low relief the national history and domestic
life of the people.
15
Bull Capital. Palace of Artaxerces
PERSIAN
Of ancient Persian art or architecture we know-
little. That it was developed at the same time
as the (Irecian we know, but on utterly unlike
lines, Thoui^h the remains of their edifices are
columnar in form, they bear no resemblance to
the Greek temples, and their capitals are crowned
by the human-headed Assyrian bull, instead of
the refined forms of the Greeks. There are ruins
of one or two palaces, from one of which has
been copied the illustration, showing the double
bull's heads with the singular volutes beneath.
The little we know of their architecture shows a
style unlike any other, though with a certain
grandeur, as indicated by the design of their col-
unms and their gigantic size, the capital alone
from which the illustration is taken being 28 feet
high.
INDIAN ARCHITECTURE,
The ancient architecture of East India has little
interest for the western mind. The peculiar and
fantastic forms of their pagodas and temples
seem to have no foundation in true principles of
art, and their decorations, though profuse, are
unmeaning and grotesque.
In some districts, however, recent investiga-
tions disclose architectural remains of more dig-
nity and character. Some of these are illustrated
in the photograph shown, taken from a model
of an ancient temple in Camboja, India, which
was exposed at the Paris World's Fair in igoo.
The picture affords us a strange peep into a
civilization now in the profoundest decay, the
17
tcmpk- bcin_<4' supposed lo be about 50 A. D.,
wlien Camboja enjoxed a period of threat splen-
dor.
Inside the temple are .grouped reproductions
of the most precious specimens of Hindoo sculp-
ture and architectural decoration. In the center,
the sacred le.qenclary lion stands on a pedestal
l)et\vecn two massive and richly decorated pillars,
which are extremely interesting as displaying a
Roman-Doric character, as also the ovolo mold-
ings of the beautiful cornice. Leaving to archae-
ologists the discussion of their origin, the great
beauty and dignity of this ancient temple appears
to fully justify the extravagant accounts of some
travelers, and may easily be classed as one of the
most extraordinarv architectural relics in the
world.
The later architecture of India possesses some
very beautiful examples of pure eastern art, per-
haps the most noted being the exquisite Taj
Mahal at Ogra, India, so often described by
travelers, a composition showing strong Sara-
cenic influence, being an extension of the ^Moorish
type of architecture into the southern Orient.
Xo photograph can do justice to the white beauty
01 the marble structure standing upon a platform
of white marl)le and crowned by its matchless
dome, "bathed in wondrous light, such as might
dwell in the windings of a pearl shell."
At each corner of the marble platform rise
dainty marble minarets, each composed of four
marble C(^lumns, which complete the simj^le
beauty of this architectural pearl. Beneath the
marble dome rests the tomb, enclosed by an ex-
19
quisite screen of trellis-work in white marble, a
masterpiece of the Indian artist. The only light
admitted to the enclosure comes though the inter-
stices of the marble trellis-work, producing a soft
and chastened gloom inexpressibly impressive.
The architectural details of this graceful sep-
ulchre are enriched with precious stones, agate,
bloodstone, jasper, etc., used with a taste and
judgment almost equal to the design itself.
Xear the Taj ]\Iahal is the Motf Masjid, or
Pearl Mosque, the most elegant mosque of India.
The court yard is of white marble and the mosque
proper is entirely of white marble inside and out.
except for a frieze bearing an inscription inlaid
in black marble, from the Koran — the sole orna-
ment, beside the exquisite lines of the structure
itself.
^^
20
'Greeia ^Architecture is
the flowering of geometry."
— Emerson
21
Vm ,y.
mmmmmmmmrrrfffffmmmmmmm'f'f'^f^
wmijm^mmmmmm^mminTm^umnT
*5^ 'y"'i
I
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
2
GREEK ARCHITECTURE
From the dim and m_\stcrious twilight which
envelops the strong but primitive architectural
conceptions of the ancient Egyptians to the re-
fined and KSthetic construction of the Greeks, is a
long step in history. For the Parthenon, that
glorious building which is the familiar example
and exponent of classic Greek architecture, was
built less than 2,500 years ago. Nor have we now
so much of the original structure standing to tell
the story of its own beaut}-, as can be seen of the
great Egyptian temple at Karnac of a date two
thousand years earlier. How long this master-
I)iece of Greek art might have defied Time's
spoiling alone, we cannot tell, for the more brutal
and savage hand of man destroyed it. For two
thousand years the Parthenon preserved most
of its original glory, at least its outlines, but in
168- it was rent asunder by an exploding bomb,
and is now but a ruin. Fortunately, before its
23
destruction, drawings of most of the difit'erent
details had been made, so that we have in the
] resent a complete knowledge of this masterpiece
of the past — ''That mingles Grecian grandeur
witli the rude wasting- of old Time."
All architecture may be resolved into the two
primary constructive methods of inclosing space,
viz., the lintel and the arch.
The straight beam or lintel across supporting
columns was the earliest and simplest method of
l)uilding. the method used by the Egyptian baild-
crs. The stablitiy of the lintel type appealed to
them, was adopted hv the Greeks and blossomed
into the classic beaut\- of the Grecian temples. The
Greeks took from the Egyptians the main fea-
tures of construction, but expressed them in
terms of beauty rather than grandeur, and in
exquisite refinement of detail. The sculptural
perfection which is so marked a feature of Greek
architecture was in part the expression of the
national love of physical perfection, a national
ideal so strong' as to be part of their religion. The
Greek shrine or temple was the setting- for these
wonderful sculptured statues, and was itself
adorned with sculptural details of idealized
beauty. Xor is the harmony and proportion of
the classic style altogether an inherent part of the
st\le itself, for we too often see sad abuses
of it ; the taste and judgment of the skilled archi-
tect are needed to determine the proportions of
the columns and of the entablature, in order to
secure liarmonv nf composition.
The Greek architect lai:l stress on columns an 1
horizontal lines, and obtained from his admirable
24
arrangement of them, together with the hreadth,
fitness and bt^lchiess of everv part, those pecuhar
qualities of sini])Hcity and harmony which are
the distinguishing features of Greek architecture.
His judicious arrangement of moldings to pro-
duce effects of light and shade, heightened by the
fluting of the columns and the peculiar forms
of the columnar capitals, were only second to the
graceful and elegant outlines of the structures
which are such wonderful compositions of beauty
and harmon}-.
The most important feature of Greek archi-
tecture is the use of the three principal orders — ■
the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, with the differ-
ent capitals and moldings pertaining to each.
The Doric was the earlier, and was no doubt
suggested to the fertile imagination of the Greek
by Egyptian edifices and use of columns. The
Doric column was a tapering shaft divided gen-
erally into twenty flutes, and crowned with a
simjile capital which supported a broad, square
abacus that projected a deep shadow on the
moldings below.
The entablature is supported by these columns
and a distinguishing feature of the Doric order
is the trigl_\])h or vertically channeled plate which
divides the frieze of the entablature and forms
sunken panels to receive sculptured ornament.
The characteristics of the Doric order are dig-
nit\- and strength, imitating, says the ancient
architect \'itruvius, "the naked simplicity and
dignity of the man." while the Corinthian order
imitates "the dclicac}- and the ornaments of a
woman."
25
Temple of Neptune at Paestum
For all the higher architectural effects, the
Doric order, though wanting the grace and deli-
cacy of the later Ionic and Corinthian orders, is
perhaps unrivalled. It is evident Alilton held it
most impressive, for in his description of the
building of Pandemonium, the marvelous city
created by Satan out of a hill of gold, which he
exhausts even his wonderful vocabulary in de-
scribing, he speaks of the "Doric pillars overlaid
with golden architrave."
The best preserved example of ancient Greek
Doric, on the wdiole, that remains to us, is the
temple of Xeptune at Paestum, which is supposed
to date at least 500 B. C. The earlier Doric col-
mnns were much more massive than later ex-
amples like the Parthenon, and in this temple
they have a diameter of 6 feet 10 inches at the
base, but tapering markedly at the top. The col-
umns have each twenty-four flutes, and are
crowned by deeply projecting cajMtals, which su])-
26
port a massive enlaljlaiurc. This entablature,
though massive, is well upborne by the columns,
which rest on a horizontal and spreading base-
ment, for the fitness and proportion of every
part was the crowning quality of Greek archi-
tecture.
The temple was constructed of a coarse, cal-
careous stone from the neighboring hillside, but
completely covered both inside and out with a
fine, hard stucco, formed of lime and pounded
white marble, which took a high polish and was
not distinguishable from real marble. \'eneer
construction was, however, not characteristic
of the Greeks, though much in use by the Roman
builders. The Greek architecture, with its pure
and severe outlines, did not invite shams or pre-
tense. And this temple is almost the only in-
stance where the construction was not solid. The
work was, however, of a high order, and the
glistening marble surface relieved by color decor-
ation and carving as in all Greek temples.
The Theseum, as it stands today on the Acro-
polis at Athens, is a conspicuous example of
Greek Doric architecture modified by Byzantine
influence. The temple in fact for many years
in Byzantine times served as a Christian
church, and is now occupied as a museum for
antiquities. The Theseum was built of Pentelic
marble, which now has taken on a golden brown
hue from centuries of exposure to the elements,
the date of its erection being fixed at 500 B. C.
The coft'ered marble ceiling still survives, and the
temple is probably the best preserved example of
ancient Greek architecture.
27
^^'itllOut the abundant quarries of fine white
marble that were stored in every Attic hillside,
the wonderful sculptures of those columned tem-
ples would prol)ably never have been attempted.
The Parthenon — that exponent of architectural
perfection — was built from th-e finest marble,
quarried near Athens. It represents the highest
expression of Greek art, and displayed every
refinement known to the Greek architect. The
Parthenon, literally interpreted, means "maiden's
chamber," and was the stately shrine for the
colossal statue of the goddess Athene, forty feet
hiigh and made of carved ivory and gold. This
statue was the work of the matchless sculptor
Phidias, as also many of the sculptures of the
building. The temple itself was built of marble,
and raised on a foundation platform. The dis-
tance from the platform to the point of the gable
was but sixty feet, yet it is considered the most
exquisitely proportioned building in the world.
The long, low, sloping roof was an architec-
tural result of climatic conditions. No steep,
storm-shedding roof was needed in that sunny
isle
"Where the winds of the north becalmed in sleep,
Their conch shells never blow."
and the projecting cornice was all that was
needed as a shield from the weather for the beau-
tiful frieze below.
The gable ends — the pediments — were filled
with sculptured reliefs, and the frieze referred to
continued around the columned arcade. The
building was profusely decorated with color and
gold ornaments, used to rclirve the too dazzling
28
M'WMiMM
Temple of Theseus Athens
whiteness of the marble in that brilHant sunshine.
Color indeed was a feature of the Greek temple
whose exterior as well as interior decorations
were rich with color, while the walls and col-
umns were toned down to a yellowish ivory like
the softening tint that time gives.
With this slight general outline of the edifice,
we may proceed to examine the different features,
for in the Parthenon we have the noblest example
of Greek classic architecture of the Doric order.
The long, unbroken lines of the columns rise
directly from the stone platform without a base,
and taper toward the top — not in a straight line
but with a slight, subtle curve or swelling of out-
line, which was one of the refinements of Greek
architects, and used to counteract the tendency
of a long, perfectly straight column to look hol-
low in the middle. This curve created an optical
29
illusion, being too slight to be noticeable to the
eye, varying only three-fourths of an inch in a
height of thirty-two feet. Another device of
these ancient architects was to remedy the ap-
])earance of a "sag," or droop in the center of a
long, horizontal line, by slightly curving upwards
the architrave, or beam across the top of the col-
umns — towards the center, so that it appears to
be perfectly straight, while in reality curving
tipwards to the extent of three inches. Another
subtle correction was applied to the setting of the
columns, because vertical lines have an apparent
tendency to "spread" or diverge at the top. So
the columns are set with an inclination inward,
so slight that the eye does not detect it, but
an effect is given of perfect repose. All these
refinements of construction are made use of by
the modern architect of culture, who bestows care
and thought upon his designs.
The tapering fluted shafts were crowned with
capitals of simple beauty, beneath a broad, square
abacus which threw a deep shadow on the col-
umn below. This play of light and shade, and
the deep shadows cast by the insulated columns,
is one of the enchanting effects of Greek ar-
chitecture.
Above the plain architrave, or supporting mem-
ber of the entablature, ran the frieze, in the
Doric order, divided into square panels separated
by slightly projecting blocks which were grooved.
These blocks occurred over each colunm and once
between, and this regularity of repeat is a feature
of classic design. The spaces between the blocks
or "triglyphs," were filled with sculptured reliefs.
30
The celebrated frieze of the PartlTenon is a band
of reHef four feet in width around the temple,
within the colonnade. The sculptures upon it
represented the processional in the "rand festival
of the goddess Athena, whose temple and shrine
the Parthenon was. At this festival was yearly
Parthenon — Restored
presented to the goddess a new robe, woven by
the most skillful high-born ladies and carried by
the noblest daughters of Athens. In the proces-
sion were all the statesmen and generals, the
crowned victors of the sports, the chariots and
sacrifices, the flower of Athens, on horses with
brilliant trappings. All these were reproduced
in this beautiful frieze, which told the story of
the great festival in honor of its goddess in the
wonderful bas-reliefs sculptured upon it.
Above the frieze is the cornice, the lower por-
tion carried along horizontallv o\er the frieze
while the upfier meniluTs f(^ll(^w the sloping lines
31
of the roof; the triangular <.\rdcv thus enclosed is
called the pediment, and this pediment is a very
telling architectural form for which we are in-
debted entirely to the Greeks. Xo suggestion of
it is found in Egyptian architecture, but it is the
crowning feature of every Greek temple. Like
many other things which seem so simple after
they have been done, it has been incorporated in
much of our modern architecture, and resulted in
the grand gables of our Gothic architecture. The
pediment of the Greek temples was a leading ar-
chitectural feature, and contained the finest
sculi)tures. It has been said that "to stud}- the
execution of the Parthenon pediments, is the lib-
eral education of artists ; to imitate it, the despair
of sculptors."
These sculptures were the work of Phidias
himself, among them the noble statue of the re-
clining Theseus. With other of these fine sculp-
tures this statue belongs to the Elgin collection
in the British Museum. The back of the Theseus
has been called the finest tiling in the world, and
serves to show the surpassing excellence and
relip-ious care, of Greek workmanshij:) ; for the
statue was fifty feet above the ground, and more-
over its back was turned towards the wall, where
no one could possibh- see it, and serves to exem-
])lif\- ihe painstaking lal)or of those workers.
\vhen ..r 1 11 1 £ .
in the elder days ot art
Ikiilders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part."
Another fine example of the Doric order of
Greek architecture is shown in the temple of
Theseus, at Athens the Theseus whose sculptured
33
back was so fine. Here the shafis are slender
and the molding refined. The leadini;" features
are similar to the Parthenon ; indeed, although
great stress is laid upon the different "orders" of
Greek architecture, and the correct carrying out
of the detail belonging to each, there was but this
one main t\pe — that of the pedimcnted temple
with its colonnade. This form was worked out
by the Greeks in a manner never surpassed, and
the details with which they adorned the form
have a perennial charm from their chaste and
exquisite beauty.
Besides these three principal species of col-
umnar arrangement, the Greeks emplo\"ed anoth-
er, in w'hich the statues of women took the place
of columns. These columnar figures were called
Caryatides, and the onl}' existing example is the
ruined south portico of the Erectheion at Athens,
here finely photographed.
This famous Caryatidean portico was a pro-
jecting wing of the principal Ionic structure and
shows square plinths supporting six majestically
draped, female figures upon which rest the en-
tablature.
The Erectheion appears to have been designed
as a foil to the stern severity of the Parthenon
which it faced, for the east facade of this triple
temple is extremely light and graceful in char-
acter, showing oriental influence in the decora-
tions within the portico. Rising on the brow of
the Acropolis,
"where in Legend tinted line
The peaks of Hellas drink the morning's wine."
with its delicate Tonic c<^lumns terminating in
35
"golden curls," oriental fret work and brilliant
frescoes, it presented a striking contrast to the
stern beauty of its vis-a-vis, the Parthenon. The
temple was built entirely of white Pcntelic mar-
ble, except the frieze, which was of black marble.
At the left we have a glimpse of the Caryatidean
portico as restored.
The Erectheion, while very beautiful in itself,
is an exception to all rules, and forms altogether
one of the most heterogeneous compositions to be
found in ancient architecture. The modern
church of St. Paucias, London, is a modified copy
of the Erectheion.
The Doric order of structure gradually devel-
oped the more delicate type of the Ionic and Cor-
inthian styles, in which appeared the added fea-
tures of a happily designed base to the column,
the carved moldings of the entablature and the
beautifully designed and ornamented capitals of
the columns. The Ionic capital is richer and more
elaborate, terminating on each side in a feature
like a scroll called the 'Tonic volute." The col-
umn is more slender and more deeply fluted ; the
frieze has no separating triglyphs, but is either
plain or enriched with an uninterrupted design
carved in relief. The projecting cornice was
treated with "dentils," a detail in common use in
all modern design. The general characteristics
of this order appear in fact frequently in present
day architecture, and one sees the interesting
capitals and flutes everywhere, even in the detail
of furniture design.
The most notable examples of Greek Ionic are
th.e temples of Wingless \"ictory and the Ercc-
36
tlicion at Athens. The hitter has already been
alluded to as refined in composition, thoui,di
showings much variet}' of detail and considerable
irrecjularit}- of plan.
Althoui^h in Egypt the grandest structures
next to their mighty temples are the tombs, in
Greek architecture these are of little interest.
Quite the finest among them was the tomb of
Mansolus at Ilalicarnassus, from which our word
"mausoleum" is derived. It consisted of a lofty
base, on which stood an oblong Ionic edifice sur-
rounded by 36 columns, and surmounted by a
pyramid of 24 steps. The whole structure, 140
feet in height, was crowned by a chariot group
in white marble. Up to the tenth century this
edifice was in perfect condition, but was then
destroyed and is here conjecturally restored.
The Corinthian capital, or third order, was the
creation of the later period of Greek architecture.
The bell-shaped capital was surrounded by two
rows of acanthus foliage, which developed into
spiral volutes at the angles, and combined to form
an exquisite decoration. The honeysuckle was
another favorite form of the foliated capital. An
example of round foliated capital — less common
than the square — is given in the bcautifrd little
structure called the Choragic monument of Lvsi-
crates, at Athens, which has been restored, and is
the onl\- example of this i>ure Grecian order re-
maining. In those capitals one-third of the space
is occupied ])y calicos and tendrils sui:)porting a
honeysuckle against the abacus. This small
structure is considered (ine of the most lx>au-
tifnl compositions in its style ever executed,
37
t
1
^<ir>
,^^
e % 4 « i t (
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
The bold and simple base, admiral )l_v propor-
tioned to the rest of the structnre, the col-
umnar ordinance, the richly ornamented dome,
are all arranged with the most exriuisite harmony
of composition. It is simple without being: poor,
and rich without being meretricious.
In nothing is Greek architecture more distin-
guished than in the beauty and grace of its mold-
ings and ornaments. The general outline of the
moldings is curved and flowing, the Hogarthian
line of beauty, in effect, though of Greek mold-
ings Hogarth could have known nothing. Th.e
familiar egg and dart molding comes to us from
the ancient Greeks. A technical description of
these features does not lie within the scope of the
present work, which aims more to present the
general composition of the historic style, as the
foundation underlying all our modern architec-
ture.
The domestic architecture of ancient Greece
would be a most interesting study if we had any
data on the subject. I'ut unfortunately no re-
mains of their domestic structures exist, and our
(inl\- knowledge of them is derived from the
allusions of contemporar}- writers. It is probable
they were modeled after the fashion of the houses
excavated at Pompeii, a city largely influenced
by Greek ideas, though probably the Greek house
was less luxurious. That it was characterized
by the same beauty of form and perfection of
finish wdiich pervaded not only their public build-
ings, but even their implements of war and arti-
cles of domestic use. seems a forecrone conclusion.
39
"While fancy brings the banished piles to VieW.
And builds imaginart; Rome aneW."
40
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
In tracini^ the architectural development of the
Roman people, withotit going back to the early
Etruscan period of which hut few records remain,
it is well to consider the character of the nation
and the contrast between its civilization and that
of the Greeks. For although Roman architecture
was, speaking broadly, the architecture of the
Greeks, the former was practised by a strong and
virile race, and into it was grafted a new con-
structional principle — the principle of the arch.
The Roman was practical, hard headed, ambi-
tious. W ith conquest had come great wealth
and power. He developed a great love for
luxury, pomp and show. With none of the
esthetic Greek's love of beauty for itself alone,
he imported Greek architects to design for
l.im. just as he gathered spoil of every sort
from all the world. Xeithcr did the religion of
the Roman exert any decided influence over his
architecture as in the case of Egypt, for he was
not religious. He had his gods it is true, and
oflfered them pcrfunctorv honors and sacrifices,
41
Mt ^l
but even tlie tcniiik's appear to liave been utilized
for other purposes than that of worship. The
pubHc Hfe of the Roman centered in the great
l)aths, the tlieaters, in the lofty basilicas where
public business was transacted and which after-
ward were remodeled into the churches of the
early Christians.
Rome was a great commercial center and re-
quired large and lofty buildings. It was the
demand for vast structures adapted to the busi-
ness and pleasures of a commercial and amuse-
ment-loving people that evoked the arch, the vault
and the dome. A great area is not easih' covered
by the horizontal beam and the column. The
great temples of the Egyptians were forests of
columns and divided into comparatively small
compartments. Immense concourses of people
could not assemble in such an interior, and so the
flat lintel of the Greek temple was superseded
l)v the Roman arch. Temples, palaces, amphi-
theatres, basilicas, rose at the bidding of great
wealth, and were made possible by this new con-
structive invention, which moreover enabled the
builders to utilize inferior material. Almost all
these vast theaters, l)aths, acqueducts and palaces
were built of brick, though man}- were faced with
stone or marble and have marble porticos and
columns. They also made great use of stucco as
a surface for decoration. In short, they built
for utility and for show, caring little for artistic
feeling, though excelling in the practical inven-
tions and possessing a thorough knowledge of
construction, as attested bv their great acque-
ducts. roads and theaters still in existence.
43
TixC building materials of the Romans and the
manner in which they employed them are very in-
teresting-. At first the volcanic conglomerate of
ashes, sand and charcoal called "tufa," was used
for the main walls, while at points of pressure,
such as piers or arches, the harder "pepperino"
was inserted. The Colosseum is a particularly
elaborate example of this mixed construction.
Some of the volcanic products which lie in im-
mense beds under and around the city of Rome
when mixed with lime form a very strong hy-
draulic cement of enormous resistance and dura-
bility, in many cases exceeding the most massive
stone masonry.
Although the Roman builders used blocks of
stone in their walls, sometimes as much as 8x15
feet in size, they fastened them together bv iron
clamps, onl\- setting them in cement to obtain a
smooth and level surface. The concrete material
so much employed in their construction was ex-
tremely hard and durable, and faced above the
foundation walls with brick or marble, or stucco.
"When stucco was used, they studded the face
of the wall before the concrete was hard,
with iron or bronze nails, to give a hold for
the stucco. The marble slabs used in such
profusion as linings to walls were fixed to
them by long clamps of metal hooked at the ends,
so as to hold in a hole made in the marble slab.
The quantit}- nf rich marl'ks brought into Rome
from Greece and other countries is beyond cal-
culation, so lavishly were buildings enriched with
them. T'lnormous (|U'nUilies of Lib\-ian mari)le,
of a rich yellow color deepening to orange, and
44
Circular Temple of Vesta
even pink, were used tor wall-linings and columns
and even pavements. Six large columns of the
Pantheon are of this marble. Another variety
was blood red in color, and employed on small
cornices antl interior moldings. There were
many varieties of mottled marble, and some ba\-
ing wavy stratas, of while and pale green. A
seri-transparent and beautifully marked oriental
alabaster, very hard, was used in enriching the
baths and elsewhere. It was the boast of Au-
gustus indeed that be "found Rome brick and
left it marble."
45
With this glance at Roman character and
materials, let us return to the earlier period when
Greek influence dominated construction. That
the Greek temple type prevailed extensively in
early Roman architecture is attested by the many
ruins scattered throughout Italy and other por-
tions of the Roman empire. One of the most in-
teresting of these is the little circular temple of
Vesta at Tivoli, the circular, inner cell sur-
rounded by an outer circle of beautiful Corin-
thian columns, each 32 feet in height, the circle
being 156 feet in circumference.
The classic roof of this temple, originally cov-
ered with Syracusan bronze, is long since gone
and has been replaced by a wretchedly incongru-
ous one of red tile. Xo shrine in Rome was so
sacred as this little circular building which con-
tained the sacred fire that if allowed to go out
would have endangered the existence of the city
itself.
The original temple was destroyed about 500
B. C., and has been conjecturally restored from
the columns, cornice sections and other fragments
of the architectural features found in the exca-
vated Forum.
Near the temple itself stood the house of the
vestals, containing beside the three chambers for
the six vestals, a bath-room, bake-house and
servants' offices. The rooms proper and the bath
are lined with polished marble of great beauty
and rarity and the floors are of tesselated mosaic
of porphyry and marble, showing in many places
the clumsy patchings of restorations in the fourth
and fifth centuries.
46
Corinthian Capital. Temple of Mars
The excavations of recent years have laid bare
the remains of this very interesting building,
Avhich appear in an unusual state of preservation
in spite of the erection of later buildings over
tlieni. The concrete walls were faced with brick
and decorated with colored stucco; the columns
were also stuccoed and colored crimson, while
the stone gutters along the roof were bright blue.
The inner walls were paneled and decorated in
simjile designs of leaves and wreaths. Though
the last vestal disappeared in the fourth century,
tliis building continued to be occupied for sev-
eral hundred }ears later, but was finallv blocked
up and buried under the accunuilated rubbish of
Rome's many conlkigrations.
The illustrations show ilir temple of \'esta as
47
restored, and a restored capital of a column of
Mars. These temples were situated on the Capi-
tolinc Hill, that mass of architectural magnifi-
cence gathered from the spoils of the whole Hel-
lenic world. The i)hotograph is a fine example
and gives us a very clear idea of the beautiful
Roman Corinthian capital crowning columns
having twenty-four semi-circular fiutes. The
capital is composed of two rows of acanthus
leaves, each row consisting of eight leaves ranged
side by side, but not in contact, with tendrils
and foliage. The abacus has molded faces and is
enriched with a rosette or flower in the center of
each face overhanging tlie tendrils of the capital.
Unlike the Greek Doric and Ionic each example
of the Roman Corinthian is a law unto it.self,
and dififers from every other in the distribution
of its various parts. Besides the Corintliian
pro])er, the Romans used many other varieties
based upon that order; one called the Com-
posite appearing frequently in their triumphal
arches. They had still others, in which human
figures and animals, with a variety of foliage
and other peculiarities were introduced. The
Corinthian was the favorite order of the Ro-
mans who cared little for the simple severity
of the Doric, and preferred the richer ornamen-
tation of the Corinthian.
The photograph shows the beautiful tem])!e
of Wmius and Rome, as conjecturally restored
from fragments remaining of the cornice and
columns and descriptions of contemi)orane<ms
writers. The temple was originally planned bv
the Emperor Hadrian, tliat ancient (Hlettantc and
49
connoisseur in fine arts. He showed his design
\.itli proud satisfaction to Apollodorus the archi-
tect of Trajan's Forum, who remarked that "the
deities, if they rose from their seats must thrust
their heads through the ceihng." We can im-
agine what happened to Apollodorus.
This magnificent temple 400x200 feet was
built of brick with columns of gray granite, and
richly embellished wdth statuary and carvings.
In front of it stood the colossal bronze statue
of Nero, its head surrounded by rays that it
might represent Apollo. It required forty-two
elephants to move this colossal statue to another
position.
The most splendid of the temples of old
Rome, and indeed the only structure which
has come down to us in a fairly perfect state of
preservation, is the Pantheon, that model of an-
cient architectural beauty, wdiich even now ex-
cites the admiration of every beholder. The Pan-
theon presents more characteristic features of the
ancient Roman style, than any other one building,
and its interior is called by Ferguson one of the
sublimest in the world. Its immense circular
window at the top, some 30 feet in diameter, "that
one great eye opening upon heaven" says the
same authority, "is by far the noblest conception
for lighting a building to be found in Europe."
The structure was built of concrete covered with
brick and then veneered with marble. Many
theories have been advanced as to the part played
bv these tiers of brick arches, l)ut the thickness
of the concrete — 20 feet, while the brick facing
scarcely averages 6 inches — seems to show their
50
The Pc.ntheon. Rome
superficial character. As tlic concrete itself
formed an excellent surface for the marble
veneer, it is difficult to see why the brick was
employed. The bricks were triangular in shape,
and the Pantheon is the earliest instance of the
use of burnt ])ricks. which before this were sun-
dried. This ancient temple whose
"Arch and vault without stain or fault, by
hands of
Craftsmen we know not. reared."
is a perfect type of Roman architecture. The
great dome, rising with majestic dignity from the
circular wall, crowns a rotunda 142 feet in diam-
eter and 143 feet high. Though the same size
as the dome of St. Peter's, it appears of vaster
proportions. Against the circular wall is built
an immense portico with a front of over 100 feet,
51
supported by 16 Corinthian jjillars of red granite
with inarbk' cajjitals 36 feet high, and a pedi-
ment above ornamented b}- glorious bas-reliefs.
The i)ortico with its beautiful vista of white
marble i)ilasters formed a vestibule and was ap-
proached b}' a flight of six marble steps. Within
the portico were immense doors of solid Ijronze
which still remain, and wb.ich opened to an in-
terior whose sides gleamed with polished mar-
bles and whose roof glittered with sculptured
sih'cr and bronze.
All around the interior, in the recessed panels
where once were beautifid marble statues, are
now the tawdry ornaments and gilded, paste-
board figures of the Papal church ; rust and
grime have dimmed the precious marbles on the
walls ; the gleaming vault above has been
stripped and plastered and daubed, vet it is still
the most beautiful of pagan temples.
"Here underneath the great porch of colossal
Corinthian columns.
Here as I walk, do I re-people thy niches, * *
\\'ith the mightier forms of an older, aus-
terer worship."
The ruined Colosseum has been the theme of
many a traveler and poet. ] doubtless the re-
mains of this vast theater — the largest ever
erected — are impressive, es])eciall\' if the imagin-
ation be stimulated by a moonlight view. But
the great stone circle w-as remarkable as a con-
structive achievement rather than for beauty
even in the days of its ancient magnificence. A
curious feature of the construction of this vast
amphitheater is seen in the remains of the walls,
which are honeycombed with large earthen iars,
53
t
t
^I MII WW — W— P"
i:
"i
— •
t^ 1
^■^-\
">•
- r. : : >
Arch of Titus, as Conjecturally Restored
inserted in tlie conerete mass of brick and mor-
tar and evidently used as a sort of arches, per-
haps to economize material.
Between 80,000 antl 90,000 people could
gather within that immense inclosure, to witness
the games and spectacles demanded by the pleas-
ure loving populace.
54
The Colosseum, though showing the free use
of the column in its construction, which consists
of arches with decorative columns of all three
orders in the successive tiers, has little of interest
architecturally, except its immensity. The ex-
terior, with its endless repetition of arches and
useless columns is inonotonous ; and the canvas
roof could have had no heauty.
The ruined arches of the Roman Aqueduct,
which once stretched from the cool fountains nf
the Sabine hills to the great, teeming city, are
also monuments of con-structive energy which
even in their ruins excite our astonishment.
Though they do not rise to the level of archi-
tectural beauty, their immense length and size
and the obstacles surmounted in their construc-
tion give them interest aside from their pictur-
esque quality. The most famous of these aque-
ducts was 62 miles long, twice the length of our
famous Croton aqueduct in Xew York, and in
places the arches rose to a height of 180 feet,
and had a span of 75 feet.
At regular intervals, reservoirs were l)uilt to
enable repairs to be made at any point, the walls
covered with a cement so hard as to resist any
tool.
Triumphal arches in commemoration of Ro-
man victories, were a striking feature of their
architecture. As late as the second century, A. D.,
there were about forty of these structures in
Rome. Restored by Pope Pius \TI to almost
its pristine elegance, the Arch of Titus is one
of the best known of these magnificent relics of
Rome's luxury, power and art. and one of the
55
most beautiful. Upon its white marble pillars
are represented in bas-reliefs the conquerin^c^
emperor in his chariot, bringing home to Rome
the costly spoils from the conquered Jerusalem,
borne by slaves and soldiers. A superb spectacle
the old Roman Forum surely presented, filled
with these triuni],hal arches, statues, and beauti-
ful temples, when
"The Forum, all alive.
With l)uyers and sellers,
Was humming like a hive.''
Until the beginning of the last century the
site of the old Trojan Forum was buried twenty
feet deep under the rubbish of the adjacent hills.
Only an occasional column projecting beyond the
surface gave indication of what might be be-
neath. It was in fact a grazing ground for cat-
tle and called the Campo \'eccino — cow pasture.
A space about a quarter of a mile square is now
excavated, and most of the public buildings com-
prising the Forum have been located. The A'ia
Sacra, which led from the Fortun, was bor-
dered all the way by handsome temples and pub-
lic buildings, whose ruins now resemble city
blocks after a great fire. The \^ia Sacra passed
imdcr the Arch of Titus with its famous sculp-
tures, showing a procession of captive Jews with
the table of shew-bread. trumpets and seven-
branched candlesticks. s]:)oils of the great Tem-
ple of Jerusalem.
Fron> all the hills around, handsome structures
looked down upon this ancient Forum in its
jirime. Rut Rome outgrew it : and other fora
were added by successive emperors, and these
57
in turn buried. The i-rieze shown is from the
famous Forum of the emperor Trajan, enriched
with exquisite sculptures in relief depictin- his
victories. '""
Only a brief reference can be made to what
was at one period a conspicuous feature of Ro-
man arcliitecture— its ma-nificent baths. These
^•ast structures, comprised public and private
baths of all kinds as well as rooms for refresh-
ments, libraries,, lecture rooms, amusement
rooms, gardens and fountains, and were fitted up
with more luxury and lavish adornment than the
most luxurious of modern clubs. Thev appear to
lave been built by the different emperors to currv
favor with the people, as the price of all this lux-
ury was the smallest coin of the realm. Thou-h
only roofless ruins are left of these vast stnrc-
tures.-great fragments of arches and walls and
ofty shattered ceilings,-one mav still define the
long halls and apartments and see patches of the
elegant mosaic floors with beautiful designs in
color wrought into them. Some of the splendid
marbles, vases and great porphvrv tubs of the
private baths, with portions of the carvings and
frescoes that enriched these baths, are now in
the \ atican at Rome. A restored section of the
baths of Titus is shown in the illustration oiv-
mg the detail of the facade facing the Colosseum
lie mam walls consisted of red and orange-
colored brick work. The columned arcade with
recessed niches filled with statuarv and stucco
decoration above the arcade, made 'an extremelv
brilliant and decorative facade.
These immense buildings covered sites a qtiar-
so
tor of a mile s(|uar(.', and une, we are told, en-
closed an open swimming bath in which a thou-
sand people could bathe at once. The hot baths
were heated by a S}'stcm of pipes or flues lead-
ing from furnace vaults beneath.
The interesting ruins knowai as the Palace of
the Cresars, are upon the very foundation and
site of the city of Romulus and Remus, and far
down beneath them are the enormous blocks of
masonry of the old Roman wall, built of lava
rock, portions of which have been excavated.
The photograph shows a portion of the palace
conjecturally restored, from descriptions of
Tacitus and other historians.
The wonderful, excavated streets of Pompeii
tell us most that is known of old Roman house-
hold architecture. The Roman house consisted
of two parts ; the public part or rooms facing the
street used as shops, and the quite separate rooms
for the family life, oi)ening ujion an inner court.
In the private portion in wealth}- houses, the
large inner court was uncovered in the center,
while the roof of the "peristylium" around the
sides was supported by columns of the finest mar-
ble. The perist\le. now coming to be such a
feature of modern houses is derived from these
ancient Roman ones, but adapted to our use.
Leading off from this ]XTist}lium, was the din-
ing room, an iiiiportatit room to the old Roman,
who was apt to have two or three, so that he
could suit his view to the season or his temper.
What records exist of their house architecture
appear to show that little attempt at exterior ef-
fect was mack' and e\er\- thin-^- lavished u\mm\
61
interior adornments. Tlie exterior walls were
plain, generally of brick — even the columns, which
were covered with a coat of stucco. Even the
villa of Hadrian, which is the most extensive
Roman house having any considerable remains,
notwithstanding its size and general magnifi-
cence, has no indication of windows or of stairs,
and the moldings and ornaments are small and
insignificant. The mural decorations of the in-
teriors of the better class w-ere, however, very
beautiful, and were of a high degree of artistic
excellence. In the humbler houses the walls w'ere
simply painted flat in one color, but in the more
pretentious, the wall-spaces were divided into
panels by painted columns, and the panels fres-
coed with graceful and highly finished human
figures, landscapes of arabesques. The walls of
Pompey's house were painted to look like a for-
est with trees and birds, a style of decoration
we have seen imitated to a degree in modern
houses. Frequently the plinth or lower portion
of the wall was painted black or very dark, and
above this a deep red or blue or yellow. So that
our modern decorators with their decorative
"upper thirds" their panels and divided walls
are only proving once more that there is nothing
new under the sun. lUit although ancient Ro-
man houses were ])rofusely adorned with paint-
ings and statuary, busts, vases, candelaljra in
bronze, marble and gold, though the floors were
of exquisite mosaic work, and their columned
courts musical with the plash of fountains and
the songs of birds — yet we would think little of
them, with our modern ideas of comfort. Xot
63
only had they no doors, — only archways some-
times curtained, — but no windows except occa-
sionally small slits in the upper story, and their
mosaic floors were cold.
Even in that land of the fig and the olive, of
vineyards ripening in the sun and
"Tuscan trees that spring
As vital flames into the blue."
the Roman householder — for all his frescoes,
must have been a — cold. Such furniture as they
had, was mostly of bronze or marble. The an-
cient historian Pliny, mentions the dining room
of an old Roman villa, as having an alcove of
white marble pillars shaded by vines, and fur-
nished with marble benches and "a marble basin
or fountain which served as a table, the larger
dishes being disposed around the edge, while the
smaller swim about in the form of vessels, or
little water fowl."
The abundance of easy building material ready
to the hand of the ancient Roman builder was
not an unmixed blessing. It produced a crude
masonry, which though standing like a rock, was
unpleasing to the eye, and so necessitated the
make-believe of veneer.
Their architecture became debased, a hetero-
genous mixture of the Greek classic orders with
Tuscan traditions. They transferred the Grecian
columns and capitals to their brick and stucco
buildings without preserving their purity.
One exception may be made, in the case of the
Corinthian capital, which in Rome assumed a
new and not less beautiful form and character,
imparting such variety to its enrichment that
64
Frieze of Trajan's Forui
each example differed from every otlier, Init
without the loss of its ori^^inal and distinctive
character.
Let us remember too. that to the Roman we
are indebted for the constructive principle of the
arch, which opened to the architect unlimited pos-
sibilities. Though their architecture was made
up of borrowings from all the world, and its over-
loaded ornament and vulgar display are but the
mirror of the national character, wc must not
forget that he made possible, some of the grand-
est forms of later architecture.
ts
*'}Vhat seemed an idol ht^mn, noW breathes of Thee,
Tuned bt; Faith's Ear to some celestial medodt;.
66
EAKLY CHP.ISTIAN AND
BYZANTINE,.
A\'e now come to a period when we shall have
no temples or theaters or public buildings to
describe, where all these forms disappear, and
for nearly 700 years ecclesiastical forms, churches
and cathedrals occupy the sole attention of the
architect. Even dwelling houses are utterly ne-
glected ; and until the castle of the Xorman baron
arose, of which we shall speak later, there was
nothing built but churches.
Religion has ever been a chief factor in stim-
ulating the art of architecture; and just as pagan
Egypt, Greece and Rome embodied their loftiest
conceptions in their temples for worship, so with
tlie Christian faith, tliere arose forms of beauty
that culminated in the glorious cathedrals of the
middle ages.
-\s the early Christians grew numerous and
jjowerful, they came out of their catacombs and
hiding places, and began openly to erect places
of worship. At last came Constantine, and de-
creed the Christian religion to be the religion of
the Empire. Then began the building of the
basilicas, some of which were remodeled Roman
67
St. Clement's Sasilica, R.ome
theaters, and columns, ricli capitals, marbles and
mosaics appropriated for the new ones. The ex-
teriors of these buildings possessed little archi-
tectural merit, nor were their builders concerned
about styles. Space was what they wanted, and
to meet the demand for extra accommodation,
the first rude transepts were formed by slightly
widening the space between the apse and the
end of the nave. Thus was foreshadowed the
cruciform plan of the mediaeval cathedrals,
while the division into nave and aisles of these
early basilicas, has been handed down to the
present day.
While little attention was given to architectural
form in these Early Christian churches, the in-
teriors were enriched with veined marbles and
golden mosaics that are still undimmcd. The
floors were inlaid niar])Us and ihe walls rich with
pictures worked out in small brilliant glass cubes.
The illustration shows the interior of one of these
early basilicas, St. Clement's, at Rome, which
though rebuilt in the eleventh century, retains
the old plan, with its peculiar features in a good
state of preservation.
And so we see that this early Christian plan
and arrangement of a church interior was the
germ of the estalilished forms of later building,
and a type that widely influenced succeeding gen-
erations.
Byzantine Architecture
Just where the line should be drawn between
the Christian basilica and the early Byzantine
structures is not easy to define. The divergence
appears in the use of the dome, which was the
distinguishing feature of Byzantine architecture,
and which resulted in the square or Greek cross
form of interior instead of the long rectangle
of the Early Christian basilicas.
Instead of covering the circular wall of the
Roman temples with a dome as the Pantheon, the
Bvzantine architect placed his dome upon four
arches enclosing a square.
Tn viewing a typical Byzantine structure the
eye at once observes the 1)roken skv line formed
by dome rising upon dome and culminating in the
great central dome. Such a spectacle is the mag-
nificent church of St. Sophia at Constantinople,
considered the grandest specimen of Byzantine
art. Just as Greek architecture has the Par-
69
Interior of St. Sophia. Constantinople
thenon as its grandest exponent. Egypt the won-
derful temple at Karnac, and Rome the Pan-
theon, so this vast interior with its series of
vaulted roofs and hrilliant and costly decora-
tions, represents the highwater mark of Byzan-
tine architecture.
Possessing little outward heauty, it is un-
rivalled in the grandeur of an interior never
equalled for rare, hrilliant yet harmonious dec-
oration, and in the masterly treatment of hroad
masses and minor details.
Like some ocean grotto, it seems hursting with
every imaginable revelation of light and color ;
with its marbles of many hues, cornices, friezes
and historic pillars, mosaics of precious stones
and crosses of gold, — every surface glittering
with prismatic gleams. Byzantine art was essen-
tially one of incrustation, the surfaces of build-
70
in.c:s bein.s: covered with marljles and mosaics,
of which quantity appeared to be the character-
istic rather than quality.
The many influences affecting Byzantine ar-
chitecture produced a great variety of design.
The Itahan seaports came strongly under Byzan-
tine influence, and the church of St. ^Mark's, in
\'enice, was its most beautiful result. Rebuilt
in the latter part of the tenth century, except for
some minor details, it is purely Byzantine in
form. So admirabl}- does Ruskin, in his Stones
of Venice, describe this "vision out of the earth"
that a portion is here quoted.
"A multitude of pillars and white domes clus-
tered into a long, low, pyramid of colored light ;
* ''' '^ hollowed beneath into five great
vaulted porches, ceiled with fair mosaic and set
with sculpture of alabaster clear as amber and
delicate as ivory, — sculpture fantastic and in-
volved, of palm leaves and lilies and grapes and
pomegranates and birds clinging and fluttering
among the branches, all twined together, and
in the midst of it the solemn forms of angels,
sceptred and robed to the feet : * * * And
round the walls of the porches there are set pil-
lars of variegated stones, * * * the shadow,
as it steals back from them, revealing line after
line of azure undulation as a receding tide
leaves the waved sand ; their capitals rich with
interwoven tracery — drifting leaves of acanthus
and vine, and mystical signs all beginning and
ending in the cross ; * * * until at last, as
if in extacy, the crests of the arches break into
a marble foam, and toss themselves far into the
71
blue sky in flashes and wreaths of sculptured
spray."
St. Mark^'s stands without a peer among the
churches of the world in respect to its unequalled
richness of material and decoration, arising from
the fact that it was constructed from the spoils
of countless other buildings from the fourth
century down. The church as it now stands is
wholly different from the early edifice built in
the tenth century, which was much smaller and
1 **: J^4'>4 .
St. Mark's Church, Venice.
of plain red brick undecorated. l\ut constant
enlargements were made and every \'enetian
doge, down to the time of Napoleon, added rich
decorations, until by degrees the whole walls,
inside and out, were completely veneered with
colored marbles or glass mosaics on gold
grounds, the plain white marble being reserved
for statuary, and then thickly decorated witli
gold.
We can scarcely conceive the splendour of
effect, as the whole wall surface of the interior
72
is now thickly incrusted with dirt, but the gen-
eral plan of the decoration was an alternation
of richly colored marbles arranged in broad,
upright bands so that each color enhanced the
cfYect of its neighbor. The bands of colored mar-
bles were relieved by intervening panels of pure
white marble, sculptured in panels, string courses
and the like, and by moldings of white marble.
The exterior is as magnificently enriched as
the interior, with its sculptured arches, marble
screen work and wonderful collection of columns
of porphyry and precious marbles. As many
as five hundred of these costly columns are used
to decorate the church, especially the west front.
A volume might be written about this mag-
nificent 1)uil(ling ; but s])ace will not permit
further description.
St. Clark's is a mixture of Greek. Roman and
Byzantine architecture. The spoils brought liy
ancient Rome from classic Greece, are mingled
in the details of the decoration with those from
the Orient, .\labaster carvings stripped from
classic buildings were mingled with the gorgeous
and fantastic Oriental peacocks drinking from
a cup, which form part of the i)ainted decoration.
Its great, arched. Roman doorwaxs. the vast
mass of elegant marble columns with their classic
capitals, the great Byzantine dome, with the
smaller domes over each arm of the building —
all present a composite type, unique among the
world's great buildings.
Such a "confusion of delight" was the Bvzan-
tine type of architecture, a mingling of Roman
73
grandeur. Greek taste and Oriental passion and
color. Its characteristics were unique, interest-
ing- and unusual, and though it had little in-
fluence in Western Europe, it had a glory of its
own which left its impress upon the domed
moscjues of its moslem conquerors.
Saracenic architecture is one of the most fas-
cinating divisions of our subject. The story of
the Mohammedan era, down to the fall of
Granada, is like a fairy tale, "crystalized in
architecture, ornament and design ;" a tale which
space will not permit us to follow.
By no means new in its constructive details,
Saracenic architecture added to the arch and
the dome borrowed from the Romans and the
pillars of the Greeks, a use of ornament and
color entirely its own. To the lavish use of
color was joined a stucco ornamentation of lace-
like character, unique and exquisite, and like
nothing else in the w^orld. The Aloslem struc-
tures, at first small and insignificant, became, as
the faith grew and spread, rich and imposing.
The mosc|ues were beautiful domes and groups
of galleried minarets, with a fore-court in front
surrounded by a colonnaded arcade. The court
contained a fountain for their frequent ablutions,
and gardens of orange trees and roses.
The domes were finely shaped and decorated
externally with an intricate interlacing of geo-
metrical designs, and shone in the sim like a
great inverted silver bowl. Within they were
highly colored and gilded, with many aisles and
forests of columns in whose arches swung gold
and silver lamps.
74
Bronze Doors, Armenian Church
A form of ornamentalion peculiar to the
vSaracens and constantly used by them was the
honeycomb detail, by which they broug^ht to-
jc^ether points of juncture. Sometimes this
honeycomb work was extremely intricate, cov-
erins;' niche-heads and roofs. Its use appears in
the photog'raph of the Alhambra, on the arches
of the court.
The Saracens employed very high, sffuare and
recessed doorwaxs, but broug^ht down the actual
doors to the size required for use by elaborate
work over them. The workmanship of these
doors was often exquisite and the bronze hinges
even, were often chased in most beautiful de-
sig;ns. The carved woodwork was of the same
delicate and beautiful character.
The exquisite workmanship exhibited in the
illustration showing the doors of the sanctuary
in the Armenian church, is characteristic of Sar-
75
The Alhambra. Granada
accnic architecture, which lavished intricate and
elaborate decoration upon the building and its
tittings. The delicate piercing and embossing
of outer doors of bronze was a feature of their
art, and ^lichael Angelo may well have said
of these beautiful examples what he did of the
lironze doors of the Duomo — that they were
"worthy of being the gates of paradise."
Saracenic architecture indeed reflects the
luxuriance and splendor of Moorish power at
its zenith, as well as the culture of a people de-
voted to scholarship and learning, the romance
of chivalry and the Oriental love of color which
was its Arabian birthright.
We think of mosques and minarets in speak-
ing of the Moorish st\"le, and these were the
early features of the type. The famous mosque
of Cordova, in Spain, is the most important
example of their religious architectiu"e, with its
columned forest and the wonderful vistas of its
arched aisles. Its glory has almost vanished,
and little remains of its original grandeur. Xor
have time and fate been kinder to that "pearl
of Moorish art." the Alhambra, for most of its
delicate and enchanting decoration has been de-
faced or destroyed by vandals, though portions
were restored by Isabella, of Spain, in 1665. A
section of this famous "citadel palace" is here
illustrated, though doubtless pictures of it are
familiar to most.
Externally its towers of red brick present th''
appearance of a fortress, severe and forbidding.
It is the wonderful interior, which has been
hap])il\ likened to a casket of jewels, which
77
pives it distinction. The domed roof of one of
the halls is treated in a honeycombed stalactite
manner, nearly 5,000 pieces entering into its
construction. In the Court of Lions the light
Arabian arcades of open filigree work are sup-
ported by slender pillars of white marble. Here,
the fairy fretwork of the dome, and the slender,
fragile colonnade, are as fresh and unshaken as
if just created. The charm of the delicate orna-
mentation is enhanced by Oriental coloring of
remarkable beauty. Everywhere are evidences
of the delicate taste and artistic luxur}' of the
Aloors.
Pages could be covered with a description of
these exquisite effects, Init they are familiar to
most readers. Not so well knowm, perhaps, is
the Moorish legend of the origin of this ex-
quisite conception. Thus it runs : The great
architect had roofed the courts of the fortress
witli a plain dome, as others had done liefore
nim ; but dissatisfied, and wanting something,
ne sat praying to Allah for inspiration. Just
then a troop of slaves came dancing in, and be-
gan to pelt each other with handfuls of snow
from the great l)asketfuls brought but then from
the mountains. The snow fell on the black faces,
and la}' like wreaths of down, and on the fairer
faces it hung like ice-drops. They tossed hun-
dreds of snow-balls aloft, trying who could make
the most snow cling to the roof of the dome.
Suddenly they fled, and the good architect looked
up at the hanging tufts and pendents of snow
and smiled, for Allah had answered his pra\'cr.
78
'There Was a stern round
toWer of other days,"
— Childe Harold
79
ROMANESQUE, ARCHITEC-
TURE
W'c must now rclurn to Rome and the early
Christians, whom we left buildini;" their basilicas.
while we traced the architecture of the East.
We are now entering the historical i)eriod
known as the Dark Ages ; and the transitional
period in architecture from the basilica type of
churches to the mediaeval cathedral.
As in the far off dim past, we find the re-
ligious feeling of the peoples dominating archi-
tectural composition and the church its chief
expression. A new style of church architecture
was developing, arising from the spread of mon-
astic and ecclesiastical influence westward and
northward, which was the result j^artl}- of new
climatic and local conditions. In the forests of
the north were no ruined Grecian or Roman
temples to convert into Christian basilicas. The
monastic architect of France and Germany and
the abbey builder of England, modified the
Roman methods of style by the materials of
81
his particular territory, and the unskilled labor
at his command. The new architecture, based
upon the traditions of Rome, kept to its heavy
masonry and round arches, and added towers of
imposing strength. Naturally it received the
name of Romanesque, a term, however, which
may cover broadly many interesting buildings
showing variant features. The term Roman-
esque is used broadly to include all tliose phases
of architecture up to the thirteenth century
which were more or less based upon Roman
work. Its general character is one of great dig-
nity mingled with many picturesque features.
Speaking generally, the Romanesque type be-
gan its development in Italy in the tenth century,
extending over England and the continent in
examples of steadily increasing refinement till it
was merged in or supplanted bv the period called
Gothic ; although Gothic architecture is in reality
only the progressive development of the Roman-
esque, dependent upon the discovery of the new
principle in roofing, of ribbed vaulting, which
solved so many difficulties of the Romanesque
architects. So that under the term Romanesque
is often understood all the round-arched Gothic,
which represented a great group of churches
in Northern France before the introduction of
the true Gothic, and the Norman buildings of
England.
Roman art, j)ure and unadulterated by Byzan-
tine or Spanish influence, was the general
foundation of Romanesque Imilding. Looking
first therefore at the Italian development of
Roman building, the Gatheilral of Pisa, with its
82
St. 2eno. Verona
kaning- bell tower and eircular baptistery, is
a mucb quoted example. The cathedral facade
is of black and white marble, and is a lavish
arrangement of wall arcades and i^alleries, th.e
tendency to monotonous effect of the repeating
arches being happily overcome by skillful and
varied treatment of the different tiers. In the
tower, which is of white marble entirely, this
varied treatment is lacking; and tne constant
repetition of tiers of arcades all of equal height
from the base to the summit, is wearisome and
ugly, in spite of its wonderful construction.
Whether the obliquity of the tower was inten-
tional with the Pisan architects, or came about
in the course of construction, has been much
disputed. The total amount of inclination
from the base to the cornice is 13 feet 8 inches.
The walls at the base are 13 feet thick, at the
top about half as much, and are of solid marble.
«3
Ruskin, in his Letters, inquires of the Pisan
architect, as to why he built "his walls with the
bottom at the top and the sides squinting," and
says that he couldn't look at the north side with-
out being sea-sick. Many other people have a
similar feeling.
The old church of St. Zeno, at Verona, is an
interesting example of Italian Romanesque, the
plain surface of the facade broken by a series
of arcades filled in with slender columns, and
by arcaded corbels carved under the slopes of
the gable. In the center of the gable is a beau-
tiful rose window — a Romanesque feature — and
beneath this a projecting portico, the columns
resting upon the backs of crouching lions.
These
"Porch pillars on the lion resting,
And sombre, colonnaded aisles — "
arc typical of the Italian style of this period,
which was inclined to sternness, though elab-
orate carving over the entrance and the slight
projection of the columned arcades with their
play of light and shade, relieved the sever-
ity of the design. These arcaded galleries
are a constant feature of Italian architecture,
employed in every possible situation and some-
times, as in the case of the palaces, almost
covering the facade. St. Zeno shows also the
campanile, so important a feature of Italian
mediaeval style, occurring in connection with
most of the churches.
The beautiful twelfth century Cloisters of St.
John the Lateran, ar<' the only other examples
84
Cloisters of St. John, the Lateran
we will give of Italian Romanesque. The Lat-
eran derives its name from the rich patrician
whose palace was the site of the basilica erected
on it by the first Christian emperor, Constantine,
who labored upon it with his own hands. The
Church itself has been many times rebuilt ; but
the cloisters are as originally erected, in 1 127.
These beautiful cloistei
"Centurial shadows, cloisters of the elk" —
are formed in square bays, the vault arches en-
closing arcades in groups of five or more open-
ings. The arches are supported on exquisitely
inlaid and twisted columns, with a lovely frieze
above of colored marbles. The court thus en-
closed is a garden of roses. The beautiful,
jewel-like, mosaic decorations of the frieze, and
tjie sk'nder. marble columns richly inlaid with
85
Ar^
iiH
Notre Dame La Grande at Poiters
liands of glass mosaic in delicate and brilliant
patterns of light and dark greens and creamy
tints of pale rose, are the interesting features of
these cloisters, and the work of a family of
famous architects and sculptors of that period.
The French buildings of this period appear to
hav€ been strongh- influenced by the remains of
the temples, amphitheaters, etc., left by Roman
occupation, which were scattered through the
country. They are marked by the heavy walls,
massive round arches and decorated doorways of
these Roman types, with ornamented capitals
and sculptured enrichments borrowed directly
from classic models.
The town of Poitiers, for example, contained
many extensive Romain remains of baths and
an immense theater. The church of Notre
Dame du Poitiers is an excellent and typical ex-
86
ample of eleventh century French Romanesque.
It has a richly sculptured facade, in which the
colored lava, of which it is constructed, is used
with striking" effect. The exterior i)resents the
interesting feature of a group of small chapels
ranged round the end of the cathedral, form-
ing what the French called a chcret, the plan-
ning of which was the crowning glory of the
French mediaeval school, and the feature which
displayed conspicuously the wonderful ingenuity
and skill of French architects. To design a
simple rounding apse instead of the square end
of English churches, was easy enough, hut when
this was surrounded by an arrangement of small
chapels again, the difficulties became great.
Often these chapels around the apse produce a
crowded eft'ect, but when, as in some of the
cathedrals. onl_\- three were used, with unoccupied
bays between, the effect became beautiful.
The full development of the chcvct of which
we see the beginning in Xotre Dame du Poitiers,
will be seen in the later churches of the Gothic
])eriod.
The very interesting Romanesque structures
of Normandy, are intimately related to the Ro-
manesque period in English architecture, which
is considered at some length in the general di-
vision of English architecture.
Probably there is no more striking example
of the Romanesque period, than the great Ger-
man cathedral at Worms. It is picturesque in
outline and in mass, while the details show a
tine decorative quality of design. Its four round
towers, two large domes with a choir at each end,
87
f^ive an imposing- exterior, heightened by the
color of the red sandstone of which it is built.
The natural color of the stone appears in the
interior also, and adds to its dignitv and sini-
plicitx-. Only the lower part of the western
towers are as originally built in the eleventh cen-
tury, the other portions being added later, and
the elaborate south portal as late as the four-
teenth century.
The ornamentation of the older parts is in the
simple, almost rude, st\le of the earlv Roman-
esque, yet the whole effect is dignified and im-
posing. The arrangement of the Rhenish cathe-
dral, the picturesque grouping of octagonal tur-
rets, and the open, arcaded galleries under the
gable ends, the unusual, treatment of the openings
in the upper portion of the towers and the ar-
caded recesses of the lower walls, was extremely
decorative, and gave a special individual charac-
ter to the design.
Interesting as are these European examples, it
is in England we find the complete charm of the
Romanesque style, a style emliodying the rugged
temper of its tumultuous Xorman builders. In
the castle-like towers of Ely and Durham cathe-
drals, we shall find on English soil Roman-
esque types which suri)ass in interest even the
Xorman structures from which thev sprang.
89
"The Gothic cathedral is a blossoming in
stone, subdued by the insatiable demand of har^
many in man. The mountain of granite blooms
into an eternal flotaer, tjnith the lightness and
delicate finish of Vegetable beauty."
—Emerson,
90
GOTHIC AP^CHITE-CTUF^E
Tlic period known as the Gothic era was a time
of unparalleled activit}' and architectural crea-
tiveness.
Wonderful as we have found the ruined halls
of Karnac, the perfection of the Parthenon, the
domes of pagan Rome and the hrilliant decora-
tion of the East — the Gothic period is the very
flower of advancing civilization ; when the world
began to shake ofT the chains of ignorance and
superstition, when petty tyrants no longer held
men down with an iron hand, when all its sister
arts took on fresh inspiration, and architecture
put forth its rarest and most perfect blossom.
The suggestion of aspiration, inherent in
Gothic architecture, the tall, slender spires and
gables of the new type,
"Still climbing, luring fancy still to climb".
are the expression of a great uplift, of feelings
long pent up in the misery and hopelessness of
the dark ages.
The Gothic tyi)e is not alone the discovery of
a new constructive ])rinciplt.'. or a l)alancing of
91
thrust and connter-tlirust. It is the crystalliza-
tion of religious fervor, and of a passionate de-
votion that drifted all before it like the wind. A
great outburst of effort and a splendor of cre-
ative energy, followed the awakening of mediae-
val freedom, and the era of the great cathedral
builders is the grandest in the world's history.
Technicall}' speaking, the Gothic type was the
result of the revolution in building methods fol-
lowing the application of ribbed vaulting to the
j^rinciple of the arch.
The question of roof treatment, the question
whicli v<as the burning problem of the me-
dit-eval architects, was happily solved bv the dis-
covery of a new principle — that of ribbed vault-
ing; and it was this principle of ribbed T'a/////H_if
which produced the pointed arch, the structural
basis of the Gothic style. With this form of
construction, the roof became lighter, and could
span larger areas. The pressure being concen-
trated upon the points of support from which the
ribs spring, it was necessary only to strengthen
the wall at these points instead of making it
thick and massive throughout, and it could be
opened up in the form of windows. The walls
of Gothic cathedrals became in fact little more
than frames for the great traceried windows filled
with richly colored glass. For this reason the
Gothic cathedral has been not inaptly called "a
roof of stone with walls of glass," a felicitous de-
scription of its peculiarities. Traceried win-
dows, such a feature of Gothic architecture, those
marvels of "foliaged tracery thrcuigh slender
shafts of shapely stone" — may be l)roadly divided
92
into the geometrical ami the l]o\vini,^ The latter
division includes both the riowing- and perpendic-
ular or lancet forms in Ejigland, and the flam-
boyant in France, and all may be grouped to-
gether under the general term of Decorated. The
minute distinctions between the various modifica-
tions of these forms, as they differed in different
sections of Europe and as the details were varied
in the transitional stages when one style was be-
coming merged into the succeeding one — are too
complicated to be of interest to the general read-
er. It is sufficient to say that during the whole
period of time when the simple lancet window
was being superseded by the more confused per-
pendicular, window detail was steadily verging
toward the pure Gothic.
It is usual to consider the pointed arch the
characteristic feature of the Gothic style. But
the supplanting of the Romanesque by the Gothic
was not merely the substitution of the pointed
arch for the round. The pointed arch is really
as old as the round and is found in some of the
earliest attempts of the arch in both Greece and
Rome. It was in use b}- the Saracens long be-
fore the so-called Gothic era, and borrowed from
them by the Italians as early as the eleventh cen-
tury.
The Saracens, though using the pointed arch,
never developed a style of ornamentation in har-
mony with it; and this the architects of France
and England did. Under their skillful han.ls
grew the light, clustered pillars, the mullions and
the graceful tracery.
93
Noire Dame, Paris
French Gothic
There is no cinintry richer in architectural ex-
amples than France. While all Europe has its
Gothic gems, and England takes second rank \vitli
none in a series of mediaeval structures of un-
paralleled impressiveness, Northern France is tlu-
royal domain of the Gothic style. A series of
churches there exist within a comparatively small
radius, of incontestable superiority, and so nearly-
equal in merit that it is impossible to say which
should have the preference.
Queenly as rises the cathedral church of Our
Ladv of Paris in her gray beauty above the
housetops of the city, the spires of Chartres upon
the hilltops, and the magnificent west front of
Amiens, are powerful rivals, while a host of
smaller churches, scarce!}" less inferior, claim our
homage.
The picture of Notre Dame at Paris shows one
of the earliest French churches marked by Gothic
influences. In the middle of the twelfth century
first
"Uprose this poem of the earth and air.
This medi?eval miracle of song."
With its richly sculptured triple western portals,
immense central rose window flanked on ea:h
side by lateral, arched openings in the two great,
square towers, the lofty gallery of open arches
supporting on its delicate columns the crowning
])latform, row of twenty-eight statues filling th.e
niches over the entrances and innumerable details
of carving and ornamentation, — this famous fa-
cade remains today one of the grandest in Eu-
rope.
95
The "great grey beauty," despite her scars and
■wrinkles, joint injuries of time and man — is still
tlie queen of cathedrals. Before it suffered from
the ravages of the Revolution, Notre Dame was
compared with the Greek temple of Diana and
found more excellent. The cathedral is not, how-
ever, a pure type, but a specimen of the transition
stage from the Roman to the Gothic. Begun in
the twelfth century, the massive pillars of the
nave were set before the Crusaders brought over
the pointed arches, which rest upon th.e broad
Roman capitals intended to support round arches.
Between the sixteenth century Gothic delicacy
of detail, and the pillars of the nave, centuries in-
tervene. All great buildings are necessarily the
Vv'ork of time, and seldom is the original design
carried out in its completeness. Xotre Dame is
a marked instance of the grafting of the Gothic
type upon a Roman foundation ; the pointed upon
the circular arch.
The famous Abbev church of St. Ouen. built
in the fourteenth century in Rouen, is an inter-
esting example of French early Gothic.
Though the theory of Gothic design was com-
pletely understood in France a century earlier,
there was a continual progression toward lighter
pillars and larger window surface, with rich
geometrical tracery. The Gothic of this century
has more resemblance to the English, with much
the same treatment. St. Ouen was one of the
few churches begun and com|)leted in one cen-
tury, and has therefore more unity of design than
most of the great buildings. In .^t. Ouen we
lia-.e an instance of the lantern feature introduced
96
Church of St. Ouen, R.ouen
on French cathedrals and which took the place
of a central tower. The row of six small chap-
els along- the side walls, between the buttresses,
is another feattire peculiar to French cathedrals
of the fourteenth century. Each chapel has its
pyramidal roof and each its large window. Small
chai)cls also circle the apse at the east end. Such
an arrangement of cha])els with fixing buttresses
on several stages rising from among them, is
called a chevct, and presents a most picturesque
and striking appearance. Some of these churches
seem indeed to be a perfect forest of flying Init-
tresses, pinnacles and spires.
The graceful church of Sainte Chapelle at Paris
may be instanced as a fine example of first pointed
construction in France and one of the earliest
churches where stained glass is found in its per-
97
St. Chapelle, Paris
fcction. iJesides the great rose window over the
entrance, the side walls are but frames for pic-
tures of glass, which it must be confessed oft ob-
scure "With painted saints and paraphrase of
God" not only "The soul's east window of divine
surprise" — but the natural eyesight itself.
A French cathedral rarely shows to such ad-
vantage as the English of the same style, because
of its situation in the heart of cities, crowded
and jostled b}- other buildings, so that much of
its beauty of outline lielow the roof is lost.
Of somewhat later date is the church of St.
Maclou, built also in Rouen, and wdiile hardly
rising to the dignity of St. Ouen, is justly cele-
brated for the beauty of its stained glass and its
organ loft, reached by a beautiful open staircase.
The building is not large, built of stone laid up
in a curiously irregular manner. It is said, in-
deed, that all the countryside round Rouen came
"to give votes for God
Each vote a block of stone securelv laid
Obedient to the master's deep-mused plan."
St. ]\Iaclou is a fine instance of the extreme
development of tracery as a principal architec-
tural feature, and of the slenderness of con-
struction which may be said to have reached its
utmost tenuousness in the fourteenth centurv.
Further, it could scarce be carried though be-
coming more general. The slender gables over
the arches of St. Maclou are mere triangles of
tracery, as delicate as window tracery, onlv not
filled with glass. Designed exactly as window
tracery is designed, they have an equal value as
ornamentation, and are unsur]iassed even l)y the
99
lace work of the Alhanibra in their pecuHar
charm. The staircase to the organ loft before
alluded to is ornamented with extremely delicate
sculptured designs of later date, w'hich are as
rich in fancy and as delicate in execution as an
Oriental ivory.
The beautiful rood screen of the church of La
Madeleine, at Troyes, is of later date than the
church itself, and is an illustration of the late
fifteenth ccntur\" (lOthic which received the name
Church of St. Maclou, Rouen
of "flamboyant," from the flame-like shapes into
which the tracery of the heads of windows was
thrown. While this form of Gothic is far from
being- as dignified or refined as the late English
CJothic, and exuberant richness of detail was car-
ried to extreme lengths both in decoration and
100
Screen of the Madeleine, Troyes
general design, there are many instanecs which
shiow a trul}- artistic feeUng.
In the choir of St. ]\Iadeleine we have one of
these instances ; for though over-florid, with none
of the restfuhiess of great architecture, it is a
brilHant and rich piece of decoration.. It may be
said that St. Madeleine is perhaps one of the best
productions of the gay and meretricious style of
the flamboyant period, a style which relied wholly
upon ornament for effect, and not upon design.
In France, as has been said, we find
"The minister's vast repose
Silent and gray as forest-leaguered clifT,"
rising from the heart of bustHng city life, in con-
trast with English seclusion. Again, in com-
paring French with English Gothic, we find the
French cathedrals distinguished for their lofty
vaulting, while the English churches are longer
and lower. One reason for this difference is that
many of tlie English churches were enlarged and
101
worked over from the original building in the
Romanesque style, not primarily intended for a
cathedral, but an abbey church attached to a mon-
astery. They have quiet surroundings, and while
less ambitious in design, the greater mass and
lower height, permit such pictorial effects as the
lofty spire of Salisbury and the central tower
of Lincoln. Such effects were impossible on the
lofty French cathedral which was designed for
interior spectacular eft'ect.
Besides these noted examples, there are many
smaller and scarcely inferior. Nor was the Goth-
ic expression of the art in France confined to
cathedrals. In some of the towns fine specimens
of the later Gothic houses are still to be seen with
their high gables and steep over-hanging roofs,
moulded beams and brackets, picturesque and in-
teresting.
ITALIAN GOTHIC.
It is impossible not to feel that the Gothic of
Italy is as a stranger in a far country. The
Italians never took kindly to the style, which
they regarded as the production of Goths and
barbarians. It was, moreover, not in harmony
with their classic traditions nor with their cli-
mate or building materials. While, therefore,
some Italian Gothic possesses much charm, it
never achieved the same brilliant success as in
Northern France and England.
In Italy, the use of the pointed arch was ac-
cepted as an unpleasant necessity but with no en-
thusiasm. They constructed pointed arches, it is
true, but with such ill grace that they would
102
scarce have stood for a cla\- 1)ut for the iron rods
that held them tot;etlier ; and their window trac-
eries are hut indifferent copies of Northern ex-
amples. In the period when the Gothic style
was almost exclusively practiced in Northern Eu-
rope the Italians made but little progress in it,
and gladly responded to the first bugle call of
the Renaissance. The Italians never really un-
derstood the Gothic style and so never cared for
it ; they never let go of their round arches and
their love of color.
Still there were some Gothic beauties pro-
duced, and the queen of them is easily the beau-
tiful Campanile, or bell tower, of the Florence
cathedral, which Ruskin said was so perfect that
it ought to be kept in a glass case. In the or-
derly proportion of its lines, accurately adjusted,
and unbroken vertical ef^'ect, it is perhaps un-
<?qualled, though the cathedral cannot be said to
be a complete composition, taken as a whole.
Originally designed as a Gothic structure, the
cathedral, whose general lines are on that order,
is crowned by a dome modeled after the Roman
Pantheon. The exterior of the Duomo itself
is of red, green and white marble, arranged
in panels. The cathedral was two hundred
years in building, and for a long time it
was supposed the diameter of space was too
great to vault. The lofty dome, nideed, was
added two hundred years after the commence-
ment of the building, and from it Michael Angelo
modeled the great dome of St. Peter's at Rome.
It is said that when he left Florence to go to
Rome for that purpose, he looked back tenderly
103
II Duomo, Florervce
to his beloved Duomo. and cried out: "A larger
dome I may build, perhaps ; but one more beau-
tiful I never can." "II Duomo," as the cathedral
is always called, is considered the most beautiful
church in Italy. The walls are adorned external-
ly with inlays of colored marbles and windows
have stained glass — a rare thing in Italy.
The campanile of Italian churches is altogether
(lififerent from the Ijell towers of other lands.
It almost never forms a part of the church edifice
proper, but is usually quite detached and fre-
quently placed at an angle with the main walls.
The tower of II Duomo is covered with panels
of variously colored marbles, from its base to
its summit, and enriched with sculpture. Slight-
ly projecting piers at the corners increase the
appearance of strength. The windows are not
large in the lower stories : but in the upper story
104
each face of the tower is i)icrce(l Ijy a magnificent
triple window.
It was intended in the original plan to termi-
nate the tower with a spire, hut a deep and elabo-
rate cornice crowns it instead. Longfellow's trib-
ute to this campanile is so beautiful that we
give it here :
"In the old Tuscan town stands Giotto's tower,
The Lily of Florence blossoming in stone. —
A vision, a delight and a desire —
The builder's perfect and centennial flower.
That in the night of ages bloomed alone."
As compared with the churches of Northern
Europe, Italian Gothic churches were smaller and
simpler, and .retain many features of the basilica
tyj^e from which they sprung. Xor do the in-
teriors resemble Xorthern Gothic, consisting of a
large hall only, with a chancel for the choir.
In secular buildings, the Gothic architects made
frequent use of an inner, arcaded quadrangle, and
relied ujion these cloistered arches for their prin-
cipal effects. The famous arcade of the Doge's
Palace at X'enice is the single instance of "ex-
ternal arcades, which are so splendid as to be
alone sufficient to make the building famous.
The upper part is carried on a~ pillared gal-
lery by means of a novel but very successful
modification of Gothic window tracery, which
would seem too massive but for its manifest pur-
pose and intention. This unusual application of
decoration resulted in the most successful piece
of civic architecture in Europe, and one which
has been widely copied.
Like all the A'enetian palaces, it rises straight
from
"The level, quivering line
Of.-ih.e water's crystalline."
105
Bk.
c
without a Ijrcak nr projcctidii of anv sort, since
thfv ninst admit of j^ondolas coiniui;- strai.yht un-
der the wall.
This beautiful palace presents two fronts, one
facing the sea. and the other looking over the
lagoon. About half the height of each front i^i
:omposed of two series of arcades.
"\\'in(lows just with windows mating,
I )fX)r on door exactly waiting."
— Browning.
The lower story is bold, but simple and strong,
the upper lighter and terminating in a mass of
tracery. The walls above are faced with alternate
slabs of white and rose-colored marble, are
pierced In- large, pointed windows, and crowned
by a parapet. The colonnades are of solid Istrian
limestone, a very beautiful cream-colored stone of
extremely fine and close texture and taking a
high polish. Though not really a marble, this
stone has all the beauty of the finest white marble,.
and turns a lovel}- golden russet color with age.
Its extremely fine grain permits the beautiful
carving of cameo-like delicacy, which is profuse-
ly lavished over the whole facade. The carving
of all the capitals is very elaborate. In front of
the west or sea facade are placed two great mono-
liths of Egyptian granite, one red, the other grev,
which were brought as trophies to A'enice in the
twelfth century. Vroui between these pillars sen-
tences of death were read in those ages of Vene-
tian craft and crueltw The whole building is en-
riched with sculptured statues of great beaut'%
and makes an ineffaceable imjDression.
The Gothic palaces were arrau'^'-ed and designed
1C7
chiefly for a front view, as the houses standing
in rows side by side were only observed in front.
A large proportion of the openings were grouped
together in front, while balconies, corner-win-
dows and other minor features invested these
Venetian houses with great interest.
The walling of these old palaces was always of
fine brick, usually of a beautiful red color, but
though so beautiful, it was seldom left exposed,
but covered with a veneer of marble slabs or else
coated with stucco profusely ornamented.
The abundance of beautiful colored and costly
marbles thus used gave the X'enetian buildings a
wealth of magnificent color that is found no-
where else in the modern world. The facades of
the Venetian palaces were entirely covered with
these splendidly colored marbles, and in addi-
tion, an even greater splendor was given by gold
and color decoration. One can but recall the
citv of Irak, in the Arabian Nights, whose walls
were built of alternating bricks of silver and gold.
Frequently, all of the sculpture enrichment on
the more magnificent palaces, both frieze, panels
and capitals, was thickly covered with gold leaf,
the flat ground being colored a deep ultramarine
blue, so as to throw the relief into greater prom-
inence. The less pretentious houses were cov-
ered with a fine, hard stucco, and this surface was
brilliantly decorated in color, especially blue,
which they used lavishly. Often the entire sur-
face was covered with a minute diaper pattern in
red, yellow and brown ochres, as in the case of
the upper story of the Doge's Palace.
Their employment of color is indeed so lavish
109
Bell Tower, Cathedral at Siena
as to startle the eye accustomed to the grey som-
breness of EngHsh architecture. But it is part
of the southern style, and their more restrained
use of moldings is probably an offset to the mo-
saics and frescoes that cover the wall surfaces.
Then, too, the fineness of the white marlilc sur-
face upon which the Italian sun makes the small-
est molding cfifective, tends to greater flatness of
treatment. This flatness, it was the effort of the
colorist to overcome, the decoration of the vari-
ous moldings having the effect of bringing them
into more prominent relief from the main sur-
face.
In modern times these old houses, while ex-
ternally preserving; their magnificence, are, most
of them, whited sepulchres of decay inside. They
are made to do duty as apartments, and six
110
floors arranged where formerly there were three,
and one window made to light two rooms. The
magnificent saloon is cut up into several small
rooms, and the walls covered with cheap
paper instead of the magnificent paintings of tlx-
past. The doors and windows refuse to shut,
and neglect and decay take the place of the old
stateliness and grandeur. The floors, of marhle
or brick or terrasso, are very cold, and unless the
brick is painted, the red brick dust that covers
them is very disagreeable. The tcrraszo floors
made by imbedding bits of colored stone and
marble in a thick layer of plaster, are very good
and pleasing.
In that oldest of Etruscan cities, Siena, where
the Italian sun
"Touches the Tuscan hills with golden lance" —
stands a fine specimen of pointed Gothic, the
Communal Palace in the Piazza del Campo. It
was designed by noted Italian architects of the
thirteenth century and is built of white marble,
with occasional courses of dark gray or black
marble. The light and elegant tower soaring from
one side of the palace, was added a century later,
and is striped like the church, in alternate black
and white marble. A rich and delicately arcaded
gallery binds the tower to the church on each
side.
The roofs of buildings which the Gothic style
in other countries made steep and sharply pitched,
in Italy, even in the Gothic period, remained flat,
often finished with a parapet, either plain or orna-
mental, which quite concealed it. Xor did they
emulate the Northern Gothic architect in the
II 1
Cathedral at Burgos
threat traceried windows of which he was so fond,
filled with brilliant stained glass. The bright-
ness of the Italian sunlight made this feature
unattractive to them, and tended to keep Italian
Gothic essentially different from other nations.
Still the great artistic taste of the Italian char-
acter has furnished many instances of softened,
refined and beautified Gothic, which are well
worth careful study.
SPANISH GOTHIC
The early Gothic work of Spain was developed
directly from the Romanesque, and shows much
purity and dignity. It can hardly be said, how-
ever, to possess a national character, as its archi-
tects were almost universally foreigners and
brought with them their local characteristics.
Strange to say, the Saracenic school of art,
which was concurrent in Spain through the
greater part of the Gothic period, appeared to
leave little impress upon Gothic buildings. The
Moors built their famous mosques and the palace
of the Alhambra alongside — chronologically
speaking — of the Gothic cathedrals of Milan
and Seville. In the parts of the country where
the Moors held sway, Gothic architecture ob-
tained no footing ; but there were many portions
of Spain never conquered by the Moors, and here
some very interesting Gothic buildings were
erected. "In old Castile" we find the most noted
example of Spanish Gothic, in the cathedral at
Burgos. The cathedral was begun in 1221, but
not finished till 300 \ears later.
113
i^ -^ ''-v««?RP".,-Z!7^*^-B
La Giralda, with view of the Alcazar, Seville.
The view shows the two towers of the western
facade with their openwork spires and the richlv
treated "lantern" in tiie background. The ca-
thedral ai)proaches very closely to the French
type of Gothic, having an effective horizontal
termination of arcades over the central portion
on the lines of the facade of Notre Dame, Paris.
The Ix'autifnl openwork tracery of the spires is
worthy of special attention.
Burgos is steeped in Spanish romance ; and
an interesting bit of it in connection with tlie
cathedral is the famous coffer of the Cid, which
is here kejjt in a groined and vaulted chamber.
Whetlier the sand with which he filled it when
he bargained with the Jev.- still weighs it down,
tradition saith not. Perhaps, of all that
"Fair land of chivalry, the old domain
Land of the vine and olive, lovely Spain" —
no part is more steeped with romance and the
glamor of the past than Seville. On the banks
of the Guadalquivir, famed in song and story, is
tliis old Castilian town, so long under Arab rule,
tliat even now the aspect of the town is essen-
tially Moorish. Seville contains treasures of art
and architecture, which are of special interest.
The great cathedral of Seville is second only to
St. Peter's, and larger than Cologne.
At the northeast corner of the cathedral stands
La Giralda, a bell tower of Moorish origin, 275
feet in height, and a most interesting example of
the Moorish-Gothic t3-pc of building met with in
some parts of Spain. The town is of Moorish
origin, the lower 185 feet having been built in the
twelfth century by the Arab chieftain, Yusuf.
115
I PQ
The original Moorish fountain in the court\ar<I
below is still preserved. The upper Dart and the
belfry were added three hundred \ears later bv
the Spaniards, as also the bronze statue sur-
mounting; it. The exterior is incrusted with del-
icate Aloorish detail, and is quite the finest speci-
men of pseudo -Moorish-Gothic in Spain. As the
eye is uplifted to this beautiful tower —
"Illuminate seclusion swung- in air" —
the wonder grows^ that such finished grace of
execution could have been the work of a race
we are accustomed to think of as barbarians —
the wild and warlike IMoors. La Giralda itself
is a massive, square, rose-colored tower, diapered
with fretwork and relieved l)y light balconies.
The solid, grey base and graceful superstructure
impart a mingled feeling of stability and light-
ness.
The foreground of the picture is occupied bv
a portion of the Alcazar of Seville, a palace ex-
celled in beauty and interest only by the Alham-
bra, but greatly injured by Charles Mil in his
zeal for alterations. Restorations in later times
have in a measure restored the Moorish work of
which it is now a very fine example.
BELGIAN AND GERMAN GOTHIC
The architecture of Belgium is essentiallv Ger-
man in spirit, both the general style and detail
all showing the same Teutonic character. Both
Belgium and Germany borrowed their Gothic
from France. Belgium coming most under French
influence by reason of its close proximity.
117
Cathedral at Cologne
I he richlv treated town halls of P.cjoiuni are
-nterestin;; sul.jects, well worth the attention
The general aspect of these iniildings is nohle and
hold m the mass and rich in ornament. The fa-
"H.us Town Hall of i5russcls offers an excellent
ilhistration of IJel-ic fifteenth centurv Gothic
The possession of a "helfry" was an important
privile-e of the mediaeval Belgian town, and the
tower at Brussels is one of the finest of these bel-
fries. The tower is set noblv into the buildin-
and Its angles are marked by slender turrets.
The main building presents several stories the
lower one carrying an open arcade and the two
upper filled with fine windows and profusely dec-
orated with statuary. The steep roof carries up
the eye to a lofty ridge and is crowded wit!i
dormer wmdows in several tiers.
The belfry tower rises from the center and is
finished by a richly ornamented spire. The gabl
ends are adorned by recessed arches and b^•''p^n-
nacles, but the long side of the building is con-
sidered of chief importance.
The Gothic style in Germanv is largely intlu-
enced by the national character. It bears general
points of resemblance to French and En-lish
(^othic. but no more, and except for one or\wo
glorious exceptions it is impossible to treat it
with the enthusiasm inspired by the beautiful ex-
amples described. The German medi.xval arch-
itect delighted in towers an.l spires, and plenty
of them. These spires became extremely elab-
orate and consisted almost wholly of ojxmi trac-
ery. Their ornamentation was jirofuse but rare-
ly elegant. There was a tendency to cover all
e
119
surfaces with many lines and intricate and un-
meaning tracery, more confusing- than pleasing.
The value of the plain surfaces as contrasts to the
openings was often destroyed by a superfluitv
of mouldings and ornaments of various sorts.
The later Gothic work of Germany is far less
attractive than the earlier when German Gothic
bore a close resemblance to the French. Th.e
n:agnificent Cologne cathedral, the greatest
Gothic cathedral of Germany is an illustration of
tliis rcsemljlance, and has been styled the "grown-
u]i daughter of Amiens."
The plan of Cologne is one of the most regular
and symmetrical of the mediaeval cathedrals, and
lias been carried out with scarcely any deviation
from the original plan, though it has never been
completely finished. The structure is of stone,
vaulted throughout and surrounded by a forest
of flying buttresses with spires. Through
centuries
"The stone to conscious beauty grew"
in the building of this wonderful cathedral.
The magnificent boldness of the design and its
orderly regularity, with the delicacy and beauty
of the tracery, have caused it to be ranked as
the queen of Gothic cathedrals, though its uni-
form color gives it a somewhat cold and unin-
teresting appearance to many. This coldness of
color has, however, been greatl}- relieved by the
numerous beautiful windows presented to the
cathedral at vari(Uis times.
120
"^he hasty multitude admiring entered:
and the Work, some praise, and some the ar-
chitect."
—Milton.
121
RENAISSANCE. AKCHITEC=
TUKE
The mediaeval era saw the development of that
"miracle of song"," the Gothic type of architec-
ture to its greatest perfection. A change, how-
ever, was coming over the restless spirits of men,
and new fashions in buildings as in other things
were imminent.
Under the more favorable conditions of social
life as the pall of medijeeval ignorance and su-
perstition lifted and the iron hand of despotism
relaxed, men in general awakened from their stu-
pefied condition, and letters and culture were
revived. The study of Greek and Latin became
the fashion, bringing with it a knowledge of the
Greek classic design, in use centuries before.
The strain of old blood, the devotion of their
ancestors to classic ideas, reappeared in these
sixteenth century Italians, and they sprang back
into the forms of fifteen centuries earlier.
The Renaissance style is, therefore, a mixture
of Greek and Roman forms, in which both the
Greek lintel and the Roman form appear ; in
122
which the culuuin is freely intro(kiced, but rather
as an enibelHshmcnt than structurally. That is,
the columns could be removed, and the struc-
ture still stand.
Tne plan of buildings became uniform and
symmetrical, as the picturesqueness of the Gothic
was abandoned. The architrave and pediment
were constantly employed, with classic porticoes,
and small pediments over windows. Lofty pilas-
ters, running through two and even more stories
of a building, were introduced by a noted Italian
architect, Palladio, who combined the dififerent
orders in the most daring manner, and who was
imitated by a host of less skillful designers with
disastrous results.
Openings were both square and semicircular
at the top, and much attention was given to the
treatment of windows, which in the facades of
the Italian palaces or wealthy houses were ad-
mirably disposed for effect.
In general the roof was low, the parapet alone
often forming the sky line, the pediment and the
dome being depended upon for effectiveness in
outline. The dome was, in fact, the crowning
feature of Renaissance architecture.
The sculpture of the Gothic period was but
little used on exteriors, except in the greatly de-
based form of the seventeenth century ; the archi-
tects relying upon richly colored marbles, molded
tracery and arcades, for the splendor of their
facades. The constant use of the column for
decorative as well as constructive purposes was
characteristic. They used it in the jambs of
doorways and in the place of the mullion in trac-
123
criid windows. Tliey relieved llie harshness of
angles l)y employing columns as ornaments and
in many other ways. The doorways were often
very beautiful, and sometimes sheltered by ele-
gant and graceful porticoes. Round-headed
oj)enings were ranged alongside pointed ones,
l)Oth being used in the same building.
Balustrades were employed in various situa-
tions, most conmionly on upper stories before
windows or as parapets on the tops of buildings.
Pilasters were much used, in fact, almost taking
the place of columns on some buildings, and
fluted like columns. They are composed with
bases and capitals likewise, and support entabla-
tures just as columns do, being often used as an
excuse for appl\-ing an entablature.
It is seen, therefore, that symmetry, uniform-
ity and constant repetition, are leading principles
in Renaissance design, which admits both of sim-
plicity and elaboration. The earlier and purer
examples are marked by the former, while
grandiose effects characterize the later period.
The most conspicuous example of Italian Re-
naissance is, of course, the church of St. Peter's
at RoTne. It was intended to surpass any cathe-
dral in Europe, and in vastness at least the proj-
ect was carried out, though the tremendous scale
of the building fails of entire appreciation, ow-
ing to the front facade cutting off the lower part
of the great dome, so that to form a just idea of
the magnitude of the building it is necessary to
view it from the rear.
It was said by Goethe of St. Peter's, that "In
tiiis church one learns how art as well as nature
125
can set aside every standard of measurement."
But all authorities are not agreed as to the no-
lileness of the resulting product. On the one
liand observers go into raptures of delight and
bestow on St. Peter's the foremost place in eccle-
siastical structures ; while many critics consider
it distinguished not more by its magnitude than
by its deformities, and the total absence of har-
mony in the connecting parts, "while gorgeous-
ness and poverty are the characteristics of its
detail."
It is universally agreed, however, that archi-
tecture has never produced a more magnificent
object than the wonderful dome, which was Mi-
chael Angelo's masterpiece and the realization
of his boast that "he would take the dome of the
Pantheon and hang it in mid-air." The last
eighteen years of his life were spent in creating
this wonderful dome, a work of the greatest
teauty of design and boldness of construction.
He did not live, however, to complete the gen-
eral design, and the present basilica is the result
of centuries of work by many artists, each to
some extent undoing the work of his predecessor,
and to a great extent destroying the simplicity of
the original grand design.
The magnificent dome, which is the chief glory
of the exterior, is also the redeeming feature of
the interior, its sublime concave adorned by beau-
tiful frescoes from the same great master. The
impressiveness of the massive piers and arches
and prodigious vaulting, is marred by the inap-
propriate and mixed character of the decorations,
wliicli include every period of the Italian Rcnais-
126
The Farrvese Palace, R.ome
sance, and arc utterly out of place in a sacred
building.
The Farmese Palace, also at Rome, is to
the last degree an orderly and regular Renais-
sance composition, executed in brick walling,
with travertine dressings taken from the Colosse-
um. Columned pilasters appear as frames to
the windows, which have shallow pediments as
headings. The angles of the building are rusti-
cated, and there is a great height of unpierced
wall above each story of windows, and each story
is marked by well defined string courses. The
whole is crowned by a bold and highly enriched
cornice which was a special feature of the design
and an unusual one at Rome.
The building is a dignified and impressive
mass, and a fine example of the noble, palatial
mansions erected in the sixteenth century, before
the jirinciplcs of Roman architecture were turned
127
St. Mark's Library at Venice
toi)sy turvy b;.' laUr architects. The l^anicse
]'alace is considered to be in ^Michael Angelo's
best and most restrained style.
The next g^reat sroiip of Renaissance l)uil(hn;j:s
is to be fountl at \'enice, wliere the style for a
long- time, however, retained many Gothic ele-
ments. As time went on, these were lost si;"ht
of, and the st}le matured into one of great rich-
ness, not to say ostentation.
Facing the Ducal Palace, on the west side of
St. Alark's Scjuarc, is the beautiful Library of St.
Mark, the work of a prominent sixteenth cen-
tury \'enetian architect, and considered l)y many
the finest thing of its time. The superb front
which faces the square is repeated on the facade
facing the sea. The design of this facade has
been rather closely followed in some nineteenth
century buildings, notably the Carlton Club front.
Pall Mall, London.
The main motive is seen in tbe entablatures
over engaged columns of 1>.e Doric order in the
lower story and Ionic in the upper, combined
with an arrangement of arcades between the col-
umns, the spaces so filled with beautiful sculp-
tured reliefs that almost no plain wall surface is
visible. The upper story repeats the design of
the lower and the entablatures are profusely en-
riched.
In the second story the Ionic columns are
raised upon pedestals, and the smaller impost col-
umns on each side, from which the arches spring,
are raised likewise. The wide frieze — three feet
in width — of the entablature above these columns
is thickly set with beautiful sculptured reliefs.
129
Even the volutes of the capitals are filled with
foliage, and the keystones of both arcades repre-
sent sculptured heads, lion and human heads
alternating.
Though modern ideas have reacted from the
decorated facade, and inclined to plain, severe
treatment, it is impossible to view these master-
pieces of European architecture without feeling
the impressiveness of elaborate carving upon im-
portant buildings. It cannot be denied that these
beautiful examples of ancient art belong to a
higher and nobler order of architecture than our
plain, undecorated buildings.
St. Mark's Library is beautifully proportioned,
and the use of order over order with large arched
voids in the spaces between the columns pro-
duces a fine pictorial effect. The parapets and
statues crowning the top of the facade are in
the style of the period. The later Renaissance
architects, however, made but little use of
statuary, and even sculptures became rare ex-
cept for the fantastic and inferior decoration of
the gilded Rococo style, so marked a contrast
with the delicate and refined sculpture of the early
Renaissance.
The period of Italian style just alluded to, and
known as the Rococo style, was a debased appli-
cation of Renaissance principles. It consisted of
exaggerated and badly designed detail, columns
placed in front of pilasters and cornices made to
break around them. Other features are broken
and curved pediments and twisted shafts of col-
umns. Excessive ornnmcntation without regard
130
to fitness or suitability and much gilding were
characteristics of the interiors.
The series of beautiful palaces and villas which
were erected in Florence, the suburbs of Rome,
and along the Grand Canal in \'enice, bear the
impress of a high order of artistic design.
The severe Florentine palaces belonging to the
early period of the style, displayed much plain
wall surface, and the classic orders were used in
a restricted, unobtrusive way and with pilasters
in preference to columns. They were the work of
the famous Florentine, Bramante, and are dis-
tinguished for great dignity and impressiveness.
At Venice, an almost endless series of palaces
and houses are to be seen, all of them rich, though
not of great size, for land was costly. The Ducal
Palace on the Grand Canal has been already re-
ferred to, which while embodying Gothic ele-
ments was rebuilt in part in the Renaissance
spirit. The marble front of the facade facing
the inner covirt is a wilderness of elegant carving,
statues, wreaths, columns, delicately wrought
balustrades and beautiful bas-reliefs. The panel-
ing of the great outer staircase is of beautifully
wrought marble of every hue, and everywhere
decoration is lavished with a prodigal hand.
In the architecture of these \'enetian palaces
one sees first a row of Corinthian columns up-
holding a richly ornamented frieze, while Gothic
arches form an arcade within the pillars and are
repeated in the second story.
The difference in style between the severe and
simple stateliness of the buildings in Florence
and Rome and the exquisite delicacy of \"enice
131
Villa Medici, near Rome
is a noticeable feature. The beautifully carved
balconies and cornices of the latter, with their
rows of arcaded windows, are familiar pictures.
It seems passing strange that the Italian Re-
naissance architect, while laying so much stress
upon the use of the classic orders, should have
ignored completely the stately Greek portico,
which is scarcely known in the Italian national
architecture, though widely adopted in other
countries by architects practicing the Italian style.
In the Villa Medici there is a suggestion of in-
sulated columns in the entrance, but they are so
meager and so widely set as to produce a weak
effect not in keeping with the imposing front of
tlic building.
132
As the ancient Roman i)atrician liad his villa
outside the city walls, so the wealthy Italian no-
bles oi the middle centuries built themselves
pleasure houses in the suburbs. The Villa Aledici
on the Pincian Hill, near Rome, inay be illustrated
as among- the most architecturally worthy out of
the many suburban villas of Rome. The "hill
of gardens and villas," as Ovid calls the Pincian,
so thickly was it set with the old Roman pleasure
places, was a favorite location for the villas of
the -talian Renaissance, and the Pincian Hill,
the site of the ]Medici Villa, is now, as then,
the favorite promenade of the Roman aristoc-
racy. There may be seen "a fashionable halo
of sunsets and pink parasols," in the broad
walks and drives of the terraces, and far in the
distance a silver line marks the sea melting into
the horizon.
Here in the days of imperial Rome was the
famous villa of Lucullus, where he gave his cele-
brated feast to Cicero and Pompey, for which he
ordered the menu by merely mentioning to a slave
that he would dine that night in the hall of Apol-
lo. The banquet is said to have cost a sum equal
to $10,000.
How extensive were these ancient villas
we may conjecture from Pliny's description
of his own, in which he describes forty-six
rooms. Pie tells us of dressing rooms with
hot and cold water, swimming ])ools and plunges,
bathrooms with suites, porticoes and galleries,
and a large pleasure place enclosed by plane trees
and vines, with fountains and marble summer-
houses. The Renaissance architects prided them-
133
selves on accuralcl} cop_\ini; all these features
of their patrician ancestors, and their villas have
served as models in all other lands where wealth
has attempted poetic surrounding's. Not a few
modern American country seats are copied from
these Italian models.
The Villa Aledici fronts on a beautiful garden,
its facade — said to have been the design of
Michael Angelo — richly adorned with panels,
and niches nlled with classic carvings excavated
from the ruins of old Roman temples. The
brilliancy of its yellow walls is relieved by the
white marble panels and softened by the shadows
cast by the wings and the portico.
The Mlla Madama was another of the crea-
tions of Italian Renaissance. Though the build-
ing as it now stands consists of only the eastern
loggia and adjoining rooms, the decorations of
this interior have made it famous.
The Villa Madama is situated upon the slopes
of the Monte Mario, one of the highest and bold-
est of the hills lying- about Rome. A winding
carriage road brings one to this now deserted
villa, an architectural gem built from designs by
Raffaelle. The neglected halls contain beautiful
frescoes and arabesques, by celebrated artists of
the period, which fortunately have been engraved
before being hopelessly lost. The frescoes con-
sist of a series of beautiful pictures representing
the sports of Satyrs and their loves, while a deep
frieze on one of the deserted chambers still shows
angels, flowers, caryatides, etc. The entire sur-
face of the walls, pilasters and vaulting, are cov-
ered with decoration in i)laster relief and in
135
fresco. One pilasicr. for inslaiicc, is carved all
over witli ears of wheat, some standing- upright,
some gracefully drooping. Another is covered
with a network of strawberry leaves, interspersed
with birds in difierent positions. These reliefs
h.ave all the charm of free-hand work, though
i:i reality they were executed from moulds.
Raffael, painter and sculptor, was also an
architect of distinction, a i)upil of the best of
Florentine architects — liramante. The architect
of the Mlla Madama was a pupil of Rafifaelle's
in turn, hence the charming frescoes. The Mlla
>.iadama was designed to reproduce the features
of a Roman villa in the Renaissance style, and is
the perfection of simple beauty in the Doric style
even in its ruined condition. The recessed and
arcaded facade facing the garden is especially
beautiful. It is impossible to convey in words,
th.e charm of these remains of an art and a social
life long since passed away. lUU they are still
fruitful models and an inspiration to the archi-
tect of everv asfe.
FRENCH RENAISSANCE.
Xot till the new style had become well estal)-
lished in the land of its birth did it reach France,
nor was it there received with much acclaim.
Xot easily did French architects let go of their
beloved Gothic vaults, ilying buttresses and trac-
eried windows, and even when Renaissance fea-
tures began to appear, the Gothic forms and prin-
ciples were retained, producing a transitional
137
style, in which steep roofs and lofty towers were
mingled with rows of arcades and mullioned
Gothic windows with Renaissance pilasters, and
"statues, motley as man's memory.''
The reigning- monarch of the sixteenth century
was Francis I., noted for his literary and artistic
acquirements. The Italian style appealed to him
and he made it fashionable. The buildings of this
early Renaissance were chiefly chateaux for the
nobility, and it is probable that the picturesque
country environment of these dwellings or castle-
houses had an influence in the retaining of so
many Gothic features. Unlike the Roman and
Venetian palaces where the facade alone was of
chief importance, these noblemen's houses were
seen from every side, and accordingly picturesque
effects were more sought than regularity. This
phase of architecture is illustrated in the famous
Chateaux of Blois — an immense castle, parts of
which were executed in three different periods of
French architecture. The exterior of the early
part shows extreme picturesqueness of outline
almost amounting to wildness ; while on the side
fronting the inner quadrangle, in the early Re-
naissance period, the parts are designed symmet-
rically. Both the individual features of the wing
and their combination are graceful and pleasing.
The elegance of some of the carvings is unsur-
passed ; the beautiful shell ornament which is
such a feature of Venetian decoration being freely
employed. The rich, crowning cornice, and the
dormers are elaborately carved, as also the shafts
of alternate columns of the arcade. Pilasters are
introduced between square, mullioned windows in
138
each story of tlic facade. The brick walls are
profusely dressed with stone at the angles and
around the openings. The dormers, high and
sharply pointed, have little pilasters and rose w'in-
dows in the center of the gables.
These French chateaux, which are in truth
irregular Gothic castles with a coating of Renais-
sance detail, are among the most interesting ex-
amples of the architecture of the early French
Renaissance.
Many of the most interesting chateaux of this
period are to be found in the southern part of
France and are subjects of special interest and
admiration to travelers. Meantime another style
was making headway, as Italian architects were
imported to superintend buildings constructed
after Italian classic design. These imported ar-
chitects were responsible for the earlier buildings,
notably the palace of Fontainebleau, on which
three or four Italian architects were engaged,
among them the celebrated Vignola, who appears
to have had a more correct taste than perhaps
any other Italian architect of the sixteenth cen-
tury. The best part of French Renaissance was
due to his influence, and in his designs we find a
more modest use of the orders, a limitation of one
order of columns or pilasters to each story, rather
than the extravagances of the later French school.
The plan at Fontainebleau appears, however, to
have been extremely irregular, and it is chiefly in-
teresting for the sumptuousness of its interiors.
one of which is here presented.
The gables and dormers which had so persist-
ently held their own now gave way to pediments
139
^QJ^
and Ixilustradcs. Vertical couplinij of windows
replace the Gothic nmllions, with horizontal en-
tablatures. The roofs remain high in French
architecture, and that peculiarly French feature,
the Mansard roof, was introduced at this period.
These high roofs allowed of dormers, a feature
quite unknown to Italian Renaissance, and these
dormers were treated with classic details, such as
pilasters and arched or broken pediments sur-
mounted by carved figures. Columns were used,
each story having its own order. Sculpture was
much employed in external enrichment, and
though often luxuriant, is usually in good taste.
Interiors of lavishly decorated wood and stucco,
treated in white and gold, were a feature of the
later French style in the Louis AlV. period, in
place of the carved wood paneling of the Gothic
period and of the early Renaissance. In France,
gilding and mirrors took the place of the stucca
work and costly mosaics of Italy. This style of
decoration is to our eyes painfully extravagant
and in wretcned taste. In the succeeding century
these ideas became greatly modified however.
Renaissance buildings of a domestic character
in France are distinguished from the Italian bv
their large extent and ample environment. Nar-
row fronts like the \'enetian palaces with open
arcades are replaced in France by more variety
of treatment, the surface of the walls being much
broken up and conveying an impression of large
space.
The domestic work of the French Renaissance
is in truth of more value and interest than the
great palaces of the period, as \'ersailles, which
141
though of vast size, possesses no architectural
features of merit or interest.
As an example of the later work of the style,
the Opera House of Paris must be included,
though some delicate and pleasing effects are ob-
tained with a combination of marble, bronze and
gilding, slightly sprinkled with enamel, in the
detail of the facade.
SPANISH RE,NAISSANCE.
In Spain this style was introduced near the
beginning of the sixteenth century, and was
marked by the three phases of progression
which have been described in other countries.
The early style retained many essentially Gothic
features, such as pinnacles, gargoyles and para-
pets, and resembled the French fusion of classic
and Gothic. While the general design was sim-
ple, it was overloaded with extravagant ornamen-
tation, which, however excellent in workman-
ship, imparted a crowded and overladen appear-
ance to the structure.
To this order of Spanish Renaissance l)elongs
the Town Hall of Seville, built in 1559. which is,
however, one of the handsomest if not the hand-
somest municipal building in Spain. The exterior
is almost covered with a mass of sculptured orna-
ment, not only the capitals, but the shafts them-
selves of the columns being profusely carved
with an extraordinary variety of fanciful orna-
ment. The photograph gives the principal facade
of this building, in which, while well treated in
the mass, the individual features have been loaded
with an extravagant amount of ornament. The
143
Town Hall, Seville
Stone work is profuseh- carved and the columned
pilasters slig'ht and fanciful in form, combining
baluster-shaped columns as if of wood turned in a
lathe, with Ionic and Corinthian capitals. The
same forms appear in the balustrade of the para-
pet. The pilasters themselves are decorated in
low relief, and fanciful sculpture of doves and
cupids is abundantly used in the frieze over each
division of the front and the openings. The iron
Rcjas or grilles in the lower story are effective
features.
To this phase succeeded a style marked by
plain and simple dignity, modeled on the best
examples of Italian Renaissance, and which pro-
duced many notable buildings, such as the Es-n-
rial palace at Madrid and the Alcazar of Toled i.
The uncompleted palace of Charles V. exhibits
this sixteenth century style. The plan of the
144
palace was a square, 205 ket each way, and in-
closing a court 100 feet in dianietcr, where ap-
pears the fountain shown in the p'hotograpli,
which was a feature of the inner quadrangle wall
opening on a caurt.
To construct this palace, Charles V. had the
poor taste to tear down a great portion of tlie
Alhambra and build in the Renaissance or
the period a structure which never was completed.
Imposing in style, it is too cold and forbidding
to be linked to the lightness and grace of the
Moorish palace and its unfinished and roofies;
condition presents a scene of extreme desolation.
The treatment of the external facade, whicli
was two stories in height, was with columns of
the Ionic order above the lower story of rusticated
stone. Bull's-eye windows were introduced above
are arched openings in both stories. The palace
was built of a golden colored stone, witb the cen-
ter of each facade enriched with colored marbles,
Fountain of Charles V. Granad:
145
Pellerhaus, Nuremberg
with fine sculpture. Though never roofed in or
occupied, the building is considered the purest
type of Renaissance design in Spain, and an im-
portant specimen of the style.
The correct style of this middle period was,
however, too cold to suit the Spanish taste, and
later architects introduced the debased rococo
style of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
in which fantastic and exaggerated forms are
employed without reference to good taste or suit-
ability. There are many interesting though
scattered examples of the Spanish architecture of
this period, chieflv in detached features of the
smaller churches and municipal buildings.
GERMAN AND BE.LGIAN
RENAISSANCE.
Probably few European cities retain their me-
diaeval aspect to so marked a degree as the city
of Nuremberg, wdiich is still surrounded by its
ancient feudal walls and moats. The general
type of its architecture is Gothic, but the rich de-
tails are usually borrowed from the Renaissance.
Most of the private dwellings date back to the six-
teenth century, and even the new houses imitate
the lofty peaked gables, oriel windows, red-tiled
roofs and stone balconies of the old dwellings.
The almost single exception to tliis picturesque
style is the Pcllcr-haus, an edifice in the Italian
style erected in the seventeenth century, and an
example of rich domestic architecture, showing
also the richly treated stepped gable of the roof,
in fantastic German style of this period. The
French method of an inner court-yard is here
147
Ro^v of Houses at Brussels
adopted, and oriel windows running through both
stories above the arcade below. The stories are
marked by richly decorated cornices.
Buildings of pure Renaissance type are scarce
indeed in Germany, though there are some pic-
turesque buildings that present a curiously blend-
ed mixture of regular classic forms, but very
irregulai in their proportions and positions ; such
as fluted pilasters with capitals and a pediment,
with mullioned windows and high pitched gables,
and dormers breaking into the roof. The large
roofs, containing many stories, are indeed the
prominent feature of German town bouses of this
period, displa)ing many tiers of dormer windows
rising one above the other.
This feature is illustrated in the row of town
houses in Brussels, Belgium. Such architecture
possesses little interest for the seeker after beauty
of proportion and chasteness of detail.
148
"And noil} thou bidds't me Vieto each lofty aisle.
Ghen mid the solemn grandeur muse aWhite.
These clustering pillars raised With Wondrous
toil.
The pointed arch and column Well combine;
A groVe-liXe. long perspective thus to giVe.
Where statued niche and blazoned panel line
She massive Walls."
149
8
ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE,.
London Tower
In England, as in other lands, we find religious
feeling dominating its architecture. In this sea-
girt isle of our ancestors, the history of architec-
ture begins with the building of churches, and
therefore we must use churches and cathedrals
to trace its progress.
The first buildings of the kind were small and
rude, and of these almost no examples remain,
though fragments and details are preserved in
some of the rebuilt churches. In fact, the his-
tory of architecture in England is a pulling down
150
of the st\Ie of one period to rc'])lacc with the in-
coming" fashion.
Of many of the noblest Enghsh cathedrals it
may be said —
"Here once there stood a homely wooden church
Which slow devotion nobly changed for this."
The Xorman form of Romanesque came in
about the eleventh century, and the great abbey
church of Westminster was first built in that
style by Edward the Confessor.
"In Xorman strength that abbey frowned
With massive arches broad and round."
The main features of the Xorman style were
massive piers, round-headed arches, small and
narrow windows and projecting buttresses. The
necessities of the times, rough and turlmlent,
when bands of marauders were continually
marching up and down with sword and torch —
gave the character of the fortress to all buildings,
both church and castle. Xorman castles were
military posts as well as residences, and planned
to serve both ends. There was always a central
tower or "keep," protected by a moat of water.
The "White Tower" — the central tower of the
mass of buildings known as London Tower — was
thus erected by William the Xorman in 1078, and
the present tower retains the appearance of plain-
ness, though not rudeness, which characterized
that ancient fortress and prison of state. An in-
teresting recent discovery within its walls may
here be mentioned. In making some repairs the
pick of the masons brought to light the well of
water, long centuries buried, which supplied the
original fortress with water. When opened up
151
the well was found to still carry 30 feet of sweet
spring water. It has heretofore been a matter
of much speculation as to how the fortress w'as
supplied with water.
Besides the great abbey churches, such as
AX'estminster and Canterbury, many smaller par-
ish churches were built, and a fine example of
these is shown in the picture of Iffley parish
church in Oxfordshire, with its scjuare, massive
Xorman tow^er and its rose or wbeel window over
the entrance ; a perfect type of early Norman
ecclesiastical architecture, with its
"Massive arches broad and round,
On ponderous columns short and low."
Ififley church is wonderfully preserved consid-
ering its age, which must be about eight centuries,
though little is known of its histor}-. It bears,
however, strong early Norman characteristics. It
is peculiarly rich in doorways, having tliree of
great value, each dififerent from the other. The
southern doorway is enriched with sculptured
flowers, an unusual feature in Norman architec-
ture ; it contains also rudely carved imitations of
Roman centaurs.
Norman piles — "grim with the Northman's
thought" — have an interest all their own. By the
end of the eleventh century most of the early
great churches had been rebuilt in the Roman-
esque style, though retaining, as has been men-
tioned, many of the characteristics of the early
primitive structures, their massiveness and
strength, with even less of ornamentation. No
style in fact needed ornament less, and none could
better depend on sini]ilc statcliness and solemnity
152
Iffley Parish Church. Oxford
of outline. The architecture of London Tower
shows how the early Xorman style could be
wrought into perfectly finished forms, though
devoid of ornament.
The early Xorman has been called '"the primer
of architecture in stone." Certain it is that the
153
amount of ihonqht and contrivance evinced by
these early builders is truly wonderful ; and their
steady progress from the rudeness of neccssitv
and limited skill to the beauty, delicacy and rich-
ness of the later Romanesque is a most interest-
ing study. The pronounced individualitv
and originality of the Romanesque style have
found appreciation and admiration among mod-
ern architects, who have adapted its salient fea-
tures to the details of modern construction with
great skill, and obtained many fine effects.
THE GOTHIC E,RA
We now come to the story of the rise and fall of
the Gothic type in England, which is one of fasci-
nating interest.
To know anything of Gothic architecture one
must go to the cathedrals and churches ; for in
"brandling windows,
Pillars of clustered reeds, and traceried glass" —
shines the story of the true Gothic, and no where
is the story invested with more absorbing inter-
est than in the unrivalled series of buildings of
that era to be found on English soil.
The Gothic type found here its most congenial
home, with a home-loving people, whose instincts
prompted to a less formal style than the archi-
tecture of southern lands.
"Something more friendly with their ruder skies ;
The gray spire, molten now in driving mist.
The carvings touched to meanings new with
snow."
The first application of Gothic on a large scale
is found in the celebrated Canterbury cathedral,
155
which as we have seen, had already been de-
stroyed and rebuilt several times. Of its first
original structure nothing" now remains except
some rough stones and clinging cement, part of
the masonry of the early Briton foundation. But
"Statlier still,
Grows the hoary, grey church, whose story si-
lence utters, and age makes great."
The effect of the great cathedral towers in
warm gray seen throug'h a long vista of dark
street is wonderfully grand. Its total length is
514 feet and the length of the choir 180 feet.
The central tower is 235 feet in height, the west
tower 152 feet.
The interior conveys a wonderful effect of
lightness and grace for so vast a space. The
"glorious choir" is the first important example of
the early Gothic style in England. At certain
points, the new work abuts against the old, and
a plain Norman capital supports on one side the
sturdy round Norman arch with its roughly
axed zig-zag cutting and on the other the pointed
Gothic arch with its more delicate ornamentation.
One who was an eye witness of this transition
work, describes it thus : "The pillars of the old
and new work," he says, "were alike in form ;
but in the old capitals the work was plain : in the
new ones exquisite in sculpture. There the
arches and everything else were plain or sculp-
tured with an ax and not a chisel ; but here, al-
most throughout is appropriate sculpture. No
marl)le columns were there — but here are in-
numerable ones. There, was a ceiling of wood,
decorated with excellent j^ainting ; but here is a
156
East Window, Lincoln Cathedral
vault beautifully constructed of stone and light
tufa."
The cathedral was broug^ht to its present form
about the time Columbus discovered America.
Lincoln Cathedral is one of the most noted ex-
amples of the Early English or Pointed style in
the middle of the thirteenth century, and it, too,
is the work of successive Imildcrs. The central
157
Salisbury Cathedral, England
portion still retains traces of the early Xornian
church, though the middle arch was subsequently
raised and pointed. A band of curious sculp-
ture runs across the front, representing Bible
scenes, a peculiarity of Norman decoration, and
the interior also shows remains of Norman
origin. The font particularly is very ancient and
a fine example of the Norman period. It is built
of black basalt, square in shape with grotesque
monsters carved on its sides. Over the central
entrance is a row of royal statues ; among them
is placed a statue of the Swineherd of Stowe,
who, tradition says, gave a peck of silver pen-
nies to the building of the cathedral.
The Central tower, the linest in England and
the highest, was formerly capped by an immense
timber spire, covered with lead, which rose to a
158
lu'ight of 524 feet. The spire was destroyed by
a tempest ; but its lofty site and tower, consid-
ered tlie grandest and most majestic in the mod-
ern world, requires no spire.
The great East window is a fine example of
the decorative tracery of the Lancet style before
it changed from the Geometrical to the Flow-
ing. Its arches, supporting circles repeated on
difYerent planes, show the richness and freedom
of det.'iil of this early lancet work, and surpass
in beauty the more elaborate design of later
styles.
The whole eastern part of the church is per-
fect in its wa}', and it has been said that "Eng-
lish Gothic sprang into being in the Choir of
Lincoln." It seems quite true that the English
Gothic is distinct from any other style, and a
true original creation, with qualities entirely sep-
arate from the continental Gothic — a native
craftmanship, so to speak.
A description of Early Pointed would be in-
complete without showing the famous cathedral
of Salisbur\-, which has often been quoted as a
model of this style, because, more than the other
great churches, it represents it from one end to
the other, though in cotemporary portions, it is
far surpassed by parts of Lincoln. The reason
for this unity of parts lies in the fact that it en-
joyed the rare advantage of being begun and fin-
ished within a period of forty years, from 1220-
1260.
It is purely English in character, and Ferguson
declares it to be "the best proportioned and most
poetic design of the Middle Ages.
159
Unlike Lincoln its most conspicuous feature is
the richly adorned Central Spire which is the
loftiest in England — 406 feet, and dominates the
whole design.
The cloisters, of —
"Red brick and ashlar long and low,
With dormers and with oriels lit"
are of later date than the body of the cathedral,
and of rare charm.
Salisbury is so well known a subject, that we
pass to the charming cathedral of Wells, in the
venerable city of that name, the three abundant
fountains of pure water giving the town its
name, springing to the surface near the east end
of the cathedral.
The delightful surroundings of W'ells strongly
emphasize a marked point of difference in the
idea of the English as contrasted with the
French cathedral. The latter was designed to
be imposing in a city, among other buildings ;
while the English chose quiet and sequestered
spots, away from the turmoil of life. These dif-
ferent ideas found architectural expression and
influenced the character of the design.
A feeling of devotion breathes from the clois-
tered court of Wells and recalls the beautiful
lines
"Oft have I seen at this Cathedral door,
A laborer pausing in the dust and heat,
Lay down his burden and with reverent feet
Enter and cross himself."
The West front of Wells has been called the
most imposing facade in England, not only for
its square and massive strength but uni([uc de-
160
Side Vie-?v of Wells Cathedral
sign and harmonious cffccl. In a small plate it
is ini])ossible to convey the richness of detail,
with its wonderful mass of sculpture and deco-
ration. The front is 235 feet in breadth, and
in the decorated niches are said to be 600 sculp-
tured figures, half of them life size.
These sculptured stories were the public libra-
ries of the multitude at that time who had
neither prints nor books, but read their Bible
stories from these carvings — "a sign language
in stone." The towers of the west front in the
Perpendicular style were added in the fourteenth
century and are not a part of the real construc-
161
|i|l-ti:fii
■^**«
Litchfield Cathedral
tive design, as the}- stand outsido tlie aisles of
which the}' appear to form the end. The group-
ing of the three well proportioned towers is. how-
ever, considered as one of the finest architectural
effects in England.
The very beautiful west front of IJtchfield
cathedral is perhaps the most ]X"rfect specimen of
162
Engli.sli Decorated Gothic. The artistic value
of towers and spires can hardly be estimated.
Their position varied, but a favorite and effective
placement was a pair of towers at the west end
of the building as shown in the picture of Litch-
field. This front shows the excessively rich or-
namentation of the Decorated period.
It is divided into three stages ; the lower one
occupied by the three doorways, the center one
being in effect a deeply recessed porch. The
hollow mouldings on either side are filled with
exquisite sculptured foliage.
Above this lovely doorway is set the beauti-
fully decorated central window, flanked each side
by a series of arcaded niches, filled with carved
statues and having pierced and trefoiled heads
with projecting canopies.
The flowing tracery of the gable above the
lofty spires divided into many stories and filled
with canopied windows, the angle pinnacles and
ornamented parapets of open stone work — all
make up an effect of unsurpassed elegance.
Westminster Abbey is full of exquisite exam-
ples of window tracery in the form chieflv em-
ployed in Early English Gothic. The splendid
arcade of windows which forms the triforium of
the choir is shown in the i)hotograph of the
choir. The beautiful vaulting —
''The lift of higb-eml)owerc(l roof.
The clustered stems that spread in boughs dis-
leaved,"
is a fine architectm-al study in the open roof con-
struction of Gothic churches. The vault was
indeed a feature of prime imjiortance, often in-
163
Choir, Westminster Abbey
volvini^- great structural difficulties, and such
marvels of workmanship, and com])osed of such
an infinite numhcr of parts, as to fill the beholder
\\ith unending wonder.
Not until this period were there any seats in
the churches. The early Church knew not seats,
except for the bishop or the preacher; the laitv
stood. If any were physically unable to stand,
such as delicate women or invalids, the floor
was the alternative. Even in the present, the
churches of the East, have no seats nor are thev
permitted except as an extra accommodation for
which one must pay. In the fiftceenth centurv
the sitting posture became recognized in English
churches, and oak pewing, often of a beautiful
character was introduced.
The study of English Gothic, from the Ro-
manesque churches to the grand cathedrals of the
middle centuries, is one of the most interesting
periods of architectural study. Xo other period
shows such unparalleled activity in construction,
and such ardor in design. But Italian archi-
tecture, which never had taken kindly to the
Gothic, began strongly to revive classic styles.
Fashion sends forth her mandates in other af-
fairs than dress, and a new fashion in architec-
ture was now decreed.
"Hence, doomed to hide her banished head
Forever, Gothic architecture fled."
Xew masters in architecture had arisen who
"knew not Joseph" and \Vho sent forth their
royal edict —
"That Gothic is not Grecian, therefore worse."
165
R.adcliffe Library, Oxford
By the middle of the seventeenth century,
Gothic architecture liad }ield€d completely to
continental influence and the Renaissance was
thoroughly established on a firm footing. This
it has retained through succeeding generations,
though in modified form and not to the exclu-
166
sion of other styles. Many notable huildini^s
were erected in England under its influence,
among- them Radcliffe Library at Oxford, which
is a type of the later Renaissance of the eigh-
teenth century. The building is a handsome ro-
tunda, embellished with columns and surmount-
ed by a dome resting on an octagonal base. It
was built in the period of the revived Italian, and
is considered by some authorities the grandest of
all the English-Italian designs of this time.
The great dome of St. Paul's was the result of
the revived Italian then dominant, when the
cathedral was re-built after the fire which de-
stroyed it in the seventeenth centurv. It was
constructed of white marble, but is now black
with age and soot.
The present edifice, though imposing, cannot be
said to possess the charm and poetic interest of
the old St. Paul's. It is said to occupy the exact
site of an old Roman temple, and truth to say
looks more like one than a church. Though
the intcri(M- has now become the mausoleum of
soldiers, statesmen and poets, and is filled with
great monuments, the tonil) of the architect. Sir
Christopher Wren, the first apostle of English
Renaissance, was for a long time the onlv one.
On it was the famous <i\)\i?ix\\—' ' Si inomimentum
qucsris circuinspice r (If you seek a monument,
look around.)
The vast expanse of the mighty dome cov-
ered with fresco, seems bald and bare, unbroken
by shadow and unsoftened by the dim light of the
Gothic vaulted arch. The dome was in fact
the distinguisning feature of public build-
167
St. Paul's Cathedral
ings in the Renaissance, and took tlic place of
the tower, both in cliurches and secular buildings.
Tne celebrated dome of St. Paul's cathedral, so
familiar to all readers and travelers, was the first
important instance of the new style. Far more
attention was, however, given in the Renaissance
period to buildings of a secular character.
168
The Royal E,xchange
The Garden Front of King's College, Cam-
bridge, illustrates the features of the style in its
earlier period, and the Royal Exchange Building
in London, its later development.
Large country houses of Italian design were
also built, many of them extremely incongruous
and unsatisfactory. The great cornices and
classic porticos with pediments, were better fitted
for sunny Italy than the cold, grey skies of Eng-
land, and these stately but cold buildings at their
best, were much inferior to the picturesque and
home-like dwellings of the earlier architecture.
There was a general demand for making every-
thing Greek, and before the middle of the eight-
eenth century the picturesque element had com-
pletely disappeared from the English architecture
of the period. The two views given of Hamp-
ton Court, the royal pleasure-house of the sover-
eign, well illustrate the design of this period.
169
Garden Front, King's College
Lord Bacon's <lcscription of an Elizabethan
mansion, whicii he says "should have two sev-
eral sides of a great stately tower in the midst
of the front" — is well illustrated in the first
view. It contains j^ood examples of both early
and late brick-work. The l)rick is laid in an orna-
170
mental diaper dcsigri. The west front, with its
great arched entrance Hanked by towers, is im-
posing- and feudal in character, and shows to ad-
vantage the charming oriel over the entrance
which was such a marked feature of the time.
n
■^m
Hampton Court, West Front
The great eastern and southern quadrangle was
added in the Renaissance period and is the work
of its most famous architect. Sir Christopher
Wren. The quadrangle forms an arcade open-
ing upon a beautiful garden and is built of red
brick with stone dressings. The range of win-
dows preserved through the three stories form
its distinctive feature.
A free use was made of plaster, both outside
171
and inside, not merely to cover surfaces but to
form architectural features. Rough walls were
faced with fine stone in important buildings and
with plaster in cheaper ones. In fact the con-
cealment of construction and interior arrange-
ment by a uniform facade was a feature of Re-
naissance architecture, in direct contrast to the
£.astern Quadrangle, Hampton Court
frank display on the outside of the w'orks within
which characterized the previous English style.
Columns and pilasters so large as to appear to
support the building, were used purely for dec-
172
orativc purposes, a practice which is not un-
known at the present time.
In many cases the detail of the Renaissance
style is not at all suggested by the material, and
is quite independent of the construction. Cor-
nices and pilasters and columns are "put on"
purely as ornaments and look it, while facades are
''Of brick, mock-pious with a marble front."
It is, in fact, as Ruskin has called it, "The archi-
tecture of pride ;" it expresses aristocratic feel-
ing — the pride of birth or of wealth. It is, how-
ever, capable of refinement and reserve, and of
expressing that real aristocracy which is of feel-
ing and high born courtesy, instead of the vul-
gar pride of possessions. No style afifords more
room for skill in planning than does the Renais-
sance, or repays such skill with better results.
It, therefore, commends itself in many of its feat-
ures to the modern architect, who finds a fertile
field for clever treatment of its possibilities.
The classic elements of Renaissance architec-
ture have given it permanence ; and svmmetrv.
strict uniformity and constant repetition of
features intended to correspond, are quaUties
that distinguish the purer examples of the
style, and have obtained for it a firm footing in
modern construction, in spite of the abuses into
which it has so often fallen and which have been
so fiercely denounced b}- its critics.
The earlier efiforts of our own American archi-
tects were patterned after the Renaissance tvpes,
and the colonial houses of the pre-revolutionary
period were echoes of the English Renaissance.
Some of the most dignified of American public
buildings are examples of the better character-
istics of modern Renaissance, which is not so
much a style in itself as a system of decoration,
in which a great variety of detail is applied to
every kind of material. It is, indeed, the most
widely known and best comprehended of all
methods,
173
ENGLISH DOMESTIC ARCHL
TECTURE
Haddon Hall
In England, the artistic character of dwelHngs
began much earher and developed more freely
than on the Continent. The old manor house
shown is Haddon Jiall.. one' of the most noted
s])ecimens remaining of early Eng^lish domestic
architecture. • The building is of various periods
of architecture, the view given is the wing of
the early Norman period. Other portions are
additions and alterations of later periods. Even
this ])art of the building partakes more of the
domestic than the castellated style. The whole
174
l)uilflinq- is a very fine exterior. Init the interior,
with the exception of hall, drawing room and
dining;: room is little better than a chaotic mass
of small, inconvenient and huddled apartments.
It is, however, a most interesting specimen of
early English domestic, and the arrangement of
terraces to suit the rapidly falling ground of the
site, is indescribably charming and picturesque.
Houses increased in size, convenience and deco-
rative character ; chimneys were provided instead
of the hooded fireplace with possibly a rude flue
up through the first story. The houses of the
better middle class had a small, wooden porch
over the entrance. The center hall had openings
to right and left, leading to the kitchen and other
offices which were now separated from the living
hall. Walls were now plastered, in lieu of the
wind}- arras wiiich formerly hid the roughness.
The beautiful wall tapestries, however, of silk,
wrought in thread of gold, which had grown out
of the primitive "wall-cloths" of the Saxons, were
far too decorative to discard, but continued to be
used in lieu of wainscoting until the end of the
fifteenth century. The richly worked tapestries
of Arras and Brabant replaced the needle work
of the mcdiccval chatelaine, and commanded lar^e
sums of money. Eventually, however, the rival
village of Worsted, produced a fabric which came
within the means of the middle class, and of
great beaut}-. A certain class of woolen goods
lias ever since gone by the name of tlie town.
Before the advent of chimneys in private
houses a chafing dish was used to warm cham-
bers. In this connection the plaint of an old
175
Lodge Entrance in Old English
writer in the seventeenth century, after the gen-
eral introduction of chimneys — is significant to
ns !uxury-pampere(l, liot-water-heated moderns.
He says — "Now we liave chimneys; yet our ten-
derhngs complain of rheum, catarrhs and poses —
colds in the head. Then, had we none but rere-
dorses, and our heads did never ache."
The outside stair was, with the advent of cliim-
neys, replaced by an inner staircase, which
176
gradually came to assume ,^rcat disunity and char-
acter and the small and winding- stair became
rectangular and spacious. The steps were of oak,
the balustrades richly carved in grand houses,
the chimne\ -piece richly paneled above the open-
ing.
Even the barns were now invested with archi-
tectural interest, the gables and doorways often
artistically treated and the roofs wonders of car-
pentry. Some fine examples of these fifteenth
century barns are still extant.
The charming antique given here, in the Earlv
English style, was the lodge entrance to a fine
estate, the owners having had the good taste to
preserve the original features and keep the build-
ing in repair. For picturesque outline and pro-
portion this old lodge may well serve as a model
for a building of its kind.
It is interesting to note the method of construc-
tion in this early practice of half timbered work.
Although it would be considered primitive and
unscientific by our builders, it had the quality
of permanence and a certain rugged charm. In
constructing the "post and petrel" work — as it
was called — the interstices between the studs
were filled in with a mixture of clay and chopped
straw, plastered on to willow withes, with wattles
introduced as a core. When the core was fairlv
hard, clay and lime were smoothed on both sides
and both timbers and panels colored in distemper
and carved more or less elalioratelv.
This (piality of ])erman<.nce is a feature of
these old houses which modern builders might
imitate to advantage. Here are dwellings built
177
three and folir hundred years ago, yet well pre-
served hoth as to exterior appearance and hahit-
ability. It is true the climate of England is
favorable to such j)reservation, inasmuch as the
violent extremes and the fierce winds and suns
of our climate are unknown tlicre.
The illustration shows an old half timber house
built in 1500, but in excellent condition and let
out to families.
These gabled cottages with tall chimnc\s are
most impretending, yet their charm is undeniable,
and their style far su])erior to the dreary, square
block-houses that have replaced them in modern
times, which even, so far as real convenience is
concerned, have little advantage.
Strange to say, these excellent examples of
substantial construction afforded by the early
builders and right before their eyes appears to
b.ave little influence upon the character of Eng-
lish present-day methods, from which the glor\-
of other da}-s seems to have utterly departed.
Within the last decade, there has been an im-
provement in the construction of English houses
of the middle class, but previously to this modern
English houses, unless of some pretension, have
been of the flimsiest construction and of poor
material. Poor brick, bad mortar and careless
workmanship have been the common custom, re-
sulting in walls that would justify the prophet's
gibe — "If a fox go up he shall break down their
stone wall."
Far from resembling the mortar of their an-
cestors, which was almost invulnerable to the
blows of the Jiick. "I ('id not see in England"
179
God's Providence House
remarks a traveler of much perception a few
years a,qo — "in a new private building of mod-
erate pretensions, an\- mortar worthy of the
name." Xot only so. but small and badly joined
beams, weak and clumsy tenon and mortise work,
appear to have been the rule and not the excep-
tion.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries great
changes took place in domestic architecture. The
beautiful perpendicular style of ecclesiastical
structures of that period began to influence dwell-
ings in all directions, with ever-varying and lux-
uriant beauty. The architecture of the period
was, of course, adapted in domestic buildings to
their dififerent uses. Thus, square windows in
a dwelling were more convenient than pointed,
except in situations of special dignity, and were
therefore used. The projecting bays and oriels
were also strictly features of domestic architec-
ture. The great oriel window of an upper hall
was a marked feature of this period as, also,
many little windows with diamond shaped panes,
with gable ends facing the street filled with carv-
ing. The beautifully carved woodwork of the
gables in sixteenth century houses is one of their
architectural features, and extended even to the
stables of great houses. The charmingly de-
signed group here given of these old timber
houses, might serve as a model and an inspira-
tion for many a picturesque architectural effect
of the present time. Indeed this faculty of mak-
ing dwellings picturesque was better understood
by these old builders tlian our own.
Note the simplicity of the constructive lines
181
The Bishop Loyd House
and the skill with which the details, the timber-
ing of the gables, the oriel windows filled with
delicate, latticed panes set in quaint and unusual
places, producing an extremely ornamental fa-
cade, yet in good taste. Infinite pains were taken
with these details, and the carving in the black
and white gables of these old English houses may
182
well be studied by tbe modern arcbitcct. Tbe
gable boards and cross beams, were favorite
places for tbe display of tbe beautiful wood carv-
ing wbicb was tlic i)ride of tbe English artisan.
The excellent examples given are pictures of
some of these carved gables in old Chester, noted
for choice specimens of tbe ancient work. God's
Providence House, the first example given, and
so named in grateful commemoration of im-
munity from tbe i)lague in the seventeenth cen-
tury, was built in 1652. Two hundred years
later it was carefully repaired, preserving tbe
style and as far as possible tbe original material.
The old builders applied many coats of tar as a
preservative, and whitened the plaster from time
to time, resulting in the black and white appear-
ance of the houses.
Aluch the same style of work is shown in the
Bishop Loyd House, also in Chester, with its
richly carved and pargeted front.
In this connection it is interesting to speculate
on the means the old designers used to attain
such satisfactory results. That they worked from
drawings is evident because in manv cases these
are extant; but that they carefully tested tbe
workings of their drawings and altered and
amended them from the various points of view,
seems also evident to produce such almost uni-
versally satisfactory effects. So marked and
palpable is this universal beauty of form in the
work of the old designers that much research
has been expended and old records explored, to
find out. if possible, some ancient code of rules
that may have guided their operations.
183
Dorfield Hall
The brick houses of the middle centuries are
another interesting field for exploration and
stud'-. "Bricks, and especially red bricks," says
an interesting writer, "are almost always men-
tioned with great disrespect in connection with
architecture." While not so readily handled by
the ordinary architect, bricks are a material
which it would be almost impossible to dispense
with, and capable of varied and interesting effects
in skillful hands.
The illustration shows how well brick work
was understood at this period, the gable and chim-
ney well broken up into light and shadow and
well proportioned. Ordinary, rectangular brick,
unmolded, are the only medium here employed ;
even the coping being contrived by ingeniously
overlapping one brick upon another. This fine
old mansion of Dorfield Hall in Cheshire, is a
185
handsome specimen of Mlizaliethan brick, relieved
only by the stone quoins of the angles. The en-
trance is given special prominence by the stone
flanking- of the angles.
In some parts of England there was a felicitous
combination of timber with brick, as in the old
inn shown in the picture, which shows brick
decorated with quoins around the openings, and
elegant black and white work above.
Many of the brick chimneys of this period
would make excellent copies for modern dwell-
ings. Some of these appeared to be octagonal
in snape, an effect produced by simply taking off
the angles at the corners. The courses of brick
project at the top and form a battlement and are
striking and happy in effect at small expense.
Brick and stone, to a great extent, superseded
timber, as the Gothic style was supplanted by
the Renaissance. In that curiously broken classic
called the Elizabethan, brick was extensively
used. The photograph of Aston Hall shows a
fine old mansion of the Jacobean form of Eliza-
bethan, and was built in 1618. It is constructed
of deep, red brick, with ornamental designs
worked out in still darker brick upon the facade.
The large bays and the ornaments of the parapets
are of stone. The porch is on the Doric order,
and shows the curious mixture of stvle of the
period, which has so often been imitated in
cheap, poorly designed modern dwellings. Aston
Hall consists of a center, with projecting wings
enclosing three sides of a court. The exterior
is rather plain, but the lofty towers of the angles
and the carved gables, impart a picturesque and
187
••«i;^
imposin^t^ appearance. Some quaint verses are
carved on one of the stones over the entrance.
Ihis stately mansion was seventeen Aears in
building:, and has been well preserved. 'The in-
terior decoration is worthy of special notice. In
the great library is a sculptured stone frieze 7
feet 8 inches in depth, and a cornice above '12
inches deep, with a projection of 14 inches. One
division IS seven feet in length, with arabesque
relief, and separated by slightly ornamented
arches, each containing the figure of a Roman
Knight in armour.
The Elizabethan period, combined with its
picturesque and telling style, great incongruitv
of form. It is true, and a mixture of Gothic and
classic_ which was sometimes deplorable; but
there is a fascination in its plav of fancv and
romantic eehng. This style, variouslv denomi-
nated ludor, Elizabethan and Jacobean, was
produced by an admixture of Italian details on
a Gothic foundation before the entire abandon-
ment ot the Gothic for the full-fiedged Renais-
sance. It was characterized bv high roofs with
gables^ taking the place of dormers and bv the
excessive use of windows, making the plain walls
beautiful, when
"Shafts of sunshine from the west
Paint the dusky windows red."
The Tudor street architecture was also far
more interesting and picturesque than the later
s vie. The high gables, the over-hanging stories,
the angle posts, the tracerv and carving, gave
an interest and charm to town as well as coun-
try, sadly lacking in the monotonous and drearv
rows of modern street fronts.
Nor was the practical wanting, for at this time
189
we have the introduction of lead piping laid alongf
roof copings to carry off rainwater. The spirit
of ornamentation extended even to these gutters,
and on handsome houses both the pipe and the
end pieces then used were profusely decorated.
The interior of an Elizabethan house of im-
portance was full of romantic charm. No better
idea of them can be gained anywhere than from
Scott's novels, especially Ivanhoe and Kenilworth,
Avhere are described the stately galleries, the
carved friezes and panellings, the stained glass
and enrichments of every possible description.
Magnificent staircases became a feature of Eliza-
bethan interiors. Before this, the stairs were
usually placed in turrets, winding round and
roimd a central newel, and were small and
cramped. They now occupied a prominent posi-
tion in the great hall, were square with many
landings and guarded b}' a rising balustrade of
oak, enriched by elaborate carvings. The stair-
case in Aston Hall before referred to had treads
six feet in length and risers of six inches only,
and the hall ceiling was thirty feet in height.
It will easily be seen what a magnificent fea-
ture such a staircase would be. The chimney
pieces also rose to the ceilings and were carved
in rich arabesque designs and foliage. Ceilings
were richly decorated, and furnishings grew
sumptuous. The oriel windows which added
such interest to the exteriors were equally charm-
ing inside, increasing comfort and convenience
by giving light where otherwise it could not Ije
obtained, and affording opportunity for stained
glass enrichments.
190
"FoUotOing the sun, tuestWard the march of
poWer,
^he rose of might blooms in our new World mart;
"But see, just bursting forth from bud to floWer
A late, slow growth, the fairer rose of art."
191
10
MODILFkN ARCHITE^CTURE,
Let us now attempt to indicate the application
of the historic forms of design which we have
briefly considered, to the architecture of our own
land and our own time.
Ihe American architecture of fifty years ago
was a revival of all the various styles in a medley
of them all. A disinterested and impartial use
of Greek, Italian or Egyptian ideas in public
buildings prevailed, while private houses ranged
the gamut from Italian villas capped by Chinese
turrets, through Greek columns and classic porti-
coes, to French Mansard roofs and Queen Anne
bric-a-brac, in miles of the hideous abominations
when that caricature of style was the rage. How
then, can we apply the beautiful old forms we
have been studying to modern design, under con-
ditions and requirements so different from those
which dictated the old architecture?
A noted architect has told us how, when he
says that "out of the critical use of past tradi-
tion, we must build up a tradition of our own."
Not a blind and indiscriminate use of these old
forms, but an adaptation of features, and forms
of detail suitable to the position in which they
are used and to the material employed. This is
192
in fact just what llic Renaissance architects (hd
in regard to classic st}le. The modern archi-
tect mav eni])loy the same method, not only with
reference to Greek and Roman forms, but from
all the great styles he may select details or gen-
eral resemblance, grouping and combining these
in the endless ])ossilMlities of design.
Many of our notable pul)lic buildings are
frankly copies or adaptations of the old forms
and motifs which have been described in former
pages. Madison Scpiare Garden, in New York,
for instance, is adorned by a tower modeled upon
the l:)eautiful La Giralda tower at Seville, illus-
trated in a former chapter.
We cannot, of course, look for a distinctly
original or national type of design; nor is there
anything to be regretted in that present condi-
tion Avhich permits us instead to make use of the
highest forms of design the world has know^n.
The great periods of Greek and Gothic archi-
tecture will always consciousl\- influence design,
and the best work of modern architects is de-
voted to adapting them to modern structural de-
mands and the uses of the buildings, while giv-
ing to these an appropriate local expression. To
thus secure a harmonious whole, in which the
masses, the proportions and the detail each have
their proper value, to give public buildings a
character suited to their objects, and to make
dwellings home-like, domestic and refined — these
are fields affording scope for the highest order
of architectural skill and satisfying the noblest
ambition. The scope of this vf)lume will not
jXTUiit an extended application of historic
193
forms, to the public buildings or church archi-
tecture of today. The home-builder's interest is
chiefly centered in dwellings and domestic sub-
jects. To these will be devoted the greater part
of these closing chapters with only a brief and
cursory glance at buildings of a iniblic character.
In modern times, church l)uilding has become
quite a secondary matter compared to the promi-
nence given it in the middle ages. We no longer
spend millions of monc}- and centuries of time
in rearing vast cathedrals. X'evertheless it may
be stated that in general, church architecture is
still most influenced by the Gothic or ^Mediaval
style. It is true there are instances of the Renais-
sance or domed type of church, but the Gothic
IS after all felt to be the more ecclesiastical style,
and architects in general look for their inspira-
tion in church architecture to the middle ages.
Experiments have been tried in attempts
to impart a more secular character to church
edifices, but the}- are never a success.
The range is a wide one. under which we may
include examples of Gothic design in modern
churches, without fear of contradiction, and it
is not here proposed to illustrate the more noted
and costly buildings. The great mass of readers
are interested in moderate cost structures ; there-
fore we shall instance a few coming within this
category.
The design shown in Fig. i is an example
of adequate Gothic feeling ex})resse(l in a build-
ing treated in a free and modern manner. The
tower is a simple and solid sliaft of great plain-
193
r*
ness, \ct ii iniiircsses us wilh iis churchliness
as well as its beauty. In the west front the great
"Painted windows, freaking gloom with glow
Duskinj* the sunshine which they seem to cheer"
arc worthy of some mediaeval cathedral. The
t}pe is pure Gothic, expressed with simplicity
_\et with dignit}-. and conveying a decided re-
ligious sentiment.
In the Flagler Memorial Church at St. Augus-
tine, we trace a strong feeling of the i)criod
when the English Gothic was fused into the
Renaissance. On a reduced scale, we have the
dome of St. Paul's, while pointed gables and pin-
nacles, vertical openings and rose windows are
skillfully woven into a telling design of much
grace and distinction.
Glancing briefly at modern secular buildings of
a more public character, we are chiefly impressed
with their numerousness.
Great as was the architectural activity of
mediaeval times, it was as nothing compared with
the vast number of both public and private build-
ings constantly going up at the present day. The
great increase in population, commerce and
wealth, results in a vast amount of building, and
we may well be interested as to what manner of
building this is to be. Everywhere are rising
up structures to meet the demands of modern
civilization — colossal hotels, flat buildings, civic
bui. dings, the private residences of millionaires —
to say nothmg of long street fronts, business
blocks and the like, and the private dwellings of
the middle class. Instead of the slow growth
of centuries as in the past, towns spring up over
197
night, consisting of long, straight rows of small
uninteresting dwellings, with here and there a
church and a school house. Too often in the
past school house and university huildings have
l)een given the character of a factory or a jail,
and an aspect of haldness and ugliness most re-
])ellant.
"There is red brick which softening Time defies
Stand square and stiff, the Muses factories."
is a description that will appl}- to a large num-
ber of school buildings, antl if not red, the brick
is a dirty, nondescript, called by courtesy, cream.
A building which is to be the home of children
and youth for the great part of every daw could
ver}- properly assume a semi-domestic and pic-
turesque character. In the sketch from the
architect's wash drawings here presented for the
main Iniilding and dormitories of a college, we
can see how this expression of domesticity has
been successfully incorporated in the design
which mingles happily features which might
easily have been inspired 1)\- the stately type of
old Tudor architecture which accompanies the
desifjn.
199
The Tudor style is a favorite one for colles^iate
work and our modern architect has here natural-
ized his Tudor lintels and Enc^lish Collegiate
Gothic into a home-grown product that is well
fitted to its setting.
One can scarce travel anywhere without find-
ing modern huildings modeled upon or even
copies, of these old forms. Well — and is this a
crime? Can the world hope to invent anything
better than these ideals of beauty, grace and re-
finement which have been handed down the cen-
turies? Why should we not copy after a good
model rather than adopt singular and startling
effects in the search after something new. It
is only at rare intervals in the world's history
that ideals are created. The average man must
copy the ideals.
Says a recent writer — "I should say without
qualification that adaptation is the soul of archi-
tecture ; presupposing the highest kind of talent,
most extended education and artistic suscepti-
bility." Of course this means that the adapta-
tion must be an intelligent one, a selection of
what is best in the great architecture of the past
and fitting it to the conditions of modern life.
So shall we not be
"Foreclosed of heaut\- 1)\- our modern date."
When we speak of Romanesque as applied to
modern architecture, we find the resemblance
for the most 'part to exist in external details
rather than the design as a whole. The entrance
is the feature of a building where a typical style
usually expresses itself most strongly. The
201
Church Doorway. Fig. 7
corner doorway of a Boston church shown in
Fig. 7 is one of several features which give a de-
cided Romanesque feehng to the edifice.
In the facade of Fig. 8 we have the feehng still
further emphasized by the employment of the
short, and heavy columns so distinctly Roman-
esque in connection with the round arches of the
entrance, and repeated in the opening above. A
truly Richardsonian facade.
I-"igs. 9, 10, 1 1 illustrate the manner in
v. hich the exquisite stone carving of the middle
ages is reproduced in the ornamental detail of
202
A Romanesque Facade. Fig. 8
entrances to modern buildings, though usually it
is modeled and not carved. The entrance is 'the
feature which dominates the whole building, and
the feature by which it is always sought to con-
vey the type of design. Sculptured" figures of
Stone Carving of E.ntrance. Fig. 9
203
Carved Newel for Staircase, Fig. 10
animals played a large part in the decorations of
Ijuildings in the middle ages. To us, they seem
not specially appropriate to churches, but the
great cathedral of Notre Dame at Paris is a mass
of such carvings in stone, strange forms of beasts
ironi earth and sea and sky stretching open-
mouthed from every corner. These "stories in
stone" were part of the beliefs and imaginations
iuid superstitions of those times ; but though often
grotesque and almost horrible, they represented
the utmost skill and cunning of the carver's art.
Other instances of the application of historic
204
forms to the present time are the m.Klern ex-
changes, bank buildin-s. office bnildin-s of the
large cities, in whicli modern arcliitects have
achieved such admirable results. Take for in
stance, the model public librarv buildino- illus-
trated m Fig. 12. whicli is in' its wav'as ad-
mirable as a Greek (emi)le. It is indeed easv
to see that tlie building has been modeled upon
classic design and is inspired bv classic feelin-
yet It IS adapted to modern uses and is in liaP-
205
^^- 'flKlJ
\ '^ LilJi
; I ■ 1^
=: I S
nionx with its surroniulin^s. The ease and grace
with which the details of the Doric order are
handled, the refinement, simplicity and reserve
shown, are admirahle. \Miile far from reaching
the same level of architectural merit, the facade
of the small bank building Fig. 15 yet show's
how even an inexpensive and small building may
be redeemed from hopeless commonplaceness and
inferiority by a treatment which introduces de-
tail originall}- applied to higher purposes. It
is true that the designer has his orders some-
what mixed, and that the Ionic columns of the
entrance are Hanked by engaged pillars at the
angles of Byzantine type — but that is no more
than the ancient Romans themselves did, and
the little front is distinctly j)leasing.
237
11
MODERN DOMESTIC ARCHI-
TECTURE
"I would have then our dwelling houses built to last,
and built to be lovely ; as rich and full of pleasantness-
as may be within and without; * * * * with such,
differences as might suit and express each man's char-
acter and occupation." — Ruskin.
Ill the historic architecture of the past which
we have been considering, dwelhngs played but
a small part. It is true the ancient Romans had
some notion of combining interior comfort and
luxury with architectural effects, but even their
houses were principally made up of many small
compartments ranged round an open court, and
wall decorations were the chief furnishings.
A modern house is very different from this;
privacy and comfort are the foremost things to
consider and architectural effect is secondary.
Even so late as the eighteenth century English
houses we have illustrated, much less importance
was attached to having everything comfortable
and convenient than is now the case. Nowadays
an architect gives much thought to the con-
veniences of the working part of the dwelling;
planning kitchen, pantries, basement, so that the
household machinery may be run with the least
labor. In the old days such a thing as "saving
steps" was never thought of.
In ancient architecture, attention was giveix
208
almost wholly to exterior effects, and the "plan"
was little more than llie principal walls, with their
adornments. But the "plan," under the require-
ments of modern complex civilization is an en-
tirely different prohlem, and like the play — "the
jilan's the thing!"
i\othing can be more complicated than the in-
ternal detail of a modern home. One has but
to go through a modern house in process of
erection, to view the network of flues and pipes
and wires that represent the complete and sys-
tematic treatment of heating, lighting, drainage
and ventilation problems — to wonder how one
head could ever contrive that all these should be
exactly placed, should fulfill what was expected
of them, yet not interfere with the artistic ap-
pearance of the rooms when completed. Those
people who imagine they have "planned" a house
when they have laid out the various rooms of
a floor, labeled them respectively and marked
the "openings," have little conception of the real
work of the architect, who must bring all this
together and make provision for each practical
requirement.
THE, COLONIAL TYPE,
What is known as the "( )ld Colonial " style,
is a type of domestic architecture which has had
a decided Renaissance of its own in recent years,
and offers a fertile field for the application of
the classic forms before described. Its prototype
is, of course, the English Georgian of the seven-
teen century, brought over by the early colonists,
Imt carried out in its new environments with a
certain simplicity which invested it with a char-
209
;w;grtH
•^^L
!»■■
actcr of its own. Historic associations doubtless
have quite a sliare in the favor with which this
type of builcHni;- has been received, and it has
influenced the style of dwellings even where there
is no attempt at a direct revival, showing itself
in a quite unconventional and indirect use of
Georgian detail such as porch columns and
rounded window heads upon cottages and the
lik-e, without pretension to any serious style. The
great majority of modern American brick houses
are modifications of either the Georgian or the
Jacobean types. These historic styles are
peculiarly appropriate to brick construction, and
are moreover ada[)te(l to the comparatively mod-
est dimensions of the majority of dwellings. The
improved forms of American hydraulic pressed
brick with their beautiful coloring and resistance
to the weather, have made this an extremelv
popular material.
The stately mansion in Fig. 14 composed from
red brick with trimmings of white wood, is a
fine example of the richness that is possible in
the severely pure Colonial style with modern
treatment. Certainly it is
"A noble pile
Baronial and Colonial in its style."
The feature of the building is the classic treat-
ment of the porte-cochere and entrance. The
stately portico in front is carried up to the second
story ; the supporting columns are of the Ionic
order while a deep entablature and dentiled
cornice runs entirely around the building. This
is crowned by a light and graceful balustrade.
The ends of the building are similarly treated,
and the whole forms an exceedingly impressive
facade characterized by absolute symmetrv of
design in all its i)arts.
211
Old Mansion in Salem, Mass. Fig. 13
Fig. 15 is an example of a genuine Jacobean:
front, a photograph of an old brick mansion in:
Salem, Mass. The dominating feature is plainly^
tlic entrance, repeated and emphasized in the
detail of the balconied window directly over it
212
in its arched and cnil)rasurc(| sctlin.^;. Possiljly
this door was imported direct from the mother
conntry, as the handsome mahogany doors of
such a house of this period were quite apt to be.
Certainl}- the classic features then in use in
Eni;land were adopted in this Xevv England
mansion with fine architectural effect, in the
grouping of the entrance with the windows, the
beauty of the proportions, the simplicity of the
entablature and the grace of the Ionic columns,
their repeat in the framing pilasters of the door-
way and the window above, the use of the shell
ornament and traceried glass — all are features
of Colonial architecture at its best. Our an-
cestors paid more attention to their doorways
than do their descendants, and both design and
detail were invested with more of interest. The
doorway reproduced is an example of such
treatment. Although Colonial work in New
England differed in many particulars from
that in Pennsylvania and the South, the felici-
tous treatment of the entrance was common to
all sections, and instances are scattered all over
the country. It was indeed a happy chance that
brought our English forefathers sailing over seas
to their new home at the period of the classic
revival in England. They brought the memories
of the Georgian mansions with them, and
straightway proceeded to adapt these beautiful
forms to the ])lcntiful wood of the virgin forests
instead of confining them to brick and stone.
A'ignola's two-story columns were indeed some-
times formed of selected trees, of suitable size,
and the flutes chiselled out by hand. These early
architects were able to carry the spirit and detail
213
of the simpler classic forms into wood, with grace
and fitness. It was a style well adapted to the
river banks or forest glades chosen by the Colon-
ists for their homes. The "white pillared houses
of the South" were extremely architectural in
composition and adapted to the southern climate.
The column feature of the Greek revival became
exceedingly popular, and it is reported of Thomas
Jefferson, who was a devoted admirer of the
classic style, that he employed all five of the
classic orders in the architecture of his own
dwelling. The veranda — so distinctive a feature
of American houses of today both North and
South, was originated in the South and was a
necessity of that climate. It developed into
double galleries, and gave opportunity for the
lofty pillars so dear to the Southern heart. The
veranda has grown to be a feature of dwellings
in all sections, and is a large part of family life
in the heated term. Of late, an effort has been
made by would-be purists in architectural circles,
to do away with this delightful adjunct to the
dwelling. It is true the veranda has been greatly
abused and often the house made a mere attach-
ment to the piazza, while interiors have suffered
from lack of sunlight and been rendered gloomy
and unsanitary from the heavy shading of many
porches. But anything can be carried to the ex-
treme and reach the point of abuse instead of
use, just as correct and logical reasoning can be
pressed so far as to become the "reiliictio ad
absurdiim/' The veranda is quite too sensible
and delightful a feature of dwellings to dispense
with, and will die hard. It has, on the contrary,
214
Semi^Colonial Cottage. Fig. 16
bcxn exported from America to the Continent,
where it appears upon many of the recently built
dwelling's.
While porches offer great opportimity for the
use of classic features, sometimes the full order,
with pedestal, column capital and pediment being
employed, with a crowning balustrade or para-
pet, these stately eitects are not the only ones
possible. Much skill and ingenuity is shown ])y
architects in the use of posts and colunms on tlie
smaller houses, in a manner entirely orthodox
yet not out of place in a mixed design, and with
a touch of lightness more consistent with less
important work. Such a method of employing
Colonial models without a strict adherence to
the style is shown in the semi-Colonial design.
Fig. i6, where much charm is given to a simple
cottage exterior by the slender columns with
Ionic capitals, by the classic pediment over the
porch cornice and by the repeat of the half circle
in the front gable.
215
Fi.c^s. 1/ and i8 show us a genuine old colonial
house of the Georgian type, a brick house built
at Bardstown, Kentucky, one hundred years ago
and recently restored by new owners who have
been careful to preserve all the original features
both of exterior and interior. Owing to its ex-
cellent state of preservation, and possession of
that quality of permanence before alluded to —
a quality as excellent in houses as in Shake-
speare's "low voice in women" — this was easily
accomplished. The small cut sliows the house
as originally built, and through, snowy branches
Built in 1806. Fig. 18
we get a glimpse of the restored facade with the
added portico sup])orted by Corinthian columns,
a feature frequently occurring in Southern
Colonial work though rare in the East. The roof
lines are unbroken except for a low pediment
containing a half circle window — a repeat of
the circular door head below. The ])hotographs
of the interior presented are very interesting,
as the detail of the woodwork is a fine example
of the best Georgian interior treatment of that
period. Whatever of primness and severity may
217
have characterized the exterior of a seventeenth
century brick colonial house, in this one at least
it did not extend to the interior. Formal and
cold may be the entrance :
"But behind it. where's a trace
Of the starchness and reserve
And formal lines without a curve."
The curves of the arched and recessed niches
on either side the drawing; room mantel and the
grace of the beautiful Palladian window in the
dining" room are representative of the refined
working out of classic forms in the entire detail
of the interior. The eye rests with quiet satis-
faction on the beautiful mouldings, the wealth
of hand-carved flutes and beads and the delicate
modeling of the mantel detail shov.'ing the ter-
minating gold scrolls on either side the mirror
which were a favorite decoration of the period.
The fireplaces with their mantels carried up to
the ceiling, were among the main features of
Colonial interiors. Xiches, however, do not of-
ten occur in Colonial work though a common
decorative device of the period in England. In
the instance before us they have been treated
with fine efTect. the fluted shells in the arched
head touched with gold. This use of gold in
connection with white woodwork was a Georgian
feature of choice design imitated from the en-
richment of Greek temples. In old Colonial
houses, the remains of this gold leaf ornamen-
tation still show on the woodwork of parlors or
drawing rooms. All the carving and ornamen-
tation of the interior detail is hand work, whose
perfection is a silent protest against the cheap
219
and meretricious niachine work of the present
tmie. In Fig. 20 we liave an adaptation of Xew
England Colonial to modern requirements, hav-
ing the merit of good proportion and pure de-
sign. The efifect of similar treatment of parts
varying in size and importance is happily illus-
trated in the three roof dormers, which together
with the central projecting bay of the second
story form the dominant feature of the design.
The windows are effectively placed and classi-
cally treated. The triple cluster of pillars at the
angles of the jjorch, are instances of carefullv
followed detail. The "white pillared porch" and
trim are relieved against the Inift' brick and gray
stone with excellent effect.
Fig. 21 shows similar treatment of Colonial
design. The application of classic motifs to
plaster construction, is a new departure in de-
sign, but the photograph of this beautiful Cal-
ifornia home in San lAIateo, proves it to be an
entirely successful conception. One of the an-
cient Greek- temples crowning the Acropolis,
could scarce be purer in design than this severe
and stately country house, so admirably suited
to its setting of classic groves— "Sequestered
among trees— a noble pile."
The dominant form is the rectangle, the ex-
terior having all the rectitude of classic design
in the treatment of its main feature— the lofty
columns of the portico, terminating in Roman
composite capitals of beautiful workmanship a- 1
supporting an entablature and cornice of chaste
and simple desio-n. A light balustrade crowns
the front projection and is continued in the
221
ratlicr severe and unhrokeii line of the i)arapet
around the rest of the Ijuildini^. Below the cor-
nice is the sole ornamentation of the wall — a
continuous band of laurel leaves, beautifully
molded in relief.
The sole criticism upon this charming- design
would be the paucity of the windows and their
inferior treatment, which is not in keeping with
the nobilitv of the Sfeneral desifrn.
The Dutch c^amljrel roof offers another type
of Okf Colonial design which possesses in large
measure that essential charm of "hominess"
which appeals to a home loving people. It is
plain that the fine lines of these old roofs, with
the fascinating Dutch hoods at the eaves, have
been understood and appreciated by the architect
of this beautiful modern home, while all the
subtle rennemcnts of modern detail have been
added. A\'hen to these is added the color effect
of modern stains in the soft and velvety brown
of the shingles relieved by the deep cream of
cornice and trim, we have an irresistible con-
bination of old beauties and new.
It is surely a. happy thing to have been like
Holmes, in his delightful essay,
"Born in a house with a gambrel roof —
Standing still, if you must have proof —
It has not the "presence" of the stately old
Georgian palaces — that seem to hold themselves
far aloof from common clay. But its unpretend-
ing lines give assurance of a kindly welcome,
holding out a friendly hand to all. Nor does
it lack dignity and a certain nobleness of aspect.
It is peculiarly adapted to the less pretentious
223
.cottage arcliitccture, and many and varied are
its applications. The gambrcl roof type lends
itself admirably to picturesque locations and the
unconventional character of a country house.
The charming example shown crowns a wooded
knoll with a view of blue water, and though fif-
teen miles out of the city is the owner's all-the-
}ear-round residence. The house is suljstantial
and rugged, but not assertive or aggressive. The
basement walls of many-hued cobblestone, meet
the low sweep of the roof of mossy green, and
both together softly melt into the landscape.
The grey roughness of the stone is softened bv
clinging vines and projecting balconies add in-
terest, as well as the Colonial treatment of the
windows. Such a house is a fit expression of
taste and feeling for quiet lovers of country
lanes and byways not too remote from other fire-
sides. The sort of place that is
'Town, yet country too; you felt the warmth
Of clustering houses in the winter time,
Supped with a friend and went by lantern home ;
Yet from your chamber window you could hear
The tiny bleat of new-weaned Iambs, and see
The children bend beside the prederous bank
To pluck the primrose. "
The overhang of the second story which is
such a feature of old English houses, grew out
of the desire to preserve the wall below from the
weather. The modern adaptation of this feature
considers its picturesque quality rather than its
preservative, and the additional space gained on
the upper floor.
In this pleasing cottage, both the gambrel ror,."
225
and the over-han^- of the second story are used
to produce a feeling- of quiet comfort at small
expense. Such a house makes one think of an
old-time garden, with syringa bushes and a
clump of lilacs ; of gilly flowers and sweet-
williams, and all the rest of old fashioned asso-
ciations.
Probably no type has been more abused than
the Colonial. All the box-like structures — "four
square to the winds of heaven" — with a porch
and a few white posts clapped against the front,
are painted either white, or buff with white trim,
and dubbed Colonial.
The last few \ears have seen an era of Colo-
nial Renaissance. Everything Colonial is revived
• — not only architecture but furniture, wall paper,
dress — everything but the courtly manners.
There is ineed no form of domestic architecture
which appeals so strongly to the American mind.
The Colonial home had an atmosphere that no
other st}le excels, and moreover represents the
period dearest to the American heart, of the
struggle for freedom. The simple, straightfor-
ward designs of early American homes were
modeled on a pure style and so possessed per-
manent value ; a st\-le which when correctly car-
ried out and not depreciated by meaningless and
ostentatious ornament — never fails to please.
The style itself is not responsible for the va-
garies of architects and their clients, though
these have contributed not a little to bring it into
disrepute.
227
SPANISH=AME.R1CAN
Some of the best of our modern American de-
sign has been inspired by the semi-Spanish style
of buildings transplanted to Mexico and south-
ern California by the ancient Spanish Dens and
the ]\Iission Fathers.
The steady warmth and brilliant sunshine of
that section was exceedingly favorable to such
a style, and its beautiful forms and vivid color-
ing are in perfect harmony with its local environ-
ment.
The class of house architecture evolved from
the rather primitive forms of the original quasi-
Spanish buildings of this section, show extremely
thoughtful and intelligent work, and is in a
high degree artistic and interesting.
The principal material used in this style of
construction is plaster or cement, which is some-
times partially combined with wood, as in the
example shown in. I-ig. 24. The Spanish-Ameri-
can style is, however, best and usually expressed
in strictly cement construction, except, of course,
the necessary f ram in-'; of the openings. And a
most effective medium it is for expressing this
fascinating Moorish type.
In the Ponce de Leon hotel at St. Augustine.
Fla., we have probably the finest example of
Moresque design in the country, as applied to a
large building. Hotel architecture is too often
an ugly hodge-podge of the more worthless
forms of design. Nobody seems to care how
these great caravansaries look except to have
them make a show. French characteristics of the
more florid sort are frequently adopted for hotel
229
dcsig^i and even intensified, in meaningless deco-
ration. This beautiful southern buildinc:, while
engagin,Q; and festive in style, has real merit in
design. Two views are given, one showing the
building as a whole with the splendid pleasure
grounds in front, and the other, the inner court
behind the arcaded entrance. In the latter vievv^
we have a glimpse of the central dome rising
"I-"air as the domes of Kubla Khan,"
and of the upper arcaded gallery used for a
promenade. The photograph, however, fails to
reproduce the elegance of the ornamentation, the
delicately sculptured wreaths and arabesf|ues
over the entrance arches of the arcade, the detail
of the v.'indow framing and the light and grace-
ful balustrades.
The building itself is of cream colored plaster
with dressings and enrichments of light red
terra cotta and roof of red tile, a coloring ad-
mirably suited to the gay and festive character of
the structure and its environment of odoriferous
gardens filled with glowing bloom and sparkling
fountains. If the famous Spanish adventurer
for whom the hotel is named could come to life
under these graceful arches some moonlight
evening, surely he would imagine himself at
home in old Granada, perchance in the beautiful
garden of Lindaraxa. Perhaps no feature of this
example of Spanish Renaissance is more faith-
fully reproduced than the central tower, with its
hanging balconies and arcaded openings of the
top story crowned with a light and graceful bal-
ustrade and red-tiled spire.
\\ ithin the l)uilding. ever}thing contributes-
231
•% \
■rS
%i^
%
r'-.-£
' ^ '■%.'
\'^ ^
Fresco Decor&tion. Fig. 27
to render the interior an abode of Oriental mag-
nificence. The walls are frescoed with the spirit
and grace of mural decoration in the days when
]vlichael Angelo and his pupils executed their
wonderful frescoes on the villas of Roman pa-
tricians. A small section of one of the frescoes
in the Ponce de Leon is illustrated.
The Hotel Cordova while illustrating a differ-
ent phase of this architecture, is another instance
of the successful transplanting of ancient Span-
ish ideas to Western soil. One might almost
fancy they were gazing upon the Lonja of old
Cordova itself, to look up at the grey, massive
tower, and that some dark eyed beauty looked
down from the deep embrazures of the jMoorish
openings. The tower is most skillfully lightened
by the cornice decoration and the horizontal
treatment of its divisions.
233
mi
Hotel Cordova with Moorish To'wer. Fig. 2 8
The Saracenic inrtuence which pervaded Span-
ish architecture finds a wide field in the Spanish-
American type, and its graceful and elegant forms
are marked features of the modern designs. Look-
ing at the example of this type in Fig. 29 one
might well fancy oneself in Spain, among the
groves of dark cypress on the mountain side,
looking down upon this Moorish palace in its
setting of rich valleys enamelled with olive or-
chards and orange groves and vineyards, with
the notes of some arrafia — ^loorish flute — faintly
heard in the distance.
234
Mere, too, we have the typical "patio" or
inner court, a charm never absent from Aloorish
palace or humbler chvelling. Against the gray
plaster walls, the creepers cling like lace, with
the ruby blossom of passion flowers gleaming
among them and jasmine stars hanging in long,
swinging sprays. Luxuriant vines half conceal
the grey arches, and scarlet Poinsettias flame in
the angles. All the living rooms open from this
court, and the doorways thereto are filled with
wrought iron screens worked out in a scheme
of open work rosettes, floral lines and conven-
tionalized flower motifs, in true Saracenic style.
The floors are of ornamental tile, and the interior
walls have oriental decoration in color.
Certainly the Spanish prototype of this equally
fascinating }ifoorish design could not have been
fairer than these soft cream-colored walls, with
the graceful arabesque outlines of the roof treat-
ment and enriched with decoration in relief.
Kven the chimney caps are shaped like flower
cups. The characteristic red tile of the roof,
repeated in the hood over the main entrance
gives sufficient color relief, and the slender pil-
lars supporting the :\Iajava arches of the arcade
are typical Moorish features.
^\ hile entirely different and more fanciful in
its architecture from the preceding example,
this residence is a fertile field for the study of
Spanish-American design.
The charming view of the patio, or inner
court, might easily have been modeled upon the
famous Court of Lions in the Alhambra, such a
dream of delicate beauty does it appear. Here,
237
indeed, is the same Vu^hl and fragile colonnade,
its fretted arches supported by slender columns,
and ornamented with arabesques in relief and
fine stucco work. Here, as in its Spanish pro-
totype, the light falls from a lofty, vaulted dome,
and the brilliant sunshine gleams along the col-
onnades and sparkles over the fountain and the
rare flowers. It needs but little fancy to con-
jure up some black-eyed. Andalusian Dolores re-
clining on the couches and ottomans of the ar-
cade, behina the sheltering foliage, enjoying the
pure breezes from the mountains, the musical
drip of the fountain, and the scent of roses and
myrtles.
Smiilar in character but not so elaborate in
treatment is Fig. 31, with the square ^Moorish
tower so frequent a feature of old Spanish archi-
tecture, projecting from the center. The grace-
ful outline of the roof coping, the delicacv of
the columns, the slender bending arches, the ele-
gant filagree work, the grouping of the openings,
the jalconies and traceried windows are felicitous
adaptations of Saracenic motives.
Thus in "our Italy,"' — or Spain, as you will —
Moorish types of architecture have found a con-
genial home. It is an architecture fitted to a
background of mountains rugged and deeply ser-
rated in outline, mysterious with ]niri)le shadows
and snow}- peaks and an atmosphere suffused
with sunshine. The plaster walls, either in their
natural soft, creamy white or more deeply tinted
by artificial processes, appear to belong to the
scene.
Several examples of this type of architecture
239
are given here, the one in Fig. ^2 showing the
plaster wall ornamented in Saracenic style with
an elahorate (liai)er pattern. The roofs, general-
I\- of tile a light red in color, are another marked
fcattire of this construction ; though sometimes
the plaster walls are combined with shingle roofs.
Fig- Z?) shows how the Saracenic forms of
decoration may he applied in the interior of a
modern home, being the window treatment of an
outdoor sitting room, a sort of "observation car"
adjunct, opening upon a lovely garden. The
clTect obtained by the circle of arcaded windows
filled wdth delicate tracery and divided by slen-
der pilasters with ornamental capitals, and its
choice and sequestered situation along the little
garden, are strongly suggestive of Moorish fan-
cy, and might belong to the bower of some Moor-
ish sultana.
The broad, low and simple lines of this ex-
ample of frame construction are extremely rest-
ful and pleasing, and indicate how the feeling
which is so marked in pseudo Spanish plaster
dwellings may to a certain degree be imparted to
a less symi^athetic material by the general lines
and the treatment of the openings, the hanging
balcony over the entrance and the air of seclu-
sion ctjnveyed by simply recessing" the entrance
to a sort of loggia effect. In the small one story
cottage, quite a Moorish feeling is effected bv
the outline of the roof gable and the arched
openings.
The Spanish Fathers who came to Christianize
Xew Mexico, as it then was, remembered well
their lessons in architecture tauc:ht bv the Mocr ■
241
Plaster Cottage. Fig. 34
ish conquerors of Spain, and used them when
they came across seas in the serrated cornice
lines, long facades, thick walls, red tiled roofs,
and other striking features of the California Old
Missions. ^lodern architects have heen quick
to seize the poetic heauty of these forms and fuse
them into a most attractive and unique Spauish-
.\merican type. That the type is capable of
much elasticity in application, is shown by the
accompan}ing photograph, so attractive that one
is seized with an immediate desire to build such
a house. It is, of course, a very free use of a
few ^Moresque features : such as the treatment
of the openings, which together with the soft
cream colored plaster and red tiles give a slight
Saracenic feeling to the design, yet enough to
make it perceptible, while the wide eaves and low
walls impart a homelike atmosphere as surely
as the thatched roof of an English farm house.
Altogether, the simplicity of outline and of de-
tail in this example of plaster construction, make
it one of the happiest instances of use of these
motives.
The ])Seudo-Spanish t\]>e of architecture, light,
243
gay and graceful — is well suited to domestic
work, and beside ])eing quite unlike any other is
a perfectly legitimate architectural style.
The ]\Ioors were a no!)le race, who for eight
centuries held their footing in Spain and adorned
the land they had conquered not only by widely
encouraging art and learning in every field, but
with a beautiful architecture which could never
have been conceived by Europeans. Only the
poetic fancy of the Orient, full of splendour,
with a fascinating use of color, could conceive it.
In those southern lands, the bright sunlight
brings out each fine detail of the ornamentation,
and each deep shadow from molding and cornice
is clear cut and sharply defined. The use of
wrought iron in window gratings and balconies
was simple but efifective, and an effect easily
transferred to modern uses.
The patio or court, always a feature of the
Moorish dwelling, found instant welcome and
sympathetic treatment in an American Spain.
The easily worked stucco ottered a tempting field
for decoration, and is imperishable in that cli-
mate. The old Spanish haciendas and patios of
near-by Mexico were an additional inspiration.
The use of colored washes, changing the natural
grey or white of the cement to deep, soft, yellow-
ish creams, or suffusing it with a sea-shell pink,
or cooling it to tender greens — added to the
warm, rich red of the Spanish tiled roofs — im-
parted an interest, v^dien handled with skill,
which becomes an object lesson in the ur^e of
color in architecture. Such an object lesson is
one oi' t'le luuiicinal buildings in IMexico Cit\ ,
245
which is tinted a pale violet color with white
stucco decoration. There too you may see a
more reserved coloring in the shops, the fronts
colored a rich maroon with stucco ornamen.ts in
the same color. The late Banister Fletcher, an
architect of note, designed a liusincss front in
( )xford street, London, where the rustications
were of hronze green enameled clay, and the
front enriched by dull gold ornamentation on the
pilasters.
The great Puritan movement of the seven-
teenth century took all the color out of life and
out of architecture, though before that it was
freely employed. "The world grew gray at
its touch," nor has it ever recovered from that
benumbing influence.
Even now we are shocked at any departure
from the cold and colorless exterior of what is
considered correct architecture. The one excep-
tion, appears in the ga\ly painted wooden houses
— birdcages, we should rather call them — which
are the hall mark of rni uncultivated taste, and
certainl}- no argument for an artistic application
of color in architecture.
Cement is a medium which may within a limit-
ed range, be modified or accentuated by certain
earth colors, such as yellow ochre, burnt sienna,
raw umber and the like, which when incorpo-
rated with this material may be combined with
the fine, creamy white of pure cement in more
or less elaborate design to produce unusual but
extremely artistic effects. These lowered tones
of color are appropriate where the bold, glowing
but refined color compositions of sunnier lands,
would be impossible without the atmosphere that
brings them into harmony.
247
HALF TIMBEF. WORK.
The matter of pieturescjuc oulline in liouses, is
either too little regarded in modern building or
else it is completely misunderstood. Irregular
or picturesque effects are, of course, best adapt-
ed to a country site, as the liiuitations of city lots
and street architecture afford little room for the
play of fancy. Picturesqueness does not, how-
ever, necessarily inipK- irregularity, though that
appears to be the conception of its meaning by
many so-called architects who to quote a brilliant
writer, conceive the picturesque, as "anything
which may be likened to a 'pig with one ear.' *
:!: :;: Tlicsc arc the men who stick chimneys in
odd corners where they are sure to smoke, put
dormers on roofs where they are not wanted,
throw out oriels to bathrooms and corbel out
balconier- to closets."
Far from irregularity ])er se being synony-
mous with picturesqueness, the note of repose,
must never be wanting. A dwelling is pictur-
esque, when the various simple forms are con-
trasted in such a way as to please the eye, and
the design adapted to the site, the surroundings
and the necessities and materials of construction.
In building chimneys, for instance, what pic-
turesque effects may be produced by simple vari-
ations in the management of common brick.
Any laborer could lay them up, but it takes an
artist to devise the forms.
Compared with an English cottage or rural
home of red brick or mellow tinted stone, or
black beams and white plaster, with pitched roofs
and softened ontlines, how inferior in bcautv,
249
Eaton Hall. Neo = Gothic Design. Fij
38
tnough they may be more economical to build.
More and more these old English models are be-
ing employed. That modern English architects
themselves appreciate the charm of their own
ancient forms, is shown by the revival of half
timber design in this peculiarly home-like man-
sion of Eaton Hall, Cheshire, Eng., a fine speci-
men of neo-Gothic work of recent times, and
showing to a marked degree the influence of the
old work surrounding" it. The building is also
interesting as an example of vertical method -un-
disturbed by any diagonal features of design.
The essentiall}- English character of the type
is indeed a subtle factor of influence in its favor
with Americans, who are but Englishmen trans-
ferred to America; and who feel unconsciously
the tie of blood and kinship.
It is not, howi'ver, mere sentiment alone, nor
yet the mellowing touch of time, that gives to
these old dwellings their peculiar charm, a charm
so often missing from modern work. Some one
250
has define;! arcliitecture as "'riic poelic trans-
lation of material into structure," and it is this
which we somehow feel in the old work. The
spirit of our own age is not poetical; show and
ostentation are prevailing influences, and are ex-
pressed in much of our modern building ; but the
modest charm of these old houses will appeal to
many, who prefer the home sentiment to show.
While, perhaps, we ma\- not care to copy ex-
actly this distinctively English architecture, there
are certain ci'.aractcristics which can readily be
incorporated with advantage in our wood con-
struction. The modern architect, it is true, uses
his timlier v/ork for effect and not for construc-
tive value ; but he continues the spirit of the
ancient style though he may go about it by new
methods.
There still remain fortunately many specimens
of the fine old domestic English architecture
wl.ich prevailed in the fifteenth and sixteenth
century. Could it be revived in its old purity,
free from the hybrid forms foisted upon it by
importations of foreign styles, we would possess
far more interesting and individual dwellings.
Probably we shall never return to the workman-
sh.ip of those days when honesty and not sham,
ch.aractcrized construction. Then, walls were
built to stand, and chimneys were so strong as to
defy the picks of the workmen in later centuries
who were taking' them down. The carving in
these old gables is as perfect after 300 years as
when originally executed, and the oaken window
frames, stairs and floors as solid, apparently, as
when first set in place. The house was originally
251
built in tliv' tiftfciuli cenlury Ijul has been re-
paired in later times. The quaint, h If timbered
building with its picturesque quadrangle con-
tains a Saxon chair i.ooo years old, but sturdy
and strong ; the Spanish cedar beams of the hall
look as well as if put up yesterday. In a re-
cent issue of a building magazine there appeared
an account of a six-room house begun and coni-
jileted from chimney to foundation stone, plas-
tered, painted and all — in one day. The man
who compassed this truly remarkable feat plumed
himself greatly thereon, and delivered a con-
gratulatory address to the crowd of workmen
\vho did the job. It seemed to us a sad com-
mentary on the feverish "rushing" of building
contracts, which is deadly to any true worth in
architectural work.
There is no denying that permanency is not a
characteristic of modern architecture, even in
expensive public buildings. The three qualities
insisted upon by the ancient Greeks as essentials
in architecture were permanence, loeauty and
convenience; and however much we may pride
(lurs'jlvcs upon excelling our teachers in the last
qnalit\-. we certainly cannot compare with them
in ilie first. The fault, however, lies with the
builder, not the architect, who must design to
suit the taste and purse of his client.
Tb.c half timber example in Fig. 40 is a proof
that modern architects are quick to seize the
salient features of this fascinating style. The
house is studied from one of the beautiful old
manors of the half timber period, which, begin-
nintr about fifty years before Elizabeth's reien.
253
Modern Elizabethan Design. Fig. 41
cxlcnded to fifty years after. Xo lictter type
could have been chosen for the rugc^ed and pic-
turesque character of the site.
While the modern architect is learning lessons
from the old builders in sincerity of workman-
ship and in attention to picturesque outline, he
far surpasses them in the comfort and conven-
ience of his interiors. P^icturesque as the English
farmhouse is at a distance, our clapboarded and
painted boxes are at least dry and warm, with
abundance of light and cheer within, and this
cannot be said of the often leaky roofs and damp
brick floors of the English cottages.
The pleasing example of modern half timber
construction sb.own in Fig. 41 combines the
picturesque charm nf the old post and petrel
255
work will] imuleni ideas of convenience. j)racti-
cability and comfort in a felicitous manner.
Observe how all the features which give charm
to this style of dwelling, are incorporated in the
exterior of the design — the long, sloping roof
with its shar])ly pointed gables treated with post
and petrel work, the delightful oriel window, be-
low, and bay of the front gable filled with small
diamond panes, the whole design expressing that
essentially English character of domesticity and
picturesqueness referred to, yet with the added
beauty and comfort of the porch composed in
perfect harmony with the feeling of the house,
and a floor plan embracing every modern com-
fort besides being admira1)ly arranged. A de-
sign which adds to the practical plan, the artist's
touch.
Many modern houses which are comfortable
enough in their interior arrangements, appear to
have had little intelligent thought giyen to an
appropriate and well proportioned external ef-
fect.
Some one has said "it is a solemn thing to
huild the outside of a house ;" and truly the feel-
ings of our neighbors and the passers-by are
worthy of consideration, even if architectural
merit makes no appeal to us.
It is not infrequently the case that modern
homes of wealthy people are modeled upon the
typical Elizabethan mansion set with
"Gables and dormer windows evervwhere
And stacks of chimneys rising in the air."
The great hall of the English mansion is faith-
fully reproduced in the interior even to the carv-
257
.'^i
i J
¥ A\
ing of llic wainscoting and the i)anclling of tlic
ceiling.
"Within, unwonted splendors met the eye
Panels and tioors of oak and tapestry."
These great halls, or "chambers" as Shapespeare
called them — arc the prototypes of our modern
notion of a "living or reception hall." The Eng-
lish house of high degree, never lacked these
great halls with lofty roofs and window^s set
high in the wall. The picture given of one of
these "great chambers" shows the fascinating
mullioned windows, walls panelled up to the ceil-
ing which is elaborately treated with decorations
in relief. It shows, too, liow these old halls were
converted into the stately libraries of Elizabethan
and Jacobean times. American millionaires have
bL'en quick to appreciate the stateliness of these
ancient halls and have attempted to revive the old
features in their modern homes. They have re-
produced the great mullioned windows wuth their
hundreds of small, square panes and stained the
wood so skillfully th:it it cannot be distinguished
from the genuine, ancient article.
The (1:1 Colonial halls extending from front
to rear through the center of the house, w^ere
reminiscences of these old English halls in great
houses. They frequentl}- extended up through
to the third story, the lofty, vaulted effect adding
great dignity to the interior though it must be
confessed, at the expense of comfort. Xo greater
contrast to the "hat rack welcome" of the
cramped vestibule which does duty for a hall.
can be imagined, than the generous hospitalitv
expressed in those wide Southern Colonial halls.
259
\\'hile no one would attempt to reproduce
mediasval architecture, or t(i imitate it even, at
the present time, it is not necessary to make an
exact copy of a style in order to express some
of its beauties. We cannot go back in our habits
or tastes to the middle ages — heaven forbid. But
we can recognize the charm of much of its archi-
tecture, and produce something which shall em-
body these fine features and 1)e in harmony both
v/ith them and with the requirements of the
twentieth century. These old buildings afford
valuable study objects for both the architect and
the home-builder. For the latter, because unless
he knows something of their beauties and of the
correctness of the principles underlying the work
of these old builders — it would be of little use
for the architect to present styles modeled upon
them. He would be dubbed a crank and full of
erratic ideas ; therefore he returns to the ordin-
ary and the commonplace, because that is what
his clients would understand.
Demand regulates supply, and if the people
want dreary rows of houses, one just like an-
other, they will get them. But the people will
not want them, if only these fields of study so
rich in architectural suggestions can be brought
to their attention and open their eyes to the pos-
sibilities of beautiful and picturesque form.
To be sure it is not every architect who, even
if he were desired, would be capable of designing
anything so picturesque as these old houses. For
to do this he nnist have the artist nature as well
as the draughtsman's pencil. To combine in a
quaint and jileasing manner plain, structural lines
261
The E.gyptian Library
and simple details, to i)rocluce with taste and dis-
cretion work which, while treatinsf a design in
a picturesque manner, shall avoid fantastic ec-
centricities on the one side or mere conventional
correctness on the other — this is what constitutes
the difference between the architect who is also
an artist and the mere maker of floor plans.
An interesting- example of the adaptation of
historic forms to modern uses, is illustrated in
the Egyptian library, to which, however, the
photograph does scant justice. Egyptian
262
symbols and motives of decoration are em-
ployed b}" the architect not cjnly in the detail
finish of the woodwork, but introduced in the
furnishings. Carved Egyptian heads form the
supporting- corbels of the mantel, and the
andirons below stand like the solemn pylot.s
of an Egyptian temple. The lotus motif, and
the wa^'y lines representing water appear on
the wood detail and the furniture, as also the
reed columns.
Outspread vulture"> wings, the Scarab?eus
the flabella, and other emblems appear exten-
sively in the stained glass and frieze and are
even carried into the eml)roidered pillows and
draperies in which care has been taken to em-
ploy the brilliant coloring used by the Egyp-
tians, modified to suit modern taste. The deep
royal blue, peculiar to their colorists is em-
ployed on the furniture coverings, while the
frames and the wood finish are enameled dark
green. The owners of this artistic room have
found these historic motifs and the significance
of the symbols used, a fascinating study.
The trouble is, the modern architect gets little
encouragement and less time to make a study of
design. His client is always in a hurry, and
after taking months to make up his own mind,
when at last he does, wants his plans drawn
over night. Then he wants "to get bids" and
move in by Christmas, though the cellar be not
excavated till just before snow flies. He cares
nnich about his plumbing and his "space" but
very little about the design. The architect has
very little chance to tliink about that, for he must
263
see first and foremost to the mechanical detail,
and lie must do it quick — the practical part of
the business. It is well — nay it is vital — that
the architect should know brick and shingle,
sand and lumber; should thoroughly understand
heating and ventilating systems and just where
to run the network of pipes in a modern house
to ensure the health and comfort of its occupants.
He must know whether sixteen inch centers or
twenty foot studding are needed in a frame dwell-
ing and he must understand and take into ac-
count in his plans all the laws and variations of
heat and cold, dryness and dampness, radiation
and tenacity and their effect on all the metals and
other materials that enter into construction. Yea,
verily, these are intricate problems and the archi-
tect to whom we confide our hopes must be
equipped for their solving.
But beside all this, there is needed a cultivated
and trained taste, the artistic perception that
recognizes beauty of form wherever found, and
the ability — the ingenuity if you will — to adapt
suggestions from the architecture of all periods,
to modern requirements.
For such an architect and for such clients, a
great wealth of beauty exists in the architectural
records of the past. For them, suggestions are
gleaned from the faultless regularity and repose
of a Greek temple or the delicate carving and
traceried windows of a mediaeval cathedral ;
from the quaint gables of an English Eliza-
bethan house "with dormers and with oriels lit,"
or the reeded pillars of an Egyptian tomb.
264
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES
Architecture & Urban Planning Library, 825-2747 .
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
irPHONiniElWlLS
NOV ?,8 i:-^-'
DEC A 1987
DEC 9 1987
6ECJ2 Aujeu
PSD 2339 9/77
UNIV. OF CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGELA
UCLA-AUPL
NA 200 K4 1905
L 005 858 113 3
;jr <;nr''n^R'; nr^ii.;?,' 'jPR?r)Y tAr-]|_iTY
A 001 248 133 9
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