THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
.,...
<;m9jBeiHBiHfflaillH^ J.
A TEXTBOOK
ON
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS
SCRANTON, PA.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING
FREEHAND DRAWING
HISTORIC ORNAMENT
SCRANTON
INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK CO.
A-2
4900
Copyright, 1901, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY, under the title of
THE ELEMENTS OF ORNAMENTAL DESIGN.
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London.
Geometrical Drawing: Copyright, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, by THE
COLLIERY ENGINEER COMPANY.
Freehand Drawing : Copyright, 1900, by THE COLLIERY ENGINEER COMPANY.
Historic Ornament: Copyright, 1900, by THE COLLIERY ENGINEER COMPANY.
All rights reserved.
dl
Press of EATON & MAINS
NEW YORK
Art
Library
-*//*:
/G/o
AV
PRE FAC E
All the Instruction and Question Papers of our Orna-
mental Design Course are contained in two volumes and the
accompanying' portfolio, in which will be found facsimiles
of all the drawing plates that the student is required to
execute. These volumes and portfolio together form a com-
prehensive treatise on the theory of ornamental design, and
can be used as a work of reference by the practical designer
in the solution of the numerous problems that confront him
in his every -day work.
The geometrical considerations that lie at the foundation
of all good designs, the proper understanding of historic
style and detail, the origin and influence of certain ele-
mentary forms, the practical considerations that govern the
final arrangement of all designs, and the influence of mate-
rial and the ultimate purpose are all dwelt upon in detail in
this volume, and practical examples of them are shown in
the accompanying portfolio of plates.
The method of numbering the pages, cuts, articles, etc.
is such that each paper and part is complete in itself; hence,
in order to make the indexes intelligible it is necessary to
give each paper and part a number. This number is placed
at the top of each page on the headline opposite the page
number; and to distinguish it from the page number it is
preceded by the printer's section mark (). Consequently a
reference such as 4, page 29, would be readily found as
follows: look along the inside edges of the headlines until
4 is found, and then through 4 until page 29 is found.
iii
1418285
IV
PREFACE.
The Examination Questions are divided into sections,
which have been given the same section numbers as the
Instruction Papers to which they belong and are grouped
together at the end of the volumes containing the Instruction
Papers to which they refer. The papers on Geometrical
Drawing, Freehand Drawing, and Historic Ornamental
Drawing are not accompanied by Question Papers.
The portfolio contains copies of all the plates sent to
students in this Course.
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS.
CONTENTS.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. Section. Page,
Instruments and Materials
Lettering
Plates l
%
FREEHAND DRAWING.
Introduction
The Plate Exercises .
Linear Elements
Surfaces and Solids
Natural Leaves 2
Flowers and Conventionalized Leaves .
Brush Work
Applied Design
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
Introduction
Ancient Ornament
Egyptian Ornament
Assyrian Ornament
Classic Ornament
Greek Ornament
Etruscan Ornament
Greco-Roman Ornament
The Five Orders of Architecture ... -4
v
vi CONTENTS.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT. Continued. Section. Page.
The Greek Orders 4 2
The Roman Orders 4 17
Byzantine Ornament 4 39
Asiatic Ornament 4 59
Chinese and Japanese Ornament ... 4 59
Indian Ornament 4 64
Arabian Ornament 4 69
Turkish Ornament 4 76
Persian Ornament 4 78
Moorish Ornament 4 80
Western Art 4 95
Celtic Ornament 4 95
Gothic Ornament 4 99
Renaissance Art '5 1
Italian Renaissance 5 4
French Renaissance 5 24
German and English Renaissance . . 5 51
Conclusion 5 56
Historic Lettering 5 61
Antique Egyptian Alphabet .... 5 63
Light Antique Egyptian Alphabet . . 5 65
Heavy Antique Egyptian Alphabet . . 5 69
Medieval Roman Alphabet 5 69
Light and Heavy French Roman
Alphabet .5 71
Gothic Alphabet 5 75
Old English Alphabet 5 79
QUESTIONS AND EXAMPLES. Section.
Historic Ornament 3
Historic Ornament (Continued) 4
Historic Ornament (Continued) 5
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
INSTRUMENTS AND MATERIALS.
1. A drawing is a representation of objects on a plane
surface by means of lines or lines and shades. When done
by the use of free hand only, it is called freehand drawing
or sketching; when instruments are used, so that greater
exactness may be obtained, it is called instrumental, or
mechanical, drawing.
2. All of the instruments and materials required for
the courses in drawing are mentioned in the following
descriptions:
The drawing board should be made of well-seasoned,
straight-grained pine, the grain running lengthwise. For
this course, the student will need a board of the following
dimensions: length over all, 22 \ inches; width, 1G inches.
The drawing board illustrated in Fig. 1 is the one furnished
in our students' drawing outfits and can be fully recom-
mended as possessing the qualities a good and accurate board
should have. It is made of several pieces of pine wood glued
together to the required width of the board. A pair of hard-
wood cleats is screwed to the back of the board, the screws
passing through the cleats in oblong slots with iron bushings,
which allow the screws to move freely when drawn by the
contraction and expansion of the board. Grooves are cut
through half the thickness of the board over the entire back
side. These grooves take the transverse resistance out of
1
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING,
the wood and allow it to be controlled by the cleats, at the
same time leaving the longitudinal strength nearly unim-
paired. In order to provide a perfectly smooth working
FIG. 1.
edge, for the head of the T square to slide against, a strip
of hard wood is let into the short edges of the board, and is
sawed through in several places, in order to allow for the
contraction and expansion of the board. The cleats also
raise the board from the table, thus making it easier to
change the position of the board. When in use the board is
placed so that one of the short edges is at the left of the
draftsman, as shown in Fig. 2.
3. The T square is used for drawing horizontal straight
lines. The head A is placed against the left-hand edge of
the board, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper edge C of the
blade /> is brought very near to the point through which it
is desired to pass a line, so that the straight edge C of the
blade may be used as a guide for the pen or pencil. It is
evident that all lines drawn in this manner will be parallel.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
Vertical lines are drawn by means of triangles. The tri-
angles most generally used are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each
of which has one right angle. The triangle shown in Fig. 3
FIG. 3.
FIG. 4.
has two angles of 45 each, and that in Fig. 4 one of 60 and
one of 30. They are called 45 and 60 triangles, respect-
ively. To draw a vertical line, place the T square in posi-
tion to draw a horizontal
line, and lay the triangle
against it, so as to form a
right angle. Hold both
T square and triangle
J lightly with the left hand,
so as to keep them from
slipping, and draw the line
with the pen or pencil held
in the right hand, and
against the edge of the triangle. Fig. 5 shows the tri-
angles and T square in position.
4. For drawing parallel lines that are neither vertical nor
horizontal, the simplest and best way, when the lines are
near together, is to place one edge of a triangle, as ab,
Fig. 6, on the given line c d, and lay the other triangle, as /?,
FIG. 5.
4 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
against one of the two edges, holding it fast with the left
hand; then move the triangle A along the edge of B. The
edge a b will be parallel to the line c d ; and when the edge
a b reaches the pointy, through which it is desired to draw
the parallel line, hold both triangles stationary with the left
hand, and draw the line ef by passing the pencil along the
edge a b. Should the triangle A extend too far beyond the
edge of the triangle B after a number of lines have been
drawn, hold A stationary with the left hand and shift B
along the edge of A with the right hand, and then proceed
as before.
5. A line may be drawn at right angles to another line
which is neither vertical nor horizontal, as illustrated in Fig. 7.
Let c d be the given line (shown at the left-hand side).
Place one of the shorter edges, as a b, of the triangle B so
that it will coincide with the line cd\ then, keeping the
triangle in this position, place the triangle A so that its long
edge will come against the long edge of B. Now, holding
A securely in place with the left hand, slide B along the
edge of A with the right hand, when the lines // i, m n, etc.
may be drawn perpendicular to c d along the edge bfot the
triangle B. The dotted lines show the position of the tri-
angle B when moved along the edge of A.
I
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
6. The right-hand portion of Fig. 7 shows another
method of accomplishing the same result, and illustrates
how the triangles may be used for drawing a rectangular
figure, when the sides of the figure make an angle with
the T square such that the latter cannot be used.
Let the side c d of the figure be given. Place the long
side of the triangle B so as to coincide with the line c d,
and bring the triangle A into position against the lower
side of B, as shown. Now, holding the triangle A in
place with the left hand, revolve B so that its other
FIG. 7.
short edge will rest against the long edge of A, as shown
in the dotted position at B'. The parallel lines c e and
df may now be drawn through the points c and d by
sliding the triangle B on the triangle A, as described in
connection with Fig. 6. Measure off the required width
of the figure on the line c e, reverse the triangle />' again
to its original position, still holding the triangle A in a
fixed position with the left hand, and slide B upon A
until the long edge of B passes through c. Draw the
line ef through the point e, and cf will be parallel to cd.
The student should practice with his triangles before
beginning drawing.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING
7. The compasses, next to the T square and triangles,
are used more than any other instrument. A pencil and
pen point are provided, as shown in Fig. 8, either of which
may be inserted into a socket in one leg of the instrument,
for the drawing of circles in pencil or ink. The other leg is
fitted with a needle point, which acts as the center about
which the circle is drawn. In all good instruments, the
needle point itself is a separate
piece of round steel wire, held
in place in a socket provided
at the end of the leg. The wire
should have a square shoulder
at its lower end, below which a
fine, needle-like point projects.
The lengthening bar, also
shown in the figure, is used to
extend the leg carrying the
pen and the pencil points when
circles of large radii are to be
drawn.
The joint at the top of the
compasses should hold the legs
firmly in any position, and at
the same time should permit
their being opened or closed
with one hand. The joint may
be tightened or loosened by
means of a screwdriver or
wrench, which accompanies the
compasses.
It will be noticed in Fig. 8 that each leg of the compasses
is jointed; this is done so that the compass points may
always be kept perpendicular to the paper when drawing
circles, as in Fig. 11.
The style of compasses shown in Fig. 8 have what is
called a tongue joint, in which the head of one leg has a
tongue, generally of steel, which moves between two lugs
on the other leg. Another common style of joint is the
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 7
pivot joint in which the head of each leg is shaped like a
disk and the two disks are held together in a fork-shaped
brace either by means of two pivot screws or by one screw
penetrating both disks. The brace that forms a part of this
FIG. 9.
joint is generally provided with a handle, as the shape of
the joint makes it rather awkward to hold the compasses by
the head as is usual with instruments provided with tongue
joints. In Fig. 9 is shown a common style of pivot joint.
8. The following suggestions for handling the compasses
should be carefully observed by those who are beginning the
subject of mechanical drawing. Any draftsman who handles
his instruments awkwardly will create a bad impression, no
matter how good a workman he may be. The tendency of
FIG. 10.
all beginners is to use both hands for operating the com-
passes. This is to be avoided. The student should learn
at the start to open and close them with one hand, holding
them as shown in Fig. 10, with the needle-point leg resting
8 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
between the thumb and fourth finger, and the other leg
between the middle and forefinger. When drawing cir-
cles, hold the compasses lightly at the top between the
thumb and forefinger, or thumb, forefinger, and middle
finger, as in Fig. 11. Another case where both hands
should not be used is in locating the needle point at a point
on the drawing about which the circle is to be drawn, unless
the left hand is used merely to steady the needle point.
TIG. 11.
Hold the compasses as shown in Fig. 10, and incline them
until the tinder side of the hand rests upon the paper. This
will steady the hand so that the needle point can be brought
to exactly the right place on the drawing. Having placed
the needle at the desired point, and with it still resting
on the paper, the pen or pencil point may be moved out
or in to any desired radius, as indicated in Fig. 10.
When the lengthening bar is used, both hands must be
employed.
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 9
9. The compasses must be handled in such a manner that
the needle point will not dig large holes in the paper. Keep
the needle point adjusted so that it will be perpendicular to
the paper, when drawing circles, and do not bear upon it. A
slight pressure will be necessary on the pen or pencil point,
but not on the needle point.
10. The dividers, shown in Figs. 9 and 12, are used for
laying off distances upon a drawing, or for dividing straight
lines or circles into parts. The points of the dividers should
be very sharp, so that they will not punch holes in the paper
larger than is absolutely necessary to be seen. Compasses
are sometimes furnished with two steel divider points,
besides the pen and pencil points, so that the instrument
may be used either as compasses or dividers. This is the
kind illustrated in Fig. 12. When using the dividers to
FIG. 12.
space a line or circle into a number of equal parts, hold them
at the top between the thumb and forefinger, as when using
the compasses, and step off the spaces, turning the instru-
ment alternately to the right and left. If the line or circle
does not space exactly, vary the distance between the divider
points and try again; so continue until it is spaced equally.
When spacing in this manner, great care must be exercised
not to press the divider points into the paper; for, if the
points enter the paper, the spacing can never be accurately
done. The student should satisfy himself of the truth of
this statement by actual trial.
11. The bow-pencil and bow-pen, shown in Fig. 13,
are convenient for describing small circles. The two points
of the instruments must be adjusted to the same length:
10
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
otherwise, very small circles cannot be drawn. To open or
close cither of these instruments, support it in a vertical posi-
tion by resting the needle
point on the paper and bear-
ing slightly on the top of
it with the forefinger of one
hand, and turn the adjust-
ing nut with the thumb and
middle finger of the same
hand.
Fin. 13.
12. Drawing Paper
and Pencils. The draw-
ing paper recommended for
this series of lessons is
the T. S. Co. 's cold-pressed
demy, the size of which
is 15"X20". It takes ink
well, and withstands considerable erasing. The paper is
secured to the drawing board by means of thumbtacks.
Four are usually sufficient one at each
corner of the sheet (see Fig. 7). Place
a piece of paper on the drawing board,
and press a thumbtack through one of
the corners about ^ or f of an inch from
each edge. Place the T square in posi-
tion for drawing a horizontal line, as
before explained, and straighten the
paper so that its upper edge will be par-
allel to the edge of the T square blade.
Pull the corner diagonally opposite that
in which the thumbtack was placed, so
as to stretch the paper slightly, and push
in another thumbtack. Do the same
with the remaining two corners. For
drawing in pencil, an HHHH pencil of
any reputable make should be used.
The pencil should be sharpened as shown at A, Fig. 14.
FIG. 14.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
11
Cut the wood away so as to leave about ^ or |- of an inch of
the lead projecting; then sharpen it flat by rubbing it against
a fine file or a piece of fine emery cloth or sandpaper that
has been fastened to a flat stick. Grind it to a sharp edge
like a knife blade, and round the corners very slightly, as
shown in the figure. If sharpened to a round point, as
shown at B, the point will wear away very quickly and
make broad lines; when so sharpened it is difficult to draw
a line exactly through a point. The lead for the compasses
should be sharpened in the same manner as the pencil, but
should have its width narrower. Be sure that the compass
lead is so secured t/iat, when circles are struck in either
direction, but one line will be drawn with the same radius
and center.
13. Inking. For drawing ink lines other than arcs of
circles, the ruling pen (or right-line pen, as it is some-
times called) is used. It should be held as nearly perpen-
Fio. 15.
dicular to the board as possible, with the hand in the position
shown in Figs. 15 and 1C, bearing lightly against the T square
lo GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
or triangle, along the edge of which the line is drawn. After
a little practice, this position will become natural, and no
difficulty will be experienced.
14. The beginner will find that it is not always easy to
make smooth lines. If the pen is held so that only one blade
bears on the paper when drawing, the line will almost invari-
ably be ragged on the edge where the blade does not bear.
When held at right angles to the paper, as in Fig. 16, how-
FIG. 16.
ever, both blades will rest on the paper, and if the pen is in
good condition, smooth lines will result. The pen must not
be pressed against the edge of the T square or triangle, as
the blades will then close together, making the line uneven.
The edge should serve as a guide, simply.
In drawing circles with the compass pen, the same care
should be taken to keep the blades perpendicular to the
p;i]>er by means of the adjustment at the joint. In both the
ruling l )( -'!i an', Fig. Ill, will coincide with the
18
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
line forming one side of the angle to be laid off or measured,
and the center O must be at the vertex of the angle.
FIG. 19.
For example, let it be required to draw a line through the
point C, making an angle of 54 with the line E F, Fig. 20.
Place the protractor upon the line E F, as just described, with
the center O upon the point C. With a sharp-pointed pencil,
make a mark on the paper at the 54 division, as indicated
at D. A line drawn through C and D will then make an
angle of 54 with E F. Greater exactness will be secured
FIG. 30.
if the line E F be extended to the left, so that both zero
marks (A and B, Fig. 19) can be placed on the line. This
should always be done when possible.
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 19
LETTERING.
2O. In mechanical drawing, all headings, explanatory
matter, and dimensions should be neatly printed on the
drawing. Ordinary script writing is not permissible.
It is usually difficult for beginners to letter well, and unless
the student is skilful at it, he should devote some time to
practicing lettering before commencing the drawing. In
correcting the plates, the lettering will be considered as well
as the drawing. Many students think that it is only neces-
sary to exercise special care when drawing the views on a
plate, and that it is not necessary to take particular pains in
lettering. This, however, is not the case, for, no matter
how well the views may be drawn, if the lettering is poorly
done, the finished drawing will not have a neat appearance.
In fact, generally speaking, more time is required to make
well-executed letters than to make well-executed drawings
of objects. We earnestly request the student to practice
lettering, and not to think that that part of the work is of no
importance. The student should not be too hasty in doing
the lettering. It takes an experienced draftsman consider-
able time to do good lettering, and no draftsman can per-
form this work as quickly as he can ordinary writing;
therefore, no beginner should attempt to do what experi-
enced draftsmen cannot do. In order to letter well, the work
must be done slowly. Very frequently more time is spent
in lettering a drawing than in inking in the objects repre-
sented. Instructions will be given in two styles of freehand
lettering, both extensively used in American drafting rooms.
With the exception of the large headings or titles of the
plates, the style and size of all lettering used on the original
ABCDEFGJtlJJCLMNOPQRSTWWXYZ
adcd,e/ytiijJtl?nnopqr stuvivx yz &
/83456789O /sassersso 2 L 6i'otia,.Cast Iron
drawing plates of this course are shown in Fig. 21. This
style, although a little more elaborate and difficult in exe-
cution, was selected on account of its greater neatness and
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
FIG. 22.
legibleness. The two styles are very similar in the forma-
tion of the letters, and although the student is advised to
select and use only one of the two on his drawings in this
course, he will find, after having mastered one of the styles,
little difficulty in practicing the other.
When lettering, a Gillott's No. 303 pen should be used.
The height of the capital letters should be -j\", and of the
small letters two-thirds of this, or T y. This applies to
both styles of freehand lettering. Do not make them
larger than tJiis.
21. Before beginning to letter, horizontal guide lines
should be drawn with the T square, to serve as a guide for
the tops and bottoms of the letters (see Fig. 22). The out-
side lines should be -/%" apart for . the capitals, and the two
lower lines T V/' apart for the small letters. The letters
should be made to extend fully up to the top and down to
the bottom guide lines. They
must not fall short of the guide
lines, nor extend beyond them.
Failure to observe this point will cause the lettering to look
ragged, as in the second word in Fig. 22.
22. It is very important that all the letters have the
same inclination. For example,
by referring to Fig. 23 (a), it
will be seen that the backs of
letters like />', E, /, -, d, i, t, etc. are parallel and slant
the same way. This
is also true of both
sides of letters like
H, M, 11, u, h, y, etc.
To aid in keeping the
slant uniform, draw
1 parallel slanting lines
across the guide lines
with the 00 triangle,
as in Fig. :.'.'! (A), and, in lettering, make the backs or sides,
of the K -l U-rs parall'-l with these lines.
FlG '
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 21
23. A few points regarding- the construction of the letters
are illustrated in Fig. 24, in which the letters are shown upon
an enlarged scale. The capital letters A, V, Y, M, and W
must be printed so that
the other letters. To
print the A. draw the / , ,
1- 7 i uu,u ll*hqq rrrdb S?+
center line a d, having gcrw */" *yr*
the common slant; from
a draw the sides a c and a b, so that points c and will each
be -fa" distant from point d. The side a b will be nearly
perpendicular to the guide lines. The Fis like an inverted
A, and is drawn in the same way, the line bd being nearly
perpendicular.
To make the Y, draw the center line a d, having the com-
mon slant, which gives the slant for the base of the letter.
The upper part of the Y begins a little below its center, and
is similar to the F, though somewhat narrower, as the letter
should be only -fa" wide at the top. Points b and c should
be at equal distances from point a.
The two sides be and ef of the J/are parallel, and have
the common slant. The M is made as broad as it is high,
or ^j". Having drawn the two sides, mark the point ,
midway between the points c and /, and connect it with
points b and e. The lines bd and ed should be slightly
curved, as shown.
In the Wthe two outside lines are not parallel, as in the J7,
but are farther apart at the top than at the bottom. Draw the
line a d, having the common slant. Mark points b and r, which
are exactly ^" from the point a. From b and c draw lines b d
and c d. The other half of the W is like the first part, cf
being parallel to bd and cf parallel to c d. It will be seen
that the If 7 is composed of two narrow Ps, each T \" wide,
the width of the whole letter being \" '.
24. Capital letters like J\ R, />', /., E, etc. should be
printed so that their top and bottom lines will be i:\-tjctly
22 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
horizontal. This is illustrated in the two examples of the
word problem in Fig. 24. In the first example, it will be
noticed that the tops of the /'and R, the bottom of the L, and
the tops and bottoms of the B and E, all run in the same
direction as the guide lines, and coincide with them. In
the second example, these lines are not horizontal, which
makes the word look very uneven. It is also to be
noticed that these lines extend beyond the upright lines in
the first word, and that cross-lines are used on the bottom
of the P and R, on the top of the L, and on the M. In
the second word, these lines are omitted at the points indi-
cated by the arrows. These features are found on most of
the other capitals.
The small letters n, u, //, /, i, etc. should have sharp cor-
ners at the points indicated by the arrows in Fig. 24. They
look much better that way, and are less difficult to make,
than when they have round corners. Following these letters
are five groups of letters containing ;/, u, l,g, and r. The
first letter of each group is printed correctly, while the letters
following show ways in which they should not be printed.
In the case of the^, point 2 should fall in a slanting direc-
tion under point 1, the slant being the same as a d of the
preceding letters. The difference between d and b and the
construction of the s are also shown in the same figure.
The b should be made rounding at the point indicated.
As a guide in making the s, draw the two lines a b and c d,
having the common slant. The s should now be drawn so
that it will touch these lines at points 1, 3, and 4, but not at
point 2. It will be an additional help if the line ex is also
drawn as a guide for the middle portion of the s; but care
should be taken not to have it slant more than shown in the
copy.
The letters a, o, />,-, etc. should be full and round; do not
cramp them. It will be necessary to follow the copy closely
until familiar with it. Notice that the figures are not made
as in writing, particularly the 6?, 4, 8, and 9 (see Fig. 21). Try
to space the letters evenly. Letter in pencil first, and, if
not right, erase and try again.
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 23
25. Another style of freehand lettering is shown in
Fig. 25. This style is extensively used for the lettering
of working drawings. It is more easily and rapidly
ABCDEFGH/JKL MMOPQRSTL/l/WXYZ
at? c c/e fgh/jfr/m n opqrsfu v wxyz A
/234S678 9/O /234567890 2-6t
FIG. 25.
made than the style previously described, and although not
productive of as high degree of neatness in appearance will
be found very useful and acceptable for general office work.
A comparison between the two systems will disclose a
great similarity in the detail formation of the letters.
26. The horizontal and slanting guide lines are drawn
exactly in the same man-
ner as for the style prc- Horizontal Hor/zonfal
.. , -i-i -IT FIG. 26.
viously described, and if
not followed the results will be similar. See the uneven
appearance of the second word in Fig. 26.
27. By studying the formation of the letters carefully,
it will be found that many of them are formed on the same
principle, as shown in Fig. 27. The ovals of the letters
a, b, if, g, />, and q are formed exactly
E> &>(^O alike an( j have a slant of 45 wjth
the horizontal. These ovals should
C 6
L> "> be made a little wider at the top
r n ffl h / / than at the bottom. Care should be
taken that the straight downward
/ strokes are made parallel to the
slanting guide lines. The letters r
and e are commenced in the same
FIG. 27.
way, but the upper loop in e should
be formed in such a manner that its axis will be at an angle
if
24 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
of 4.5 with the horizontal. The r is made by having' the
down stroke parallel to the slanting guide line and the
up stroke slightly curved in the same way as in the letter n
(see Fig. 2T). The strokes in the letters j and / are the
same, with the position of the hooked part reversed.
28. The eapital letters shown in Fig. 28 are formed
very nearly in the same manner as those shown in Art. 23,
FIG. as.
but differ slightly by omitting the short spurs that give to
the letters a more finished appearance.
In the capital J7, however, there is a decided variation.
The M is made with four strokes, putting in the parallel
sides first. The two other strokes should join midway
between these sides and at a distance from the top of about
-i of the height of the letter. These strokes, as will be seen,
are straight and not curved.
2J). The numerals should be -fa" high and of the style
shown in Fig. 25 ; fractions should be \" high over all. In
Fig. 2! the numerals are illustrated to a larger scale, and a
comparison with the style shown in Fig. 21 will disclose
several variations.
The loops of the , ?, 5, G, and 9 should be formed so that
will be at an angle of 45 with the horizontal. It
I be noted that the 7 differs widely from the style shown in
Fig. 21, the down stroke not curving but having a straight
The axis of the and the loops of the 8 should
slant at an anirle of r,o
rr
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 25
Diligent practice for a short time and careful observation
of the forms of letters and numerals as shown in Figs. 21-29
will soon enable the student to acquire skill and speed in this
branch of drawing.
30. The alphabet shown in Fig. 30, called the block
letter, is to be used for the large headings or titles of plates,
as shown on the copy plates. This alphabet is not to be used
on the first five geometrical drawing plates. The letters and
figures are to be made y^-" high and \" wide, except^/, which
is -$" wide, and W, which is f " wide. The thickness of all
ABCDEFGHI J
KLMNDPOR S
TU V W X YZS
IE345B7B3D
FIG. 30.
the lines forming the letters is y 1 ^, measured horizontally.
The distance between any two letters of a word is y 1 ^",
except where A follows P or F\ where V, W, or F follows
L; where / follows F, P, T, V, W, or F; where T and A
are adjacent, or A and F, W, or Fare adjacent; in this case,
the bottom extremity of A and the top extremity of /*, 7",
F, T^are in the same vertical line, etc.
31. Since these letters are composed of straight lines,
they can be made with the T square and triangle. In lettering
the title of the drawing plates, the student should draw six
horizontal lines y 1 ^" apart in lead pencil, to represent the thick-
ness of the letters at the top, center, and bottom; then, by
use of the triangle, he should draw in the width of the letters
and the spaces between them in lead pencil. Having the
20 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
letters all laid out, he can very easily ink them in. Use the
ruling pen for inking in the straight outlines of the letters,
and the lettering pen for rounding the corners and filling in
between the outlines. It is well to ink in all the perpen-
dicular lines first, next the horizontal lines, and then the
oblique lines.
PLATES.
32. Preliminary Directions. The size of each plate
over all will be 14" X 18", having a border line \" from each
edge all around, thus making the size of the space on which
the drawing is to be made 13" X 17". The sheet itself must
be larger than this when first placed upon the board, so that
the thumbtack holes maybe cut out; the extra margin is
also very convenient for testing the pen, in order to see
whether the ink is flowing well and whether the lines are of
the proper thickness.
The first five plates will consist of practical geometrical
problems which constantly arise in practice when making
drawings. The method of solving every one of these
problems should be carefully memorized, so that they
can be instantly applied when the occasion requires,
without being obliged to refer to the text for help.
Particular attention should be paid to the lettering.
Whenever any dimensions are specified, they should be
laid off as accurately as possible. All drawings should
be made as neat as possible, and the penciling entirely
finished before inking in any part of it. Great care
should be taken in distributing the different views, parts,
details, etc. on the drawing, so that when the drawing
is completed, one view will not be so near to another
as to mar the appearance of the drawing. The hands
should be perfectly clean, and should not touch the paper
except when necessary. No lines should be erased except
when absolutely necessary; for, whenever a line has once
been erased, the dirt flying around in the air and con-
stantly falling on the drawing will stick to any spot where an
JL.
PROBLEM t: To bisect a straight fine.
PROBLEM 3: To draw a perpendicu/ar to a straight
CASE 1.
PLA1
PROBLEM 2: To draw a
CA.
//ne from a point without
CASE
cutar to a straight l^ne from a given point in that line.
CASE II.
PffOBL EM 4: Through a given point to draw
a straight line para lie/ to a given straight fine
JOHN SMITH. CLASS N? 4529.
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 27
erasure has been made, and it is then very difficult, if not
impossible, to entirely remove it. For this reason, all con-
struction lines that are to be removed, or that are liable to be
changed, should be drawn lightly, that the finish of the paper
may not be destroyed when erasing them. When it is found
necessary to erase an ink blot or a line that has been inked in,
only an ink eraser or sand rubber should be used. After the
erasure has been made, the roughened part of the surface
of the paper can be smoothed by rubbing with some
hard, smooth substance, as a piece of ivory or the handle
of a knife.
PLATE I.
33. Take a sheet of drawing paper 15" wide and 20"
long (demy size), and fasten it to the board as previously
described. On this draw the outlines of the size of the
plate, 14" X 18", and draw the border line all around \" from
the edge of the outline, leaving the space inside for the draw-
ing I3"Xl7 ff . When the word draiving is used hereafter,
it refers only to the space inside the border lines and the
objects drawn upon it. To understand clearly what fol-
lows, refer to Plate I. Divide the drawing into two equal
parts by means of a faint horizontal line. This line is
shown dotted in Plate I, above referred to. Divide
each of these halves into three equal parts, as shown by
the dotted lines; this divides the drawing into six rect-
angular spaces. These division lines are not to be inked
in, but must be erased when the plate is completed. On
the first five plates, space for the lettering must be taken
into account. For each of the six equal spaces, the
lettering will take tip one or two lines. The height of all
capital letters on these plates will be ^j", and of the small
letters | of this, or T V'. The distance between any two
lines of lettering will also be -fa". The distance between
the tops of the letters on the first line of lettering and
the top line of the equal divisions of the drawing is to
be \"\ an< i the space between the bottoms of the letters
and the topmost point of the figure represented on the
;>8 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
drawing within one of these six divisions must also be
not less than -.',"- This makes a very neat arrangement,
if the figure is so placed that the outermost points of
the bounding lines are equally distant from the sides of
one of the equal rectangular spaces. Consequently, if
there is one line of lettering, no point of the figure
drawn should come nearer than i"+ aY' +|" = 1-jV' to tne
top line of the space within which it is represented; or, if
there are two lines of lettering, nearer than \" -\- %" -\- ^"
-j-^V -j- .V" = l-jV'. The letter heading for each figure on
the first five plates will be printed in heavy-faced type
at the beginning of the directions explaining each prob-
lem. The student must judge for himself by the length
of the heading whether it will take up one line or two, and
make due allowance for the space it takes up. This is a
necessary precaution, because the lettering should never be
done until the rest of the drawing is entirely finished and
inked in.
PROBLEM 1. To bisect a straight line.
See Fig. 31 ; also 1 of Plate I.
CONSTRUCTION. Draw a straight line A B, ?>\" long. With
one extremity A as a center, and a radius greater than one-
half of the length of the
\i/
line, describe an arc of a
circle on each side of the
given line ; with the other
extremity B as a center,
. a and the same radius, de-
scribe arcs intersecting
the first two in the
points C and D. Join C
and D by the line CD,
and the point P. where it
FIG. 3i.
intersects A B, will be the
= />/?, and Pis the middle point
Since CD is perpendicular to A B, this construction
also gives a perpendicular to a straight line at its middle point.
1
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
29
A-
J
FIG. 32.
PROBLEM 2. To draw a perpendicular to a straight
line from a given point in that line.
NOTE. As there are two cases of this problem, requiring two figures
on the plate, the line of letters will be run clear across both figures, as
shown in Plate I.
Case I. When the point is at or near the center of
the line. See Fig. 32; also 2, Case I, of Plate I.
CONSTRUCTION. Draw
A B 3f long. Let P
be the given point. With
P as a center, and any
radius, as P D, describe
two short arcs cutting
A Bin the points Cand D.
With C and D as cen-
ters, and any convenient
radius greater than PD, describe two arcs intersecting
in E. Draw P, and it will be perpendicular to A B
at the point P.
Case II. When the point is near the end of the line. See
Fig. 33; also 2, Case II, of
Plate I.
Draw AB 3|" long.
Take the given point P
about f from the end of
the line. With any point
O as a center, and a radius
O P, describe an arc cut-
ting A B in P and D.
Draw D O, and prolong it
until it intersects the arc
in the point C. A line drawn through C and P will be per-
pendicular to A B at the point P.
PROBLEM 3. To draw a perpendicular to a straight
line from a point -without it.
FIG. 83.
As in Problem 2, there are two cases.
30
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
1
A B 31
r
Case I. M'hcn the point lies nearly over the center
of the line. See Fig. 34; also 3, Case I, of Plate I.
CONSTRUCTION. Draw
long. Let P be
the given point. With P
as a center, and any radius
P D greater than the dis-
tance from P to A />', de-
scribe an arc cutting A B
in C and D. With C and
D as centers, and any con-
venient radius, describe
FK.. ;. short arcs intersecting
in R. A line drawn through Pand R will be perpendicular
to A B at /".
Case II. When lite point lies nearly over one end of the
line. See Fig. 35; also 3, Case II, of Plate I.
Draw A B 3V' long, and let P be the given point. With
any point C on the VP
line A B as a center,
and the distance C P
as a radius, describe
an arc P P. D cutting 4 , | \E
A B in R. With R as
a center, and the dis-
tance R P as a radius,
describe an arc cut- *
ting the arc /'/: D in D.
The line joining the points P and D will be perpendicular
to A />.
PROBLEM 4. Througli a given point, to draw a
straight line parallel to a given straight line.
See Fig. 30; also 4 of Plate I.
CONSTRUC-I ION. Let P be the given point, and A B the
given straight line \}\" long. With P as a center, and any
FIG. 35.
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 31
convenient radius, describe an arc CD intersecting A B
in D. With D as a center, and the same radius, describe
the arc PE. With D as a center, and a radius equal to the
chord of the arc PE.
f, .0
descnbe an arc intersect-
ing C D in C. A straight
line drawn through P and
C will be parallel to A B.
/2> 34. These four prob-
lems form Plate I. They
should be carefully and accurately drawn in with lead-pencil
lines and then inked in. It will be noticed that on Plate I,
and Figs. 31 to 3(j, the given lines are light, the required
lines heavy, and the construction lines, which, in a practical
working drawing, would be left out, are light dotted. This
system must also be followed in the four plates which are to
follow. A single glance enables one to see at once the
reason for drawing the figure, and the eye is directed
immediately to the required line.
In the first five plates, accuracy and neatness are the main
things to be looked out for. The student should be certain
that the lines are of precisely the length that is specified in
the description. When drawing a line through two points, be
sure that the line goes through the points; if it does not pass
exactly through the points, erase it and draw it over again.
If a line is supposed to end at some particular point, make
it end there do not let it extend beyond or fall short.
Thus, in Fig. 36, if the line P C does not pass through the
points Pand C, it is not parallel to A B. By paying care-
ful attention to these points, the student saves himself a
great deal of trouble in the futiire. Do not hurry your
work.
First ink in all of the light lines and light dotted lines
(which have the same thickness); then ink in the heavy
required lines after the pen has been readjusted. Now do the
lettering (first read carefully the paragraphs under the head
" Lettering "), and finally draw the heavy border lines, which
32 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
should be thicker than any other line on the drawing.
The word " Plate " and its number should be printed
at the top of the sheet, outside the border lines, and
midway of its length, as shown. The student's name,
followed by the words "Class" and "No.," and after
this his course letter and c/ass number should be printed
in the lower right-hand corner below the border line,
as shown. Thus, John Smith, Class No. C 4529. The
date on which the drawing was completed should be
placed in the lower left-hand corner, below the border
line. All of tliis lettering is to be in capitals ^" high.
Erase the division lines, and clean the drawing by rub-
bing very gently with the eraser. Care must be exer-
cised when doing this, or the inked lines will also be erased.
It is best to use a so-called " Sponge Rubber " for this pur-
pose, as it will not injure the inked lines. If any part of a
line has been erased or weakened, it must be redrawn. Then
write with the lead pencil your name and address in full
on the back of your drawing, after which put your drawing
in the empty tube which was sent you, and send it to the
Schools.
HINTS FOR PLATE I.
35. Do not forget to make a distinction between the width
of the given and required lines, nor forget to make the con-
struction lines dotted.
When drawing dotted lines, take pains to have the dots
and spaces uniform in length. Make the dots about -^"
long and the spaces only about one-third the length of
the dots.
Try to get the work accurate. The constructions must be
accurate, and all lines or figures should be drawn of the
length or size previously stated. To this end, work carefully
and keep the pencil leads very sharp, so that the lines ivill
be fine.
The lettering on the first few plates, as well as on the suc-
ceeding plates, is fully as important as the drawing, and
should be done in the neatest possible manner. Drawings sent
1 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 33
in for correction with the lettering omitted will be returned
for completion.
The reference letters like A, , C, etc. , as shown in Fig. 31,
are not to be put on the plates.
Do not neglect to trim the plates to the required size. Do
not punch large holes in the paper with the dividers or com-
passes. Remember that the division lines are to be erased
not inked in.
PLATE II.
36. Draw the division lines in the same manner as
described for Plate I. The following five problems, Nos. 5
to 9, inclusive, are to be drawn in regular order, as was
done in Plate I, with problems from 1 to 4. The letter
headings are given in heavy-faced type after the problem
number.
PROBLEM 5. To bisect a given angle.*
Case I. When the sides intersect within the limits of the
drawing. See Fig. 37.
CONSTRUCTION. Let
A O B be the angle to be
bisected. Draw the sides
OA and OB 3" long.
With the vertex O as a
center, and any convenient
radius, describe an arc D E
intersecting O A at D and
O B at E. With D and E
FIG. 87.
as centers, and a radius
greater than the chord of half the arc D E, describe two arcs
intersecting at C. The line drawn through C and O will
bisect the angle ; that is, A C COB.
* Since the letter heading in this problem is very short, it will be
better to place it over each of the two cases separately, instead of
running it over the division line, as was done with the long headings
of the two cases in Plate I. Put Case I and Case II under the head-
ing, as in the previous plate.
34
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
Case ll. U'/ifn the sides do not intersect within the limits
of the drawing. See Fig. 38.
Draw two lines, A B and CD, each 3" long, and inclined
towards each other as shown. With any point E on CD as
a center, and any convenient radius, describe arc FIGH',
with G as a center and same radius, describe arc H LEF,
intersecting FIG N in //and F. With L as a center,
and same radius, describe arc KGJ\ with / as a center,
and same radius, describe arc J E K, intersecting KGJ
in K and ./. Draw HF and J K\ they intersect at O, a
point on the bisecting line. With as a center, and the
same or any convenient radius, describe an arc intersecting
A B and CD in M and TV. With J/ and N as centers, and
any radius greater than one-half M N, describe arcs inter-
secting at P. A line drawn through O and P is the required
bisecting line.
PKOHI KM 0. To divide a given straight line into
any required number of equal parts.
See Fig. M (a\
CONSTRUCTION. // /> is the given line 3 1 5 S - // long. It is
iv<|uiml to divide it into eight equal parts. Through one
extremity A of the line, draw an indefinite straight line A C,
making any angle with A />'. Set the dividers to any
1
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
35
K
T R
PON
FIG. 39 (a).
M L
n
convenient distance, and space off eight equal divisions on
A C, as A K, K I, I H, etc. Join C and B by the straight
line C B, and through the points D t E, F, G, etc. draw
lines D L, E M, etc. parallel
to CB, by using the two DS\
triangles; these parallels in- ^'''\ >
tersect A B in the points rt %' \ \ \
*Y * \ \ >
L, M, N, etc., which are u^' \ \ \ \
equally distant apart. The
spaces L M, M N, NO, etc.
are each equal to A B.
Proceed in a similar way
for any number of equal parts into which A B is to be
divided.
An important modification of the method just described
is shown in Fig. 39 (b}. Draw A B as before, and erect
the perpendicular B C. Now divide 3 T 7 F ", the length of
, o A B, by 8, the number
denoting the number of
equal parts into which A B
is to be divided, obtaining
3 7 " Q -. 3 " I 7
JF
1
I x ^
"
x"'
JJ
r
7,-
"
K
i
1
R
i
i
* C
'IG.
> Jl
(*)
/ J
t
f L
ding the whole number and
the fraction separately. Now
considering |" -f- ^\^" to be
approximately equal to ^",
multiply \" by 8, the number of parts into which A B
is to be divided; the result is "X8 = 4", which is the
length of A C. With A as a center and a radius equal
to 4" describe an arc cutting B C in C, and draw A C.
Then with a scale lay off A K = K I etc. = |", and
project K, /, //, etc. upon A B, in 7", A', P, etc., the
required points. The advantage of this method over the
other is that the T square and triangle can be used through-
out, thus making it very much easier to draw the parallels
D Z, E M, etc.
The student, when drawing this plate, is at liberty to use
cither of the two methods given in this problem.
36
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
PROBLEM 7. To draw a straight line through any
given point on a given straight line to make any
required angle with that line.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 40, A B is the given line 3"
long, P is the given point, and E O F is the given angle.
With the vertex
as a center, and any
convenient radius, de-
scribe an arc EF
cutting O E and OF
in E and F. With P
as a center, and the
same radius, describe
an arc CD. With D
as a center, and a radius equal to the chord of the arc E F",
describe an arc cutting CD in C. A line drawn through
the points P and C will make an angle with A B equal to
the angle <9, or CPD = EOF.
PROBLKM 8. To draw an equi-
lateral triangle, one side being
given.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 41, A B
is the given side 2f" long. With A B
as a radius, and A and B as centers,
describe two arcs intersecting in C.
Draw C A and C B, and C A B is an equilateral triangle.
PROBLEM $. The altitude of an equilateral triangle
being given, to draw the triangle.
CONSTRUCTION. InFig.42,
A B is the altitude %\" long.
Through the extremities of
A B draw the parallel lines
CD and F. F perpendicular
to A B. With B as a cen-
ter, and any convenient ra-
dius, describe the semicircle
C H K D intersecting CD in
FIG. 41.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
37
C and D. With C and D as centers, and the same radius,
describe arcs cutting the semicircle in H and K, Draw
B H and B K, and prolong them to meet E F in E and F.
B E F is the required equilateral triangle.
This problem finishes Plate II. The directions for inking
in, lettering, etc. are the same as for Plate I.
PLATE III.
37. This plate is to be divided up like Plates I and II,
and the six following problems are to be drawn in a similar
manner:
PROBLEM 10. Two sides and the included angle of a
triangle being given, to construct the triangle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig.
43, make the given sides
MN 2|" long and PQ
\\" long. Let O be the
given angle. Draw A B,
and make it equal in
length toPQ. Make the
angle C B A equal to the
given angle O, and make
C B equal in length to
the line M ' N. Draw CA,
and CA B is the required triangle.
PROBLEM 11. To draw a parallelogram when the
sides and one of the angles are given.
CONSTRUCTION. In
.o Fig. 44, make the given
sides MN 2 /r long and
PQl^"\ong. Let O be
the given angle. Draw
A B equal to M N, and
* draw B C, making an
angle with A B equal
FIG. 44. to the given angle O.
FIG - 43 -
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
Make B C equal to PQ. With C as a center, and a radius
equal to J/A T , describe an arc at D. With A as a center,
and a radius equal to PQ, describe an arc intersecting the
other arc in D. Draw A D and CD, and A B C D is the
required parallelogram.
PROBLEM 12. An arc and its radius being given, to
find the center.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 45, A C D B is the arc, and M N,
If" long, is the radius. With
M Na.s a radius, and any point
C in the given arc as a center,
describe an arc at 0. With
any other point D in the
given arc as a center, and the
same radius, describe an arc
intersecting the first in O.
Flo 45 is the required center.
PROBLEM 1.3. To pass a circumference through any
three points not in the same straight line.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 46, A, />', and C are the given
points. With A and /> as centers, and any
convenient radius, describe arcs inter-
secting each other in K and /. With B
and C as centers, and any convenient
radius, describe arcs intersecting each A
other in D and R. Through / and K
and through D and /:, draw lines inter-
secting at O. With O as a center, and
OA as a radius, describe a circle; it
will pass through A, B, and C. FIG. JG.
PROBLEM 14. To inscribe a square in a given circle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 47, the circle A BCD is 3-J" in
diameter. Draw two diameters, A C and D B, at right
angles to each other. Draw the lines A B, B C, CD,
and DA joining the points of intersection of these diameters
!
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
with the circumference of the circle, and they will be the
sides of the square.
FIG. 48.
PROBLEM 15. To inscribe a regular hexagon in a
given circle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 48, from O as a center, with the
dividers set to If", describe the circle A B C D R P. Draw
the diameter D O A, and from the points D and A, with the
dividers set equal to the radius of the circle, describe
arcs intersecting the circle at E, C, F, and B. Join these
points by straight lines, and they will form the sides of the
hexagon. This problem completes Plate III.
PLATE IV.
38. The first four problems on this plate are more diffi-
cult than any on the preceding plates and will require very
careful construction. All the sides of each polygon must be
of exactly the same length, so that they will space around
evenly with the dividers. The figures should not be inked
in until the pencil construction is done accurately. The
preliminary directions for this plate are the same as for the
preceding ones.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
1
PROBLEM 10. To inscribe a regular pentagon in a
given circle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 40, from O as a center, with the
dividers set to If", describe
the circle A B CD. Draw the
two diameters A C and D B
at right angles to each other.
Bisect one of the radii, as B,
at /. With / as a center, and
I A as a radius, describe the
arc A J cutting DO at /.
With A as a center, and A J
as a radius, describe an arc
J H cutting the circumference
at H. The chord A H is one
side of the pentagon.
PROBLEM IT. To inscribe a regular octagon in a
given circle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 50, from O as a center, with the
dividers set to If", describe
the circle ABCDhFGH.
Draw the two diameters A E
and G C at right angles to
each other. Bisect one of the
four equal arcs, as A G at //,
and draw the diameter// O D.
Bisect another of the equal
arcs, as A C at B, and draw
the diameter B O F. Straight
lines drawn from A to B,
from B to C, etc., will form
the required octagon.
PROBLEM 18. To inscribe a regular polygon of any
number of sides in a given circle.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 51, from O as a center, with the
8 1
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
41
dividers set to If", describe the circle A 7 C D. Draw the
two diameters D7 and A C at right angles to each other.
Divide the diameter Dl into as
many equal parts as the polygon
has sides (in this case seven).
Prolong the diameter A C and
make 8' A equal to three-fourths
of the radius O A. Through
3' and 2, the second division from
D on the diameter D 7, draw the
line 3' 7, cutting the circumfer-
ence at /. Draw the chord D /, and
it is one side of the required poly-
gon. The others may be spaced
off around the circumference.
PROBLEM 10. The side of a regular polygon being
given, to construct the polygon.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 52, let A Cbe the given side. If
the polygon is to have eight sides, the line A C should be,
for this plate, \\" long. Pro-
duce A C to B. From C as cen-
ter, with a radius equal to C A,
describe the semicircle A 123 4
567B, and divide it into as
many equal parts as there are
sides in the required polygon
(in this case eight). From the
point C, and through the second
division from B, as 6, draw the
straight line C6. Bisect the
lines A C and C6 by perpendiculars intersecting in O.
From O as a center, and with O C as a radius, describe the
circle CAHGFED6. From C, and through the points
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in the semicircle, draw lines C H, C G, CF, etc.
meeting the circumference. Joining the points 6 and D,
D and E, E and F, etc. by straight lines, will complete the
required polygon.
FlG. 52.
i :
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
PROI.I.IM ^o. To find an arc of a circle having a
known radius, which shall be equal in length to a
given straight line.
NOTK. There is no exact method, but the following approximate
method is close enough for all practical purposes, when the required
arc does not exceed J of the circumference.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 53, let A C be the given line
At A, erect the perpendicular A O, and make it
equal in length to the
given radius, say 4" long.
With OA as a radius,
and O as a center, de-
scribe the arc ABE.
Divide A C into four
equal parts, A D being
the first of these parts,
counting from A. With
D as a center, and a
radius D C, describe the
arc C B intersecting
ABE in B. The length of the arc A B very nearly equals
the length of the straight line A C.
PROBLEM 21. An arc of a circle being given, to
find a straight line of the same length.
This is also an approximate
method, but close enough for
practical purposes, when the
arc does not exceed ^ of the
circumference.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 54,
let A B be the given arc; find
the center O of the arc, and
draw the radius O A. For this
problem, choose the arc so that
the radius will not exceed 1|".
FIG. 54.
At A, draw A C perpen-
dicular to the radius (and, of course, tangent to the arc).
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
43
Draw the chord A />, and prolong it to D, so that A D = \
the chord y2 Z>. With D as a center, and a radius D B,
describe the arc B C cutting A C in C. AC will be very
nearly equal to the arc A B.
PIRATE V.
39. On this plate there arc five problems instead of six.
It should be divided into six equal parts or divisions, as the
previous ones. The two right-hand end divisions are used
to draw in the last figure of Plate V, which is too large to put
in one division.
which
PROBLEM 22. To draw an egg-shaped oval.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 55, on the diameter A
is 2f" long, describe a circle
ACBG. Through the center O,
draw O C perpendicular to A B,
cutting the circumference ACBG
in C. Draw the straight lines
B C F and A C E. With B and A
as centers, and the diameter A B
as a radius, describe arcs termina-
ting in D and //, the points of inter-
section with B F and A E. With
C as a center, and CD as a radius,
describe the arc D H. The curve
A D H B G is the required oval. Fin 55
PROBLEM 23. To draw an ellipse, the diameters being
given. The exact method.
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 56, let B D, the long diameter,
or major axis, which is 3-|" long, and A C, the short diameter,
or minor axis, which is 2^" long, intersect at right angles
to each other in the center (?, so that DO OB and
A O O C. With O as a center, and O C as a radius,
describe a circle; with the same center, and O D as a radius,
describe another circle. Divide both circles into the same
44
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
FIG. 56.
number of equal parts, as 1-2, 2-3, etc. This is best done
by first dividing the larger circle into the required number
of parts, beginning at the center line A C, and then draw-
ing radial lines through the points of division on this circle,
to the center O of the cir-
cles, as shown in the upper
right-hand quarter of the
figure. The radial lines will
divide the smaller circle into
the same number of parts
that the larger one has been
divided into. Through the
points of division on the
smaller circle, draw hori-
zontal lines, and, through the
points of division on the
larger circle, draw vertical lines; the points of intersection
of these lines are points on the ellipse. Thus, the horizon-
tal line 3 c and the vertical line Sc intersecting at c give the
point c of the ellipse. Trace a curve through the points
thus found by placing an irregular curve on the drawing in
such a manner that one of its bounding lines will pass
through three or more points, judging with the eye whether
the curve so traced bulges out too much or is too flat.
Then adjust the curve again, so that its bounding line will
pass through several more points, and so on, until the
curve is completed. Care should be taken to make all
changes in curvature as gradual as possible, and all curves
drawn in this manner should be drawn in pencil before
being inked in. It requires considerable practice to be able
to draw a good curved line in this manner by means of an
irregular curve, and the general appearance of a curve thus
drawn depends a great deal upon the student's taste and the
accuracy of his eye.
PKOHLKM 24. To draw an ellipse by circular arcs.
This is not a true ellipse, but is very convenient for many
purposes.
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
45
CONSTRUCTION. In Fig. 57, use the same dimensions as
before. On the major axis A B, set off A a C D, the minor
axis, and divide a B
into three equal parts.
With as a center,
and a radius equal to
the length of two of
these parts, describe
arcs cutting A B in d
and d '. Upon d d' as
a side, construct two
equilateral triangles
dbd'on&db'd'. With
b as a center, and a
radius equal to b D,
describe the arc gDf
intersecting b df and b d' g in f and g. With the same
radius, and b' as a center, describe the arc c C e intersect-
ing b'd'c and b'de in c and e. With A and B as centers,
and a radius equal to the chord of the arcs A c or B e, describe
arcs cutting A B very near to d' and d. From the points of
intersection of these arcs with A B as centers, and the same
radius, describe the arcs c A g and e B f.
PROBLEM 25. To draw a parabola, the axis and long-
est double ordlnate being given.
EXPLANATION. The curve shown in Fig. 58 is called a
parabola. This curve and the ellipse are the bounding line
of certain sections of a cone. The line O A, which bisects
the area included between the curve and the line B C, is called
the axis. Any line, B A or A C, drawn perpendicular to OA,
and whose length is included between O A and the curve, is
called an ordinate. Any line, as B C, both of whose extrem-
ities rest on the curve, and is perpendicular to the axis, is
called a double ordinate. Point O is called the vertex.
CONSTRUCTION. Make the axis O A equal to 3|", and the
longest double ordinate BC equal to 3*. Z>A, of course,
equals A C. Draw D E through the other extremity of the
40 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
axis and perpendicular to it; also draw B D and C Ji par-
allel to OA and intersecting/^/: in D and /:. Divide DB
and A B into the same number of equal parts, as shown
(in this case six); through the vertex 'O, draw 1, O2, etc.
to the points of division on D B, and through the corre-
sponding points J, 2, etc., on A />, draw lines parallel to the
axis. The points of intersection of these lines. #, b, c, etc. ,
are points on the curve, through which it may be traced.
In a similar manner, draw the lower half O fg)i il C of the
curve.
PROBLKM 20. To draw a helix, the pitch and the
diameter being given.
EXIM.ANA nox. The helix is a curve formed by a point
moving around a cylinder and at the same time advancing
along its length a certain distance; this forms the winding
curved line shown in Fig. 50. The center line A O, drawn
through the cylinder, is called the axis of the helix, and any
line perpendicular to the axis and terminated by the helix is
of the same length, being equal to the radius of the cylinder.
The distance /> /..' that the point advances lengthwise during
one revolution is called the pitch.
1
GEOMETRICAL DRAWING.
47
CONSTRUCTION. As mentioned before, this figure occupies
two spaces of the plate. The diameter of the cylinder is
3^-", the pitch is 2", and a turn and a half of the helix is to
be shown. The rectangle FB E D is a side view of the
cylinder, and the circle 1' 2' 8' 4', etc. is a bottom view. It
will be noticed that one-half of a turn of the helix is shown
dotted; this is because that part of it is on the other side of
the cylinder, and cannot be seen. Lines that are hidden are
drawn dotted. Draw the axis O A in the center of the space.
Draw FD, 3" long and 4* from the top border line; on it
construct a rectangle whose height F B *r. Take the
center O of the circle 2f * below the point // on the axis A O,
and describe a circle having a diameter of 3^" equal to the
48 GEOMETRICAL DRAWING. 1
diameter of the cylinder. Lay off the pitch from B to 12
equal to 2", and divide it into a convenient number of equal
parts (in this case 12), and divide the circle into the same
number of equal parts, beginning at one extremity of the
diameter 12' O 6", drawn parallel to BE. At the point 1' on
the circle divisions, erect I'-l' perpendicular to B E\ through
the point 1 of the pitch divisions, draw 1-1' parallel to B E,
intersecting the perpendicular in 1', which is a point on the
helix. Through the point 2', erect a perpendicular 2' -2',
intersecting 2-2' in 3', which is another point on the helix.
So proceed until the point 6 is reached; from here on, until
the point 12 of the helix is reached, the curve will be dotted.
It will be noticed that the points of division 7', 8', 9', 10 f , and
11' on the circle are directly opposite the points 5', 4', $', 2',
and 1 '; hence, it was not necessary to draw the lower half of
the circle, since the point 5' could have been the starting
point, and the operation could have been conducted back-
wards to find the points on the dotted upper half of the helix.
The other full-curved line of the helix can be drawn in
exactly the same manner as the first half.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
INTRODUCTION.
1. History of Ornament. The history of ornament in
architecture and the technical arts antedates all written his-
tory. One of the strongest characteristics of even the most
savage tribes is their attempt at ornamental design, expressed
in rude carving, or in the painting of their bodies, weapons,
or utensils. To this instinct may be ascribed the habit of
tattooing practiced by many uncivilized nations, whereby
they essayed to increase the expression of terror of coun-
tenance, and create what appeared to them an additional
beauty. Uncivilized man has always been a warrior, and
as such he ranked with his fellow man according to the
bravery he exhibited before his friends, and the fear with
which he inspired his enemies. For this reason nothing
appeared beautiful to the savage, unless it possessed some
element of the terrible or the supernatural. As man
becomes civilized his tendency in ornamental design leans
toward the reproduction of natural forms, and his self-glori-
fication gives way to the desire to glorify the works of his
Creator. Therefore, we always see some attempt to com-
bine in the design some form from the animal or vegetable
world, suggestive of the beneficence of Providence.
Ornamentation is thus seen to precede architecture histor-
ically, but it was the art of building that afforded the grand-
est field for its development and application. The noblest
achievements in the technical arts have been produced
2
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
in the service of architecture; and in all art industries,
even wherein ornamentation seems to follow an independent
existence of its own, its products are in harmony with the
contemporary taste and tendency of architecture. The his-
torical style and development, and the technical execution
of ornament, whether carved, painted, or woven, are thus
seen to be inextricably interwoven with the history of archi-
tecture and the sister arts.
*2. A JJmwinjjr. A drawing is the expression of an
idea by means of a picture ; therefore, to draw an object is
to represent it with all its characteristic features. Some
ideas can be expressed clearly in writing, but others require
a drawing in order to convey them to the mind. Drawing
is not designing but is the means by which we express
our ideas in design to one another. It would thus appear
that, to teach the drawing of ornament in a comprehensive
way, we should at the same time teach all about its design
and application; but experience has proved that such a
course complicates the work of elementary instruction, and
is only adapted to those that have already learned to draw
well, and that know something about design in general.
The subject must be divided, and for those that just enter
upon its study it is best to first learn how to draw, and then
devote their energies entirely to the study of how to design.
This is the scope and aim of this Paper. In a series
of carefully graded exercises, the student is led from the
simple straight line to the more difficult problems, and
the lessons are confined at first to outline drawing, the
object being to develop, in the shortest possible time, such
ready facility of the hand and judgment of the eye as will
enable him to correctly draw any outline whatever.
Notwithstanding this program of making this course essen-
tially one of draining Itssons, the text is enriched with expla-
nations of the problems presented, to stimulate the student's
interest in his work. Information thus obtained, gradually
gn.ws together in the student's mind, and enables him to
more readily comprehend the subject he has in hand.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 3
3. Ornament is either the embellishment of a structural
feature, accentuating its form and purpose, in which case it
is usually carved or molded in relief, or the ornament con-
sists of a flat-surface decoration, such as a carpet pattern,
wall paper, or a painted design. Ornament consists of a
combination of straight and curved lines, independent, or
joined with vegetable or animal forms, or exclusively of the
latter with or without color decoration. Some ornament
is purely geometrical in character, and can be drawn entirely
with instruments; other is partly freehand and partly geo-
metrical work; and the remainder is entirely freehand work.
Ornamental drawing includes the rendering of form itself,
being the representation of such graceful lines as exist in
the animal and vegetable world, and also those of man's
own invention, as seen in the architectural moldings, in the
sweeps and curves of furniture, in the scrolls and twists of
wrought-iron -work; and in the outlines of pottery, glass-
ware, cutlery, vehicles, ships, machinery, etc. For instance,
in an ornamental vase or a wrought-iron grille, the general
form and the graceful lines and proportion of its parts are
as much subject for ornamental drawing as is any individual
ornament with which a part of either of these objects may
be decorated.
4. How to Draw. The making of a drawing can be
said to consist of two parts, namely, the making of the indi-
vidual lines and the composition. Straight and curved
lines must be drawn in strokes, and not in dots nor in a suc-
cession % of short scratches. The strokes must not be jerky
nor detached, but continuous, each one being a continuation
of the preceding one, and as long as one unconstrained move-
ment of the finger joints will make them, which is about
| inch. No other method maintains so well the direction of
the lines to be drawn, nor develops so readily the pliability
of the hand and the judgment of the eye by fastening the
attention of both on the making of a continuous line, instead
of on the making of the pieces of a line.
In ordinary drawing the elbow may be rested on any part
4 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
of the drawing board that the case may require; but the ball
of the hand should be as free as possible, in which position
the hand will rest and travel along lightly on the first joint
of the little finger.
The pencil recommended for practice is one corresponding
to grade " S M " of the Dixon brand, but the final work on
the drawing plates should be executed with a harder pencil.
For aiding in the work, a soft waffle, or multiplex, rubber
may be used to advantage, to clean up the drawing after the
sketch is completed and just previous to the process of
inking in. The final pencil lines must be firm and clean,
but not heavy; and, if any corrections are necessary, an
ordinary white Fabcr's rubber should be used. The student
should keep a uniform round pencil point, of medium length,
and avoid frequent sharpening, but maintain a good point
by turning the pencil as he works. Avoid cheap pencils;
they are a delusion as to economy, and their. common lead
smears up the drawing. Three golden rules to be observed
by the student are : Never wet the pencil ; never use a very
hard pencil ; never use a short pencil. The pencil should
not be less than 5 inches long, in order that it may rest
against the knuckle of the forefinger.
The eye must guide the hand in drawing, but should not
be riveted too closely upon the pencil or drawing pen ; a
glance forwards and backwards over the work, to compare
the form of the design and the direction of the lines, will
enable the student to keep his work close to the original,
which is all that is at present desired.
The draftsman, sitting at work, should avoid bending over
the drawing in a cramped position, as it is likely to injure
his eyesight, and will in no way benefit his work. An easy,
natural attitude is the best. All subjects should be outlined
in their normal aspect, not upside down nor sideways, the
paper being straight in front of the draftsman ; but, in the
final rendering, especially when a drawing is to be inked
in, there is no objection to turning the sheet or the body
around, to make the work more convenient and thus produce
perfect lines.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 5
5. Composition. This element of a drawing consists
of the general grouping of the lines and masses of the
design, according to the size or scale to which the drawing
is made.
Before beginning to draw a figure, its general effect and
characteristic shape as a whole should be carefully observed.
The individual forms, the curves, and scrolls, and the cut of
the foliage should then be studied ; and its symmetry and
the proportion of its parts, and the direction of its move-
ment, should be borne in mind during the entire process of
sketching it in. As to the size of the drawing in relation to
the copy, model, or natural object, it is sufficient to say that
some definite scale of enlargement or reduction should be
followed, so that every-
thing shall be maintained
in equal relative propor-
tion. In beginning to
draw an object, first lay
out the extreme outline,
as in Fig. 1 ; then locate
all the principal points of
extent and position by
measuring from the base
and center lines. The
extreme outline should be composed of a few straight lines
so arranged as to enclose the object in an irregular geo-
metrical figure. The curves and other details of the object
may then be rounded in at the angles of the geometrical
figure, as shown. For this measuring and locating, extreme
exactitude is not required; there should, in fact, be as little
mechanical measuring as the student can get along with, all
minor details being gauged by the eye. Use the eye as
much as possible, in order that it may become trained to
judge correctly of absolute and relative sizes, of form and
proportion. The value of this accomplishment to the drafts-
man and designer cannot be overestimated. Since the
object of the student is to learn to draw, and, in a measure,
to obtain a knowledge of ornament, the above points are of
G FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
far greater importance to him than the mere act of repeat-
ing- or copying of lines, and the purpose of this course is not
to make copyists of the students, but to make draftsmen
and designers of them.
The same spirit applies to the drawing of the two halves
of any symmetrical ornament. Except in the main points of
the design, no absolute identity of the two halves is to be
attempted; there is no artistic necessity for such, either in
drawings or in executed work. If some little inequalities
appear in the two halves of some scroll or foliage work, leave
them alone and remember that good ornament is enhanced in
value, rather than depreciated, by the absence of constraint
or of stiff regularity. The individuality of the designer,
carver, or painter shows itself in such matters, and gives
character to his work.
There is another very important point to be observed in
the drawing of symmetrical figures. Never draw one half
complete by itself and then the other half; lay the whole
ornament out as one figure and finish it up simultaneously.
Above all, never trace ^one half of an ornament to produce
the other half. This method of working is permissible in
offices and shops, on the part of experienced draftsmen, and
will be explained in future work, but must be absolutely
avoided by the student in freehand drawing. Let him
remember that he is learning to dra r ^>, and nothing will
train either hand or eye as well as constant practice and
redrawing the same thing.
(>. While the use of drawing instruments and mechanical
appliances is necessary in blocking out the preliminary work
of any design, the design itself must in nearly all cases be
executed freehand, or at least partially so. For this reason,
the work in this course will be entirely freehand. The stu-
dent is urged to practice constantly on other work than these
plates, so that his hand may become subtle and his style
systematic and individualized.
In hvdiand drawing, the work may be executed with one
i-f several materials, as explained below, but only three
S ;> FREEHAND DRAWING. ?
methods will be considered herein, as these three are the ones
most frequently used and the only ones necessary except in
special cases. The most common method of drawing is with
lead pencil, and the object is either drawn in outline, as
indicated at (a) and (If), Fig. 2, or shaded as at (f). If an
outline drawing, the object may be expressed in lines con-
forming to the actual contour of the object itself, as at (a),
or it may be drawn as it appears to the eye, as at (b). In
(a)
the former case the drawing is called an elevation of the
object, and the latter is a. perspective view.
Now, though the elevation of an object is of vast impor-
tance to the designer, he rarely expresses an object that way
in design ; unless the character of the work actually demands
it for instance, where the design is of a vase or pitcher that
is to be thrown or spun in metal, it is sometimes necessary
that the spinner should have an elevation of the object in
order that he may spin it to the proper outline; but, where
a design is to be reproduced by printing, weaving, carving,
etc., the original drawing represents the design just as the
reproduction is to appear. Elevations are usually drawn
mechanically, while perspectives are in nearly all cases exe-
cuted more or less freehand. Mechanical drawings are exe-
cuted to scale, or in exact proportion according to measured
dimensions. Freehand drawings are executed entirely with
the unaided hand, and measured by the judgment of the
8 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
eye. The expert designer uses eye measurement almost
exclusively, and the student is here advised to pay particu-
lar attention to this branch of his study, as it will be indis-
pensable to him hereafter.
Drawings are also executed with pen and ink, in which
case the general appearance is the same as in pencil; the
method of execution is different, however, as will be
explained later on. In fact, in the majority of cases a
drawing is outlined in pencil, and then inked over and
shaded with the pen.
The third method of drawing, described in this course, is
with the brush. This is the method used most extensively
by all designers. Its use is limited to freehand work, but its
application is extended to designs in color and mezzotint.
THE PLATE EXERCISES.
7. The plates are to be drawn on the same size of paper
(14 in. X 18 in.) as was used in Geometrical Dr diving. The
student should draw each of the exercises several times
before he attempts the plate he will send in to the Schools
for correction, as these plates are considered examinations
to determine how carefully the student has studied the
text and practiced his exercises. This preliminary work
need be drawn in pencil only, on a good quality of brown
paper that will withstand rubbing. Draw all the figures
of one plate and complete it before beginning to ink it in,
and do not attempt to ink it until you have practiced ink-
ing on separate pieces of paper. For fine lines in freehand
work, use a Gillott's No. 404 pen, in a smooth, round, long
holder without swell or taper. For heavy lines a coarser pen
should be used. In regard to curves, it is generally best and
easiest to ink them freehand, but in some cases, which will
be pointed out as we progress in the work, they may be inked
with instruments by combining arcs of circles with the lines
of irregular curves.
When inking, keep the hands and tools clean, wipe the pen
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 9
clean before each dip into the ink, and keep the bottle corked
to exclude dust. When using stick India ink, ground on a
slab, occasionally add a drop of water to keep it of equal shade
and fluidity. The prepared ink provided with the designing
outfit will require no diluting if it is kept constantly corked.
8. To the Student. We realize that this work goes
out to young men and women of varying degrees of ability,
diligence, and opportunity; the exercises that will appear
simple to one will prove difficult to another. To those of
decided natural ability, we say; "Be diligent; keep at it in
the regular order; do not think too soon that you know it all,
or that you can disregard our instructions, or become care-
less." To those others whom nature has not so kindly
endowed, but who have an earnest wish to learn, we say:
"Be not discouraged by early difficulties; you are learning
everyday; your hand is becoming more supple and your eye
more observant with each new exercise; try to realize that
you are studying not only a useful, but an artistic, and also
a difficult accomplishment, something worthy of your greatest
efforts and unswerving perseverance. These staying qualities,
joined to but a medium grade of talent, often succeed where
greater abilities, joined to indolence and restlessness, result
in failure. It sometimes takes years for the child to learn
to write, but he finally learns, while the adult, better appre-
ciating the value of the accomplishment, may acquire the
same knowledge in a few months. Patience, perseverance,
and constant practice are necessary in all cases, and lie wJio
can learn to write can learn to draw, as the principle is the
same in both accomplishments."
DRAWING PLATE, TITLE: LINEAR ELEMEXTS.
9. This drawing plate consists of 21 figures, each of
which the student should be able to execute perfectly with-
out other aid than the directions herewith given. The suc-
ceeding plates will each contain some detail or element, the
10
FREEHAND DRAWING.
instruction for which can be traced back through the prece-
ding plates to this one. // is absolutely necessary, therefore,
that the student should be perfect in every detail of each plate
before attempting the next one. The figures on this plate are
simple lines and combinations of lines to produce some of the
elementary forms that enter largely into all classes of design.
The exercises on this plate are to be drawn by the student
to train his eye and hand to work together, and thereby
become sufficiently practiced to execute the problems that
follow. The drawing of a single line is of as much impor-
tance as the execution of an entire design, and the student
must practice constantly and patiently, until he masters each
simple problem, before he attempts the next. If each lesson
is thoroughly learned, the next one will invariably prove
easier.
In Fig. 1 of the plate is shown the method of drawing per-
pendicular straight lines. The pencil should be held lightly
between the thumb and forefinger, with its upper end rest-
ing against the finger between the second and the third
joint, while the end of the middle finger rests on top of the
pencil alongside of the forefinger, and not underneath the
pencil, as is sometimes erroneously done
in writing.
The drawing board should be squarely
in front of the student, and his elbow
should rest near the bottom of the board,
somewhat to the right of the drawing on
which he is at work. A short straight
line is then drawn, as from a to b in
Fig. 3, and the arm shifted a little lower
down on the board, and another line,
as be, drawn, care being taken that there
is a space of at least ^.j inch between the end of the
line a b and the beginning of the line b c. A third section of
the line is then drawn from c downwards, and so on, .until
the line is of the desired length. Having practiced this sev-
eral times, the student should gradually decrease the spaces
between tin- sections of the line until it appears as a straight
Fir,. 3.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
11
unbroken line, as shown at d c. It is necessary to be still
more careful in doing- this, lest the lines overlap one another
or curl out at the ends. The former error causes the fin-
ished line to appear somewhat as at (a) in Fig. 4, while the
line composed of strokes whose extremities are curled would
appear ragged, as at (b). The strokes with which these lines
are made are not short, quick dashes of the pencil or pen, but
slow, even marks, each of which is started carefully, drawn
slowly, and finished abruptly, so as to show a clean, even
stroke, the same weight and color through-
out, and clean cut from end to end. The
second stroke must never lap over the first,
and it is better to let a hairbreadth space
remain between the ends of the lines than to
have the least suggestion of a line like (a).
Practice this simple line exercise repeatedly
as in it lies the whole key to successful free-
hand drawing. When the student has acquired
proficiency in this exercise, he may commence
work on his drawing plate. Draw the border
line enclosing a space 13 in. X 17 in., and then
draw three light horizontal pencil lines A B
5 inches, CD 7 inches, and E F 9| inches above
the lower border line. This will divide the. ( a ) (*>)
drawing plate into four horizontal bands.
Divide the length of one of these bands into five equal parts,
and through the points of division draw light vertical lines,
thus converting the surface of the drawing plate into twenty
rectangles. This may all be done with the T square and
triangle ; but, from this point on, the student must abandon
the use of instruments for this plate, and execute the prob-
lems freehand. Each figure, except Figs. 17, 18, 10, and 20,
must be drawn as nearly as possible in the center, between
the vertical lines of its respective rectangle, and each figure,
except Figs. 11 to 15, must rest on the lower horizontal line
of its rectangle. Now draw the first figure of the drawing
plate. This consists of seven perpendicular lines, each of
which is 2 inches long and spaced as shown, either \ inch or
!>. FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
\ inch from its neighbor. Only one of them need be an
absolutely solid line, the others being composed of dashes
about 5 inch in length.
The drawing of horizontal lines should now be practiced
in a similar manner, except that the elbow should be drawn
nearer the body. When the strokes forming the horizontal
lines are drawn, the whole arm should be moved toward the
right, in order to prevent the lines from becoming arched,
as would be the case if the elbow remained fixed and the
hand were moved only so far as the swing of the arm would
permit. The strokes forming the horizontal lines may be
somewhat longer than those composing the vertical lines,
but the method of forming one straight line, by the careful
union of several smaller ones, remains precisely the same
for both cases.
In drawing the horizontal lines, see that perfect parallel-
ism is maintained; the spacing between the lines, however,
may be gradually increased or decreased in order to better
train the eye as well as control the hand. In drawing Fig. 2
of the drawing plate make the upper and lower three lines
\ inch apart, and -?,- inch from the middle line, all the lines
being 2 inches long.
Figs. 3 and 4 show two sets of parallel oblique lines, the
former being drawn from right to left, and generally called
right-oblique lines, and the latter drawn from left to right,
and usually designated as Icft-obhquc lines. Fig. 3 is much
the easier to draw, as the slope of the lines corresponds
in direction to the inclination of the letters in ordinary
handwriting, and the hand is more accustomed to the angle.
After practicing the right-oblique lines until the student
feels assured he can do as well with them as with the two
previous sets, he should draw a series in the direction shown
in Fig. 4. To do this it will be necessary for him to change
the position of his arm, so as to bring the elbow toward the
right end of the board and the hand above, and to the right
of the lines to be drawn. The lines in Figs. 3 and 4 should
incline at an angle of 4/1, and should be arranged in pairs,
as shown, with \ inch between the individual lines of each
FREEHAND DRAWING.
13
pair, and a distance of 2 inches between the -extreme outside
lines of each figure, the lines each being 1 1 inches long.
Figs. 5 and G involve no new principle in drawing, and are
jimply a combination of the previous problems. Observe,
however, that though these two figures contain exactly the
same number of lines and nearly the same lengths of lines,
they are, in appearance, entirely different. This difference
of appearance is due to the composition of the figures, and
many changes of arrangement can be effected without alter-
ing the number or size of the lines. In line composition the
designer has but two elements to consider the lines and the
spaces. Subsequently he may darken some of the spaces,
FIG. s.
thereby entering into surface composition, wherein he has
at least two more elements to consider liglit and shade.
Fig. 5 of the text shows six different problems in com-
position, all based on the line elements as arranged in
Fig. 5 of the drawing plate, but treated differently as to
light and shade, thus illustrating the fact that even with
a few elements of composition a great variety of design
may be produced. The blackening, or shading, of certain
parts of a line composition, in this manner, is technically
termed spotting, and when a plain line drawing is thus
treated it is said to be spotted.
To draw Fig. 5, first erect a perpendicular line in the center
of the last rectangle, and from its intersection with the line
E F y draw right and left oblique lines each at an angle of
14 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
45, and I :| inches in length. Let these two lines be the
lower sides of a square standing' on its corner. Having
completed the square, draw -\ inch within each of its sides,
a line parallel to that side, and through the center of the
square draw parallel lines ]- inch apart, as shown. The
small inscribed square may then be drawn, each side of
which is I inch.
The square enclosing Fig. G is 2 inches on each side,
and rests on the line CD directly below Fig. 1. The lines
of its composition are spaced \ inch, ^ inch, ^ inch, 1 inch,
1| inches, and l\ inches from the left side and top, respect-
ively. The same number of lines and nearly the same
lengths of lines are used in both Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, but, as said
before, the student can readily see the variation of effect that
may be obtained by the simple arrangement of a few lines.
The exact sizes and dimensions of the several interior
squares are not matters of importance to us now, and the
student's drawing- of this figure will be judged by the care
of his execution rather than by the accuracy of his eye
measurement. The angles of the square must be 90, and
not more nor less, and opposite sides must be perfectly
parallel, while adjacent sides must
be perpendicular to each other. The
straightncss of the lines or their
exact length as to this description
will not be considered. For instance,
a drawing- like Fig. 6 of the text
would be considered as satisfactory
at this stage of the work, for, though
the lines are somewhat irregular,
their directions are correct and they
intersect at right angles; and though the inner rectangles
arc larger than the corner ones, they are perfect squares and
are all the same size one as another. They thus preserve
harmony in the figure and avoid the appearance of irregu-
larity and carelessness shown in Fig. 7, wherein the lines
themselves arc more nearly perfect but their direction
and parallelism extremely faulty. Draw Fig. 5 several
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 15
times on a separate piece of paper before executing it
on the drawing sheet.
These simple line exercises are of the utmost importance
to the student, as on them will depend much of his future
freehand work. He should practice each set repeatedly, on
a sheet of ordinary brown Manila paper, until he feels confi-
dence in his ability to produce, at will, perpendicular, hori-
zontal, or oblique lines, and then, but not till then, should
he attempt to draw them on the sheet that he willsend to
the Schools for correction. Each of these exercises should
be drawn as carefully and as accurately
as though it were a part of a compli-
cated design. Haste will only produce
slovenliness and impede the progress
of the student to the end he seeks to
attain, namely, that of becoming a
good draftsman. Neatness, accuracy,
and rapidity are the three qualifica-
tions of a good draftsman, in the
order of their importance, and the
last is of no value unless accompanied by the other two,
while the second is impossible without the first.
Fig. 7 is an equilateral triangle, the base of which is
2 inches long. The inclination of the sides is not so
easy to judge by the eye as were the 45 lines in Figs. 3, 4,
and 5, but if the student will bear in mind that the apex
must be exactly over the center of the base, he will expe-
rience little trouble.
After the triangle is drawn, bisect the sides and draw the
enclosed triangle as shown.
The triangle is a very important figure to the designer of
certain classes of goods, such as wall papers, carpets, etc. , as
the facility with which it can be repeated, and still retain its
original form, makes it extremely valuable as the guiding
principle of several classes of patterns.
Figs. 8, 0, and 10 are examples of borders taken from
Greek pottery, and are composed entirely of straight lines,
that when spotted, as explained in connection with Figs. 5
10 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
and 6, can be made very interesting and complicated. For
instance, on looking at Fig. 8 of the text we observe that the
pattern consists of two outline forms identical in every
respect, and so shaped that one fits exactly into the other,
that the lines a are all of the same length and at right angles
to each other, and the lines b are
all twice the length of lines a.
For Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the
student may draw with his
T square three horizontal lines at
x, y, and s, about 1 inch apart,
and extending through the three
right-hand divisions of the sheet.
Fig. 8 is then executed by draw-
ing a vertical line x z across the three lines thus ruled ; and
at a distance to the right of this vertical, equal to the space
between the horizontals, another vertical line u t is drawn
between the two lower horizontals. A third vertical line
U'V is then drawn the same distance to the right of the
second one. and extending between the upper two lines.
The horizonal lines xw and it v are then drawn, connecting
the ends of x z and wv, and ivv and 11 /, as shown, and with
t s equal to xw the outline of one of the sections of the fret
is complete. The vertical line a', drawn to the right of w v,
will then start a second section of the fret, and, at the same
time, complete the inverted outline that is to follow the
contour of the first section. A peculiarity of all the best
Greek frets is that the outline of the fret and the outline of
the background are identical, as shown in Fig. 8. Having
drawn the meandering outline of the fret, draw the horizon-
tal border lines above and below, so as to make the whole
design about > inches wide, and erase the pencil lines ,r, y,
and z- where they have not been inked in.
Fig. !) is somewhat similar to Fig. 8, but is capable of more
variations in spotting, as shown in Fig. 9 of the text. At (a)
we have the ground and the pattern of the fret spotted in con-
trasting colors, while the effect at (V) is produced simply by
increasing the weight of the constructive lines. Both systems
FREEHAND DRAWING.
1?
produce frets wherein the ground and pattern are similar in
outline. At (b] the line of separation between the dark and
light portions of the design is thickened into a white band
and the other elements are left in black. To design Fig. 9,
a number of perpendicular lines are drawn across the center
line y equal in length and spacing to the distance between
the three horizontal guide lines
x, y, and .y. The tops r and bot-
toms q of each alternate pair of
the verticals are then connected
with a horizontal line equal to the
verticals. This forms the mean-
dering outline of the figure.
Above and below this meander-
ing outline, at a distance equal
to half the space between the
lines, two horizontal lines are
drawn, from which perpendicu-
lars extend into the open parts
of the meander as far as the
middle horizontal guide line y.
The border lines above and below
are then drawn to make the entire
width about 2 inches.
Fig. 10 is more complicated.
It is a combination of Figs. 8
and 9, and, when analyzed, shows
two entirely separate and distinct
but identical outlines so inter-
woven as to form one harmonious
design. This design may be made
very complicated by spotting, as
shown in Fig. 10 of the text. - To design Fig. 1<> of the
drawing plate, the simplest method is to draw across the
central guide line a short vertical line equal in length to
the verticals in Fig. 9; then, through the center of this
vertical, draw a horizontal line of the same length, thus
forming a simple cross, a b, c d, Fig. It (). Now, from
7*7
(C)
Fio. 9.
18
FREEHAND DRAWING.
the upper ami lower ends of the verticals, draw lines
of equal length to the left and right, respectively, and
from the left and right of the
horizontal line draw at right
angles a line extending below and
one above the center guide line
and equal in length to the other
lines drawn; this will produce a
figure similar to Fig. 11 (a). Now
draw a third set of lines at right
angles to this second set and par-
allel to the first set, as shown in
Fig. 11 (b). These lines, it will
be observed, are the -same distance
apart, and are exactly parallel.
The horizontal lines at the top
and bottom may now be extended
to left and right, respectively, a
distance equal to the space between
parallel lines of the meander; this
will complete one section, and the
same operation may be repeated,
making the intersections of the
short cross-lines take place at a point five times the space
between the horizontal lines to the right.
Fig. 11 is a simple octagon, but to draw it accurately
requires more care and accuracy of eye
measurement than any of the previous
figures. Begin it by drawing a perpen-
dicular line <7 />, 2 inches in length,
and extending 1 inch each side of A B.
Carefully lay off the length of c c, 1 inch
each side of /;; cfandg/t are now
drawn at an angle of -45 with a b, and
intersecting it at its center o. From o,
carefully lay off 1 inch on each of the
oblique lines, as its length each side of the center. If this
work is accurately done, the Hues connecting a c, c c, c h, etc.
a
(a)
FIG. 11.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
10
will describe a perfect octagon. Study it carefully, and if
any signs of unevcnness are observed, alter the outline and.
correct the point.
Fig. 12 is a circle, and it is drawn in precisely the same
manner as the previous figure, except the points a e, e d, etc.
are connected with curved lines instead of straight ones. In
drawing the circumference of the circle, after the guide lines
have been carefully laid out, a short straight line may be
drawn across the ends of each
of the guide lines, as shown in
Fig. 12 of the text at a; then
between each pair of these
short lines, another short line
may be drawn, producing a
IG-sided polygon; the whole
circumference may then be
evened up as at b before it is
inked in. Considerable prac-
tice is necessary to enable the
student to draw a perfect circle,
but he will be surprised and delighted to learn how simple
a problem this is after careful and repeated practice.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are ellipses whose major and minor
axes intersect on the line A B. The three large ellipses in
thjese figures are each 3^ inches long and 2 inches wide,
and the fourth one intersecting the large one in Fig. 15 is
3| inches long and f inch wide.
The method of drawing an ellipse geometrically was
explained in Geometrical Drawing, so the student should
be, by this time, fairly familiar with the characteristics
of the curve. First draw the two axes, then draw short
straight lines at right angles to the ends of the axes,
and roughly sketch in the curve, in pencil, as shown in
Fig. 13 of the text. Care must be exercised, however,
to keep the proper curvature and avoid such appearing
sketches as shown in Fig. 14. The student himself can
see that these are not ellipses, and must avoid return-
ing his drawing plate with any such monstrosities. This
FIG. 12.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
is a difficult figure to draw, but with proper care and
practice it can soon be satisfactorily rendered. The con-
FlG. 13.
FIG. 14.
11 to 15 should be drawn and
struction lines of Figs.
inked freehand.
Fig. 10 is a volute more commonly known as a spiral, and
its outline in varied forms pervades all styles of ornament.
It is, therefore, worthy of considerable attention. The
example here given is piirely Greek in its proportions, and
the ratio of its height to its width is governed by definite
geometrical rules for each convolution or turn.
In drawing the Grecian volute, the construction lines ab,
b c, and c d should be laid out in the proportion of 6^ : 5 : 4.
That is, if ab is G|- inches long, then be and cd must be
5} inches and 4| inches, respectively. And the construction
lines of the inner convolution must have this same propor-
tion; that is, cf\fg : gh = G-i : o^- : 41.
To draw Fig. 1, lay off ab *\ inches, be = 2f inches,
and c d 2\- inches; cf is always 1 a b, and de is 1 (cd-{- ef) ;
therefore, ef is 1 jj- inches, and d c is
= lif inches;
d c is, therefore, laid off Ij-f inches and cf If inches; fg will
be in proportion to *'/as G| : 5|, or If inches, and gh will be
to/^as 5 : 4-J-, or \\ inches. In the same manner hk is
found to be \\ inch, kl is if inch, Im is 1^- inch, and mn is
f ",; inch. Within these construction lines (u'hich must be
ratcly laid off with the scale, and drawn with the
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 21
T square and triangle} the volute is then drawn freehand,
care being" exercised that the curyes are just tangent to
the straight lines as they pass. After inking this volute
curve, the student should dot in the construction lines with
a ruling pen.
Fig. 17 is an oval a.n& is composed of a semicircle and a
semiellipse whose major axis is located 4 inches from the
left border line. Draw freehand the line ab 2 inches in
length and 2| inches above the lower border. Above this
line construct a semicircle in the same manner as was done
in Fig. 12, using a b as its horizontal diameter, and below
construct a semiellipse after the manner practiced in Figs.
13, 14, and 15, with ab as the minor axis which shall extend
2 inches below a b. The correct outlining of these elliptical
curves is of vast importance in the exercises that follow, and
the student is urged to practice them frequently.
Fig. 18, though simple in appearance, is by no means easy
to draw. It represents the radiation of lines from a point,
a characteristic of the growth of some plants, that is fre-
quently taken advantage of in examples of ornamental
design. To draw Fig. 18, first lay off the lines ab and c d
as the major and minor axes of an ellipse (the former being
7| inches from the left border line) identical with Fig. 14;
then carefully outline this ellipse in pencil, and within it
draw the radiating lines curved, as shown. Note that the
radiating lines intersect the circumference of the ellipse
nearer together at the top than at the sides, the distance a e
being about \ inch, while cf and fd are about -| inch and
inch, respectively. After inking the figure, the construction
line c d may be erased, and the ellipse dotted in with the
ruling pen and irregular curve.
Fig. 19 is drawn within an ellipse also, but the major
axis ab is inclined at an angle of 00 and intersects the
minor axis at a point 2 inches above the lower border
line and 6 inches from the right border line. The
curved lines radiate evenly from b and intersect the cir-
cumference in three points equally spaced between a and c.
In inking this figure, the construction lines may be erased
22
FREEHAND DRAWING.
2
and the elliptical curve dotted in with ruling pen from
c to a only.
Fig. 20 is another example of radiation, but from a line in
this case instead of a point. Draw a b 3 inches long and
4 inches to the left of the right-hand border line, and mark
off thereon the points from which the curved lines radiate.
Note that these points are not regularly spaced along a b,
but that their distance apart increases toward the top. From
/; to c is but J- inch, while the distances c d and de are f inch
and f inch, respectively. The radials starting from c extend
\ inch to the right and left of ab, and upward to the level
of d. The radials from d extend \ inch to the right and left
of a ^,and those from c only \ inch. Their length and upward
extent the student must judge by the eye, as also the two
lower radials, which extend about f inch each side of a b.
These radiating figures must be studied carefully; there
is really very much more in them than would at first appear,
and the principles of their composition and construction per-
vade all natural ornament.
The radiation of the lines in Figs. 18 and 19 is character-
istic of the growth of some plants, such as the cattail, as
shown in Fig. 15, and the veining' of certain leaves as in
Fig. 16 of the text. The radiation from
a line, as shown in Fig. 20 of the drawing
plate, is characteristic of the growth of
FIG. 16.
;md shrubs, and illustrates the great laws of all
foliated ornament. These laws are based on the observation
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. *:)
of the arrangement and natural growth of plants, and are as
follows :
1. All lines should radiate from a parent stem.
I. All branching lines should be tangent to the line from
which they branch, as in Fig. 20, where the branching lines
do not start out of ab abruptly, but are tangent to it at
r , d, etc.
3. There should be a proportionate distribution of areas.
This is not so easy to understand as the previous rules, but
may be illustrated by a tree, wherein the areas are propor-
tioned according to their distribution and distance from the
parent stem. The trunk is the parent stem, and has the
greatest area, but decreases toward the top. The branches
nearest the ground are the largest and closest together, and
diminish in size toward their ends. All branches and twigs
are less in area than the branch from which they spring. In
Fig. 20 observe that, though the parent stem and branches
are single lines of equal thickness and apparent area, the
arrangement is such as to give the impression of distribu-
tion. The area embraced by the lower branches is greater
than that of the ones above, and the outline of the entire
figure diminishes toward the top, giving an impression of
lightness and solidity.
Always observe these rules in drawing any figure, and try
to make the representation of an object appear lighter toward
the top. Note that in all works of architecture, high struc-
tures, such as steeples and towers, are either made smaller
toward the top, or are pierced above with large windows in
order to give the appearance of lightness at the top and
solidity at the bottom. Note that columns, pilasters, and
piers are nearly always smaller at the top than at the bot-
tom, thus expressing their immovability; while the legs of
tables and other unfixed objects are smaller at the bottom
than at the top, expressive of their movability.
In drawing Fig. 21, the student has simply to combine the
details of a few of the previous problems. This figure is a
vase 3 inches in height, and 4- inch and 1 inches in diameter
at a and d, respectively. The student will draw the center
04 F R H I-: 1 1 A N D I) R AW ING. 2
line of the vase directly under the center of Fig. 15, and lay
out the outline entirely freehand and by eye measurement.
Knowing the dimensions a and b, the observing student will
discover that c is a little more than a, and that d is a little
less. Other dimensions can be judged by comparison in the
same manner and the figure completed without further
directions. After inking in Fig. 21 the construction line
through its center may be erased.
Having completed all the figures in pencil, the student
will proceed to ink them in freehand, except where the pre-
vious instructions directed him to do otherwise. He may
then draw the title {\ inch high at the top of the plate, free-
hand, and ink the border line with his ruling pen. In inking
a drawing freehand, the pen is held in precisely the same
manner as the pencil, and the lines are drawn carefully in
short, even strokes, to preserve uniformity. Use a good,
coarse pen, and do not be afraid to let the lines be rather
heavy at first, as a thin line is more difficult to draw evenly
than a heavy one. The name, class letter and number,
together with the date, may then be inserted below the line,
as in previous cases.
NOTE. Do not ink in your drawing of this plate, or return it to us
for correction until after your first plate is returned to you with its cor-
rections and criticisms. Then note carefully the errors pointed out
and see that similar ones have not been made on your Drawing Plate,
title, Surfaces and Solids.
After we have called the student's attention to the errors on his
first plate, we expect him to profit by the criticism and avoid a repeti-
tion of them on his second plate ; as a repetition of the error will count
against him more than when it was first made.
This method of procedure will be necessary throughout the entire
course, as there are but two plates of each kind of work, and the stu-
dent needs the criticism of the first in order to properly execute the
second.
DKAWIXO PLATE, TITTLE: SURFACES A!NT> SOLIDS.
1 (). The figures on this plate consist of a series of objects,
the drawing of which will involve all the principles learned
in the execution of the previous plate. The first four figures
are designs of surface ornament or details wherein the con-
sideration of depth or thickness forms no part. The last
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 25
five figures are sketches in perspective of familiar objects
drawn so as to accustom the student to the representation of
objects where the dimension of thickness or depth must be
expressed. In drawing this plate, lay out the border line as
before and divide the plate lengthwise by a horizontal pen-
cil line through the middle, and above this line divide the
space as follows : Draw four vertical lines, 1^ inches, 4 inches,
?| inches, and llf inches to the right of the left border line.
The first three of these will be the center lines of Figs. 1, 2,
and 3, and the fourth will be the line of the wall a b,
Fig. 1 is a baluster and its moldings, according to the
architectural proportions set forth for such details. The
student will first draw a vertical line xy, ^ inch to the right
of the border, to serve as a measuring line. This line will
be divided into 68 equal parts, as shown, each part being
y 1 ^ inch, thus making the.height of the baluster 4^ inches. All
the measurements for the proportioning of the baluster will
be given in parts, each part being, as above stated, y 1 ^ inch.
The width of the abacus a is 22 parts, the thickest part of
the vase at b is 25 parts, and the diameter of the neck at c is
10 parts. The vertical measurements can be determined by
counting the number of parts between each division, and
when all the horizontal lines are located the contour may be
carefully sketched in. The vertical measuring line may
then be erased before the figure is inked in. Although these
proportions are subject to slight relative alterations under
different circumstances, they are practically uniform in nearly
all cases where the oiitlines of a stone baluster are required.
Fig. 2 is a panel of an iron railing the design of which con-
sists of a series of scrolls and radiating ornament, based on
the outline of the baluster just drawn, but changed to suit
the circumstances required by working in strap iron, in con-
trast to the requirements of stone. The student's attention
is called particularly to the fact that there is propriety in the
ironwork design in making its outline resemble the outline
of the solid baluster, inasmuch as it is to serve a similar pur-
pose in a balustrade of different material.
The center line and enclosing rectangle of Fig. 2 may be
FRKKIIAXI) DRAWING.
drawn precisely the same as in Fig. 1, exeept that the rect-
angle itself and the center line will be inked in solid, as it is
intended to form a part of the ironwork. The center line is
located 4 inches to the right of the border line, and the con-
tour of the inside ironwork follows as closely as possible the
contour of the stone baluster.
In Fig. 3 we have a design for another device in ironwork,
but one of an entirely different character. Fig. 3 is a car-
touch made of sheet iron, the design of which is based on the
ellipse. Cartoncli is the term applied to circular or shield-
shaped devices, whose surface is represented in relief, and the
border of which is
usually more or less
ornate with scrolls or
strap work. In order
that the student may
understand the char-
acter of Fig. 3, he
should give his atten-
tion to Fig. 17 of the
text, which is a devel-
oped outline of the
piece of sheet iron
or other metal from
which the cartouch
would be made. The
wings a are rolled
backwards and the wings b rolled forwards, and produce the
effect expressed in Fig. 3 of the drawing plate. The stu-
dent should lay out the figure first, as shown in the text,
and cut it out of heavy paper or thin metal, and then by
rolling the wings around his pencil in the direction indi-
cated, he can form a model of the device, which, set up
before him, will greatly assist him in the representation on
his plate. The length of the ellipse from c to d is 3^ inches,
while its breadth from c to/ is 24 inches. The interior ellipse
is 2J- in. xHin., the circumference of which is practically
parallel with the outside. After the wings have been rolled
FIG. 17
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 27
over, .they project uniformly from the top and sides of the
cartouch, so as to come within the outline of another ellipse
shown dotted at g h. There is nothing difficult in the draw-
ing of this figure, the ellipses being contoured in the same
manner as on the previous plate, and the curled wings being
represented by a simple combination of scrolls and straight
lines. When the figure is completed, the student may erase
all of the guide lines.
Cartouches are not only executed in metal work, but are
often carved in stone or wood, or modeled in plaster or terra
cotta. They are also sometimes drawn, as on this plate, as
an ornament at the top, or in the center, of some certificate,
or other paper of a documentary character. Its purpose, in
nearly all cases, whether carved in stone or wood, or drawn
or printed on paper, is to bear a device either a number, a
title, or a monogram. There are many forms of it, some
being regular, as in this case, and others being irregular and
eccentric, according to the purpose for which it is required.
In Fig. 4 we have an iron bracket, such as is used in many
foreign cities as a sign hanger. It consists of plain straight
iron rods bent into scrolls, combining beauty of curve with
utility of purpose. The main rod of the bracket c d is
5^ inches long and 2| inches below the upper border line.
At e, 3^ inches from c, a hanger extends to the main wall
at /, If inches above c, while from the same point c on the
under side of the rod c d the main scroll springs and becomes
tangent to the wall at g, 1 inch below c. The branch scroll
is tangent to the wall at //, 2^ inches below c, and the other
tangent points at i and/, inch and 2 inches to the right of
c, respectively. The other curves of the scroll, and the
small ornamental scrolls on the top and sides of the main
bar and hanger, can be proportioned and drawn by the eye,
altering and shifting them as the circumstances may dictate.
The sign itself hangs below the bar within a rectangle
1^ inches square, the center of which is at , 4 inches to the
right of the wall and H inches below the bar cd. The rect-
angle containing the sign should be drawn in place and the
sign itself then sketched within it. After the figure is inked,
FREE II AND DRAWING.
all of the guide lines should be
erased. The student should take
plenty of time and pains in draw-
ing- this figure, as its style is not
only useful for many devices and
designs, but the same design will
be used again in this course to
illustrate an advanced branch of
ornamental ironwork. Not only
are hanging signs of this character
used over doors and on posts to
indicate a public inn or other
announcement, but they are fre-
quently used on designs for menus
and other occasional cards as a
device on which to place the date,
or a title, or even the initial letter
of a sentence.
The next five figures on this
plate will be sketches of objects
in perspective, and, while it is not
the intention in any part of this
course to teach the theory of per-
spective drawing, there are a few
simple details concerning perspec-
tive representation that are not
only useful, but in some instances
of design positively necessary.
In the first place, the appearance
of a circle in perspective is always
elliptical, and when the student
draws an ellipse, either mechan-
ically or freehand, he represents
thereby the perspective view of a
circle. The student should prac-
tice frequently the drawing of
ellipses of different sizes, and par-
ticularly of different widths on
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 29
the minor axis; for instance, he might start with a circle
3 inches in diameter and then draw an ellipse 3 in. x 2| in.
and another 3 in. X 2 in. , thus decreasing the length of the
minor axis and maintaining the same length of major axis
until this diminishing circle reaches the limit in a straight
line. Having done this, he should draw inside of his circle
some polygon, as shown in Fig. 18 (a), either an octagon or
a hexagon, or even a triangle, and then project horizontally
across from the circle, through all the ellipses, lines mark-
ing the corners of the polygon where they intersect the cir-
cumference of the circle. Short straight lines, connecting
successively these points in the circumferences of the ellip-
ses, will give a perspective view of the polygon inscribed in
the circle, as shown at (^), (c), etc.
Fig. 5 of the drawing plate is a perspective view of a
cylinder and a cone, the former standing on its base and the
latter lying on its side. The top of the cylinder is an ellipse
2^ in.xf in., and the bottom is a semiellipse of the same
size. The height of the cylinder is 2^ inches, and straight
lines connecting the extreme outside points of the ellipse
and the semiellipse complete the drawing of the cylinder
and represent it as it would appear in perspective. To draw
the perspective view of the cone, a straight line is drawn
from a point 1 inch below the right-hand end, the longi-
tudinal axis of the ellipse forming the top of the cylinder, to
a point ^ inch below and | inch to the left of the right-hand
end of the axis of the ellipse forming the bottom of the
cylinder. On this line an ellipse 2^ inches long by f inch
wide is then drawn, similar to the ellipse forming the top of
the cylinder. From the center of this ellipse draw a line
2 inches long perpendicular to its major axis, and consider
this line as the axis of the cone. From the right-hand end
of this line draw two lines tangent to the curve of the last
ellipse, as shown, these lines forming the sides of the cone.
This will complete the view of the cylinder and cone in
perspective, and the portion of the cylinder that extends
behind the cone, which is shown dotted in the drawing,
should then be erased.
:50 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
Fig. (') represents an octagonal pyramid. The base of the
pyramid shows an octagon in perspective, which is drawn
within an ellipse 2{ inches high by f inch wide. Perpen-
dicular to the major axis of this ellipse a line is drawn
2 inches long, which is the axis of the pyramid, and from
the right-hand end of this line, straight lines are drawn con-
necting the corners of the octagon with the apex of the pyra-
mid, thus representing that figure in perspective.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an ordinary tumbler, which,
though slightly more complicated, and thereby demanding
greater care in execution, is no more difficult to draw than
either of the previous figures. The top of the tumbler is an
ellipse 2f inches long by f inch wide, and the bottom is one-
half of a regular :K)-sided polygon drawn within an ellipse
2 inches long by i inch wide. The distance between the
major axes of the two ellipses is 3 inches, and the sides of
the tumbler are drawn tangent to the extreme ends of the
curves. Above the bottom of the tumbler 1^ inches, a third
ellipse is drawn lightly, to indicate the point where the
fluting starts. Within the two lower ellipses two semi-
polygons are drawn in perspective, each with fifteen sides.
These semipolygons should first be laid out in a semicircle
above and below the major axes of the two lower ellipses, as
shown in Fig. 10, and the points of intersection of their sides
with the semicircle projected to the ellipses of the tumbler,
in order to locate the points to draw the polygon in per-
spective. It will be observed that this figure is simply a
combination of the essential points of the two previous
problems.
Fig. 8 is a vase, the outline of which is precisely the same
as Fig. 21 of the previous plate, except that this view repre-
sents the vase in perspective, while the one on the previous
plate was simply its outline in elevation. Where straight
horizontal lines mark the details of the previous sketch,
ellipses now show those parts in perspective. The ellipse
forming the top of the vase is a very thin one, and the
student should exercise care to insure the evenness of its
curve. Draw all the parts lightly in pencil; make the curves
FREEHAND DRAWING.
31
as perfect as possible, in order that the inking process may
be carried out neatly and without any irregular breaks.
The last figure on this plate (Fig. 9) is another vase with
which is combined the border drawn in Fig. 8 of the pre-
vious plate. The height of the vase from the center of the
ellipse a forming its top to the center of the ellipse b form-
ing its base, is 4 inches, and the longitudinal axes of these
two ellipses are If inches and If inches, respectively. The
length of the neck from the center of the ellipse a to the
center of the ellipse c is 1 inch, and
from a to the bottom of the bulb d
is 3| inches. The diameter of the
smallest part of the neck is \ inch,
and the lines gradually curve out
toward , where the diameter is
| inch. The border around the
thickest part of the vase (which is
2| inches in diameter) is | inch
wide, and the line that forms the
axis of the upper ellipse of this
border, is 1| inches below a. It
will be necessary to divide the band
within which the border is drawn
into 4 equal parts, horizontally, as
the straight band was divided in
Fig. 13 of the previous plate. Then
above the vase a semicircle must be drawn and divided into
24 equal parts, as shown for the tumbler in Fig. 19. Ver-
tical lines drawn from the semicircle across the border band
will locate points for the vertical lines in the fret border,
and the horizontal lines may then be drawn, connecting
them as was done with Fig. 8 of the previous plate; but the
horizontal lines in this case will each be part of an ellipse
parallel to the top and bottom elliptical lines forming the
band around the vase. The vertical lines of the border will
curve slightly as they approach the sides of the vase until
the extreme outside lines on the right and left, will be
practically parallel to the outline of the vase at those points.
FIG. 19.
32 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
11. A11 the figures on this plate should be practiced on
other sheets of paper until the student is satisfied that he
can draw each of them evenly and neatly on his drawing
plate. The oftcner he practices the figures in this prelimi-
nary work, the easier he will find the subsequent problems.
A few extra hours of labor expended in this part of the
course will save much time toward the end. When the
plate is completed in pencil, the student will draw the border
line with his ruling pen and T square, as shown, print in
the title in letters j% inch high, and ink in all the figures
freehand. The construction lines may then all be erased t
leaving nothing but the full lines of the drawings. The
name, date, and class letter and number can then be neatly
printed in their customary places.
DRAWING PLATE, TITLE: NATURATj LEAVES.
155. It is assumed that by this time the student is thor-
oughly familiar with the use of his drawing instruments,
both mechanical and freehand, and in the following plates
he will not be called upon to ink in his drawings with the
freehand pen except in special cases. He should keep prac-
ticing the making of freehand sketches with the pen, how-
ever, in order that he may not lose the dexterity he has
already acquired.
This plate consists of 12 figures, each representing some
form of a natural leaf, and is intended not only to familiarize
the student with the characteristics of each kind of leaf
represented, but also to accustom him to the study of the
botanical and geometrical details of all vegetable forms used
in design. Nearly all leaves and flowers are governed in
outline by some geometrical figure, and by varying this out-
line slightly, various leaf forms are made different, while
the leaves are at the same time governed by the same geo-
metrical figure. Draw a horizontal line through the plate
~> inches belo\\- the upper border line, and divide the space
vecn this line and the border line into six rectangles;
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 33
the ones containing Figs. 1, 2, and 3 will measure 2 inches
in width each, and the ones containing Figs. 4 and 5 will
measure 2 inches and 2- inches, respectively.
Fig. 1 is the leaf of the nasturtium, the governing outline
of which is a circle, and the student should first draw lightly
a circle about 2% inches in diameter, the exact dimensions
being of no great importance. It will be observed that
there are seven sides or lobes to the leaf, the lower one of
which is the largest, and the others unequal. These lobes
are expressed by making slight notches in the circumference
Fio. 30.
of the circle and then rounding them off into the main curve.
The stem joins the leaf not on the edge but at a point about
one-third the way up, and from it radiate seven veins, each
toward one of the notches in the circumference of the leaf.
It will now be observed that two of these veins form an
almost straight line across the lower portion of the leaf,
above which three of the veins radiate at almost equal angles.
These are geometrical characteristics of the nasturtium leaf,
and if followed out will enable the student at all times to
present a fair portrayal of this class of vegetation. When
used for embroidery work and other classes of design wherein
a softness of outline is more consistent with the character of
the material, the leaf may be expressed more freely, as
shown in Fig. 20. In drawing this and the subsequent
;J4 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
figures on this plate, it is not desired that the student shall
actually copy the drawing plate. His work will not be
judged according to his accuracy compared with the copy,
but according to the clearness with which he represents the
object portrayed. It would be better for him, if possible, to
procure a nasturtium leaf from the plant and make a draw-
ing of that, using the characteristics in this description as a
guide in the procedure. As said in the early part of this
Paper, "A drawing is the expression of an idea by means
of a picture," and the student's work on these plant-forms
will be judged by the clearness with which he expresses
his idea rather than by the accuracy with which he copies
the figure.
The second figure on this plate is a leaf of the pond lily,
also based on the principle of the circle, but with an even
circumference that is deeply indented at the bottom. At
the point of indentation a long stem joins the leaf, from
which thin veins radiate toward the circumference. The
length of the stem is a matter of little importance, as in
nature it is governed by the depth of the water in which the
lily is growing. The leaf in size may be the same or slightly
larger than the nasturtium leaf, and the stem may be curled
as shown on the drawing, or, if the student works from the
actual lily leaf, instead of this copy, the stem may be drawn
as he sees it in his original.
The leaves shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are characteristic of a
number of plants, and vary in size with each plant. Their
governing outline is practically an ellipse, as shown by the
dotted lines. The student will draw for them two ellipses
about 3 inches in length by 2 inches in width, as shown by
the dotted lines, and then draw one side of Fig. 3, corre-
sponding closely to the circumference of the ellipse. The
other side diverges from the ellipse as shown, the leaf being
pointed at its upper end and slightly indented at the bottom.
A long vein extends from the stem of the leaf, which joins
it at the bottom indentation, almost to the point at the top,
and the side veins branch to the right and left. After the
drawing is completed, the construction lines may be erased.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
35
The drawing of Fig. 4 is precisely the same as Fig. 3,
except the edges of the leaf are serrated or notched, as shown,
and there is no indentation at the bottom, the leaf ending in
a point at that end also, but more abruptly than at the top.
This is the style of leaf characteristic of the rose and of the
elm tree, though on the former plant it forms one of a group
of leaflets, and is seldom more than half this size.
The spray of leaves in Fig. 5 is from the maple tree, and
their governing outline is a pentagon, not a regular pentagon
with equal sides, but one whose base is considerably longer
than the other four sides. The indentations in the top lobe
are more marked than those in the side lobe, and vary in
different leaves. In fact, no two leaves are ever exactly
alike, though the characteristics are always the same, and
there should be no difficulty in portraying a maple leaf so
that it is unmistakable for this class of vegetation. The
lower lobes of the leaf are some-
times rounded, and in the younger
leaves the indentations are much
less marked than in the mature
ones. In drawing the spray shown
in Fig. 5, draw the large leaf first,
and fit the smaller ones in under it,
as shown, not necessarily following
this exact arrangement, but placed
in such a manner that they will
show the characteristics of the leaf.
Maple leaves are easily obtained in
nearly all communities, and the student should certainly
draw this figure from nature, if possible. The maple
leaf can be characteristically and conventionally designed
within the sides of a regular pentagon, however, as shown
in Fig. 21.
Fig. 6 is a cluster of one class of horse-chestnut leaves, the
governing outline of which is practically a hexagon. Each
leaf is complete in itself, but as they always grow in a cluster
at the end of a stem, with almost invariably the same num-
ber in a bunch, it is proper that they should be so represented,
FIG. 21.
36 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
especially in design, as this is one of the geometrical
characteristics of their botany. The true horse-chestnut
leaf has invariably seven leaves in a cluster, arranged in the
same manner as this example, but there is another variety
of the same tree that has either five or seven in a cluster.
To draw Fig. (5, first construct a general outline of the group
as explained in Fig. 1, and then draw in the individual
leaflets. The general outline will be somewhat the shape of
a hexagon, with the outside points of the leaves and extrem-
ity of the stem in each of its angles. In drawing the leaves,
observe that they are larger at their outer ends than toward
the stem ; that the notches in their edges extend into the
leaf toward the stem, and are not sharp, straight lines, but
curved in the same direction as the veins of the leaf. The
last point at the extreme end of the leaf is considerably
longer than the others, and tends to give a spear-like termi-
nation. The peculiar form of the leaves permits them to
cluster nicely in a bunch, as shown, and enables them to be
conventionalized and easily used in certain forms of geo-
metrical designs.
These six figures, constituting the upper half of the plate,
will serve to familiarize the student as far as is necessary
with the geometrical and botanical characteristics of these
particular forms. He should make it a point, however, to
study other forms, and broaden his knowledge as much as
possible in the observation of nature. He should frequently
draw the leaves of different plants, and if his drawing does
not convey a satisfactory idea of the leaf itself, he should
analyze his drawing carefully, and also the natural leaf, and
learn wherein he has altered or omitted some detail that
stamps the character of the original. These leaves have
been drawn singly because they are usually seen singly on
the trees, or on the ground under the trees, with the excep-
tion of the horse-chestnut leaf; they are seldom associated
in the mind as clusters. In the next six figures, however, a
class of leaves is considered that are associated with the vine
or plant on which they grow, and their characteristics must
be considered, not singly, but together with the plant and
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 37
surrounding details. Figs. 1 to 6 represent, also, a develop-
ment in botanical evolution, the theory being that the funda-
mental leaf form was circular, as in Fig. 2. The notches in
the outline of Fig. 1 are indicative of a lack of nourishment
being conveyed to the margin of the leaf at certain points,
thereby retarding its growth ; the serrations in the edges of
Fig. 4 are caused by a similar lack of circulation of sap, until
finally we come to Fig. 5, where the serrations are so
developed as to make lobes on the edges of the leaf, and
in Fig. 6 to cause the leaves to grow in clusters at the end
of one stem, instead of a single leaf. The different forms
of the edges of leaves so developed are due to the system of
veining. A study in comparison of different forms of leaves
will soon place the student in a position to judge and rec-
ognize the proper veining of a great many leaves, according
to the indentation of their edges. The nasturtium leaf is
indented regularly at the end of each vein, and the veins are
regular and straight. In the maple leaf the indentations
are very irregular, because the veining of the leaf is irregu-
lar and forms a network throughout the whole tissue. In
the horse-chestnut leaf the general veining is regular in each
individual cluster, thereby causing an even subdivision into
a uniform set of individual leaflets, while the edges of each
leaflet are serrated, owing to a slight irregularity in their
individual veining.
Fig. 7 is a spray of the vine and leaves of the convolvulus,
which is of the class of vine to which the morning glory
belongs, and the student will not attempt to draw the same
until he has, on a separate piece of paper, frequently prac-
ticed the drawing of the individual leaves of the plant. The
number of leaves on the stem will depend on the object from
which he draws. If he can secure a slip of the vine itself,
he will draw it as he sees it, locating the leaves as he sees
them, and not in any way attempting to copy his drawing
plate, but referring to same for the expression of the stronger
characteristics of the growth. If he cannot secure a slip
of the plant, he will have to make his drawing from the
plate. The leaves of this example are triangular, slightly
38
FREEHAND DRAWING.
FIG. 22.
indented at the bottom, and manifest a strong inclination
to curl up slightly at the edges. They are a soft leaf,
and rarely lie stiff and flat, like the maple. In drawing
them, the student will observe the char-
acter of the veining, the arrangement
on each side of the main stem, noting
that they branch alternately, and that
no two of them start from the same
point. The leaf that is turned over,
showing its under side, indicates the
method and manner of the stem join-
ing the surface, and in making the
drawing the student has but to bear
in mind that the governing prin-
ciple is an isosceles triangle, as shown in Fig. 22, and
the arrangement on the stem is an alternation on oppo-
site sides.
Fig. 8 is a spray of ivy leaves, each of which may be drawn
within a pentagon, as shown in Fig. 23, in the same manner
as was described for the maple leaf. The edges of the ivy
leaf are not serrated, and the sides of each lobe are distinctly
curved. Each leaf has five lobes; the stems join them in a
stiff, angular way at the lower indentation, and are heavy in
proportion to the size of the leaf. The leaves do not show
the wavy outline of the morning
glory, for they are naturally stiff
and somewhat clumsy. The stem
from which the leaves branch is
of a woody texture, and is much
stiffer and harder than the stem
of the morning glory; therefore,
it does not grow in a wavy line,
and care should be taken that,
though the ivy is a vine and mani-
fests as strong an inclination to
climb as does the morning glory,
t does so in a stiffer and more regular manner a charac-
teristic that should always be expressed when it is used in
FIG. 28.
a FREEHAND DRAWING. 3<>
design. The student will draw Fig. 8 as shown, or from
the natural leaves, if such are obtainable.
Fig. 9 shows the long stem of the lily. There are several
classes of lilies that manifest different characteristics in
some of their details. This view shows the principle on
which the leaves branch from the stiff stem, their tend-
ency being to grow upwards toward the flowers, which
bloom at the top. Each individual leaf is a plain straight
blade, sometimes with a strongly marked central vein, and
at other times with a number of veins running through it.
Its lower end wraps itself partly around the stem, and in
some classes, such as the tiger lily, the flowers blossom at
the juncture of the leaf and the stem, and after the flowers
have blossomed, a round seed marks the place where they
stood on the stem.
Fig. 10 is a branch of the olive tree a very difficult speci-
men to get from which to draw from nature, but an impor-
tant leaf in design, as it has always been held as the emblem
of peace. The leaf of the olive is long and narrow, very
slightly widened at its upper end, somewhat after the gen-
eral shape of the chestnut, but softer and not so conspicu-
ously unequal. The fruit grows on branches under the
leaves, with six or eight olives on each branch. In drawing
this little spray, it is simply necessary to indicate the main
branch about as shown on the plate, and draw the two leaves
that terminate at its upper end. The next two leaves below
these grow out of opposite sides of the main stem, from
the same point in height. They are not directly over the
ones below or under the ones above, but take a position
half way around the stem from these, so that if the stem
were so held that any two of its leaves pointed toward
the north and south, the pair next above and below them
would point toward the east and west. This is a char-
acteristic that should always be borne in mind in represent-
ing the plant.
Fig. 11 is a branch of laurel introduced, here with the olive
on account of its symbolism, the laurel wreath being an
emblem of victory. The shape of the laurel leaf is not
40 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
widely different from the olive, but it is much larger, being
3 inches or more in length, while the olive is seldom more
than H inehes or 2 inches. The leaves of the laurel grow
all around the stem, branching alternately from opposite
sides, and the edges, though not serrated like the rose leaf,
are indented by a series of rounded notches at the end of
each vein. The flowers ot the laurel blossom in the angle
between the leaf and the stem.
The last figure on this plate (Fig. 12) shows two kinds of
the palm a plant emblematic of royalty. The palm leaf is
used largely by the Egyptians in many of their designs, and
from it were made several devices and utensils important in
the ceremonies and customs of the complicated formalities
of the ancient Egyptian society. In drawing the palm as
shown on the plate, the student will observe that in one
example of it the leaf radiates from the end of the stem, and
he must bear in mind that though the edge is ragged and
broken up into a number of string-like terminations, its nat-
ural unbroken form is practically circular, and that the deli-
cacy of the tissue composing the leaves causes them to be
shredded on the edges when blown together in high winds
or handled roughly when taken from the tree. This variety
is known as the fan palm. The other form of palm, called
the feather pal in, is similar in texture of leaf to the first,
but its veins radiate from a line instead of from a point; this
difference of radiation will recall to the student Figs. 18, 19,
and 20 of his first freehand drawing plate.
The student will complete this plate and draw the border
line, but ink in none of the figures. It is desired that he
should become accustomed to drawing rapidly and readily
with the pencil and expressing himself with as few lines as
possible. He must bear in mind that he is not to be a copy-
ist, that no two leaves in nature are alike, and, therefore, it
is unnecessary that he shoiild portray any of the leaves on
this drawing plate exactly like the example we send him.
However, he must remember that in each case he is solving
a problem ; he is endeavoring to express by means of a pic-
ture the idea of a certain form of leaf, and that failure to
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 41
express all the characteristics of that particular leaf makes
the solution of this problem incorrect. The title may be put
on the top of the plate, as shown, and the name, date, and
class letter and number printed below the margin line as
heretofore.
DRAWING PLATE, TITLE : FLOWERS AND CON-
VENTIONALIZED LEAVES.
13. On this drawing plate the student is given a few
examples of familiar flowers, and the same remarks concern-
ing the method of drawing them applies here as with the
previous plate. Original flowers are to be preferred rather
than printed copies, and whenever such are obtainable, the
student should avail himself of the opportunity to draw
them.
In Fig. 1 is shown the morning glory, its bud, and the
method of its branching from the vine. The flower itself is
trumpet-shaped, the upper end being practically circular,
which makes it elliptical when shown in perspective, as it is
here. The sides of the tube forming the lower part of the
flower are curved slightly, and gradually approach a straight
line toward the stem. Observe that where they join, the
little leaves around the bottom of the tube have pointed ends
and form a cup called the calyx, in which the trumpet-like
flower sets. Observe that the bud of the flower is twisted,
producing a screw-like effect, as shown to the right of the
open blossom.
Before drawing this plate, divide the paper lengthwise
through the center, 6f inches above the lower border line,
and above this center line construct five rectangles 3^ inches
in width and 5 inches high, with the center line as their
common base. Proceed to draw Fig. 1 in the first rect-
angle by constructing an ellipse about 3 inches above
the center line of the plate and about 2^ inches in length
on its major axis, and \ inch or a little more on its minor
axis. Within this ellipse, describe the slightly scalloped
edge of the upper portion of the blossom. Draw the lines
42 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
forming the trumpet-like tube of the lower portion of the
blossom, and then draw the stem. The main stem of the
vine runs from the lower right-hand to the upper left-hand
corner, and by noting where it crosses the upper edge of the
blossom, its position on the plate can be determined with
sufficient accuracy. The leaves and bud may then be drawn
in their relative positions.
If the flower is drawn from nature, as heretofore sug-
gested, the student need not follow closely these direc-
tions, except so far as they apply to inserting each problem
in its proper rectangle.
Fig. 2 shows two flowers somewhat alike in their general
formation but possessing characteristics that stamp them so
forcibly that it is impossible to mistake one for the other;
these are the phlox and the carnation. Both flowers possess
five petals radiating from the center. The petals are larger
at their outer ends and taper almost to a point where they
come together. They enter the top of an almost straight
tube that is held at the bottom by the little green calyx,
where it joins them to the stem. This tube, however, is
larger in the carnation than in the phlox, and the carnation
itself is a larger flower than the phlox. The edges of the
petals of the carnation are toothed very sharply and very
plainly, while the edges of the phlox are round. The out-
line of the ends of the flowers are practically governed by a
pentagon, and in drawing them the student should be care-
ful to emphasize the characteristics of each, the strongest
distinctive characteristics being the round petal of the phlox
and the toothed petal of the carnation.
In making the final drawing of these flowers on the plate,
the student will locate the first carnation of the bunch in the
upper left-hand corner of the second square, as shown. He
will then draw it so that its stem will pass out of the square
near the lower right-hand corner, and then successively draw
the other two blossoms in place, to the right and left of the
first one. The outline governing the ends of these blossoms
is practically elliptical, although the edges of the petals vary
more in the carnation than they did in the morning glory.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 43
In drawing the phlox, observe that the petals of the flower
form a part of the tube that connects the flower with the stem,
thus differing from the carnation, where the petals grow out of
the tube. The outlining of the petals is practically the same,
though on a smaller scale, and the governing outline of the top
of the flower is an ellipse, as in the previous cases. Observe
here that the blossoms of the phlox are all on one stem, while
with the carnation each separate stem carries a flower.
The exact arrangement of these flowers on the plate is not
of importance as long as they are within the second square.
In Fig. 3 is shown a couple of sprays of a little flower
known as the harebell. The flowers themselves are cup-
shaped and hang from fine thread-like stems that grow alter-
nately on opposite sides of the main stem. It has no large
leaf like most flowers, but a series of little spur-like projec-
tions along the stem, as shown. The edges of the flower
are indented by fine notches that curve in from the top, and
the spaces between these indentations rise to little sharp
points, giving the flower a very pretty and strongly charac-
terized marking. The bud, as shown at the top of one of the
sprays, is formed by the ends of the flowers closing over and
folding themselves within, and does not twist around like the
buds of .the morning glory. In drawing the figure, try to
keep the flowers in a graceful position; also prevent any
appearance of stiffness or forced regularity, and especially be
careful to draw them with a light delicate touch, avoiding a
crude hard line, as one of the strongest characteristics of the
flower is its delicacy, and this would be destroyed by too
harsh a rendering of the pencil.
Fig. 4 shows the ordinary dogrose, the flower possessing
five petals, which radiate from the center and are slightly
curled up on their outer edges. Where they join, a series of
fine hair-like filaments (botanically known as pistils) mark the
center. The leaflets grow on opposite sides of a thin stem,
usually three on each side and one on the end, and the edges
of the leaves are sharply serrated, as explained on the previous
plate. The thorn is characteristic of all kinds of roses, and
should always be expressed as a characteristic of the plant.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
Fig. 5 is the common Held daisy a flower easily obtainable
during the month of June, and a very interesting subject for
various classes of design. It grows at the end of a long
stem, at the lower part of which the ragged leaves branch
and spread on the ground. The flower itself varies in size
from 1 inch to 1\ inches in diameter, is practically circular
in outline, and consists of a number of white petals that
branch from a central disk or sun in the center, about one-
fourth the diameter of the whole flower. The petals vary
in number, and branch out thickly on all sides, forming a
solid white disk. The side view of the daisy shown on this
plate illustrates the tendency of the leaves to grow upwards
slightly, and also shows the thickness of the sun or center
piece below the petals of the flo\ver. In drawing the daisy, it
is well to sketch in the outline as a circle, and to draw the sun
as a circle, and then, one at a time, indicate the petals or
rays that branch around the edge. The petals are rather
wider at their outer end than in the middle, and taper almost
to a point where they sprout from the flower; two deep
notches in the end cause three teeth to be characteristic of
their outer extremities.
Now, besides drawing these five examples of wild flowers
as shown on this plate, the student should take every oppor-
tunity to study the flowers
themselves, and after he has
drawn the details of each flower
as he sees it in blossom, it
should be taken apart and
analyzed. For example, we
take the wild rose and pull it
apart, and make an individual
drawing of one of the petals,
or of all of them, as shown in
Fig. 24. Every detail of every
part of the plant should be simi-
larly drawn, in order that we may become familiar with the
characteristics of the plant as separate from the plant itself.
The leaves in their arrangement on the stem should be made
(c
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 45
the subject of another drawing, and this drawing of the
details of the flower preserved as a guide to be used when the
flower itself is expressed in a conventionalized design. The
practice of thus drawing the details of a flower, or other veg-
etable form, is called plant analysis, and is the only way by
which the strongest characteristics of every individual plant
can be properly studied.
In drawing the figures on the upper half of this plate
always outline the grouping first, as explained heretofore.
Then draw the individual outline governing the extremities
of the flowers, etc., and finally fill in and develop the detail.
The lower part of this plate contains four figures, and
requires that the plate, below the center line, should be sub-
divided as follows: The center line of Fig. 6 is 2f inches to
the right of the border line, and its top is tangent to the
horizontal center line of the plate. The center line of Fig. 8
is 8| inches to the right of the border line, and the rect-
angle containing Fig. 8 is 3 inches wide by 6 inches high.
Fig. 7 is then fitted in between this rectangle and Fig. 6.
The wall on which the bracket in Fig. hangs is about \ inch
to the right of Fig. 8. By locating these points on the plate
the student will have no trouble in drawing his figures in
the proper places.
With Fig. of this plate we take up the first part of the
subject of conventionalized forms. It is seldom that a plant
or other form from nature can be used in a design with
reason without reducing it to a plain practical form that is
conventional or symbolic more than pictorial. Fig. 6 is a
conventionalized form of the acanthus leaf, and as we draw
it we will endeavor to get a better idea of the meaning of
the word conventional. In the first place, the outline of this
figure is based on the ellipse, and the student's first move
will be to construct in the corner rectangle of his drawing
plate a semiellipse 4.V inches high and 4 inches wide.
Within this he will draw the main outline of the lobes of the
leaf, as shown in Fig. 25, observing that these lobes are
farther apart as he approaches the top of the leaf, or, in
other words, are closer together at the wider portions of the
FREEHAND DRAWING.
leaf. There is a central lobe and three smaller ones on each
side. The top lines of the side lobes are curved, but are
nearly horizontal in position, and the side lines of the lobe
are inclined slightly toward the center of the leaf. The
middle vein is a straight line on the major axis of the ellipse,
and the side veins curve from the points of the lobe to the
bottom line, as shown, and approach the central vein as they
reach the bottom ; in other words, if all the veins of the leaf
were continued downwards, they would eventually meet in
a point like the lines radiating from a point in Fig. 18 of
Drawing Plate, title, Linear Elements. The acanthus leaf
is now drawn by serrating
the edges of these lobes,
following the drawing plate
as closely as possible. The
inner angles of the lobe are
then carried into the leaf
in the form of loops, the
vertical lines usually being
the ones that govern the
direction of the loop. The
leaf lobes are then drawn
as though lapping over one
another slightly, and extra
lines are drawn indicating
the sides of the pipes or
tubes that are naturally
formed in the leaf where these loops exist. This can
be more readily understood by referring to Fig. 39, where
the surface of the conventionalized leaf is shown as it usually
appears when carved in stone or wood or modeled in clay or
plaster. It will be seen that the sides of the leaf on this
plate are symmetrical, that the leaf is perfectly flat in the
drawing, and no attempt is made to shade it. The exist-
ence of the last line drawn from the loops down is indicative
of the raised surface of the pipes on the leaf. This is the
expression of an idea by means of a picture. It is not a
picture of the acanthus leaf as it appears in nature, but a
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 47
picture of the characteristics of the leaf characteristics that
are themselves emphasized beyond the mere drawing of the
leaf itself, and it is the emphasis of these characteristics that
distinguish in the -drawing of a leaf or flower the naturalistic
and the conventional rendering. Flowers and leaves may
be rendered naturalistically if they are painted on canvas or
printed on paper, but if woven in cloth or carpet, or used as
a part of a wall-paper design, or burned in leather, the
details of the process by which they are thus reproduced
will not permit of an accurate portrayal of them naturalis-
tically. They are therefore conventionalized, and lines indi-
cating their strongest characteristics are woven, printed, or
carved to stamp the leaf for what it is. In drawing this
figure, complete both sides. The example on the drawing
plate was left unfinished on the right side in order to show
the relation of the semiellipse.
Fig. 7 is a side view of the conventionalized acanthus as it
is sometimes used in connection with scrollwork on brackets.
The S-like outline of the leaf is first drawn about 4 inches
high; the lower curve is then drawn to measure %^ inches
across, and the upper curve about f inch across. The lobes are
then outlined exactly in the same manner as the previous case,
and the indentations drawn within these outlines, as before.
The veins running from the center of the lobes are then
drawn, following the contour of the lobe itself, and finally
becoming tangent to the main curve at the outside of the
leaf. After the leaf has been drawn, the guide lines, which
are shown dotted on the original drawing plate, may be
erased by the student, and the drawing of the leaf itself
completed.
In Fig. 8 is shown a panel in which is drawn a conven-
tionalized design based on the growth of the ivy, and which
is, with slight alterations, a suitable design for carved wood
or burnt-leather work, or even for embroidery. The details
are not as conventionally rendered as would be necessary for
certain woven work, such as damask linen, or silk, but the
two sides of the design are precisely alike, and the details
all geometrically arranged so as to reduce the whole to a
48
FREEHAND DRAWING.
mathematical principle. In drawing the panel, make its
dimensions :5 inches wide by inches high, and divide it
into eight equal rectangles each 1 \ inches square, as shown in
Fig. W. Within these rectangles then draw a number of
pentagons, more or less irregular, according to the outlines
__a of the various leaves, and gen-
erally indicate the lines of the
main stem of the vine where
it crosses the dividing lines of
the squares. Notice that the
center of the main stem crosses
the center line of the panel ab
about one-fourth of a square
above the bottom, and it curves
so as to cross the horizontal
line cd a little less than one-
half a square each side of the
center line. The two stems
then cross each other on the
center line one-third of a square
above the horizontal line c d,
and they cross the horizontal
line e f about one-half a square
to the right and left of the cen-
ter line. These stems then cross
the line gh about one-third of a
square each side of the center line a b, and cross each
other on the line a b one-fourth of a square below the
horizontal line gJi.
These measurements are not absolute and should be
judged by the student entirely by the eye. A principle to
be observed is that the arrangement of the panel is based on
the same rules concerning foliated ornament that were given
in connection with the Drawing Plate, title, Linear Elements,
under Art. 9. The strongest growth should be at the bot-
tom, the arrangement of the leaves and area covered by
them should diminish toward the top, and though it is not
the nature of the ivy that its leaves should grow tangentially
6
PIG. 2f>.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 49
from the stem, the stems should be so arranged that they
appear to grow gracefully and rationally, one out of the
other, without abruptness or severity. The main stem,
however, should be stiff, rigid, and geometrical, as explained
in the instructions for drawing the ivy leaf on the previous
plate, as this stem is stiff and woody in its natural growth.
Within the pentagons that have been previously drawn to
indicate the locations of the leaves, carefully outline the five
lobes of the ivy leaf and connect them with a gracefully
curved stem with the main lines of the growth. Enclose
the whole design in a border line, as shown.
In using such a design as this for practical work, the
relative sizes of the stems and tendrils may be materially
altered. Certain materials and methods of handling will
permit a much more delicate treatment than is here shown,
while other conditions will demand that all the lines be
bolder and that some of the details at the top of the panel
be suppressed entirely. For instance, if the design were to
be embroidered, the colors to be used would determine
largely the strength of the line of the stem, dark colors
always looking heavier than light ones. The curve and
arrangement of the fine tendrils at the top would also be
altered, as the tracing of these lines would be governed by
the possibilities of the handling of the thread employed.
If the design were to be carved in wood, the tendrils at the
top would probably be omitted entirely, and heavier forms
replace the smaller leaves. The nature of woodwork would
not permit so delicate a treatment at the top, and as the
omission of the tendrils would leave a blank space that
would look unfinished, the leaves themselves should be
enlarged to satisfy the feeling that the proper area at the
top had been covered. In the smaller' stems, throughout
the body of the panel, the design would probably require
strengthening, that it might be better expressed in wood,
and their increase would require a general increase in the
thickness of the main stem throughout, in order that the pro-
portions of one to another might remain the same. After
the student has carefully outlined these details he should
50 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
strengthen up the general lines of his drawing, clean off his
guide lines, and then finish the figure in pencil.
Fig. 9 is a bracket and hanging sign, similar in every
respect concerning its general outline to the bracket and
sign drawn by the student on Drawing Plate, title, Sur-
faces and Solids. The student will draw the outline of this
bracket and sign precisely as before, but where the lines of
ironwork split and branch into separate scrolls, he will cover
the joint with a drawing of a conventionalized leaf, the
details of which he has just studied. The length, size, and
proportions of the different parts of the leaf he must judge
by his eye, observing tnat the outline of the leaf follows
closely the outline of the ironwork that it covers, and observ-
ing, also, as he draws it, that he is converting a plain strap-
iron bracket into an ornamental device, requiring in its
execution the greatest skill in the ironworkers' art. It is
also well for him to know that in the execution of a design
of this character for an ironwork bracket that might be
used either as a sign hanger, or as a design for a chandelier
or gas bracket, he has to exercise the same judgment in the
formation of the leaf as was necessary when he made his
drawing of the cartouch on his second freehand drawing
plate. The leaf itself must be cut out of plain sheet iron
by the ironworker, and hammered into the shape expressed
by the designer on his drawing. It is well, then, for the
student to study what the developed shape of this leaf would
be if it were flattened out. He will probably then find by
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 51
experiment that the leaf can be improved in design by
varying some of its dimensions. Referring to Fig. 27, we
see a piece of iron scroll projecting
from a hammered ornamental iron
leaf, while in Fig. 28 a developed
form of this leaf is shown in out-
line before it is hammered into this
shape. It is a simple matter, and a
very instructive practice, for the
student to experiment in drawing
and making these devices of paper
or thin metal, as was suggested
previously in the drawing of the
cartouch. Very thin brass or cop-
per is an excellent material to prac-
tice with. It may be readily cut to
any desired shape with ordinary
scissors, and bent and creased with
the fingers to bring it up to the
finished shape, and the student that
can both draw and model his designs
will be in better shape to execute
satisfactory compositions than the
one that is simply satisfied to express
his ideas on paper.
The student will finish drawing
the bracket as shown on the draw-
ing plate, and, after drawing the border and inserting in the
title at the top, will letter his name, date, and class letter
and number below the border line as heretofore. The fig-
ures on this plate will remain in pencil.
DRAWING PJLATE, TITLE: BRUSH WORK.
14. As expressed in the first part of this course, design
in its most elementary state consists of an arrangement of
lines, these lines forming the boundaries of several shapes
or definite forms; they may be straight or broken, heavy or
52 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
fine, firm or delicate. This variation of the quality of each
line, combined with the possibilities of variation in arrange-
ment, renders it possible, as already explained, to give a
great variety of expression to a design that consists of lines
only. Certain classes of work depend entirely on this line
arrangement for their value as artistic productions. In
dress goods, a great variety of plaids, though influenced by
the combination and comparison of their colors, are depend-
ent more largely for their beauty on the arrangement,
weight, firmness, and delicacy of the lines of color that con-
stitute their design. In leaded and stained glasswork the
necessity of uniting the multitude of pieces with strips of
H -shaped lead, compels the design to assume in its composi-
tion a number of irregular black lines that the skill of the
designer arranges to form a part of his composition and
therefore renders inconspicuous. The design of a window
may consist of delicate figures and foliage, or it may be
simply a heraldic or symbolic device, but the lines of the
lead work must each be considered as a part of the compo-
sition; otherwise they will interfere with the repose of the
whole and render it inartistic and unsatisfactory. In order
to produce lines expressive of beauty, the hands must be
well trained to execute the ideas of the mind, and the mind
well trained in matters of art and composition. It is for the
former of these requirements that the student has been
drilled on these simple exercises of freehand drawing, but
the latter can be acquired by him only through a persistent
study and analysis of the works of art through all ages.
In the drawing of lines with a pen or pencil there are
limits to the weight, strength, and firmness that can be
expressed, but with the brush there are no such limitations,
and by varying the size of the instrument, and the shade of
the ink, or other medium used, there is no extreme that may
not be reached in the matter of boldness, power, and nobility
of expression in any design, whether it is composed of indi-
vidual lines or of shaded surfaces. In drawing lines with a
brush there are many kinds of instruments that will produce
the required results, but the Japanese painting brush, shown
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 53
in Fig. 29, is undoubtedly the simplest, after the student has
become accustomed to its management and the peculiar
method of holding it.* The brush is not held as is an
ordinary water-color paint brush, but is managed after the
FIG. 29.
Japanese method, and held as shown in Fig. 30, in order that
there may be perfect freedom of movement to the hand and
power to produce even results in all directions. To draw
simple lines with the brush, the student should practice
according to the following directions until he has a9quired
such dexterity in its management that he feels confident of
properly executing the problems on the plate. If the student
finds he can do better with an ordi-
nary brush, there is no objection to
his using it.
In the general practice with brush
work the student should not use his
ink in full strength ; in fact, it is a
great deal better that his wash draw-
ings should be executed with a very
dilute ink producing a gray wash,
instead of a heavy black silhouette-
like effect. For this purpose, Staf-
ford's "Not Waterproof" or Hig- ^""' Fl(J ^
gins' "General Drawing" ink may
be diluted with four to eight times its bulk of water, and
used to produce a tint about the same as that shown on
the accompanying plates. A good way to do is to pour a
* If the Japanese brush is not used, the student may practice with
ordinary camel' s-hair brushes, such as are used in general water-color
work. These are held in much the same manner as a pencil, but the
hand is not as free as with the Japanese brush. We, therefore, advise
the student just beginning to study brush work, to use the style of
brush illustrated in Fig. 29. All new brushes should be soaked in
water one hour before they are used the first time, and washed clean
and wiped after using. After wiping the brush, it should be moistened
in the mouth and its hairs drawn to a point between the lips. It may
then be put away and allowed to dry.
.H FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
small quantity of ink (2 or 3 drops being usually sufficient)
in a small saucer and add thereto enough water to reduce it
to the desired color. This may be determined, after stirring
the brush in it thoroughly, by drawing a light wash of it
over a piece of paper and allowing it to dry. If the tint is
lighter than that on the drawing plate, or is very much
darker, then more ink or water must be added to change its
tint to the one required. A very little practice will enable
the student to judge the amount of dilution necessary.
Drawing ink thus diluted is usually called "color" a term
used in brush work, generally, to indicate that there is a
variation of tint rather than an even monotone.
It may also be pointed out that where a drawing is to be
executed in ink and afterwards washed in, in color, as in the
wash tint above described, that the outline of the figure
should be drawn in waterproof drawing ink, and the wash
work done with dilute general ink. The reasons for this
should be apparent. If the outline is drawn in general
drawing ink, which is not waterproof, the wet color will
cause it to spread and become ragged on the edges and con-
taminate the tint and destroy the even effect of the outline.
Whereas, if the outline is drawn in the waterproof ink, and
then waterproof ink is diluted to use for the wash work, the
ingredients added to the ink to make it waterproof are
antagonistic to its dilution, and the wash of this ink is likely
to settle in uneven spots and make an irregular and dirty-
looking drawing.
1 5. Whenever a considerable surface is to be washed over
with an even tint of color it is necessary that plenty of color
be first taken in the brush, and the upper left-hand corner,
or other convenient point of the subject, be lightly drawn in
with the point of the brush, and the color then spread evenly
and generously over the entire surface. The color can be
carried to any extent by recharging the brush from time to
time and adding it to the surface that is not yet dry, or to
the bottom of the previously applied color, which should
always be allowed to remain in a slight pool while the brush
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 55
is recharged. Should the color dry, or become nearly dry,
it will be impossible to apply a new tint over it of greater
extent, without showing a line where the first wash stopped.
In applying color in this manner, the student should incline
his board so that the color will flow downwards, and can be
led in even advances by means of the brush; and each time
the brush is recharged with color it should be stirred around
in the saucer so as to evenly distribute the pigment, or col-
oring matter, through the fluid.
The student can readily learn the value of placing one
tint over another by drawing in pencil a rectangle 8 inches
square, and dividing it by means of vertical and horizontal
lines into sixty-four equal squares of 1 inch each. If he will
then tint evenly with a very pale shade of color the upper
left-hand square of the main rectangle and allow it to dry
thoroughly, and then with the same tint of color wash over
the two upper left-hand squares within the rectangle, and
allow these to dry, and so on repeatedly until he has covered
the entire area of 8 in. X 8 in. , he will have in the tipper left-
hand corner of the main rectangle sixty-four applications of
one tint, and in the lower right-hand corner, one applica-
tion. The gradual and almost imperceptible grading of one
square into another, from the palest shade to the- darkest,
will give him a valuable insight into the use of color for
expressing light and shade. In trying this experiment,
however, he must be sure that each successive wash dries
thoroughly before the next one is applied. As this will
take some time, it is well that he should not attempt to
execute the whole sixty-four squares at one sitting, but
paint a few at a time from day to day until the entire
work is completed.
16. Pin a sheet of paper to the board as usual, and hold
the brush between the thumb and middle finger, as shown in
Fig. 30, steadying it with the forefinger. Dip the brush in
the ink and hold it perpendicularly over the paper; draw a
vertical straight line with a single movement or sweep of
the arm, keeping the hand free from the paper and an even
56
FREEHAND DRAWING.
pressure on the point of the brush; never permit the brush
to become inclined in any direction, and do not allow any
movement of the fingers to change the form or direction of
the line, all of which should be controlled entirely by the
movement of the arm. Do not draw the line as with a pen-
cil, according to instructions given on your first drawing
plate draw it slowly and continuously, and never allow the
movement to become jerky. Confine the entire attention to
the execution of a single line, and pay no heed to any waver-
ing, or apparent irregularity, as these are of no importance
whatever, and often add character to the work of a designer.
The main object sought should be the maintenance of a
uniform width of line, by the keeping of a uniform pressure
on the brush throughout
the entire length of the
stroke, thereby avoiding
such results as shown
at (a] in Fig. 31, which
are due to a gradual
increase or decrease of
pressure as the stroke
progresses. At (b] is
(c) (d) s ] lown a lme that j s O f
imequal thickness, due
to varying pressures throughout the stroke. A line such as
.shown at (c) is not objectionable, although it is not perfectly
straight; it is of uniform weight, and expresses a direct
connection between two points, and is, therefore, satisfac-
tory for brush-work design. A ruled line like (d), however,
has no artistic value whatever, and .should never be used in
any other than absolutely mechanical work. Draw these
lines repeatedly on separate pieces of paper until you are
proficient in making them vertical and horizontal, and par-
allel to one another.
Now repeat the first six figures execiited on Drawing
Plate, title, Linear Elements, carrying them out accord-
ing to the rules for brush drawing instead of the rules for
pen drawing. Make the lines about i inch in breadth and
FIG. 31.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 57
about (j inches long, and execute them in one even stroke.
After acquiring" proficiency in this work of rendering a single
even line, the student may attempt the expression of a con-
ventional form by a single stroke of the brush. In
doing this, the student charges his brush thoroughly
with color, laying the point lightly on the paper, and
drawing the brush toward him with an even straight
stroke, gradually increasing in pressure, until at the
center of the stroke he is utilizing the full width of
the brush; and then decreasing the pressure until
the end terminates in the point, thus producing a
leaf-like form such as is shown in Fig. 32. Repeat Fif ,
this practice, making the forms vertical, horizontal,
and inclined; then attempt the drawing of the form shown
in Fig. 33 (a). The only difference between this and the
previous figure is that its end is round instead
4^ |^ of pointed, and the point of greatest breadth
I / is nearer the upper end than the middle of
| I the stroke. The regulation of this is by brush
\ I pressure entirely, but in starting a stroke of
1 1 this kind it is necessary to draw with the
\l point of the brush a short curve, such as
n shown in Fig. 33 (), and while this curve
FIO. 33. is still wet, the end of the brush is pressed
down beneath it until the hairs spread suf-
ficiently to include it in the general stroke that follows.
This form may also be drawn in the same manner as
that shown in Fig. 32, the stroke being-
carried only half way and the lower edge
being finished with a small curve. This
will produce a form like Fig. 33, but
upside down. Having drawn these two
forms repeatedly until the student can
produce them so uniformlv that several
f , . . FIG. :w.
or them side by side appear to be almost
exactly alike, he may attempt to draw the same figures
curved instead of straight, following the single and com-
pound curves shown in Fig. 34.
x ^v
iff-
08 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
17. Having practiced this brush work sufficiently to
become thoroughly familiar with it, the student may now
attempt Fig. 1 of the drawing plate. This consists of the
elements of a border, Greek in its origin, but formed entirely
of single strokes of the brush ; in fact, a large proportion of
certain classes of Greek and Roman mural design is gov-
erned in its main characteristics by the limitations of form
that cau be derived from single brush strokes. Each section
of Fig. 1 consists of a single stroke drawn as above explained.
Preliminary to drawing Fig. 1, the student should draw the
border line of his plate in pencil, and then divide the plate
by a horizontal pencil line a b } \ inch above center of plate.
The upper half of the plate should then be divided so as to
include five figures, as follows: At distances f inch and
If inches from the left border line, and 1 inch and 2^ inches
below the top, lines are drawn parallel to the border lines,
within which the details of Fig. 1 are drawn, as shown. To
the right of the left border line, 3|- inches, a perpendicular
line is drawn to form the center line of Fig. 2. Between
the center lines of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 a space of 3f inches is
left, and between the center line of Fig. 3 and that of Fig. 4
another space of 4^ inches is left. In the space between the
center line of Fig. 4 and the border of the plate, Fig. 5 is
drawn, so that its right extremity extends to within \ inch
of the border line and its lower left extremity extends to a
point hereafter to be described. The part of the plate below
a b is again divided by a horizontal line c d, and vertical lines
through this lower half of the plate are drawn, dividing it
into ten equal rectangles, within which the figures are
drawn, as hereafter described.
The lines already drawn for Fig. 1 parallel to the border
line, may now be divided by light pencil lines into six
squares, the corner one being left blank, while in each of the
other five is one of the devices characteristic of the border.
In the center of each square draw a vertical brush stroke
similar to Fig. 32 of the practice strokes just explained, but
with its widest part near the top; and alternately on the right
and left of this stroke, commencing at a point half way up
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 59
the square and almost touching its sides, draw a curved
stroke similar to a of Fig. 34 of the practice strokes. Beneath
these, and half way between the second strokes and the bot-
tom of the square, draw a third brush stroke on each side
the center similar to b of the practice strokes, thus comple-
ting one section of the border. Repeat this operation in each
of the squares, as shown on the plate, being careful to keep
all the strokes of uniform thickness and color with those of
the preceding section.
To draw Fig. 2, the student has simply to combine a num-
ber of brush forms similar to Figs. 33 and 34 of the practice
strokes, except that they are considerably larger, the entire
height of Fig. 2 being 3 inches. This figure is also of Greek
origin, and is used in various positions of mural decoration
and border work, as will be seen in the execution of the next
drawing plate. The governing outline of the figure is ellip-
tical, and the student may lightly sketch an ellipse that is
3| inches wide and 6 inches long as the governing outline of the
strokes of this figure. The top and side of the ellipse should
be \ inch below and \ inch to the right of the border lines
just drawn. The outline of the ellipse above the line a b
should then be divided on each side of its major axis into
four parts similar to the division of the ellipse for the draw-
ing of the conventionalized leaf on the previous plate. The
points of division should locate the position of each brush
stroke intended to compose this figure. The student, if he
so desires, may draw lightly in pencil the outline of each one
of these strokes, in order that he may be more accurately
guided in laying the stroke with his brush; but the lines thus
drawn should be so light that they will not show after the
color is applied, but if they do show, do not try to erase them,
as it cannot be done without reducing the tint of the color
used in the brush work.
Fig. 3 is a device commonly known as the flcur-dc-lis,
which, though usually considered as typical of French design,
is also found in Italian and German work, of the 15th and
16th centuries. The origin of the form is, as its name
implies, the lily. The term flcur-dc-lis literally translated
CO FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
means "flower of the lily." It is extremely conventional-
ized, and resembles but slightly the type from which it is
derived, having been reduced to its present form by the lim-
itations imposed through brush-work rendering. To draw
this figure, the student should lay off at an angle of 45 each
side of its center line a distance equal to the height of Fig. 2.
He should use this measurement as the side of a square,
drawn lightly in pencil with his 45 triangle, as shown by
the construction lines. Within this square he may draw
lightly in outline the figure as shown, and then fill in the
outlined form with strokes of the brush. It will be practi-
cally impossible to make each of these strokes with a single
stroke of the brush ; but, by charging his brush with plenty
of color, and drawing first one side of the large stroke to
completion, and then the other side, before the color last
laid has a chance to dry, he can produce an even tint through-
out the figure, as explained in the preliminary instructions
on brush work.
18. After the figure is drawn, strengthen the lines with
a liard pencil, and then clean the plate around the figure
thoroughly with a soft rubber so that no cleaning up will be
necessary after the brush work is done. Mix up a consider-
able quantity of wash ink and water in a teacup or saucer
and do not be afraid of keeping it pale. Try on a separate
piece of paper until the proper tint is attained, and do not
determine on the tint until it is thoroughly dry. Keep it
lighter rather than darker than the original plate. Be sure
that the brush is full of color and lay it on liberally, keeping
the board tilted so that it will be inclined to run downwards,
but not so much tilted that it will run by itself unless pushed
with the brush. Keep a puddle of ink on the plate below the
brush at all times so that there will be no chance of its dry-
ing when you are dipping the brush in the vessel again, and
push this puddle ahead of the brush until the entire surface
is evenly covered. Cover each part as you go along, and
never under any circumstances go back over it. If it
appears wetter in one place than another, tilt the board so
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 61
that this extra moisture may be gradually drained down into
the advancing brush fluid.
A few trials in this way on a separate piece of paper will
surprise you with the simplicity of this operation. It requires
knack more than skill, and this knack will come to you sud-
denly after repeated practice. Do not work too slowly, nor
yet hurry. With this work there is plenty of time to do it
carefully, yet one must not work so slowly as to let any por-
tion dry until the entire figure is covered, as otherwise the
tint will be uneven. When the puddle of color below the
brush has reached the extreme end of the figure, the brush
may be dried on a piece of blotting paper and then applied
to the puddle to take up the superfluous ink, and dried
again on the blotter as often as is necessary to tone down
the last part.
19. With Fig. 4 we return once more to the conven-
tionalized acanthus leaf; this time, however, though ren-
dered on the same principle as Fig. 6 of the previous plate,
it is varied somewhat to accommodate the brush-work limi-
tations. Construct as before, in the drawing of Fig. G of the
previous plate, an ellipse, and divide it through the center
and sides in precisely the same manner as the ellipse was
divided for drawing the first outlines of the acanthus leaf.
On the center line of the ellipse, on the present drawing
plate, draw the single brush stroke a &, and on each side of
this stroke draw the additional brush strokes shown atcd,
e f, gh, etc. These strokes have for their center lines the
penciled lines drawn in the original subdivision of the ellipse,
and the space between them is divided as shown by the sin-
gle brush strokes each' complete in itself but not in any
way lapping over its neighbor. In drawing this figure, let
each stroke dry thoroughly before the one next to it is exe-
cuted. This may readily be done by drawing every alternate
stroke first, as shown on the left side of the figure, but on
the student's plate the figure must be completed on both
sides. A very slight lapping over of one stroke on the other
will then produce a dark line, due to the double tint, which
(tt FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
is not objectionable if not too prominent. On the other hand,
the effect of one stroke not quite meeting its neighbor will
produce a white line between the strokes, which is also
unobjectionable if not excessive. The main object to be
sought in putting in the minor strokes is to divide them up
in groups with the main stroke, so that, in each case where
the main stroke reaches to the oiitside border line, a minor
stroke will be on each side of it to fill up the space between
it and its neighbor, but not extending so near the outline.
The principle expressed in this figure is the same as that of
the form illustrated in Fig. 28, in connection with which was
explained the necessary development of leaf forms when
they are to be executed in wrought- metal work. The prin-
ciple of this conventionalized acanthus foliage is identical in
each case, and, though many variations in its outline may
be practiced, the governing lines will determine the direc-
tion and degree of radiation in the several lobes, whether the
indentations on the edge of the leaf are based on a regular
growth, as in this case, or on an irregular or serrated leaf, as
in Fig. 6 of the previous plate. After the student has drawn
and brushed in the work on this figure, he may erase the
elliptical outline, but should bear in mind that both sides of
the leaf are to be finished in the same manner as the right
side on the drawing plate, the left side being here left skele-
ton in form on the specimen plate in order that the strokes
may be correctly delineated.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the conventionalized acanthus leaf,
rendered in brush work similar to the side view of the pre-
vious plate. The student will draw this view, starting with
the stroke from a to b, showing the full breadth of the stroke
at the commencement and tapering it off until the last two-
thirds of it is but a mere line. The next stroke, starting at
c. is similar to the first one, though not so sharply curved,
and dies away into the first about half way down. The third
stroke d, however, is carried all the way to the bottom. The
other strokes are laid in succession, one after the other, as
indicated, each one being allowed to dry before the follow-
If the student should so desire, he may outline
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 63
the general grouping of the strokes with his pencil. In size
and general proportion, this leaf is similar to the conven-
tionalized form previously drawn, though it does not neces-
sarily follow that it is a side view of the same leaf, the object
of this work being simply to familiarize the student with
his brush and his medium, or color, in order that he may
give proper expression to his ideas by the simplest methods.
In the following nine figures on the plate, the student uses
his brush to express natural forms, some of which he has
become familiar with in his designs in pencil, though the
essential difference between pencil drawing and brush draw-
ing lies in the fact that one deals with lines and the other
with surfaces.
In Fig. 6 are shown three simple flower forms, two of
which are the phlox and the third the carnation. These
were drawn by the student in pencil on his fourth drawing
plate, and the characteristic differences in their various parts
were there explained. In drawing them now, the student
has but to observe that each part of the flower consists of
one stroke of the brush. He may, if he chooses, draw a light
pencil ellipse to limit the outline that will enclose the ends
of the petals of each flower, and point off approximately five
equal divisions of the circumference toward which these
petals will extend. When he starts his flower form with the
brush, he will lay one petal at a time, each petal consisting
of but a single stroke- in its general form, but it may be
shaped or its edges serrated by extra touches before the orig-
inal stroke dries. He will then draw the little cup at the
bottom of the tubular portion of the flower, showing its
characteristic points or prongs that extend upwards and
grasp the tube, and then, when both the petals and the cup
are dry, he will.draw the connecting tube from the center of
the flower to the heart of the cup, and afterwards the stem
of the flower. He must be careful to give expression to
the edges of the leaves or petals of the two styles of flower,
as explained in connection with their original drawing in
Drawing Plate, title, Flowers and Conventionalized Leaves.
Though it is not necessary that *he student should have
154 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
before him the natural flower from which to draw these
forms, it is assumed that by this time he is familiar with the
characteristics of at least a few of the principal plants, and
can, without copying, give expression to their form on paper.
Fig. 6, like all the following figures of this plate, with the
exception of Fig. 10, is drawn approximately in the center
of the square laid out in the original subdivision of the plate.
Fig. 7 is drawn in the square immediately below Fig. 6,
and consists of a loose bunch of cattails or flag weed so
familiar along the edges of swamps and marshes. This form
is much used in many classes of design. Though the stu-
dent has not drawn anything like it before, its delineation is
so simple that it requires little or no botanical explanation.
The stem containing the cattail stroke is nearly straight.
The leaves themselves sprout stiffly from the root and curve
gracefully away from each side. The stiffness of the leaves
causes them to be easily broken, and it is rarely a bunch of
cattails is seen that some of its long slender lance-like leaves
are not broken off sharply at an angle. This sharp broken
leaf therefore becomes as characteristic of the cattail weed
as though it were actually a detail of its growth.
In Fig. 8 are shown two views of the common butterfly.
There is no attempt made to show the gradation of the color
or shading of the wings, the idea being simply to express the
outline in brush form. At a the insect is shown with its
wings spread as though flying, while at b it is shown as it
would appear after alighting, with the wings folded up
over the back. To draw this figure, the student should con-
struct in the upper left-hand corner of his third square a
trapezoid, the two parallel sides of which top and bottom
shall be 2 and 1 \ inches long, respectively, and spaced
If inches apart. The body of the insect may then be out-
lined lightly in pencil, \vith its head f inch from the top line
and its body | inch in length. The body may then be drawn
with a brush and allowed to dry, and when thoroughly dry
the student may draw the wings as shown, rounding them in
tlie corners of the trapezoid and washing from one pair of
wings across the body to the other, thereby producing a
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 65
double tint for the body of the insect, while but one tint is
expressed in the wings. This is the first application of
brush work wherein the student has been called on to express
more than one tone or shade in his wash drawings. By
mixing the ink rather pale and making repeated washes over
a given spot, allowing each to dry before the following one
is laid, a gradation of color can be made from a very faint
tint, scarcely distinguishable from white, to absolute black.
In some classes of work, finer effects are obtained by repeated
washes than by laying the body tint in full strength of color
in the beginning.
At (b) in Fig. 8 the insect is shown at rest. The wings
are folded straight over the back, the front wing and the
back wing being brought more closely together than when
flying; and, as the wings in this position show their under
sides, it is the back wing that is seen lapping over the front
wing, instead of vice versa as at (a}. The outline of the
individual wings is precisely the same in either case, though
there is a slight difference in the body, the legs here seen
grasping the twig on which the insect is resting and the full
outline of the side of the body more clearly shown. It might
be well to suggest that Fig. 8 (b) may be drawn within a tri-
angle constructed by drawing a line diagonally through the
trapezoid required for the first figure. The base of the tri-
angle will then become one of the sides of the trapezoid, and
the distance necessary to close the wings in lighting is shown
by the amount it projects over the lower line of the above
constructed triangle. The body itself of the insect should
then be drawn independently, as its outline is quite different
from (a).
In Fig. 9 at (a) is shown an insect composed entirely of
single brush strokes, very familiar in Japanese design, that,
though it does not bear any strong resemblance to any spe-
cial living form, it combines so many characteristics of a
number that for want of a better name it is termed "a con-
ventionalized mosquito." The principle of its construction is
based on the circle. The student may draw in the xipper
left-hand corner of the proper square of the drawing plate a
fiG
FREEHAND DRAWING.
5COC
Sss^ ^s^ ^a^ ^$&
t t t t
^ ^
'i 7
Fir,.
circle 1 inches in diameter, and divide its circumference
into three equal parts. From the center of the circle to the
bottom division point, a single brush stroke is made, being
broad at the top and terminating at a point at the bottom.
This characterizes the body
of the insect. From each
of the upper divisions of
the circle, a similar stroke
is drawn toward the cen-
ter, forming the two upper
wings; and below these,
two similar and parallel
strokes are drawn, form-
ing the lower wings. The
head and legs are then
indicated in the most con-
ventional manner, simply
by two dots for the protruding eyes and four fine filaments for
the visible legs. The combination of this design in geometric
ornament used for wall decoration is illustrated in Fig. 35.
In Fig. 9 (b] is shown a familiar insect seen around swamps
and marshes, usually termed the devil's darning needle, or
sometimes called a dragon fly. The body of this insect is
first drawn lightly in pencil so that it measures If inches in
length, and about \ inch in thickness at its thickest part.
The outlines of the wings may then be sketched so that they
measure 2^ inches across. The wings are arranged so that
the foremost edges of the front wings and the tip of the head
of the insect are on the same line. The whole surface of the
fly is then washed in with a very dilute solution of India
ink ; and after this wash is dry, the solution of ink may be
strengthened, and the darker portions of the wings and the
body of the insect painted a second time. When this is dry,
the lower right-hand portions of the articulations of the body
may then bo shaded, as shown.
This insect is introduced here to illustrate clearly the dif-
ference between conventional and realistic rendering. At
(tf) is shown a strictly conventional insect; at (b] is shown
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 67
an insect of the same class arranged naturalis'dcally, or as it
is usually seen in nature.
Fig. 10 is a rather elaborate combination of brush line and
wash work familiar in various designs for crests, monograms,
and heraldic devices. The governing outline of the figure
is a simple shield, 2\ inches wide at the top and 2 inches
high at the center. Within this, by single brush strokes, a
conventionalized silhouette of a bird is expressed, and around
the outside a wavy band to receive the inscription, when such
is applied. The student may, if he so desires, outline portions
of this suggestively with the pencil, though a careful study of
the form will show so conclusively the direction and termina-
tion of each stroke that outlining seems hardly necessary.
The finer forms may be drawn with a pen, or, by careful
handling, the entire figure can be executed with the brush.
Fig. 11 is a heraldic silhouette of a lion. The form is
purely conventional, but by careful handling can be arranged
to be expressive of life and action. The student should
first draw a line 3 inches high and extending ^ inch below
the lower line of the enclosing rectangle. From the center
of this, draw a horizontal line to the right If inches in length,
and from the extremities of the vertical line draw lines to
the point last located, thus forming an isosceles triangle
standing on one corner, as indicated by the construction lines.
One foot of the animal then rests in the lower corner of this
triangle, while another foot rests about midway between
this and the apex. Of the forefeet, the right one crosses
the line midway between the apex and the base of the tri-
angle, while the left one crosses one-quarter of the distance
between the first and the apex above. The ear is in the
uppermost corner of the triangle, and the entire face extends
outside, so that the side of the triangle passes even with the
edge of the lower jaw. The hollow of the back is 1 inches
below the top of the ear and ^ inch to the right of the vertical
line. By way of checking the measurements, it might be
noted that the back of the lion is y\ inch from the vertical
line, measured on the horizontal line marking the altitude of
the triangle, and on this same horizontal line is f inch in
68 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
thickness. Having outlined the figure carefully in pencil, the
student will wash it in with one even tint, allowing the same
to dry, and then going over the darkened parts as shown to
give expression to the details. If a second wash is not
sufficient to accomplish this, he may give a third or even a
fourth one; but, as soon as the detail is denned and the
drawing expresses what is required, do not apply any further
wash work, but consider the figure complete.
Fig. 12 is another heraldic device based on a style of
design usually termed grotesque. In this work the attri-
butes or elements of several different classes of animals are
often combined. This example illustrates a figure that
might be properly called a dragon, and though there are
many different kinds and conceptions of this mythical form,
they all usually possess the body of some reptile, the feet and
claws of a feline animal, the wings of a bird or occasionally
of a bat, and the head of a carnivorous bird or beast.
To draw Fig. 12, construct, 4 inches from the right border
line, a square 2 inches each way, whose base is 1^ inches
above the lower border line; f inch from the right and left
sides of this square, and within it, draw two vertical lines,
thus converting the square into three rectangles each f inch
wide by 2 inches high. Now draw a horizontal line through
all three rectangles and \\ inches below the top. These
lines are shown on the drawing plate, and by comparison
and eye measurement the student may outline in pencil the
general proportions of the grotesque figure.
The head is located on the right vertical line of those
drawn within the square, and the neck curves to the left and
just crosses the next line to the left of this. In crossing
into the lower right-hand rectangle, the line of the back of
the neck practically passes through the intersection of the
vertical and horizontal lines, just below which point the out-
side of the body comes within \ inch of the' right side of the
square. The foot then extends outside of the square \ inch,
and \ inch above the horizontal line. The upper portion of
the wing is an evenly curved line, extending into the upper
left rectangle as shown, but is ragged on its lower edge.
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 69
The tail extends outside of the square, turns over, and ends
with a scroll termination 2 inches to the left of the square.
After the figure has been outlined, the student may wash it
in and shade the individual parts as in the previous figure,
indicating a roughness on the under side of the wing in the
same manner as he indicated the feathers in Fig. 10, and
drawing scales by means of triangular brush marks on the
lower part of the body. When the figure is complete and
dry, the drawing medium should be thinned down some-
what, and the brush strokes that form the background
should be drawn in without too much color in the brush,
and care taken that their curves follow and radiate from the
general curvature of the body. When all is dry, carefully
erase the guide lines.
Figs. 13 and 14 are additional devices frequently seen in
heraldry, and are drawn in precisely the same manner, so far
as the brush work is concerned, as the two previous ones.
Fig. 13 represents a dolphin, engraved upon a shield. This
device is used in various forms as a part of a coat of arms of
many foreign families, particularly the ancient royal families
of France. The shield on which it is drawn is 2 inches
wide at the top and 2|- inches deep to the bottom. The
distance from the outline of the dolphin to the nearest point
in the outline of the shield at the top and sides is inch,
while the extreme height of the fish from top to bottom is
2 inches. The student may outline this figure carefully in
pencil, and with a harder pencil strengthen up the lines
after it has been drawn to his satisfaction ; and then, after
cleaning up the drawing, he may wash in the background
to form an evert tint as shown, with the dolphin device
silhouetted against it in white.
The size of the shield in Fig. 14- is the same as that in
Fig. 13. The figure here is a combination of the lion's
body with the eagle's head, claws, and wings, and is usually
known as a griffin. Another device in heraldry known as
the panther is almost precisely the same as the griffin, but
without the wings. A vertical line through the center of
the shield will pass through the left foot and the center
?0 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
of the top of the head of this figure, while a line through
the upper right-hand corner of the shield drawn to the left
at an angle of 45 will give the direction of the upper slant
of the wing, and pass through the knee and above, and
parallel to, the lower extended fore leg and claw. A similar
line drawn through the upper left-hand corner toward the
right, at an angle of 45, will mark the direction of the
upper fore leg and claw, and also the direction of the slant
of the upper portion of the left hind leg. These points
located, the student should have no difficulty in outlining the
general figure in pencil, after which he may erase the guide
lines and carefully wash it in with his brush, making it in sil-
houette on a white shield the reverse of the one above. The
shield may be outlined with a pen, using ink in full strength.
There are many variations of all these animals and imag-
inary figures that combine the distinguishing characteristics
of beasts, birds, and fishes; they all enter largely into the
devices used in heraldry, though their more frequent mission
in nineteenth-century design has been to suggest subjects for
ornament in stone, plaster, and iron, and even to suggest
devices for the ornamentation of burnt-leather work and
ornamental advertising. Their original purpose in her-
aldry they have outlived so far as origin of design is con-
cerned, each particular heraldic device or coat of arms
requiring a particular form of beast or imaginary figure
that is unalterable without varying the characteristics of
its own coat of arms.
After finishing this plate as above described, the student
will carefully erase the construction lines, draw in the border
line in ink as before, carefully print the title at the top of
the plate, and then insert his name, date, and class letter
and number in their usual locations below.
DRAWIXG PLATE, TITLE: APPLIED DESIGN.
2O. It is the purpose of this plate to give the student a
few examples from actual designs, both classic and modern,
wherein the principles taught on the previous plates are
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 71
distinctly applied ; and in studying this work it will be to his
advantage, not only to study the application of the different
points of design, as they are set forth in the instructions for
this drawing, but to study similar applications in other
designs, whether he finds them in printed books, in woven
cloths or carpets, or on painted vases or chinaware.
In Fig. 1, we have a border showing the application of a
vine, and although on this plate it is executed as a silhouette
design, its application for inlaid woodwork, for embroidery
work, or the theme of its design for the border of any printed
program or advertising work, is very apparent. This style
of ornament is easily executed, and for certain classes of
printed work is particularly desirable, because, owing to the
absence of any fine lines, it is subject to extensive duplica-
tion in the printing process without injury to the original
plate. The design may also be executed with the white
figure on a dark ground, and it is always left to the design-
er's judgment which style of treatment would be the more
satisfactory. All the figures on this plate are in black and
white, and the student in blacking them in will use his brush
well charged with the waterproof drawing ink, using it full
strength, and without diluting or attempting to spread it
thinly, as on the previous plate.
To draw Fig. 1, the student will draw parallel with the left
border line, and 1 inches from it, a vertical line from the
top to the bottom of his plate ; parallel to the top and bot-
tom border lines he will draw horizontal lines about 6 inches
in length and 1^- inches from them.
Omitting for the present the square formed in the corners
by the intersection of these lines, the student will draw
horizontal lines through the vertical panel formed on the
left of his plate, so as to divide that panel into four equal
parts, these lines being indicated by the dotted lines on the
drawing plate. The winding of the stem of the morning-
glory vine can then be readily traced, and if the subdivisions
so marked are repeated horizontally on the top and bottom
of the plate, the design may be repeated within their limits,
and the curved line through the corner square will connect
72 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
the ends of the stems where, with the corner leaves drawn
in as shown, the border repeats itself continuously.
No directions are necessary here for the drawing- of the
convolvulus or its leaf; the outline and characteristics of
each of these the student is supposed to have learned in
executing his third and fourth drawing plates. His atten-
tion is only called to the fact that, in outlining these leaves
and flowers, the lines are arranged somewhat stiffly, and,
instead of curves, angular bends are expressed in the leaves,
in order to make the design appear somewhat more conven-
tional. Where a flower laps over on the leaf or crosses the
stem, or where one stem crosses another, it is customary
under these circumstances of conventionalism to indicate it
by breaking the stem, leaf, or flower on each side of the
continuous detail, leaving a fine white line across the stem
or flower to indicate which laps over the other. The veins
of the leaves and the suggestion of the heart of the flower
are also here expressed in white. This white work, how-
ever, is not left clear when the design is drawn, nor scratched
out afterwards, but after the design has been blacked in
solidly from end to end, an ordinary writing pen charged
with white water-color paint (usually Chinese or zinc white)
is used to mark the veining and the crossings and lapping
over of the details. Chinese white may be obtained either
in cake form, like ordinary water colors, or in a pasty form
in bottles. In the former case, it is prepared for use by
grinding in a saucer or on an ink slab in the same manner as
stick ink, as described in Geometrical Drawing. In the
latter case, it is simply diluted with enough water to bring
it to the proper consistency for use; occasionally a drop of
dilute ox gall is added to the solution to make the white
paint flow easily.
The term "repeat" in any form of design is used to
express the quality of the design for continuity by extending
itself with a given variety over a given surface, and then
fitting on to a repetition of itself again so as to form a cor-
rect geometrical continuation of the pattern. In carpet and
wall paper the quality of repeating is generally termed
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 73
matching, and is illustrated when the edges of two pieces
are brought together so that the design continues unbroken
from one of them to another, and the designer of this char-
acter of goods is required to give this fact his constant
consideration whenever he is laying out any pattern.
In Fig. 2 is shown a panel, the design of which is based
on the growth of the lily. The size of the panel is 2f inches
wide by 7| inches high, and it is located so as to be sur-
rounded by the morning-glory border previously drawn, as
shown on the plate. In drawing this figure a center line
should be drawn vertically through the panel, and on this
center line the height of the panel should be divided into
fifteen equal parts, through each of which a horizontal line,
is drawn, as shown. The dividing of the space on each side
of the center line into three equal parts through which other
vertical lines are drawn will reduce the surface of the panel
to a series of rectangles, by means of which each detail of
the design may be accurately located. After the student has
outlined all of his work on this panel carefully, he will find
it an advantage to ink it in with waterproof drawing ink;
then, when he is washing in his black background, he will
find the brush less inclined to run over the ink lines and
destroy the evenness of his contours than if he had nothing
but pencil lines to guide him. After the entire background
is washed in and dry, the veining and suggestive shading of
the leaves and blossoms may be put in with a fine brush
or pen. The stamens may be put in with Chinese white.
By comparing this conventionalized design with the draw-
ing of the lily on the third freehand plate, the student will
observe a variation. In the first place, the leaves are rather
broader than on the previous plate, as this class of lily has
broader leaves; but their characteristic form is maintained
the same, and the blossom, though seen in two different
positions, expresses the characteristics of the lily develop-
ment so clearly that, there is little or no danger of mistak-
ing the design. This design is rather too conventional for
embroidery work, but for wood inlay or damask weaving it
is easily adaptable.
;4 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
In Fig. 3 is shown a design that is applicable either to
china decoration, embroidery, or linen damask work. The
governing form of the design is a circle with its center
44- inches below the upper border line of the plate, and exactly
midway between the two side border lines. The student
may draw a circle 5 inches in diameter, and divide it into
eight equal parts, to each of which he will draw from the
center eight radial lines. Then, with a radius of 2f inches,
he will strike from the same center a circle that will form
the outside of his ornamental design, while a circle drawn
from the same center, with a radius of 1^ inches, will limit
the inside of the design. On each of the radial lines thus
drawn the student will first draw the foliated brush forms
a b, c , etc. according to the methods practiced on the
previous drawing plate, except that the ellipse governing
the outside limits of these forms has its longitudinal axis at
right angles to the perpendicular axis of the figures a b and
c d, as the enlarged detail, Fig. 3G, will show. Having care-
fully sketched the ellipses as shown in Fig. 3G, the student
may draw the brush marks that indicate the leaves on this
figure, being careful to extend the central brush mark nearly
to the outside line. He will then divide the distance from
a to b into nine equal parts, and through each of these points
of division draw a circle with its center at o. The arc from
a to c will then be divided into nine equal parts, through
2 FREEHAND DRAWING. 75
each of which radial lines should be drawn toward the
center o. This will divide the surface abed into eighty-
one similar geometrical figures, by means of which the
details of the ornament can be radially located. When all is
carefully drawn in, in pencil, throughout the entire circum-
ference of the plaque, the student may brush in the design
in black ink, as shown, and complete the figure. The outer
circle should be inked in with the compass, the other con-
struction lines being erased.
Fig. 4 is an ornament taken from the ceiling of the Par-
thenon a Grecian temple at Athens considered to be one of
the finest examples of Grecian art the world has ever seen.
The original of this ornament was executed in gold on a red
ground a condition of coloring impossible to express here, but
as a practical example of brush work, nothing could be more
serviceable. To draw it, locate the line abc If inches from
the border line, and between this line and the border line
draw a line \ inch above and to the right of a be. This line
and the border line will then together establish the limits of
the border outline. Commencing at the corner b, lay off to
the left and below, a distance of inch. Draw a vertical
line in the upper part and a horizontal line in the side part
of the border, and from the lines just drawn space off two
additional lines 1^ inches apart in each direction, to form the
centers of the palmettes that are the distinguishing features
of the border. With the center lines of these palmettes as
the upper part of the longitudinal axis, draw ellipses whose
transverse axes are \ inch below the top of the palmette, and
1| inches in length, and within these ellipses so drawn con-
struct the brush forms of the border according to directions
given in connection with the previous plate. Having done
this, draw f inch inside of, and parallel to, abc, the inner
line of the border, and \ inch within this and parallel to it,
draw two lines that shall form the upper and right side of a
square that will be 3f inches on each side. Divide this
square vertically and horizontally, by means of perpendicular
and horizontal lines, into three equal parts, trms converting it
into nine smaller squares within each of which distinguishing
7G
FREEHAND DRAWING.
2
characteristics of the panel ornament are drawn. In each
of the four squares in the center of each side of the main
square, circles may be drawn with the compasses 11 inches
in diameter, or as near thereto as will make them tan-
FIG. 3,7.
gent to the lines of the squares. The palmette figures in
the corner squares may then be drawn similar to those in
the border, the other details being too apparent to require
description.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
77
In drawing the ornament of Fig. 4, which is commonly
known as the Greek honeysuckle ornament, it is more than
evident that its conventionalized condition is due as much
to the limitations of brush stroke rendering as to an accurate
portrayal of the details of the flower or plant. The little
scrolls and connecting lines are suggestive of the tendrils of
the honeysuckle, while the single brush strokes with their
rounded ends tapering off to the finishing are strongly sug-
gestive of the unbroken bud as seen in the honeysuckle
blossom. Fig. 37 shows a spray of the honeysuckle vine
and its blossoms in its natural growth. In the upper part
of this figure there is a cluster of the unbroken buds, and
their resemblance in outline to the plain brush stroke of
Fig. 4 of the drawing plate is
readily apparent. Fig. 38 shows
a conventional rendering of the
honeysuckle, the blownbudsbeing
arranged geometrically around the
bottom, and the unbroken ones
above, each over the blown flower
beneath. There is no attempt in
the Greek ornament to imitate
directly any portion of the honey-
suckle vine or flower; the details
of the flower are readily made use
of to form a new and original ornament resembling directly
nothing, but at the same time dependent entirely on a natu-
ral form of growth. Having completed this figure, the con-
struction lines may be erased, leaving only the line a be and
the one next within it, to be inked in with the ruling pen.
In Fig. 39 is shown the acanthus leaf, according to the
Roman conventional design, as it appears in carved stone or
marble; each lobe of the leaf is carefully rounded on the
end, and the under surface is hollow; then, where the leaf
turns over at the top, and the back is shown, each lobe
appears with its convex side forward. Where the main divi-
sions of the leaf curl and lap over each other, deep hollow
grooves are cut that show in the reproduction as heavy black
FIG. 38.
78
FREEHAND DRAWING.
lines. Observe that deep undercut portions of the leaf cause
a black shadow and impress the mind generally as with total
absence of detail. Now, when it became necessary to repro-
duce this carved form of acan-
thus by simple brush strokes,
the Roman artist made a stroke
for each lobe of the leaf and
left a blank space to represent
each spot where there was
absence of detail owing to
deep shadow rendering his
brush-work acanthus leaf as it
appears in Fig. 5 of the draw-
ing plate.
In drawing this figure, the
student should observe Fig. 40,
and compare each stroke carefully with the carved ornament
illustrated in Fig. 39. Before commencing the figure itself,
he should, on the plate, construct a semiellipse as its outline,
whose minor axis shall be 3f inches, and half of w r hose major
axis shall be 5 inches, and on a
line directly under the center
of Fig. 3. This semiellipse is
shown dotted around the figure
on the drawing plate. The cen-
tral rib of the leaf, w r hich is
% inch wide at a, should then
bj sketched in pencil, tapering
off so that it would reach to a
point at the top of the ellipse $,
if it were continued that far.
The curved line at the top of
the leaf dec is then drawn, and
may be the arc of a circle
whose radius is 2'- inches and whose center is \\ inches
above b. Then draw the first brush stroke under c,
, inches in length. This will also regulate the length "of
the middle rib a. The points/and - should then be located
FlG. 40.
FREEHAND DRAWING.
79
3 and If inches above the bottom of the leaf, respectively.
The lobes may then be sketched in with a pencil, as shown
in Fig. 40 at a, only roughly, however, and the conventional-
ized form finished with single brush strokes as shown at b,
each one representing a lobe existing in the carved leaf, as
shown in Fig. 39.
Fig. 6 of the drawing plate shows a square pattern for a
repeating design suitable for wall paper, silk, or other fabric,
and involving the characteristics of the rose, studied in con-
nection with the Drawing Plate, title, Flowers and Conven-
tionalized Leaves. In all designs for repeating patterns,
the designer usually uses a paper that has been ruled by
machinery into a number of squares, varying in size from
T V to inch. By means of these squares he is able to locate
certain details at the top and bottom of his paper, so that
the design will repeat as previously explained. It is not
necessary that the student should use such paper in drawing
80
FREEHAND DRAWING.
this figure, but it is absolutely necessary that he should draw
it separately and completely on another sheet before he
executes it on his drawing plate. In doing this, it will be
necessary for him to understand a practical method of get-
ting the repeat, and though this does not form a part of this
branch of drawing, it will be here explained for this problem
only, in order that he may better grasp the subject.
On a separate piece of paper, the student will lay out a
d f
FIG. 42.
rectangle 5 in. x G| in. ; in this he will draw a spray of rose
leaves and a blossom, with the outline of the running vine
about as shown in Fig. 41. It makes no difference for this
purpose how well these leaves are drawn, or how roughly
they may be sketched, as long as their general location and
proportion to the paper is about as shown. The student
will then cut the paper in two with a pair of scissors on the
line a b, and arrange the two parts so that the edges c d and
r/are next to each other. He will then again pin the paper
FREEHAND DRAWING.
81
to his drawing board, and it will appear as in Fig. 42. It
will be well for him now to draw two more sprays of roses,
or partial sprays, to fill up the blank space in the center of
the sheet, somewhat as shown in Fig. 43, and having done
so he will cut Fig. 43 through on the line gh and arrange
the pieces, with the lines a a' and bb' together in the middle,
as shown in Fig. 44. This will give him an idea of the
amount of surface he has covered with his design ; it will
show him where more detail is required in order to evenly
fill the space, and that detail he can sketch in, but wherever
it crosses either one of the center lines in Fig. 44, it will be
necessary to rearrange the pieces in order to get its relative
position in the other arrangements. Having accomplished
all this and sketched the extra details in, as shown in Fig. 45,
he can rearrange the four pieces to their original positions
in Fig. 41, and make a tracing of the drawing, which will
now be a completed pattern as shown in Fig. 46. Several
82 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
tracings of this figure on the same sheet side by side, one
above the other, will make a repeating pattern that can be
spread out, above or below, to the right or left, unlimitedly,
as one side of the drawing fits exactly on the other, and all
details will be continuous. This is but one of several
methods of accomplishing this same purpose, and the same
spray of roses with which we started in Fig. 41 would pro-
duce different results by varying the methods.
FIG. 44.
For instance, if instead of drawing our design in a rect-
angle, we should draw it in a parallelogram whose length,
was equal to 1^ times the breadth, or if we draw it within a
triangle of any dimensions, or within a rhomboid, or within
any other figure that is capable of unlimited repetition, we
would find the results obtained to be as different as were the
figures themselves, the running pattern taking different
Now, after the student has, on his separate
i- signed Fig. of the drawing plate as shown, traced
FREEHAND DRAWING.
83
it and tested it to be satisfied that there is no error in the
repeat of his pattern, he may redraw the result of his tracing
on his drawing plate, being careful that the parts are accu-
rately reproduced. He may outline the figures with water-
proof ink and black in the background with his brush to
produce the silhouette effect shown in the figure (the thorns
may then be indicated with Chinese white) ; after which he
will place the title at the top of the plate, and his name,
FIG. 45.
date, and class letter and number at the bottom, below Figs. 1
and G, but he may omit any border line entirely.
This completes this course of instruction in freehand draw-
ing. The principles of freehand drawing set forth in this
work simply require practice to make an expert draftsman.
No person can acquire any accomplishment without diligent
and persistent work, and the difference between a medium
and a good designer is seldom more than a question of
practice. After having finished this work, even though the
84 FREEHAND DRAWING. 2
student's drawing plates have been correct and marked
satisfactorily, it will be an advantage to him to deliberately
go over the entire course again for his own satisfaction, to
practice more on details that proved difficult for him in the
beginning, and to make sketches of objects of various kinds
whenever the opportunity presents itself, and particularly
of those objects that are illustrated in the last six drawing
FIG. 46.
plates. If he starts at the beginning, or near the beginning,
and goes through his instruction again, he will be surprised
and encouraged at the facility he has acquired during his
course of study, and it is wise for him to thus encourage
himself in order that he may have the patience to continue
practicing, and thus always be making progress. The student
is now supposed to know how to draw and he is ready to
take the first step in the study of design.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 1.)
INTRODUCTION.
1. Meaning of "Ornament." The term ornament in
its more limited sense is applied to such elements of decora-
tion as are adapted or derived from natural forms. These
differ from what we consider the geometrical elements, inas-
much as they are organic, and suggestive of life and growth.
They depend for their expression on the general arrange-
ment of their branches, leaves, and blossoms, while the
geometrical elements owe their expression entirely to their
geometrical form and arrangement relative to one another.
When simply drawn on paper and in no way applied to any
object, or used for any purpose other than the expression of
itself, one of these elements of decoration may be considered
simply as an ornament. It does not become an element
of decoration until it is applied to something, and in the
abstract, the term ornament should not be confused with the
term decoration, which is distinctly applied ornament.
2. Meaning of " Decoration." The term decoration
signifies the application, or the result of the application, of
ornament to objects or surfaces. It does not mean the
simple "sticking on " of an ornament to a surface, but con-
veys the idea of the adaptation of an ornamental form to
suit the requirements of its position and the purpose of the
object to which it is applied.
8 3
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
The elements of decoration consist of geometrical lines,
natural foliage, artificial objects, animals, and the human
figure. All these may be cc .isidered as ingredients or com-
ponents that may be mixed and applied in various propor-
tions according to certain standard and acknowledged rules
termed principles. The rule by which any one mixture is
accomplished determines the style or class of the design.
\\. Principles of Decoration. The principles of
decoration, considered separately and distinctly from the
elements that are used to make up the design, are dependent
on, and in harmony with, the rules of architectural propor-
tion. This may be illustrated by considering the subdivision
of a wall surface into three horizontal bands the dado, the
ivall, and the frieze in the proportion of the pedestal,
column, and entablature of an architectural order. True,
there are styles of design where these proportions are at
variance with any architectural order; but, with few excep-
tions, these will be found to exist in styles or periods of
historic art wherein the orders of classic architecture were
unknown or misunderstood, as will be considered hereafter.
This general division of a wall surface, however, may exist
by the simple placing of horizontal lines to mark the
heights, this subdivision being purely geometrical. The
decoration may be extended by applying to the subdivisions
such natural foliage as leaves and running vines; artificial
objects, such as the hieroglyphics of the Egyptians; or
animals, and the human figure, as seen in the Gothic and
Renaissance work; or a combination of these forms. In
each case, however, the main subdivisions are in accordance
with general rules; and the surface covering, though gov-
erned by less restrictive rules, is, at the same time, sub-
servient to a definite proportion of ornamented to plain
surface, different under different circumstances.
1. "FJcmeiits f Decoration. Whatever the theme of
.oration whether it be the expression of the invention of
a new idea, or only the arbitrary adoption of some familiar
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
form two elementary conditions will always be found to
exist: first, a decoration produced by an arrangement and
joining of dots and lines, or by a combination of geometrical
figures in accordance with the laws of rhythm, regulation,
and symmetry; and second, a decorative effect arising from
the attempt to represent objects from the external world.
The elements nearest at hand for imitation are found in
organic nature with its plants, animals, and the human form ;
but inorganic nature also furnishes models, as in the forms
of crystallization, such as snowflakes, and various phenom-
ena, as clouds, lightning, waves, etc. ; besides which there
are rich resources open in artificial objects fashioned by
man himself, as vases and utensils of daily use.
5. Combination of Elements. It may now be more
readily understood how all kinds of elements may be com-
bined. Geometrical may be united with natural forms, and
details and ideas suggested by natural forms may be com-
bined with creatures of the human imagination to form
eccentricities that do not really exist in nature, but that man
has always delighted in adopting as representative of some
higher or supernatural power. Illustrative of these, we have
the sphinx, so identified with Egyptian art; the centaur
and the mermaid in classic art; and the animal bodies with
human heads, and the combination of beasts or fishes with the
wings of birds, or with plant life and foliated terminations,
prevalent in many details of Gothic and Renaissance art.
6. Symbolic Devices. In heraldry and armorial bear-
ings, with which the decorations of the Middle Ages and
following centuries are replete, there are a number of devices
with definite names that depend entirely on the combination
of different characteristics, borrowed from different classes
of animals, in order to combine in one figure the attributes
of several natural beasts. For instance, we have the dragon,
with the body of a serpent and the head of a carnivorous
bird, and the wings of a bat, combining in the one animal
the stealth and treachery of the snake, the cruelty and
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. .3
passion of the vulture, and the uncanny and silent secrecy
associated with the nocturnal habits of the bat.
On the other hand, we have a variation of the form or
characteristics of an individual animal, in order to emphasize
those characteristics for the purpose represented. In many
of the armorial devices of Great Britain is found a represen-
tation of a lion never in the true form of the lion, as we are
in the habit of thinking of him in the jungle, but a lion
with a long attenuated body, generally with one or both fore
paws raised from the ground, and always with his mouth
open and protruding tongue and teeth. The lion is indica-
tive of power and strength, and, consequently, of sover-
eignty. The attenuation of his body increases the feeling
of litheness associated with animals of the cat tribe, while
the expression given his face and forefeet is indicative of
firmness, and power for aggressiveness, offensiveness, or
defensiveness, as the case may require.
7. Iiifltieiice of Architecture. Decoration is applied
art, and the forms used in decoration become varied accord-
ing to the purpose for which they are used. Decoration, as
applied to architecture, consists of the ornamentation of the
structural features of a building of the variation in color,
or proportion of different surfaces that are adjacent, and of
the introduction of familiar symbols, or objects, to convey a
definite historical or religious idea.
To a certain extent, all decoration partakes of the same
characteristics as architectural decoration. Wall decoration
is architectural, and consists of the variation in color or
proportion of adjacent surfaces, or of the same surfaces
divided. The decoration of silks and tapestries, either in
the weaving or printing, is a variation of surface that must
be further considered in its architectural relation, when they
are hung on the walls, over the doors, or around the windows,
and seen, not as plain surfaces, but in folds. The treatment
of furniture is an architectural decoration, both in the orna-
mentation of its structural features and in the application of
s to portions of its surface. In fact, in all periods of
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
art, it will be found that any attempt at ornamentation is
governed directly or indirectly by the prevailing tastes in
architecture and the sister arts.
8. Conditions Influencing Architecture. Though
ornament and architecture have been steadily progressive
from the days of earliest Egypt to the close of the nine-
teenth century, there is little resemblance between the
characteristic ornament or architecture of any two periods,
except where there has been a deliberate revival of a certain
style of art. Where the artists of a nation or locality have
been left to their own devices and originality, they have
produced a style of ornament suitable to their purpose, their
period, and their relations, that is in no way connected
or suited to other surrounding conditions. Although the
influences that have affected the style and character of the
ornament of different periods are many, the religious and
geographical influences are probably the strongest. Political
influences determine, to a certain extent, the character,
according to the government and relations of the people,
and also the profusion and elaboration, and, to a certain
extent, the quality of execution, of ornament; for the richer
a nation becomes, the more she expends on her monuments
of public utility and beauty, and the more elaborate her
citizens become in the taste and decoration of their house-
holds. In fact, we find no art progress in any country until
it begins to show signs of amassing wealth.
9. Influence of Religion. -The effect of religion in
ornament can be traced through all periods, and those
nations with whom religious belief was more closely inter-
mingled with the civic and domestic duties of the day,
expressed in every detail of their ornament some tribute to
a superior being. During the laxity of morals and general
religious fervor toward the close of the Renaissance period,
we find few religious forms woven in the fabric of any class
of ornament, except the pagan forms that were borrowed in
ignorance from an antique religion and an ancient art.
6 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
This free use of symbolic forms, both ancient and modern,
gives us an unlimited field for combinations in ornamental
design, which, though practiced through fifty centuries, has
not exhausted the possibilities for originality.
10. Decorative Art. All decoration and decorative
art, whether carved, painted, or modeled, is the expression
of the wants, facilities, and sentiments of the age in which
it is created. All products of decorative art should possess
fitness, proportion, and harmony of both form and color, in
order that the result may express what we term repose ; and
beauty results from that repose that the mind feels when
the eye, the intellect, and the affections are satisfied, and
free from any sense of want. As in architecture, construc-
tion may be decorated, but uuder no circumstances can
decoration be constructed. Decoration must always form a
part of the purpose or object with which it is associated.
It is tiseless to try to deceive the eye and intellect by
carving a natural vine on a stone tablet. No right-minded
person will ever take the imitation for the real vine, and
the highest tribute that can be paid to it is that the carver
was skilled with his chisel and hammer, and the designer
had failed to understand and appreciate his material. If
the vine is to be a stone vine, let it be reduced to a form
that is suitable in stone; if it is to be a woven vine in a
fabric, let its form be reduced to the limitations of results
obtainable from the loom; if it is a vine to be painted on a
wall surface, let it be a painted representation of the char-
acteristics of a certain vegetable growth, and not a picture
or portrait of an object that if real would be highly out of
place where represented.
11. Conventionalism. This proper representation of
a familiar form according to the position it is to occupy, or
the material in which it is to be executed, is called conven-
tionalism, and is the first detail of applied art that the
designer must learn to comprehend. An old axiom states,
'That which is beautiful must be true," and we may add
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 7
to it conversely, ' ' That which is true must be beautiful, "
and on this axiom depends all the beauty of ornament in
architecture, decoration, and the allied arts.
Ornamental design is not portrait painting it is not the
faithful portrayal of the details of nature for purely pictorial
purposes. The skill of the artist in this branch of art is
applied to making something of simple utility an object of
beauty; whereas, the portraitist is engaged in rendering on
canvas, or other surface, an absolute portrait of the subject
before him.
12. Consistency In Designing. The decorative de-
signer must have in mind the construction or fabrication of
a useful article, with the value and utility of which he com-
bines his art. The figure portraitist, landscape portraitist,
or floral portraitist, if we may so distinguish them, has
before him a subject that he intends to translate in paint to
a surface that shall have nothing associated with it in the
mind but the figure, the country, or the flowers it repre-
sents. If the decorative designer takes the same subject,
he does not represent it with the same fidelity, because it is
applied to a utensil, and the object of the utensil must not
be lost sight of; and if he decorates the surface of a utensil
or dress material with a design that claims to be an absolute
portrayal of the flower or other device itself, he states in his
decoration that this is nothing but the representation of a
flower and he draws the mind away from the fact that it
really is a utensil; this is not true, and, according to the
foregoing axiom, the result cannot be beautiful.
13. If, in the weaving of a carpet, or other floor cover-
ing, the designer attempts to portray natural bunches of
roses and rose leaves, he is suggesting to the observer that
this is a picture or portrait of a bunch of roses, executed
entirely to please the senses as a portrayal of the flowers
themselves, which is not true; for, if it were, we should
hang it near the level of the eye, separating it from any
sense of utility, other than the conveying of a feeling of
8 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
satisfaction and delight to the affections and to the intellect;
whereas, as a matter of fact, it is a floor covering- decorated
with an out-of-place design,
14. General Rules. In the decoration of a surface,
the general form is first cared for and subdivided or orna-
mented by general lines; the interstices may then be filled
with ornament and may themselves again be divided and
fully enriched for closer observation. But all ornament, no
matter how minutely carried out, should be based on a
geometrical system of construction, as a true proportion will
be found to exist between all members so based.
In all surface decoration, a rule to be observed is that all
lines should be traced back to their branchings from a general
parent stem, so that each detail of the ornament, no matter
how distant, can be traced back through its branch to the
root. This makes the design rational, but the connection
with the parent stem and root must not be so marked as to
dominate the spirit of the design. Another rule requires
that all junctions of curved lines with other curved lines, or
of curved lines with straight lines, should be so made that
they are tangent to each other at -the point of junction, if
they are intended to express parts of the same design. And
a third rule says that flowers and other natural objects
should not be used as ornaments in their natural forms, but
should be conventionalized or reduced to geometrical princi-
ples that convey the idea of their representation without
purporting to be a likeness of the original, for the reasons
heretofore set forth.
1 5. Color may be used to assist in the development of a
form or idea, or to distinguish objects or parts of objects,
one from another; or color may be used to assist light and
shade, helping undulations of light and form by the proper
distribution of several different tints. Color should never
be used, however, where the exigencies of the case do not
positively require it. Every design should depend for its
intrinsic beauty on its form and its proportion, and these
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 9
may be enhanced by combinations and relations of color;
but the design is a poor one that depends entirely on color
for its attractiveness and beauty.
With this understanding of the facts, let us now consider
what has been done by our predecessors in the field of orna-
mental design.
ORNAMENT.
PRIMITIVE ORNAMENT.
16. Under primitive ornament, we will consider those
efforts at ornamental design observable in the works of the
savage tribes. These peoples had no written history of art
from which to draw ideas, no theory or rules of proportion to
govern their conceptions, and, consequently, the expression
of art as exhibited in their decorated utensils can be con-
sidered pure and untrammeled.
17. Influence of Nature. From the testimony of trav-
elers in but partially explored countries, it would appear
that there is no place on the face of the earth where some
attempt is not made at ornamentation, no matter how crude
a state of civilization the people may be in. The desire for
ornament is present in every race, and it develops and
increases in importance directly in proportion to their prog-
ress in civilization. Man appears everywhere impressed
with the beauties of nature that surround him, with the
mysteries governing the growths and phenomena that he
cannot understand; and he seeks to imitate, within the
limitations of his power, some of the works of his Creator.
The earliest instinct of man is to create something; no
matter how powerful he may be as a warrior, how dis-
tinguished he may be as a tribal leader, or how wealthy he
may be in the possession of earthly goods, he recognizes his
inability to explain the phenomena of nature, and naturally
attributes it to a being higher than himself. It is at all times
10 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
apparent that this being, whom he in his primitive way may
worship as a god, creates, by some undefined power, devel-
opments and appearances that inspire him with mystery and
awe. Consequently, he endeavors, in his own simple way,
to call into existence creations of his own that shall impress
those fellow men whom he considers his inferiors as much
as he is impressed by the works of his mysterious Supreme
Bein.
18. Oi'iffin of Tattooing-. In some savage tribes, this
desire is expressed in the attempt to increase the facial
expression by which he expects to strike terror to his enemies,
rivals, or inferiors, or to create what appears to him a new
and mysterious beauty. This he accomplishes by tattooing,
or sometimes merely with paint. It is a remarkable fact
that hideous as this practice renders his visage, it is, in most
cases, exercised with the greatest care that the lines shall be
so placed as to increase the facial expression and develop, to
the greatest extent, the eccentricities of his natural features.
Trivial as this detail may at first appear, it lies at the bottom
of the fundamental principles of decorative design. The
savage warrior does not obliterate his own expression and
cover his face with paint and tattoo marks to create a new
one, but simply arranges the lines to emphasize the details
of severity that he already possesses and with which he
expects to inspire an impression of terror.
19. Origin of Set Styles. It can be clearly shown
throughout all history that in certain periods, an individual
mind, stronger than those with which it is surrounded, will
impress itself on a generation and carry with it a host of
other minds of inferior power. These inferior minds imitate
what they know to be better than what they can create, but
do not imitate so closely as to destroy their own individual
ambition to originate. It is to this tendency that we owe
the birth and the modifications of styles.
The efforts of the people in the earliest stages of civiliza-
tion are like those of children, though lacking in power of
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 11
expression, they possess a grace and originality rarely found
in middle age, and never in manhood's decline. The same
may be found in the infancy of any art, which we will
endeavor to point out as we go along. When art struggles
for an existence, it succeeds by creating for itself new forms
and new ideas, but, when reveling in its own successes, it
fails.
20. Effect of Traditional Styles. The pleasure we
receive in contemplating the crude attempts at ornament of
the most primitive tribes arises from our appreciation of a
difficult accomplishment. We are interested in the evidence
of the intention, and are surprised at the simple and child-like
rudeness by which the result is accomplished. In fact, what
we seek in their work of art is the evidence of mind the
evidence of that desire to create to which we have already
referred. This evidence of mind, strange to say, is much
more readily found in the rude attempts at savage ornament
than in the innumerable productions of a highly advanced
civilization.
When art is manufactured by a combined effort, instead
of being originated by the efforts of an individual, the true
instincts, which constitute its greatest charm, are lost. By
this we mean that the art of the present day is the result of
the combined efforts of artists and artisans through centuries
of development, whereas the art of the savage tribes is the
expression of the mind of an individual warrior, untram-
meled by tradition.
21. Expression of Taste In Savage Ornament. In
Fig. 1 is shown a reproduction of a cloth pattern, the original
of which came from the savage tribes of the Samoan Islands.
It is made from thin sheets of bark stripped from a peculiar
species of tree, and is beaten out and united so as to form
one long parallelogram of cloth. Certainly nothing could
be more primitive as a method of manufacture., yet the pat-
tern shows the existence of taste and skill, and an ingemiity
of design rarely found in many of our woven fabrics of the
13
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
present day. The pattern is executed by means of small
wooden stamps, and the work, though rude and irregular in
its execution, conveys the intention at every point. There is
a skilful balancing of the masses and a judicious avoidance of
lines that would tend to cause
the eye to run in one direction.
This is done by opposing each
set of lines with others of
opposite tendency. There are
many styles and patterns of this
work, all of which show posi-
tive genius in their arrange-
ment and development.
22. Decorative Theory
Exhibited by the Savage.
The next development in this
primitive art is found in the
attempts at wood carving, and
the most likely place to look
for it would be on the weapons
used for the defense of the tribe,
or in the chase of animals for
food. The bravest or the most
skilful of the warriors or hunters
would desire to distinguish him-
self somewhat above the others
by the possession of a weapon,
not only more useful, but, in
his eyes, more complicated, and more beautiful. The best
shape for the weapon he has already determined by experi-
ence, and the enriching of its surface by carving naturally
follows.
The eye of the warrior being accustomed to the geometrical
forms and details of the stamped cloths, his hand attempts
to imitate them in the handles of his wooden utensils by
means of knife cuts, and the paddle shown in Fig. 2 illustrates
v r faithfully this representation has been carried out.
FIG. l.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
13
This instrument is from New Zealand, and the taste exhibited
in its carving would bear favorable comparison with the art
works of the highest state of civiliza-
tion. There is not a line on its sur-
face misapplied; the general shape is
most graceful and elegant, and the
decoration is applied everywhere to
best develop the form.
The New Zealander's instinct taught
him that his paddle should be strong,
not only in reality, but in appearance,
and his ornament is so disposed as to
give an appearance of strength greater
than it would have had if the surface
had remained undecorated. The band
in the center of the length of the
blade is continued around both sides,
binding the border that extends around
the edge, and this latter appears to
hold in place all the other bands. Had
these bands run out like the center
one, they would appear to have a tend-
ency to slip off, as the center one is
the only one that can occupy its posi-
tion around the end of the paddle
with repose.
23. Value of the Study of His-
toric Ornament. These few facts
have been pointed out in the prece-
ding pages, so that the student may
fully appreciate that beauty of orna-
ment does not depend on the fidelity
with which ancient ornament can be
copied. The natural tendency of the
mind will produce good results in
the application of ornament in nearly
FIG. 2. all cases, if it is allowed to work
14 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
logically and without influence from stereotyped or his-
torical forms.
The study of historic ornament is practiced to familiarize
the student with what has been done heretofore, to point
out to him such parts of the ancient works as have been
done well, and to show him why they are considered to be
done well, and also to render him familiar with other works
of celebrated art periods which, though they may be beauti-
ful in themselves, are not, as a matter of fact, as high a
grade of art as our New Zealander's paddle, because of the
lack of expression of mind in the designs, and the tendency
to imitate the works of what was believed to be a superior
mind, rather than to develop a new style along new lines.
24. How to Study Ornament. From what has already
been said, it will be easily understood that the ornament of
a people carries in itself the characteristics of that people.
It must be interpreted, however, by the aid of the history
of the people as expressed in their monuments. The sub-
ject of historic ornament should therefore be studied, not
only with regard to its grace and beauty, but as a key to a
portrayal of the qualities, characteristics, and disposition of
the people to whom it belonged.
In the consideration of the ornament of a country, we
must first investigate all the details that are likely in any
way to affect the art, in order that we may better under-
stand why certain characteristics exist in the ornament of
one people and are entirely absent in that of another.
EGYPTIAN ORNAMENT.
25. Influence of the Nile on Egyptian Ornament.
It seldom or never rains in Egypt, except in the delta at the
mouth of the River Nile, and nature has provided for the
fertilizing of the land by an annual overflow of the river
that brings down mud and alluvial soil from the mountain
regions, and deposits it on top of the old soil, thus enrich-
ing it. For three months the water slowly rises in the Nile
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 15
Valley, and, for three months following, the river slowly
subsides and then remains a narrow stream for the rest of
the year, bordered by green fields of cotton and grass. The
phenomenon of this yearly inundation of the Nile, Fig. 3,
slow, majestic, and munificent, naturally impressed the early
Egyptian with a feeling of mystery and awe. In fact, in
this inundation lies the key to the wealth of ancient Egypt.
FIG. 8.
Dwelling during the dry season on what would appear to
be a barren plain, the Egyptian saw the provision of a
Supreme Being working for his good when the waters of the
Nile gradually overflowed, fertilized the soil, and then slowly
subsided, leaving him to plant his seed. It is not strange,
therefore, that the Nile and everything associated with it
should be sacred. In all Egyptian ornament, we find some
symbol or detail that reminds us of this great beneficence of
Providence and favor to the Egyptian. The Egyptian was
an appreciative mortal, and in his art and architecture every-
where placed some reminder of the fact that he could do
nothing and would be nothing without the care and watch-
fulness of this supreme power.
2O. Antiquity of Egyptian Ornament. In study-
ing Egyptian ornament, however, we cannot begin at the
16 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
beginning', as we can with other styles, inasmuch as we have
no historical records of any beginning. A peculiarity of the
Egyptian over all other styles is that the more ancient the
ornament, the nearer perfection is the art. Architectural
monuments, erected 2,000 years before the Christian era, are
built of stones taken from the ruins of much more ancient
buildings that were really more perfect. We are therefore
compelled to study Egyptian art during a period of its
decline, but can accept the style as absolutely original, inas-
much as we have no record of the existence of an earlier
nation from whom they could have borrowed it.
In Egyptian art, there are no traces of infancy, nor of for-
eign influence, and it is safe to infer that the Egyptian artist
drew his inspiration directly from nature. The types of his
ornament are few but perfectly natural, and in the earliest
period of Egyptian art, the representation is but slightly
removed from the type; but the later we descend in history,
the more we find the original types receded from, until it
is difficult, in many cases, to discover from what original
idea the ornament, by successive mental efforts, has been
developed.
27. Influence of Ileligrioii. Although the Egyptians
decorated every article of utility that was in any way asso-
ciated with their civil, domestic, or religious duties, we
depend for examples of their ornament almost entirely on
the designs and writings executed in connection with their
complicated form of religion.
The temples, tombs, and other sacred monuments of the
most ancient inhabitants afford us the most rational and pro-
gressive examples of ornament, and it is from these that we
derive nearly all the information that we have of the man-
ners and customs of the early Egyptians. In the temples
are preserved certain stone tablets and other devices, on
which are records of certain ceremonies in connection with
their religion, and these records are always executed in their
peculiar form of hieroglyphs. The word hieroglyph, being
literally translated, means sacred writing, but in its specific
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
17
sense is used to indicate the peculiar pictured descriptions
of the Egyptian religious ceremonies that are found carved
and painted on the walls of their tombs and temples.
28. The Egyptian temple consisted of a small sanctu-
ary, or sekos, as it was called, that was reached through a
large columnar hall known as the hall of assembly, or some-
times the hypostyle hall, the latter term meaning covered
over on columns. In front of the hypostyle hall was a
large open court, surrounded by high and massive walls and
FIG. 4.
entered between two tower-like front walls, called pylons.
Each of these parts was varied slightly in different structures,
some having two courts .in front of the hypostyle hall, known
as the outer and inner court, and in many of the temples the
sekos was surrounded by a number of smaller apartments.
On the outside of the temple, the entrance was approached
through a long avenue often a mile or more in extent-
lined on each side with colossal sphinxes, and occasionally
18
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
ending in a large monumental gateway advanced before the
main entrance to the temple, as shown in Fig. 4. This
gateway was called a propylon, and it stood alone before
the main entrance like a silent sentinel. The example shown
in Fig. 4 is from the temple of Rameses III, at Karnak, and
from this a fair idea of the magnitude of these great archi-
tectural details may be obtained. The faces of the propylon
were always decorated with elaborate hieroglyphic devices
as shown, and over the top was carved the winged globe, of
which we shall have occasion to speak hereafter. Beyond the
propylon stand the two great pylons that form the outer front
wall of the building, and the entrance between these two
masses is similar in detail to the gateway advanced in front.
A better idea of this arrangement can be obtained from
Fig. o, which shows a portion of the avenue, the entrance,
and pylons of the temple of Edfou, in Upper Egypt. In
FIG. 5.
this case, the propylon is omitted, and at the end of the
long avenue of sphinxes stand two great obelisks one on
each side of the entrance. The walls of the pylons them-
selves are decorated in hieroglyphs, the design at the bottom
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
19
representing a group of prisoners, taken from Palestine,
about to be executed by the king.
29. Interior of tlie Temple. On the inside of the
temple, these pylons are sculptured in much the same man-
ner, though the lower part of them is largely covered by the
roofed passageway around the edges of the court. Fig. 6 is
a reproduction of a photograph taken in the inner court of a
temple on the island of Philse, and shows the appearance of
these pylons on the inside, and a portion of the columns
supporting the roof on the right side of the court. The
pylons were massive structures, and contained, in their in-
terior, a number of secret rooms accessible only to the
priest and members of the royal family.
An entrance to the interior of one of the pylons is seen on
the left of Fig. 6, and it will be observed that the general
treatment around the door and over it is precisely the same,
but on a smaller scale, as the main entrance to the temple
20 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
and the general character of the propylon illustrated in
Fig. 4.
A better idea of the massiveness of these pylons may be
obtained from Fig. 7, a photograph of the temple of Edfou,
showing the taper of the walls from the ground upwards, a
characteristic of all Egyptian architecture. This illustra-
tion is taken from above the side walls of the temple, so
FIG. 7.
that the entrance columns of the hypostyle hall at the
rear of the court may be seen, and by comparing Fig. 7
with Fig. 5, both being illustrations of the same tem-
ple, a fair idea of the state of preservation of this great
edifice may be obtained, Fig. 5 representing it in its
original form and Fig. 7 being a photograph of it at the
present day.
At the top, the walls of the pylons flared out, forming a
simple concave cornice, above which gleaming cressets at
night and flaunting banners by day were carried on long
iron stocks or staffs, which, combined with the highly
colored decorations on the walls, gave the biiilding an effect
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
21
of mysterious grandeur, perfectly consistent with the com-
plex system of the ancient Egyptian belief.
The iron stocks carrying the banners, etc. were inserted
in the recesses shown on each side of the entrance.
FIG. 8.
3O. Obelisks. The obelisks in 'front of the temple are
in themselves characteristic of Egyptian art. Each of these
consisted of a tall stone shaft, Quarried in a single piece,
22 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
and sculptured on four sides with elaborate hieroglyphic
ornament. A photographic reproduction of one of these
interesting details is shown in Fig. 8. This was one of a
pair of obelisks known as "Cleopatra's needles," and is
shown as it stood in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, for
nearly 2,000 years. It is 67 feet in height, and 7 feet
7 inches square at the base. It originally stood with its
companion before the entrance of the temple at Heliopolis
in Lower Egypt, but was removed to the city of Alexandria
after the defeat of Anthony and Cleopatra by the Roman
emperor Augustus, just before the beginning of the Chris-
tian era. In the year 1878 it was removed from Alexandria
and transported to New York City, where it now stands on
a moimd on the east side of Central Park.
31. The temples differ widely in size and elaboration
of plan, but the general scheme of arrangement is the same
in all cases, whether the example is taken from Northern
Egypt or Southern Nubia. Between the years 1600 and
1100 B. C., the greatest temples were built. The Pharaohs
FIG. 9.
wanted eternal dwelling places for their deities, and built
their temples entirely of stone, laid up in blocks so massive
and so well fitted that they have withstood the ravages of
time down to the present day.
In Fig. 9 is shown the plan of the Ramesseum, a temple
built by, and named after, Rameses, one of the kings of
Kgypt, who reigned about 1500 B. C. Here the sanctuary
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 23
is shown at A, surrounded by a number of smaller apart-
ments a, which were used by the priests and members of
the royal family, both as places for their mysterious devo-
tions and as royal residences; the king and his immedi-
ate relatives being considered earthly representatives of
the gods. The sanctuary contained the shrine, and was
entered through either of two portals, one from the hypo-
style hall B and the other communicating with one of the
sacred apartments a'.
At B is shown the hypostyle hall, the roof of which was
supported by two sets of columns, the central ones being
FIG. 10.
longer than those on each side, in order to provide a clear-
story for the admission of light and air.
This is more clearly shown in Fig. 10, which is an illus-
tration photographed from a restored model of the great
hypostyle hall in the temple at Karnak. At a is seen the
double row of long columns, which are connected longitu-
dinally by the stone lintels b, in order to receive the edges of
24 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
the stone slabs r, which form the roof over the nave, or cen-
tral portion of the temple. On each side of these are the
shorter columns , which are connected transversely -by the
lintels r, and the inside row longitudinally by the lintel _/j
to support the roof slabs g in the same manner as over the
nave. An open space Ji is thus left to admit light to the
interior of the hall, and form a clearstory similar to the
same detail in our more modern cathedrals, of which we
shall learn later on.
The spacing of the supports being governed entirely by
the length of lintel the builders were able to quarry, the
columns are exceedingly close together. For this reason,
large apartments were never entirely roofed over in the
Egyptian temples, but were open to the sky, either wholly
or in part, as shown in Fig. 9 at C, which is the inner court
of the temple, from which the hypostyle hall must be
entered.
On each side of this inner court is a double row of columns
supporting a roof extending from the side walls, while at the
back is a single row of columns c, and a row of square
piers d, which carry a portion of the roof that extends over
from the hypostyle hall. Another row of square piers e car-
ries the roof over the front end of this inner court, which,
with the other partial coverings, surrounds the court with a
narrow projecting roof on all four sides.
32. The effect of this treatment must have been very
imposing in itself, but, to add to the impression, colossal
statues were carved on the inside faces of the square piers,
and flights of stone steps led up to a gallery at the level of
the hypostyle hall, the floor of which was considerably above
the level of the inner court. The outer, or entrance, court D
was a comparatively plain enclosure, with columns on each
side and a single flight of steps up to the floor of the inner
court above. It was entered through a narrow portal /,
flanked on each side by the massive pylons E, and served
merely as an entrance court preparatory to the grandeur
and solemnity of the more sacred apartments beyond.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
25
33. The early Egyptian statues were usually colossal in
size, and there was no attempt at economy or saving of time
in any structure that was erected for the purpose of religious
ceremony or the burial of their dead. The pyramids (see
Figs. 3 and 11) were erected as tombs for the kings, and
give a very fair idea of the patience and persistence of this
ancient people, that would work 100,000 men for 20 years on
a tomb for the body of their king, at a cost of over $40,000,-
000. It is a mystery to this day how the stones were quar-
ried and transported with the primitive tools and machinery
in use 3,000 years before the Christian era, for this great
pyramid of Cheops, 800 feet square at the base, and 450 feet
in height, is the largest structure in the world today.
34. The Great Sphinx. Next to the pyramids in
massive grandeur comes the Great Sphinx at Gizeh. This
is a statue of the Egyptian god Harmachis, carved out of
solid rock, making a figure 14C feet long, 65 feet high, and
FIG. 11.
34 feet across the shoulders. The body, which has the form
of a crouching lion, is now entirely buried in drifted sand,
but the human head, measuring 28 feet from chin to top,
and the broad, massive shoulders, are still visible above the
26 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
sand drifts, as shown in Fig. 11. Between the forefeet of
the body is excavated a temple where the god was wor-
shiped, and, if built at the same time as the sphinx, this
temple is the oldest architectural monument on record, as it
antedates the pyramids over 1,000 years.
35. Types of People. There were two types of people
among the Egyptians, varying decidedly in physique and
intellectual appearance. One type of aristocratic origin
possessed a refined face, with a moderately high forehead,
aquiline nose, rather full lips, and rounded chin; the other
type was from plebeian stock, with low forehead, short nose,
heavy jaws, and very thick lips. The former was serious
and thoughtful, grave, dignified, and religious; the latter
gay, pleasure loving, light hearted, and good natured. These
two types are represented in many of their hieroglyphs and
wall paintings, and are often used as symbols of the very
attributes we ascribe to them. The lower type have been
used to express some degraded or inferior people, and the
more refined type have been used to represent royal person-
ages and the gods.
The kings and royal families in Egypt being considered
earthly representatives of the gods, had privileges in the
complicated system of Egyptian religious rites that the
priests themselves did not enjoy. An offering to a king was
equivalent, under certain circumstances, to an offering to
one of the gods. The Egyptians worshiped many gods, but
the chief ones were Osiris, I sis, Horus, and Thoth. They
also paid religious regards to animals. Cats, dogs, cows,
hawks, beetles, and monkeys were sacred throughout all
Egypt, as will be seen hereafter.
3(>. The [Lotus and Papyrus. The most conspicuous
type in Egyptian art is the lotus (Fig. 12), a plant growing
on the banks of the Nile, somewhat resembling our pond
lily, but differing from it in coloring. The lotus leaves float
on the surface of the water at the end of a long stem, in the
same manner as do the pond-lily leaves, but the blossom
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 27
stands on a stiff stalk high out of the water, and is of a bril-
liant purple color on the border petals, with a heart of deep
orange. The lotus was a sacred flower, and as an offering to
the gods was conspicuous in the highest forms of worship.
It is easy to understand the importance of the lotus in
Egyptian religious theories. The deified lotus stands repre-
sentative of the homage rendered to the beneficent action of
water and sun on the sleeping earth. It is the symbol of the
annual evolution of the seasons, causing generation to suc-
ceed generation, and the return of life, where everything had
seemed barren in the immobility of death.
The papyrus plant was also used largely in Egyptian art
and associated with the Nile on whose banks it grew, but not
to such an extent as the lotus. From the papyrus plant a
FIG. 12.
kind of paper was manufactured on which the Egyptians
wrote many of their sacred legends, and it is from the name
of this plant that the modern word "paper" is derived.
37. The Winged Disk. The sun itself was also the
object of direct worship, the ceremony of which was varied
by the priests in order to make it penetrate more deeply
among the masses. The disk, as representative of the sun,
is used in many Egyptian hieroglyphs, and received a certain
28
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
share of homage owing to its relation to agricultural devel-
opment after the Nile had completed its inundation. A
combination of the disk and feathered forms produced an
ornament generally known as the winged disk, or the winged
globe (Fig. 13). This consists of the solar disk, supported
FIG. 13.
on each side by an asp (the royal symbol of Upper and Lower
Egypt), and the wide outstretching wings symbolize the
untiring activity of the sun in its beneficence; hence, a divine
protecting power. It is emblematic as a whole of the tri-
umph of right over wrong, and an inscription at Edfou says
that Thoth, the god of speech and wisdom, ordered that this
emblem should be carved over every door in Egypt. It is
everywhere apparent in Egyptian sacred painting, but varies
slightly in detail according to the place where it is used.
Wherever it appeared carved over the doorway of a temple,
painted on the walls of a tomb, or woven into a fabric of the
vestments of a priest or king, this emblem was a monument
of the Egyptian's religious sincerity and
appreciation of benefits derived from
his god.
38. The Soarabseus. The scara-
baeus, or beetle, Fig. 14, was identified
with the rising sun, and typified creation
and resurrection, or new birth. Its
exact significance is somewhat com-
plicated, as are in fact all Egyptian
emblems; but, owing to the habits of the beetle, slowly
developing from a grub through various stages to a full-
grown insect, it is emblematic of progress and evolution.
In the tombs and ruins of the Egyptian temples are found
TIG. 14.
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 29
thousands of models of these beetles that seem to have been
worn as amulets.
39. Consistency of Egyptian Ornament. Another
type of Egyptian ornament is the palm, from which canopies
w r ere made, and also the fans and shades that were held over
the heads of royal personages during ceremonies, to protect
them from the sun. These few types form the foundation of
an immense variety of ornament with which the Egyptian
decorated the temple of his gods, the palace of his kings, the
covering of his person, and his articles of luxury, as well as
those articles of more modest daily use, from the wooden
spoon that fed him in infancy to the mournful boat that
carried his embalmed body across the Nile to its final resting
place in the Valley of the Dead. Following these types in a
manner so nearly allied to the natural form, they observed
the same laws that the works of nature ever displayed, and,
no matter how conventionalized their ornament ever became,
it was always true. The Egyptian artist never violated a
natural principle, and, on the other hand, he never destroyed
the consistency of his conventional representation by too
close an imitation of the type. A lotus flower carved in
stone, or forming the graceful termination of a column, or
painted flat on the walls as an offering to the gods, was never
a lotus portrait, and never impressed the beholder as one
that might be plucked, but was always the architectural rep-
resentation of it suited to the material in which it was cut,
or the colors in which it was rendered.
40. Conventionalism. A good idea of the simple con-
ventionality of their forms can be obtained from Fig. 15,
where at (a) is shown the conventional representation of the
lotus blossom, the outside leaves of which, in colored work,
were usually painted a deep green. The first low of petals
was also green, but of a lighter shade, while the innermost
petals were red. The space between the petals was painted
a deep yellow. At a distance from the eye, the red and
yellow seemed to blend together and form a deep orange
30 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
hue with a suggestion of surrounding green,. characteristic
of the general appearance of the lotus flower.
The transition from (a) in Fig. 15 to the form shown at
(/;) is by no means a difficult matter, the omission of the
innermost row of petals being the only radical change.
From (b] to (c) is a simple development wherein the calyx
(d)
of the conventionalized flower has become larger in propor-
tion to the petals, and from (c) to (d) is but a step in orna-
mentation, showing the gradual growth of design from the
conventionalized rendering of the blossom itself to a device
that is purely ornamental and derived from, though in no
way representative of, the Egyptian lotus. The further
development of this form in Assyrian and Greek art will
show the importance of this line of study.
41. Classes of Egyptian Ornament. Egyptian orna-
ment may be divided into three classes: that which is con-
structive, or forms a part of the monument itself; that which
is representative, but is at the same time conventionally
rendered; and that which is simply decorative. In each
class, the ornament is always symbolic, and the few types
mentioned, upon which it is founded, we find are but slightly
changed during the entire period of Egyptian civilization.
4xJ. The student of historic ornament should familiarize
himself with the difference between the terms style, class,
and type. The term style is used to indicate the period or
nationality of the ornament, as the Early Egyptian style; the
term class is applied when we wish to indicate a subdivision
of some style, as the constructive class of the Egyptian
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
31
style. The term type is used to refer to the natural form
from which the ornament is derived, as the lotus type of
Egyptian ornament.
43. Constructive Ornament. Of the constructive
ornament are the columns and their terminations,, and the
crowning members of the walls. The column base was fre-
FIG. 16.
quently molded to represent the root, and the shaft was
reeded in representation of trie stalk, while the capital was
carved similar to the form of a bud or full-blown lotus
flower, as shown in Fig. 10, where at (a) is seen the bud
32 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
capital, and at (b) the capital derived from the full-blown
flower. All this was symbolic, as the lotus meant much to
the Egyptian.
In Fig. 17 are shown two square columns standing in the
ruins of the temple of Karnak, the one to the left being dec-
orated with a lotus flower carved in high relief, while the
one to the right is similarly decorated with the papyrus
FIG. 17.
characteristic of
plant. The plain, severe treatment, so
Egyptian art, is forcibly illustrated here.
Another form of column flares out at the top, and has for
its original type the papyrus or palm tree, as shown in Fig. 18.
This style was usually placed in the center of the halls of
assembly, with the lotus-bud columns on each side, as shown
in Fig. 10. All columns were richly colored and sometimes
decorated with hieroglyphs.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
33
Feathers were held by the Egyptians as emblematic of
sovereignty, and the cornices of their temples were usually
decorated with ornaments derived from
a combination of feathered forms.
44. Representative Ornament.
The second class of Egyptian ornament
results from the conventional repre-
sentation of commonplace things upon
the walls of their temples and tombs.
In this kind of ornament each repre-
sentation is not only a detail of the
wall decoration but is a hieroglyphic
record of a fact. Sometimes it was
carved in the surface of the walls, and
sometimes merely painted ; and occa-
sionally, it was both carved and painted.
It was always most conventional, and
certain details, such as the lotus and
papyrus, were represented in the strictest
geometrical arrangement, usually sh'ow-
ingthe bud, blossom,
and fruit in regular
order, typifying the
development of the
entire plant.
In Fig. 10 observe the straight, stiff
stem and trumpet-shaped blossom, the
sharp-pointed petals of the calyx, and
the geometrical arrangement of the
entire plant, with all its distinguishing
characteristics emphasized to produce
conventionalism.
Egyptian carved ornament of this
character is nearly always in low relief,
and is sometimes merely incised or outlined in the sur-
face of the wall, as shown in Fig. 20. On work executed
in a later period, the background is sometimes cut away,
FIG. 18.
Fio. 19.
34
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
leaving the carved ornament and figures in full relief, as
in Fig. 21.
This figure represents a statue of the queen, Cleopatra,
upon whose head is supported, between the two horns of the
sacred cow, the disk, emblematic of the sun. The head-dress
consists of a representation of the buzzard, a sacred bird,
whose head protrudes from the fore part of the head-dress,
and whose wings reach down on each side, as though pro-
FiG. 20.
FIG. 21.
tecting the .wearer. The panel or cartouch in the upper
left-hand corner contains the hieroglyphic characters spelling
the name Cleopatra. From this figure, a characteristic
example of Egyptian ornament of this period, we can obtain
a good idea of the contemporary head-dress, of the habit and
method of wearing beads and necklaces, and, to a general
extent, the cast of features and countenance of this race of
people. It must be remembered, however, that these carv-
ings are not always portraits, but symbolisms drawn to
represent the characteristics of the person portrayed.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
35
45. Decorative Ornament. The third kind of Egyp-
tian ornament, that which is purely decorative, is found
mostly in paintings on the walls of tombs, on mummy cases
and sarcophagi, on dresses and utensils.
46. The Egyptians believed in the immortality of the
soul, and also that the soul would return after death and
reoccupy the body ; hence, they took every means to preserve
the body in order that it should be in a fit condition for the
reception of the soul at the time of its resurrection. Death
was not regarded by the Egyptian as a
great calamity, as he looked on his earthly
life as a mere temporary existence during
which he made elaborate preparations for
the preservation of his body after death.
This accounts for the massiveness and per-
manency of the tombs, some of which
were the life work of those that expected
to occupy them.
Tfre body was embalmed with great
care ; a. scarabseus was fastened to the
breast; and the mummy wrapped in cloths
or bandages bearing hieroglyphic inscrip-
tions. Jn some cases, particularly with
the wealthier classes, the mummy thus
wrapped was placed in a wooden box,
carved inside to fit the form, and generally
shaped to conform to the lines of the
body on the outside, as shown in Fig. 22.
The box was then carefully sealed and
the outside painted, or often gilded, and
covered with elaborate and complicated
hieroglyphs describing the life and deeds
of importance connected with the earthly
existence of the body within.
The mummy case was then deposited in the tomb,
frequently in a standing posture, and the walls and columns,
and other architectural details of the particular chamber
Fin. 22.
3(j HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
where the mummy was placed, were painted with rich
ornament and inscriptions. The sarcophagus, or stone box,
in which the mummy was sometimes placed, was richly orna-
mented both with painting and carving of the same general
character as on the walls, and it is from examples of this
kind that the following illustrations are taken.
In Fig. 23 is a painted wall ornament from the temple of
Seti I, and it represents the sacred bark, the ceremonies
connected with which were an exceedingly complicated but
important branch of the religious devotions of the priests.
This device frequently appears in the sculpture and paintings
FIG. 23.
of the tombs, and usually represents the funeral of one of
the gods. Everything is arranged in a most orderly man-
ner, as will be observed, and every detail is placed to convey
a certain significance. It would be impossible here to go
into all the explanations connected with Egyptian hiero-
glyphic ornament, and the illustration in Fig. 23 is given to
show how completely the walls were covered with an illus-
trated idea.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
37
47. The Fret. Fig. 24 is a fret design, sometimes
called a labyrinth, and is stated by some to have been sug-
gested by the plan of a building known as the labyrinth that
was erected in ancient Egypt about 4000 B. C. This was
supposed to have been a very complicated structure of many
hundred rooms, out of which it was practically impossible
for one to find his way without the assistance of a guide.
The rosette alternating with the labyrinth pattern was prob-
ably derived from the full-blown lotus flower. This orna-
ment is found on many
mummy cases, and is even
used for surface decoration,
for it can be repeated in any
direction simply by continu-
ing the lines, as shown at #,
to form a new pattern above
and below similar to this one.
48. It may be said here
that the rosette form shown
in Fig. 24 is but one of many
observed in Egyptian orna-
ment. In Fig. 25 (a) is
shown a simple circle with
an inner circle, and the space
between them is divided
by straight lines into eight
equal parts. The transition from this form to the form
shown at (b) consists merely of a notching of the edge of the
FIG. 25.
38
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
outer circle where the lines intersect the circumference;
(c) is the same as (b), except that the dividing lines are made
in pairs, thus making each segment independent and by
itself. From (c) to (d) the segments are made narrower,
until they are very nearly the size of the spaces between
them, and at (c) we reach the extreme limit where what
might be considered the petals of the floral device are sepa-
rated from the center and from one another entirely, and
become independent elements of the design. Observe that
the central circle has been becoming smaller in the evolu-
tion of the device from (a) to (e), and the design has worked
itself from a purely geometrical form at (a) to a purely floral
form at (f) and back again to a purely geometrical form at
(c), entirely different from (a). This principle should be
borne in mind, as it is of much importance in the tracing of
the Egyptian style in European art.
49. In Fig. 26 is shown a border wherein the scroll is
made use of simply as an ornament, in distinction from its
character, as emblematic of the waves of the Nile. The
lotus also appears at the springing of each scroll line, but,
in this case, purely in a decorative sense, and in no way
FIG. 26.
suggestive of a hieroglyphic record. Below is a stiff conven-
tional row of lotus buds and blossoms, so arranged as to
form a conventional border and a part of the design above,
purely for decorative purposes. In the hieroglyphs, the
symbol for the word wafer consisted of a simple jagged line
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
39
suggestive of waves, as shown in Fig. 27 (a). This symbol,
when used under certain conditions, was
indicative of the Nile also, and in some
(a)
of the hieroglyphic ornament it is elaborated into what is
called the wave border as shown at (b).
5O. In Fig. 28 are shown two borders where the lotus is
conventionalized, very much on the lines of Fig. 15. It is
(a)
used here purely for decorative purposes, and in Fig. 28 (#),
where the side leaves of the flower intersect, a bud is
40
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
drawn in order to fill up the intervening space, while at (b]
the flower is placed in a horizontal position and shows
another application of the lotus to a border that requires
little or no explanation, simply being" the conventional
rendering of the lotus blossom applied in repetition on the
border of a wall surface, and completing the simple geo-
metrical forms above and below.
51. Fig. 29 shows an application of the scroll without
the lotus, while below is a simple serrated band, the type of
FIG. 20.
which is suggestive of the hieroglyphic representation of the
Nile, though its derivation from this origin is by no means
certain. These few borders show the immense variety of
detail that the inventive Egyp-
tian secured from a few simple
types. When he carried his
design further, to make com-
plete surface decorations, he
did not complicate his designs
by adding to them any new
forms.
52. Fig. 30 shows a wall
decoration from a tomb at
Thebes. Here the scroll, simi-
lar to that used in Figs. 26
FIG. 30. i .
and 29, is applied as a repeat-
ing ornament in four directions, and, in the space enclosed
between the lines of the scroll, conventional representations
of the lotus petal are drawn, thereby simply suggesting the
3
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
41
existence of an idea of lotus origin. It is not a representa-
tion of the flower, nor is it intended to be; it is simply a
wall decoration, the lines of which, though abstract, owe
their origin to the Egyptian ever-present association of the
Nile and the lotus with every-
day details of importance.
53. In Fig. 31 we have a
border, also taken from a tomb
at Thebes, wherein the lotus is
used in a most conventional
manner, but, at the same time,
not greatly removed from its
original type. The border above
and below is a simple rendering
of bands varied sufficiently from
one another to destroy the
. .,, FIG. 31.
appearance of stripes in either
direction, and at the same time so arranged as to blend with
the whole general effect and not attract the eye to any cer-
tain point.
54.
ration,
The Scroll. The use of the scroll as a wall deco-
repeating only in two directions, is shown in Fig. 32.
Compare this figure with
Fig. 30 and observe that the
materials used to create the
patterns are identical in both
designs. We have the scroll
and the lotus, and the lines
of the scroll run from one
end of the pattern to the
other, and between the lines
the space is filled with a
design from the lotus. Not-
withstanding this fact, could
any two designs be more
FIG. vt. unlike ? The fact that the
4-> HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
scroll lines in Fig. 32 extend and repeat only upwards and
downwards, would tend to give the pattern the appearance
of running in stripes vertically ; this is, to a certain extent,
offset by reversing the directions of the scrolls, giving each
a letter S pattern, thereby preventing any vertical lines from
appearing one over the other.
As an additional element to destroy this feeling of stripe,
the coloring of the lotus flower has been so arranged that
the darkest portions will all blend and give the appearance
of stripes in a horizontal direction, although really no stripes
exist there. Observe that in each reversed lotus flower, the
horizontal line that cuts it off at the bottom of the petals is
about on a level with the lines of intersection between the
individual petals of the next flower, and this, continued,
gives a dark stripe alternating with a lighter stripe, running
in a horizontal direction throughout the pattern. This in
effect destroys the vertical element. The same result is
obtained in Fig. 30 by the changing of the direction of the
figures. Each individual element of the design is placed at
right angles to the one above and below, or to the one to
the left and right of it; a feel-
ing of continuity is thereby
avoided.
55. Another combination
of lines based on the lotus is
shown in Fig. 33, wherein the
wall surface is divided by a
number of circles, from the
center of each of which spring
four ornamental forms whose
outline is based on the three
outer leaves of the lotus.
Another pattern based on a
combination of the circle and
the square is shown in Fig. 34. The wall surface is cov-
ered with tangent circles, exactly as in the previous case,
but from the centers of these circles spring four leaves in
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
43
vertical and horizontal directions, thereby suggesting rectan-
gular forms connecting the centers of the circles. Other
foliated forms, in the quadrants of the circles embraced by
each pair of these leaves, outline the three petals of a lotus
FIG. 34.
as before, in each quarter of the circle, while the spaces out-
side of the circumference of the circles are ornamented with
a figure smaller than, but almost identical with, the one
springing from the centers.
A careful analysis of Figs. 33 and 34 will again show that
the elements, types, materials, and forms of both figures are
as near identical as it is possible for any two patterns to be,
and yet no two designs could
be more unlike in appearance.
5(>. Referring now to
Fig. 35, we have a wall deco-
ration composed of the wave
lines associated with the Nile,
running in different direc-
tions. Trace any one of
these lines out and you will
see that it simply runs across the pattern in a di;
direction from top to bottom, or from bottom to top.
line that intersects with it runs practically at right
FIG. 35.
igonal
The
44
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
to it and intersects at every wave. The small irregular
figures thus enclosed in the wave line are colored distinctly
in alternate stripes, and a contrasting figure identical with
the figure drawn outside the circumferences in Fig. 34 is
then stamped in them.
57. Fig. 36 might be at first considered a double render-
ing of Fig. 35, but, strictly speaking, such is not the case.
The heavy black lines of Fig. 36 in general direction run
vertically and horizontally, and the spaces enclosed by each
pair of verticals are painted alternate colors, the effect of
which is not to give that of
stripes, but of a general blend-
ing of wall surface. Observe
that the- colored or shaded
portions of the pattern are
broad, alternating with a con-
necting link of narrow color,
while opposite this connecting
link, on each side, are the broad
portions of the contrasting
color. A study of Fig. 36 in comparison with Fig. 30 will
show that the effort to prevent continuity or the effect of a
stripe is the same in each case, and the principle by which
this appearance is prevented is identical in each case, though
the patterns themselves are utterly unlike in principle, type,
and manner of execution.
58. In Fig. 37, taken from a tomb at Thebes, we have a
combination of the scroll and the lotus as the running ele-
ments of the design, and the scarabseus and lotus rosette as
surface elements or inlays. In this design, five sets of scroll
lines spring from each center, the two tipper ones branching
out to form the top of an enclosing panel and to form the
continuity from one scroll to another, while of the three
lower ones, one connects in a horizontal direction the twu
lower scrolls, and the other two serve to form a bottom of a
panel and preserve the line of continuity to the scroll below.
FIG. 36.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
45
Simple as this arrangement is, it illustrates the ingenuity
of the designer. From every springing point, the three
characteristic petals of the lotus flower are exhibited, while
from the bottom of each pair
of scrolls the spreading petals
of the full-blown blossom are
used to fill the space. In each
alternate panel, both vertically
and horizontally, the scara-
baeus appears in its character-
istic hieroglyphic form, and in
each alternate panel between
is a rosette based on the lotus
blossom.
FIG. 37.
59. It will be unnecessary
to describe all the character-
istics of the design in Fig. 38 ; the student will simply observe
that the scroll here consists of but four springing lines, and
these are apparently made to serve the same purpose as five
in the previous case. The panels enclosed between the lines
of the scroll are of a different
character, and, though filled
with devices similar to the
ones in Fig. 37, the general
appearance of the design is
totally different. We have
one element in this design,
however, that differs from
any of the previous ones dis-
cussed, and makes a portion
of it belong to the second
class of Egyptian ornament,
heretofore described ; that
r IG. So.
is, the hieroglyphic represen-
tation of a fact, the little devices in alternate spaces being
hieroglyphic writings descriptive of some of the acts and
doings connected with the life of the person to whom the
40 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
tomb was erected. All this ornament was richly colored,
and the effect of it on the walls was due as much to its
system of coloring as to the design itself.
60. It is impossible here to express in each case, without
means of color, the characteristic appearance of each design,
but the main point is to exhibit the ingenuity and invention
of the Egyptian artist in his portrayal of a multitude of
different designs, all based on exactly the same idea, and
using less than half a dozen different forms. In spite of
their simplicity, a careful study of each one of the designs
here illustrated will always bring forth a new point so subtle
that, though when once discovered it appears most promi-
nent, it has for a long time previous remained undiscovered.
61. Egyptian Coloring. In general effect, Egyptian
ornament was brilliant and many-colored. The reason for
this must be borne in mind: the interiors of the Egyptian's
temples and tombs were pervaded by a deep sepulchral
gloom fittingly symbolizing the mysterious character of his
religious belief, and, in order that the decorations on the
walls should stand out amidst this gloom, it was necessary
that the brightest of colors should be used, or the decoration
would fade into insignificance.
While the Egyptian ornament may be said to be thoroughly
polychromatic, there are many cases where it depended as
much for its expression on carving as on painting. How-
ever, Egyptian ornament may be considered, in a multitude
of cases, as being painted ornament. In their rendering, the
Egyptians used no shades or shadows, and laid their colors
in flat tints only; yet they found no difficulty in conveying
to the mind the identity of each object they desired to repre-
sent, without a suggestion of shade or shadow.
62. The palette of the Egyptian artist contained seven
depressions for seven colors, arranged in the following order :
white, yellow, green, blue, red, dark brown, and black.
There were two kinds of yellow a bright yellow and yellow
ocher. There were three kinds of blue an azure blue, a
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 47
greenish blue, and a dark blue. The reds were made of
burnt ocher, and the general tone of Egyptian ornament
seems to have inclined more to yellow than to any other
color. Green was used less than red, yellow, and blue.
The Egyptian oriental blues are more greenish in hue than
a strictly normal blue, and their reds partook of an orange
tinge. They appreciated the fact that colors were affected
much in their appearance when in juxtaposition to one
another, and they made use of this detail to emphasize or
detract from the strength of some particular hue.
ASSYRIAN ORNAMENT.
63. Development. Although the early architecture of
Western Asia is of little importance so far as its direct
influence on the styles of later periods is concerned, it must
be given a certain amount of consideration in order that the
development and growth of certain subsequent forms may
be properly understood under the different conditions.
64. The ornament of Assyria was probably borrowed
from Egypt, as there are many points of resemblance in the
two styles. The sculpture of the Assyrians seems to have
been a development of that of the Egyptians, but descended
from it rather than advanced in scale of perfection. Egyp-
tian sculpture degenerated toward the end of the fourth
century B. C. , as it expressed an unnatural swelling of the
limbs that was at first but lightly indicated and gradually
became almost exaggerated the conventional having been
abandoned for an imperfect attempt at the natural. In
Assyrian sculpture, the attempt was carried still further,
and, while the general arrangement of a subject and the pose
of a single figure was still conventional, an attempt was
made to express the muscles of the limbs and the rotundity
of the flesh to an extent that destroyed all conventionalism.
In all art, this is a symptom of decline. Nature should be
idealized, not copied.
43 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
65. Assyrian ornament is not based altogether on the
same types as the Egyptian, but is represented in the same
way. In both styles, the ornaments appear in relief, as well
as painted, in the nature of hieroglyphic diagrams. With
the exception of the pineapple, and the adaptation of the
Egyptian lotus, Assyrian ornament does not seem to be based
on any natural type, and the natural laws of radiation and
FIG. 39.
tangential curvature that we find in Egyptian ornament are,
in the Assyrian, observed more as a traditional or borrowed
idea rather than an instinct of the people themselves.
Fig. 39 shows an example of Assyrian sculpture supposed to
illustrate a scene where the king on horseback is hunting,
attended by his servants and arrow bearer. The pose of the
figure and the character of the work is strongly suggestive
of Egyptian origin, but the attempt to express in stone the
muscular roundness of the limbs and other parts is indicative
of a decline in art.
66. The Assyrian religion differed widely from that of
the Egyptians, and, though their combinations of forms
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
49
resembled, somewhat, certain of the Egyptian deities, the
style in which they sculptured them was below the standard
of art and practice in Egypt.
Fig. 40 is an example of this work representing the winged
deity Asshur, in which may be seen the excessive effort to
FIG. 40.
represent the rotundity of muscular developments. The
attempt to represent the muscular characteristics of this
figure is exceedingly inartistic, and, though the attempt to
present an appearance of power and strength is well carried
out, it is done with much less delicacy and refinement than
we would expect if the work were an example of Egyptian
art. Asshur was the supreme deity in the Assyrian group
of gods, and in the conception of his form there is much that
is suggestive of Egyptian origin. The hawk head and wings
50
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
are surely borrowed from Egypt, and the pose of the body
and limbs is strongly suggestive of Egyptian ideas. The
position of the hands seems to be repeated in nearly every
example of Assyrian ornament where the figure represents a
deity, and is similar to certain Egyptian productions of the
kind, except that the limbs are clumsy and the molding
possesses much less refinement.
67. In Fig. 41 is shown the Assyrian rendering of the
Egyptian lotus, and, in fact, this border, which comes from
FIG. 41.
FIG. 42.
Persepolisin Assyria, might easily be considered an attempt to
copy the example of Egyptian ornament shown in Fig. 28 (a).
Fig. 42 shows another example of lotus ornament from the
same city in Assyria, wherein the detail is almost identi-
cal with Fig. 41, but the lotus bud between the two blos-
soms is replaced by a device repre-
senting the pineapple a fruit that
was sacred in Assyrian art. The close
resemblance of these forms to those
seen in Egypt is almost indisputable
evidence that they
were derived from
the latter country,
and the rosette form
shown in Fig. 43,
while it appears fre-
quently in borders
of Assyrian orna-
ment, must undoubtedly have been developed or adapted
from the Egyptian device shown in Fig. 25 (d). A still
Fir,. 13.
FIG. 44.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
51
cruder adaptation of the Egyptian lotus to carved ornament
in Assyrian work is seen in Fig. 44, wherein the surface of
the petals is simply indented in a harsh, crude manner,
and the outline is carved into seven pointed terminations
of the leaves. The use of this ornament in borders, in
combination with another crude ornament, is shown in
Fig. 45, wherein the outline of the lotus-derived figure
shows a little more refinement, as its lines are more grace-
fully curved, but where the connecting lines between it
FIG. 45.
and the interposed device are arcs of a circle, making
the entire composition crude and inartistic. The circu-
lar forms with the three-leaved blossom on top may be
representative of pomegranates, the designs of which were
used largely in Assyrian decoration. However, it is of little
importance in itself what types were used in this art. The
lotus and rosette were undoubtedly borrowed from Egypt;
the latter, both as shown in Fig. 43 and modified in
Fig. 45, are easily traceable to designs seen on the banks
of the Nile.
68. These few ornaments will suffice to trace the
art of Egypt into Asia Minor and show in subsequent
styles how their altered introduction into European coun-
tries was able to harmonize with the style already
existing.
52 HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
CLASSIC ORNAMENT.
GREEK ORNAMENT.
69. Greece and Egypt Compared. Before entering
on the study of the characteristics of Greek ornament, let us
for a moment compare the conditions and surroundings of
Greece with those of Egypt. Although modern Egypt
covers a considerable extent of country, ancient Egypt
included only the section that bordered on the Nile. In fact,
as we have already suggested, it may be considered simply
as the country that was watered by the annual inundations of
the Nile. The climate here was mild, there being but two
seasons spring and summer and there was very little
variety in the daily life of the inhabitants, except what may
have been experienced in the celebration of some national or
religious festival.
70. Greece, on the contrary, presents entirely different
conditions. It is on the sea, and throughout its long broken
shores, the tide ebbs and flows and penetrates far inland
through the long clefts in its coast. Greece has many moun-
tains, too, and this affected her climate inasmuch as they
served as watersheds, carrying the rains down and fertilizing
the valleys. The country, however, is far enough south to
receive a tropical sun, and, although its climate ranges from
severe -cold in winter to a fierce heat in summer, the majority
of the time its temperature is warm and comfortable.
71. Character of the Greeks. The people of Greece
were brave, active, and athletic ; their Olympian games were
world renowned. Their bodily culture was extremely fine,
but did not compare with their intellect, which was more
developed than that of any other nation. The Greek lan-
guage is rare and complete in structure, and Greek literature
is unsurpassed. The Greek religion was polytheistic, but
the Greeks did not devote as much attention to the worship
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 53
of their gods as did the Egyptians. True, they erected vast
temples and costly monuments to Athena, Apollo, Zeus,
Erectheus, and other deities, and these temples, exquisite
in form, proportion, simplicity, and perfect harmony, are
examples of the finest architecture that the world has ever
seen. Notwithstanding this mark of reverence to their gods,
the Greeks did not embody into every branch of their art
some detail or reminder of their religious duties and inclina-
tions as did the artists of Egypt. The form of the Greek's
worship was, in some respects, almost as complicated as that
of the Egyptian, but his intellect seemed to be more
advanced and he was bound less by a superstitious interest
in the future condition of his soul, and his fancies naturally
sought ideas that in themselves were beautiful to think of
and to look at, rather than suggestive of gloom and forebo-
dings concerning an uncertain future existence.
The development of Greek art then takes place along an
entirely different line from that of Egypt, and though it goes
as directly and intelligently to a point of climax, the result-
ing forms are totally different in their character, meaning,
and influence on subsequent styles.
72. We have seen how the Egyptian artists derived
their ideas for ornamental design directly from nature, that
their types were few, and that they remained unchanged
throughout the entire course of Egyptian civilization, except
in the degree of perfection of execution; and, in this detail,
the greatest perfection existed in the most antique examples.
We have studied that the Assyrian was a borrowed style
and possessed no characteristics of an inspired art, but
appeared to have been suggested by the art of Egypt, and
that the suggestions borrowed from the Egyptian style were
during its decline, and the Assyrian artist, instead of advan-
cing on the style, carried that decline still further. With
Greek art, however, we find a vast difference. It was
undoubtedly borrowed from both Egypt and Assyria, but
was developed in an entirely new direction, and, imre-
stricted by any complicated religious laws, as both Egyptian
54 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
and Assyrian art seem to have been, the Greek adoption
rose rapidly to a high degree of perfection. Though the
influence of Egyptian and Assyrian art can be traced in
many details of Greek designs, those influences are entirely
subordinated to the Greek feeling applied in their introduc-
tion. Neither the art of Egypt or Assyria can be considered
to play an important part in the styles of subsequent gener-
ations, but the art of Greece pervades all subsequent history.
73. It must be considered, in the study of the Greek
styles, that the remarkable development was due to their
introduction into Greece at a critical period of the art devel-
opment of that country. Greek art carried the perfection
of pure form to a point that has never since been reached,
and the abundant remains of Greek ornament compel us to
believe that refined taste was universal, and that the country
was overflowing with skilled hands and minds so trained as
to enable them to execute these beautiful ornaments with
unerring precision and truth.
The beauty of Greek ornament, however, lies almost
exclusively in its symmetry and form. It is lacking in one
of the greatest charms that should always accompany orna-
ment, viz. , symbolism ; and, despite the pleasure we experi-
ence in its beautiful gradations of form and color, Greek
ornament is meaningless, purely decorative, never repre-
sentative, and in few cases it is, in the stricter sense, hardly
even constructive.
74. Architecture. In the architecture, the various
members of a Greek monument presented exquisitely
designed surfaces to receive ornament, which at first was
simply painted and in later times carved and painted, but
the ornament formed no such essential part of the construc-
tion as did that of the Egyptians. It could often be
removed and the structure remain unchanged.
On the Corinthian capital (Fig. 50), the ornament is
applied to the surface and is hardly constructed as a part
of the capital itself. Remove the scrolls and foliated
56 HISTORIC ORNAMENT, 3
ornament and there still remains sufficient substance and
material for the pier to carry out its purpose. On the Egyp-
tian capital, however, Fig. 16, the whole capital is an orna-
ment, and to remove any portion of it would be to destroy both
the ornament and structural purpose of the column itself.
75. Sculpture. In addition to the skill of the Greek
artist as a designer, his unerring truth in the use of his
chisel renders the work of the earlier periods remarkably
interesting to us, but the monumental sculpture of the
Greeks frequently went beyond the bounds of ornament.
For instance, in the frieze of the Parthenon, Fig. 46, though
composed of a series of groups of draped figures, the orna-
ment was so far above the eye that it became a mere diagram
an ornamental band around the top of the building, the
beauties of which are simply astonishing when observed
more closely. Every detail of each of the panels was as
minutely wrought as though it were to receive the closest
inspection. The folds of the garments and the molding of
the limbs, even on the side away from the eye, that could
never be seen unless the panel was removed from the monu-
ment itself, are as carefully modeled as those most prom-
inently in sight.
Conscientious as this treatment may appear to be, sys-
tematic and honest as is the execution of a design that was
dedicated to one of their gods, we are bound to consider
this an abuse of means as a work of art design, and that the
Greeks were, in this respect, inferior to the Egyptians,
whose system of broad conventionalized ornament for mon-
umental sculpture served its purpose to better effect.
76. Representative Types. The examples of Greek
representative ornament are few. In the earlier wall paint-
ing, there is a wavy ornament a fret, somewhat similar to
the Egyptian, used to distinguish water from land and a
few conventional renderings of trees, but nothing of impor-
tance was done in this line in the later history of Greek art.
In the decorative ornament of the Greek vases, however,
there is abundant material to assure us that we have examples
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 57
of every type of Greek ornament in all its phases. The
types are few, but, in their conventional rendering, are so
far removed that it is difficult to recognize any attempt at
imitation. An examination of the wall paintings and vases
leads to the belief that the forms
of the leaves of the Greek flowers A ^
are due more to the limitations of
brush work than to any direct imita- F i
tion of the natural flower. I I
The six forms shown in Fig. 47 FIG 47
constitute about all the leaf strokes
that are found throughout Greek ornament, but these six
forms were applied to a variety of purposes, the extent of
which is almost past belief.
77. The Three Great Laws of Nature. That the
Greek artists carefully observed the principle on which cer-
tain plants grew, and carried that principle out conscien-
tiously in the execution of their designs, cannot be doubted.
They were close observers of nature, and although they did
not copy or attempt to imitate or make true portraits of any
natural forms, they never violated a natural principle. The
three great laws of nature radiation from the parent stem,
the proportionate distribution of areas, and the tangential
curvature of the lines are always obeyed; and it is the
unerring perfection with which they are carried out in the
most humble works, as well as those of the greatest impor-
tance, that fills us with astonishment at the conscientious
scruples of the Greek artist.
Before we analyze examples of Greek ornament, we must
first consider the architecture. The Greek, like the Egyp-
tian, spanned his architectural opening with a lintel, and
though the width of the opening was, like that of the Egyp-
tian, governed by the length of the lintel that could be con-
veniently quarried, the Greek's knowledge of statics and
his highly intellectual mind rendered him more inclined to
develop artistic proportions, between the support and the
material supported, than is found in any Egyptian work.
58
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
3
78. Orders of Design. As before stated, the capitals
of the Egyptian columns were of but three styles the lotus
bud, the lotus blossom, and the palm. These were varied
more or less in different locali-
ties, but all being the devel-
opment of a single principle,
can hardly be called different
orders of design from one
another. In the Greek, how-
ever, we have three distinct
orders, or systems, of design,
the distinguishing character-
istic of each being the capital
of the column ; these orders
are the Doric, whose column is topped with a capital con-
sisting of a simple slab over a thumb-shaped molding, as
shown in Figs. 46 and 48; the Ionic, whose capital consists
of a pair of scrolls,
or volutes, supported
upon a thumb mold-
ing similar to a dimin-
ished form of the Doric,
as shown in Fig. 49 ;
and the Corinthian
order, Fig. 50, whose
capital has been before
referred to. In the
last named, the top of
the column is swelled
out into a bell shape,
not unlike the palm
column of Egypt, but is
decorated with leaves
and vines and scrolls,
and other forms based
on types from the
vegetable world. The volute, or scroll, of the Ionic capital
some authorities endeavor to trace back to the lotus blossom;
/
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
50
other authorities claim that its origin is in Assyria or Persia,
certain forms of column there being treated with the scroll.
However, it matters little whence came the idea, inasmuch
FIG. 50.
as it is so elaborated as to bear scarcely any resemblance
to its original type. The bottom, or foot, of each of these
columns differs somewhat from the Egyptian type also.
79. Bases. It will be remembered that the Egyptian
column was usually roimded off so that it was smaller at the
bottom, and painted or carved, representative of the root of
a growing plant. The Doric column sits flat on the ground
60 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
or plinth without any molded base whatsoever, and its sides
are cut in channels, or grooves, each pair of which meet in
an edge, or arris, that extends all the way to the capital.
These may have been derived from the reedings of the
Egyptian columns, imitative of the reeds of the growing
plant. In fact, it has been practically conceded by nearly
all authorities that the Doric column is a development of
a certain form of Egyptian column; but, as said before,
though the Greeks borrowed ideas from the Egyptians, they
carried them to a higher state of perfection, and in nothing
is this more evident than in the columnar elements of their
architecture.
The bases of the Ionic and Corinthian columns are regu-
larly molded, and though it is difficult to trace any direct
origin to the system of moldings that appear so uniformly
on these bases, it is simply necessary to bear in mind the
fact that, in the three orders of Greece, two of the columns
possess bases, and one of them the Doric is without that
detail. The mathematical proportions of these orders we
will consider later, when we can compare them with their
Roman modifications.
80. Classic Moldings. In Greek architecture all of
the moldings are profiled on the curve of some conic section.
Before analyzing the outlines of these Greek moldings and
the methods of contouring them, let us first give our atten-
tion to the conic sections from which they seem to have been
derived.
81. In Fig. 51 are shown two similar cones a be and
adc, which are in contact with each other at their vertexes
a, and whose bases b c and de are circular and at right angles
to the axes af and af. If either of the cones be intersected
or cut by a plane, which is parallel to one of its elements or
sides, as be, the line of intersection will be a. parabola, as at
ghi\ but, if, instead of being parallel to the side be, the
cutting plane makes an angle with it, the curve formed by
the intersection will be either an ellipse or a hyperbola,
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
61
according to the angle. It will be an ellipse when the cut-
ting plane is more nearly parallel with the base of the cone
than it was in the case of the parabola, and passes through
both sides asat/; and the line of intersection will be a
hyperbola when the cutting
plane is more nearly perpen-
dicular to the base than it was
in the case of the parabola, as
shown at / m n and op q.
82. In the case of the
hyperbola, the plane will
always cut both cones, thereby
giving two branches to the
curve, and these branches will
be farther apart as the cutting
plane recedes from the axes of
the cones. The nearer the
plane approaches the axes of
the cones, the straighter will
become the sides of the inter-
secting curve, and as the plane
recedes from the axes, the rounder and nearer circular will
be the intersection, though no matter how closely the curve
of intersection may approach the arc of a circle, it can never
become absolutely circular in form.
The hyperbola becomes two intersecting straight lines
when the plane passes through the vertex; these two lines
are most divergent when the plane is parallel with the axes
of the cones, and gradually become closer together as the
plane approaches a position parallel with the side of the
cone, where the hyperbola reaches its limit in a straight line.
This straight line is the common limit of both hyperbola and
parabola, as any deviation from it will produce one or the other
of these curves, according to the direction of that deviation.
83. As the plane of the ellipse becomes more nearly
parallel to the base of the cone, the ellipse approaches the
FIG. 51.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
form of a circle, which it finally becomes, when the axis of
the cone and the cutting plane are perpendicular to each
other, as at r st, and as the plane of the ellipse approaches
the vertex of the cone the ellipse diminishes in size until it
reaches its limit in a point. From a point to a circle, then,
is the limit of curvature of the ellipse.
84. In Geometrical Drawing, methods are given in
examples '23 and 25 for drawing an ellipse and a parabola of
any desired proportions, and it is only necessary to add here
the method of contouring the hyperbola.
To draw a hyperbola of a given width and height, the axis
a /', Fig. 52, is laid down perpendicular to the width c d, in
the same manner as for the parabola, and the rectangle cdfe
is constructed with cd equal to the base of the hyperbola,
and the height ce equal to the
axis a b. Divide one half the
base and also each side into any
number of equal parts, and con-
nect the points of division on the
sides with the vertex a by means
of the lines a 1, a 2, a 3, etc. The
points of division on the base are
connected by lines to some point x
on the line of the axis a b extended ;
the points of intersection of these
two series of lines will determine
points on the hyperbolic curve,
taking the lines in the order as
they recede from point c; x can
be at any distance above a, and
the curved lines ac and ad will
approach more nearly the curves
of the parabola as the point x becomes more remote. On
the other hand, the nearer the point x is to the vertex ,
the more a c and a d will approximate to a straight line,
and when points x and a coincide, the line ac will be a
straight line.
12345
FIG. 52.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
85. To draw a tangent to any point of the hyperbola,
first draw a line from the desired point g perpendicular to
the axis a b, and on the extended axis ax, describe the semi-
circle akx, with a radius la equal to \ ax\ then, with a
radius equal to \ Ih, describe the semicircle / k It intersecting
akx at k\ draw ki per-
pendicular to a x, and __f I 1 A '
connect ig\ then igm will
be the tangent required.
80. There are, gener-
ally speaking, eight mold-
ings used to separate
different members and
surfacesfrom one another,
and these eight are shown
in Fig. 53. The fillet A
is simply a square-edged
band used to separate
individual members of a
group of moldings. The
cyma recta B is more
commonly known as a
crown molding, as it is
used in the uppermost
portions of a composition ;
at C is the cyma revcrsa,
the contour of which is
the direct opposite of /?;
at D is the cavetto, or hol-
low molding ; at R is the
echinus, or egg - shaped
molding , at F is the bead,
a small molding similar in use to the fillet, but with a
round, instead of rectangular, section. At G is the scotia,
the contour of which is practically the reverse of the echinus;
and at // is the torus molding, used almost exclusively
around the bases of the columns, as shown in Figs. 4!> and 50,
Fu;. 53.
64
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
wherein the bases of the Ionic and Corinthian columns each
consist of two torus moldings, separated by a scotia and
fillets. In Fig. 48, the principal molding at -the top of the
Doric column, it will be observed, is the echinus. The
application of the other moldings will be discussed as exam-
ples of them occur.
87. Doric Order. As seen in the illustration of the
Parthenon, Fig. 4G, there is little carved ornament in the
Doric order, except such as appears in the sculpture of
figures and animals, and, though in the Ionic order there are
a few examples of relief ornament, it is in the Corinthian
order we find the greatest relief and broadest demonstration
of surface work.
88. Ionic Order. In Fig. 54 is shown a frieze from
the principal Ionic temple in Athens, the Erechtheum, the
style of which is typ-
ical of this class of relief
ornament throughout
Greek design. It is
plainly a development,
in relief, of the brush
forms shown in Fig. 47 ;
and the addition of
scrolls at the bottom,
and leaves, from which
the forms appear to
spring, is due to a conventionalization of the acanthus leaf,
which first makes its appearance in art through its introduc-
tion into Greek architecture.
89. Corinthian Order. In Fig. 55, however, is shown
a section of ornament from the choragic monument of Lysic-
rates at Athens. This is the principal structure of Greek
origin designed in the Corinthian order. Fig. 55 is an orna-
ment from the top of the above monument, and shows not
only the elaboration of ornament characteristic of this order,
but also a principle of ornamental design that is of the
FIG. 54.
3
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
65
utmost importance in its relation to the lack of invention of
new forms and the restraining influences of certain art
periods. It will be observed here that the various parts of
FIG. 55.
the acanthus scroll grow out of one another in a continuous
line. This is a principle of design that originated with the
Greeks, and was continued by the Romans, after which, as
we shall see, it was abandoned, and the abandonment of this
simple principle was sufficient to gen-
erate an entirely new order of forms
and ideas.
In Fig. 56 is shown a form of
the acanthus leaf taken from the
Tower of the Winds at Athens. It
is purely conventional in form, pos-
sessing a broad, bold treatment, nec-
essary for its execution in stone, and
following closely the principles of the
growing plant, as do all other developments in Greek
ornament.
Gi; HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
These few examples of Greek constructive ornament
are most important just now, as they contain the principles
from which certain later forms were developed, though they
are of no great importance in subsequent history, except so
far as they were developed and extended by the more
voluptuous though degraded art of Rome.
DO. Surface Ornament. Of the surface ornament,
purely decorative in character, we have a great variety in
Greece, though all of it is based on a few simple types, and
restricted almost entirely to variations of the brush forms
shown in Fig. 47. The first exceptions to this, however, are
the fret forms used extensively both in the architecture and
(a)
FIG. 57.
ceramics, of which Fig. 57 (a) and (/>) are typical examples.
The meandering line of Fig. 57 (a] is continuous and forms
the entire pattern, while in (b] the pattern is composed of
two lines that are carried through the fret parallel, to its
center, where they cross each other and retrace their steps
out of the labyrinth.
i)J . In Fig. ,").s is a portion of a repeating 1 border consist-
ing of a number of brush strokes in the form of zpalmette or
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
67
anthemion, and then enclosed in a single stroke, by which it
is joined to a repetition of the same form. This is typical in
certain classes of Greek pottery, and is
usually executed in a reddish color on a
black ground.
92. Aiitliemion. The anthemion is
one of the most characteristic of Greek
forms. It exemplifies- most perfectly the
beauty of radiation, of tangential union,
and of the proportionate distribution of
areas. In Fig. 59 is shown at (a) an
ornamental form occasionally met with
in the earliest examples of Greek work,
whose identity can be readily traced
back to the lotus by comparison with
Fig. 15 (d). The Greek development of
this form into Fig. 59 (b) is not hard to
comprehend. The radiating leaves are
made larger and fewer. The calyx, from
which they spring, is diminished to a couple of conventional
scrolls, and a sweeping out-
line encloses the whole device.
The figure is sufficiently like
that in the design shown in
Fig. 58 to establish the origin
of the latter; and, in fact,
numerous cases of the appli-
cation of the anthemion or
palmette ornament, both in
sculptured and painted work, will be met throughout the
study of Greek art.
93. Greek "Lily. In Fig. GO is shown another pattern
where the palmette is formed of brush strokes in black upon
a reddish ground, with a form somewhat resembling the
Greek lily between each pair. The palmette form in this
figiire is rather more densely drawn than the anthemion in
FIG. 58.
08
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
Fig. 58, and is representative of the class of ornament usually
termed the Greek honeysuckle. The conventional form
between these anthemions just referred to the Greek
iflflfl
FIG. 60.
lily is traceable back to the old Egyptian lotus form, as
are many other Greek details.
Fig. 61 shows at (a) an outline form of the lotus seen in
many of the hieroglyphs. Variations of the form shown at
(b) are seen in both Egyptian and Greek work, while at (c)
(c)
is the brush-stroke device, usually distinguished under the
name of the Greek lily.
The foliated form between the palmettes in Fig. 60 is
undoubtedly an adaptation of the lily to fit around the brush
strokes of the intermediate figures, and the reaching of the
outward leaves back toward each other is suggestive of
the treatment of the lotus flower, both as used in Assyria,
Fig. 41, and in Egypt, Fig. 28 (a).
3
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
69
94. In Fig. 62 we have a rosette pattern, repeated at
intervals in reddish color on a black ground, that is almost
undoubtedly of Egyptian origin, as shown in Fig. 25,
although its development on a similar line of thought may
have been reached in Greek art. It is painted around the
necks and bases of many vases, however, and is used so
much in Greek ceramics that we associate it very largely with
that style of art.
95. Fig. 63, another pattern undoubtedly of Egyptian
origin, brings us to the consideration of the scroll in the
surface decoration of Greek work. This pattern must cer-
tainly have been borrowed from the symbol of the Nile seen
FIG. 63.
in the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and though there has been
little change in the idea, we find a refinement of its propor-
tion and lines, and an improvement in its details from an art,
standpoint, even though it has lost all its symbolic character.
96. Fig. 64 is another adaptation of an Egyptian idea, as
may be seen by referring to Fig. 26, wherein the scroll is
;o HISTORIC ORNAMENT. :>
repeated as growing out from a device of the same kind, and
a foliated form, slightly suggestive of the lotus, fills the
space between each pair. The rosette, similar to that shown
in Fig. 02, is also used as a termination of this scroll, and
this combination of the scroll growing out of the scroll and
terminating in a rosette or flower, is of vast importance in
Roman art, although on this simple vase border is the first
place we find it among the Greeks.
07. Guilloclie. In Fig. Go is shown an interlaced
ornament used almost entirely in carved work on the torus
moldings at the base of a column. It represents, supposedly,
the woven bands around the bottom of a shaft composed of
a bunch of reeds, and serves to bind them together. The
name of the ornament is a jyuilloohe, and different forms
of it, varying in complexity, are found throughout Greek
art.
98. Fig. 00 shows examples of raised or relieved orna-
ment, as seen in the details of the temple of Athena Polias,
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 66.
in the Erech'thcum at
Athens. The enrichment
on the cyma recta / is
thelotus-flower ornament,
and is carved in very low
relief; that is, cut so as
to be raised slightly above
the surface of the mold-
ing, and not sunk into it,
as was customary with the
Egyptians (see Fig. 20).
As we examine later
monuments of Greek
architecture, we find the
relief of the carvings
increasing, until, when we
reach the Greco- Roman
period, the stems and
stalks are in many
instances so under-cut as
to be almost clear of the
molding.
The waterleaf carving
on the cyma rcversa
occurs three times in this
entablature, and is of
varied form, according to
its location. Up under
the corona at a, where
the shadow is deep and
dark, the waterleaf is cut
broad and bold, but imme-
diately below the cyma
at b, and above the upper
facia at c, the lines of the
leaf are drawn longer and
narrower, so that the
moldings appear in more
72 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
delicacy of outline, where the full strength of the light
strikes it. The same thing may be said of the bead mold-
ings under the corona at d and under each of the two lower
cymae reverses at e and f. The one in the shadow of the
corona, as at d, is cut into long beads, while the one above
the corona, as at ^, is divided into much more minute
divisions; and the one on the top of the upper facia, as
at f, being in the strongest light of all, is turned into
forms where the bead is simply a tiny sphere between
two pairs of disks of the same diameter. The egg-and-
dart ornament of the ovolo occurs here above the corona
of the entablature at g and under the guilloche and volutes
of the capital, the only difference in these two examples being
that the One above the corona is carved upon a straight ovolo
extending along the top of the corona, while the other is
carved in the circular echinus surrounding the top of the
column. The honeysuckle ornament cut on the neck of the
column is in low relief, the same as that upon the crown
molding/. The guilloche immediately under the lines of
the volute is carved as a thin strap, loosely braided, around
the top of the column, and the same ornament is cut on the
upper torus of the base.
99. Polychromy is the term applied to the ornamenta-
tion of sculptured and architectural works by means of colors.
In ancient buildings these colors were made to cover both flat
surfaces and architectural details, while in statues or individ-
ual portions of the human figure and drapery, and in other
products of plastic art, separate features of a sculptured
ornament were colored in a manner characteristic of the
subject.
Egyptian polychromy, on columns, bases, capitals, entab-
latures, wall spaces, and, in fact, almost everything of an
architectural character, expressed itself in a series of highly
colored designs in low relief, consisting mostly of figures and
hieroglyphs, and often of purely decorative ornament.
In Greek architecture a complete system of color had been
developed at an early period, particularly as applied to Doric
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
73
JBJC 1*-4|^\^^^
[UjiMlMI@IU@I^Mi h
\ __- - --.-r
/L -r C 1 U '
L_
l ^J ^ u _J _i i_J u u
\
temples, upon numerous remains of which traces of this
coloring are distinguishable.
The principal use of color in architecture is to bring out
decoration. Surfaces may be relieved by a rich play of color
without actual relief,
and ideas may with
facility be expressed by
colors, when the object
they embellish calls for
the widest possible
range of imagination
and fancy. Still, color
has its own province,
and to a certain extent
its own series of forms,
and must therefore be treated in its
own manner. A harmonious inter-
play of colors, with correct propor-
tion in the distribution of each, is
characteristic of a fine work of art.
In truly artistic periods, color has
never been made use of to produce
artificial shadows or to bring out
artificial depths and reliefs; nor has
it in any way been employed as a
makeshift for -them.
1OO. Figs. 67 and 68 show a num-
ber of examples of Greek painted
ornament in which the fret and the
lotus and honeysuckle ornament are
both prominent. Red, yellow, blue,
and green were the principal colors
used by the Greeks in these decora-
tions, but they were so toned down and softened that the
glare and harshness of such brilliant colors were blended
into one delightful monotint as one viewed their struc-
tures from a distance. Fig. 67 is a portion of the capital.
FIG. or.
74 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
entablature, and pediment of the Greek Doric order, with
the characteristic polychromatic ornamentation. The fret-
work on the abacus at a was uBrally executed in a dark
red or black, while the groundwork was pale yellow or
orange. The egg-and-dart ornament on the echinus of the
capital b was generally printed in red on a dark-blue
ground. The triglyphs c were nearly always blue, and any
ornament e on them was executed in red. The metopes f
were generally red, and the sculptured figures with which
the metopes were ornamented were painted in tints that
represented the color and texture of their garments.
The fret drawn on the taenia, or fillet, g and those on the
corona and epitithidas, as at Ji and d, were usually executed
in gold, though occasionally in red. The regulae j were
blue with red drops, or guttae k, as were also the mutules /,
but the soffit of the corona
;;/, shown in Fig. 68, was
red. The small moldings
n forming the finish to
the corona were generally
painted in light colors,
siich as red and blue, with
spaces of white alternating
FIG. 08.
between. 1 he honeysuckle
or lotus ornament, usually found on the cyma recta or ovolo 0,
shown in Fig. 07, when either was the top molding of the
pediment, was carefully outlined in gold, and was always
drawn very lightly and delicately when used to embellish
this top member of the entablature.
1O1. In Fig. 69 we arrive at a more complicated pattern
of the honeysuckle ornament, taken from the temple of
Theseus at Athens. In this example, the palmette forms,
composed of nine brush strokes, were executed in green,
and the scrolls and connecting fine lines between members
of the pattern were worked in gold. The intermediate
blossom between the palmettes, or conventionalized floral
form, was in red, and the whole executed on a creamy
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 75
ground. The effect was naturally very brilliant, the red
and green colors standing out very sharply on the creamy
ground, and contrasting beautifully with each other.
FIG. CO.
In their colored ornament, the Greeks appreciated the
strengthening effect of placing one color beside another, and
in much of their work made use of this combination of red
and green on account of its superiority of effect.
In Figs. 70 and 71 are two panels taken from the ceiling
of the Parthenon. While these at first seem somewhat sim-
FlO. 70.
ilar in appearance, and though both are plainly executed
with purely brush forms, a second examination will show
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
3
that they are entirely different as a whole, and unlike in
their detail, except the form of their individual strokes.
The lines of the pattern itself were executed in gold, that of
Fig. 70 being on a red ground with a blue border around it,
while the pattern in Fig. 71 was on a blue ground with a
red border. This difference of coloring emphasized not
only the difference in pattern of the two panels, but, at the
same time, clearly marked the dividing line between them.
102. In Fig. 72 is shown a frieze ornament wherein the
entire design is executed in the contrasting colors of red
and green on a ground of cream. The central stroke of the
honeysuckle ornament and of the figures on each side are
green, and each alternate
brush stroke from them is
green also, with intermediate
strokes of red. The genera-
ting line, which encloses the
honeysuckle ornament and
curves into the base of the
intermediate figure, is green,
but the triangular stroke at the base of the honeysuckle is red.
This design, like the two previous ones discussed, is depend-
ent entirely on the limitations of brush work for the char-
acter of its form, while the contrast of color in the different
strokes of its composition gives to the design the brilliancy
of effect in no way obtainable in a pattern executed in a
monotint.
103. Aiitefixre. Referring back to Fig. 46, it will be
observed that all along the edge of the roof are a number of
small vertical ornaments. These are anteflxse, and are so
placed to close the end of each row of tiles with which the
roof was covered. Though they were carved in marble,
and designed to fit the end of the tile, they were modeled
after the palmetto, whose characteristics were governed, as
is so much other Greek ornament, by the capabilities of the
brush stroke.
FIG. 72.
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 77
In Fig. 73 is shown one of these antefixae, the scrolls and
vertical strokes of which were green, and the space between
the two scrolls and each alternate stroke
above them were painted red.
1O4. Endless examples could be
recalled exhibiting one or more of the
numerous characteristics of Greek orna-
ment, but, like the Egyptians, their
types were few, and it is the repetition
of a single idea, or its combination with
not more than one other idea, that lends
FIG. 73.
what variety there is to Greek ornament.
There are one or two forms used in later art that undoubt-
edly had their origin on Greek soil, but they were developed
to so much greater extent in a later period that their details
will be considered in the later style.
ETRUSCAN ORNAMENT.
105. The Etruscans were a people inhabiting the middle
part of Italy from a period of most remote antiquity. It is
probable that they came originally from the same Asiatic
race as did the Greeks, and their occupation of Italy seems
to date from about the same period as the settlement of
Greece. Their language has never been translated, how-
ever, and we therefore have no written history to verify this
belief.
106. In the settlement of Rome, the Etruscans played
an important part. They were a highly artistic people, while
the early Roman was a warrior and had no art taste what-
ever. The Etruscans introduced the arch into the construc-
tions of public utility, and in that way it found a place in the
architecture of Rome. Besides their skill as builders, the
Etruscans were particularly deft in ceramics and goldsmith-
ery, and, though the character of their designs bears a strong
78 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
resemblance to those of Egypt and Greece, their style was
unique, and was developed on independent lines. In designs
and workings for jewelry, they were original and skilled, and
Etruscan jewelry was much sought even in artistic Greece.
Under their skilful hands, every conceivable object was
worked into the design. Flowers, fruits, figures, vases,
cornucopia, rose work, crescents, ellipsoidal balls, and chains
of all sorts and sizes found a place in their jewelry designs.
They used the emerald a great deal more than any other
of the precious stones, on account of a superstition that it
possessed medical qualities, but pearls, glass paste, cameos,
and intaglios were used also, and the variety and taste in
this line of ornament exceeded that of any other nation.
1O7. There are many objects of Etruscan design that
are still considered masterpieces of art ; and diadems, crowns,
necklaces, ear drops, bracelets, hairpins, and rings are still
designed on the lines originated by the Etruscan goldsmiths.
Scarabaei are very frequently introduced in these designs,
and are sometimes used as a link to unite two parts. In
fact, this device appears so frequently in their jewels, uten-
sils, sword hilts, etc. that it would appear probable that the
FIG. 74.
Etruscans worshiped this insect, or associated it with some
superstitious idea. The scarabaeus of the Etruscans differed
materially from that of the Egyptians, inasmuch as it was
usually carved of precious stone, or metal, whereas the Egyp-
tian device was most frequently painted, though many of
them were worked in metal and worn as rings and jewelry.
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 79
1O8. In Fig. 74 is shown a necklace, the centerpiece of
which consists of an elaborate piece of goldsmith's work, set
with precious stones, the central stone being a large emerald
carved in the form of a face. The connecting links of the
chain are designed in gold with intermittent precious stones.
This is characteristic of all Etruscan ornament, and only one
illustration is introduced here, as it is simply necessary to
consider Etruscan art briefly, in order to preserve the thread
of history, that we may better understand the influence of
these people on the art of Rome.
GRECO-ROMAN ORNAMENT.
109. Historical Relations. In the year 146 B. C.,
Greece was conquered by Rome, and the progress of pure
Greek art suddenly ceased. The invasion of Greece and her
colonies, by Roman workmen, caused the art, after this period,
to become more and more tainted with the unrefined taste
of the conquering nation. On the other hand, Greek artists
executed vast w'orks on Roman soil, and the subjected nation
became the leaders of fashion in matters of art.
The subtle refinement of the Greek, however, became lost
in the extravagant demands of Roman taste, and the result-
ing Roman art possessed none of the finer characteristics - of
the Greek style. Greek art was delicate, refined, and poetic
Roman art was voluptuous, vulgar, and extravagant.
Greek art was an expression of pure beauty Roman art was
an ostentatious display.
110. During the period of transition when Greek forms
were undergoing degradation at home, and conquering
Roman art abroad, the style assumed a peculiar form that
was neither Greek nor Roman. This style we will now con-
sider under the name of Greco-Roman, though in modern
times it is more often termed Pompclan from the fact that
we derive the bulk of our information concerning it from
the recently excavated city of Pompeii, which was destroyed
through an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 A. D.
80 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
111. After Greece came tinder Roman dominion, the
ever increasing' introduction of Greek art into the Roman
school caused the productions from Etruria to assume pecul-
iar characteristics, as the local works of art yielded entirely
to the influence of the conquered country. The ancient
Romans possessed nothing of their own worthy of the name
of art. In their earliest period, they borrowed ideas from
the Etruscan builders, and it is from them that the use of
the vault and arch are introduced for the first time in archi-
tecture. This introduction of a new architectural principle
naturally wrought a change in the character of the ornament,
and the workmen from Etruria, under the influence of, and
association with, the workmen from the Greek colonies,
naturally combined the art of Greece with the structural and
engineering devices of their native country. When the gen-
erals of the Roman army returned from conquered Greece
and brought back as plunder the objects of art that decorated
Greece and her temples, they converted Rome into a museum
of Greek antiquities, the presence of which changed and
directed the Roman taste.
11'-. Mural Painting. In decorative painting, par-
ticularly that applied to the walls of dwelling houses, the
Romans borrowed everything they could from Greece, and
Greek art became the ruling fashion of Rome. We know
little of the plan of the Greek residences, and nothing of
their decoration, but it is safe to assume that the decorations
of the houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum were patterned
after the decorations of the Greek dwellings seen by the
Roman generals in their campaign in that country. These
two cities were suburbs of Rome, and possessed much the
same character as a modern summer resort. The decora-
tions of the walls, ceilings, and pavements are totally differ-
ent from anything we find in Rome, and, at the same time,
show elements that must undoubtedly have originated in
Greece.
These wall paintings are not all of the same value, and a
number of them seem to have been executed by inferior
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 81
artists, but the beauty of others has led to the belief that
they were copies and repetitions of Greek work of great
celebrity.
113. Besides decorative painting at Pompeii, we find a
more or less imperfect polychromatic coloring in mosaic.
This branch of Roman art, therefore, became subjected to
serious modifications. The Romans already possessed a rudi-
mentary knowledge of mosaic work and they now received
examples of it from the hands of the Greeks, in a more
advanced state; but the inherent love of luxury in wealthy
Rome, and the general contempt for matters of expense,
caused the taste for mosaic work to increase and acquire
real progress.
The Romans, however, were not long perverting the nature
of the art that the Greeks had transmitted to them. The
exquisite taste possessed by the Greeks, and displayed in
their distribution of ornament, together with their advanced
imitative science, would have enabled them to have realized
charming conceptions in mosaic, and the Greeks would never
have attempted to place mosaic in competition with the high-
est prerogatives of painting.
114. The Greeks are supposed to have designed the
compartment of their own paved floors to represent such
ornaments as branches, scrolls, festoons, and interlacings,
and possibly passed onwards from these capricious forms
somewhat of the nature of arabesques to more significant
symbols and attributes, such as griffins, chimeras, tragic and
comic masks, signs of the zodiac, birds, fruits, etc. It may
even be inferred that the idea must have occurred to them
to inlay a scene in the center panel of some of their richer
pavements. At any rate, whatever the Greeks saw fit to
work in their mosaic, must certainly have been designed in
temperance, good taste, and with the highest artistic feeling.
1 15. It was characteristic of the Romans to carry every-
thing to excess; and, as the Romans admired mosaics, they
wished to have them everywhere.
S3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
They were no longer satisfied to floor their courts and
lower rooms with them, but inserted them in the sides of
their walls, in the soffits of their arches, and in their ceil-
ings. In fact, it is probable that they made more use of
them in the latter positions than in the floors, as they soon
became to be deemed of too great beauty and value to be
trampled under foot.
Now, with the introduction of mosaic pictures in the side
walls, ordinary pebbles, stones, natural or colored marbles,
paste, and terra cotta were unable to contend with the bril-
liancy of paintings, especially as the taste of painters seemed
to be impelled by a mad love of gaudy color and richness,
so they introduced red, purple, and azure pigments, and
metallic gold and silver to produce a deceptive glitter and
striking contrast. Mosaic consequently demanded fresh
resources, and various precious stones, such as agate, jasper,
carnelian, sardonyx, emerald, turquoise, and lapis lazuli, were
pressed into service, in order to produce the required effects.
Thus, Roman mosaic work became an ornamental untruth.
Its productions claimed to be portraits of various objects,
executed solely to please the eye, and of materials best
suited to the purpose; while, as a matter of fact, they were
incapable of portraying natural forms, and the materials
were more suitable for pavements than for side walls. The
idea was false, and even if the mosaic worker had had more
shades at his command, and the painter had had fewer colors,
the strife would certainly have been much in favor of the
latter. Mosaic could never rationally supersede painting.
1 1 6. Pompeian Ornament. The system of Pompeian
ornament was carried to the very limit of caprice, and almost
any theory of coloring and decoration could be supported by
authority from Pompeii. The general arrangement of the
decoration of the walls in the interior of a Pompeian house
consisted of a dado about one-sixth the height of the room,
on which stood broad pilasters half the width of the dado,
thus dividing the walls into three or more large panels. The
pilasters were united by a frieze at the top, varying in width,
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 83
but usually about one-fourth the height of the wall. The
space above the frieze was frequently left white, and always
subjected to most delicate treatment, representative of clear
sky or open air; and on the background were painted fan-
tastic architectural buildings that form a component part of
the character of the style. In the best examples there was
a gradation of color from the ceiling downwards, ending
usually with black in the dado ; but this is far from being a
fixed law.
117. The colors used were mostly yellow, green, red,
and black, and these were used almost indiscriminately for
the various parts. Black or blue was occasionally used for
the panels, but, as a rule, these colors were confined to the
dado. Pilasters of yellow or green seemed to be the more
popular tints, and red, green, and blue, with an occasional
example of black, predominated in the panels. The most
effective arrangement seems to have been a black dado with
red pilasters and frieze, and with yellow, blue, or white
panels, the upper part above the frieze being white with
colored decorations on it. The best arrangement of color
for ornament on the ground appears to have been masses of
green and blue, with sparing use of red and yellow on the
black grounds; white in thin lines and yellow in masses on
the blue grounds; and white and blue in thin lines on the
red grounds, with a limited use of yellow, as this color is
not very effective on red. The Pompeian yellow approaches
orange in hue, and the red is strongly tinged with blue.
The neutral character of the colors thus enabled them to be
used violently without discord.
118. The whole style of this system of decoration is so
capricious that it is beyond the range of true art, and strict
criticism cannot be applied to it. It generally pleased the
eye by its novelty, but, though it was not absolutely vulgar,
it oftentimes approached vulgarity, and owed its greatest
charm to the light, sketchy, freehand manner of its execu-
tion, which is quite impossible to render in any modern
drawing.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 2.)
CLASSIC OENAMEKT.
ROMAN ORNAMENT.
1. Comparison of Roman and Greek Art. --The real
greatness of the Romans seems to be expressed more in their
theaters, public baths, aqueducts, and other works of a
public character, rather than in the decoration of their tem-
ples. The latter were but the outward expression of a
religion they had acquired largely from the Greeks, and in
which they had little faith, and therefore showed a corre-
sponding want of earnestness in the art worship. In the
Greek temple, it is more than apparent that the great
struggle was to attain a perfection worthy of the gods. In
the Roman temple, the aim was self-glorification. From the
base of the column to the apex of the pediment, every part
of the structure was overloaded with ornament, tending more
to dazzle the eye by the quantity than to excite admiration
by the quality of the work. True, the Greek temples
when painted were as elaborately ornamented as those of
the Romans, but with a different effect. The ornament
was arranged so that it threw a colored bloom over the
4
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
whole structure, and in no way disturbed the exquisitely
designed surfaces that received it.
The Romans ceased to value general proportions and con-
tours, and destroyed them by elaborate surface modeling,
and extensive molded ornament. The chief fault of this
system of decoration lies in the fact that it does not seem to
grow naturally from the structure, but is applied directly to
the surface in the same way that was suggested in connec-
tion with the foliage on the Greek-Corinthian capital, only
in the present case it is exaggerated to a greater extent.
THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE.
THE GREEK ORDERS.
2. Classic Architecture. The orders heretofore re-
ferred to furnish us with a standard of proportion with which
we can measure all the classic monuments, and by which the
work of the Renaissance was, and much of the modern archi-
tecture is still, proportioned.
As we have already seen, the structures of the classic ages
were nearly all columnar either with lintels connecting the
tops of the columns, as the Greeks built, or with arches,
according to the Roman custom. Now, the architects of the
classic ages had reduced to an exact system the proportions
of lengths to thickness in columnar work, and down to the
present day we have been unable to improve on their pro-
portions. This system is universally known as the "Five
Orders of Architecture, " and it embraces every combination
of lines and masses seen in the classic monuments.
In it we find the fundamental principles of proportion,
and only by the most careful study of these principles
can we appreciate the importance of architecture as a
fine art.
\\. Architectural Meaning? of Order. In its archi-
tectural meaning, the term order refers to the system of
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
columniation practiced by the Greeks and Romans, and is
used to denote the column and entablature together that is
to say, the upright supporting piers, and the horizontal roof
beams or trabeation supported by them. These two divisions
constitute an order, and so far all orders are alike ; but the
form and proportions of the subdivisions of both the col-
umn and the entablature make it necessary to divide the
original Greek orders into three classes, and when these three
were adopted by the Romans, they again divided two of them,
making five in all. Hence, it has become customary, in
referring to the Five Orders of Architecture, to mean the
Roman forms. The three original orders of the Greeks are
the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, as explained before. Each
order is an assemblage of parts subject to uniform, estab-
lished proportions, and is regulated by the office each part
has to perform. This so called ' ' assemblage of parts " refers
to the base, shaft, capital, architrave, frieze, etc., while the
" uniform, established proportions " are the comparative sizes
of these parts to one another in the same order. " The
office each part has to perform " governs its size, shape, and
position, and thus completes the expression of character in
the order.
4. Greek-Doric Order. The general character of the
Greek- Doric order is expressive of grandeur, dignity, and
simplicity. Hence, we find it used almost exclusively in
temples dedicated to the most revered of the Greek deities,
such as the Parthenon, at Athens. This is the most ancient
of all the classic orders, and the proportions of its parts vary
considerably in the different periods of its history. However,
it reached the zenith of its perfection in the Parthenon, as
shown in Fig. 46 of Historic Ornament, 3, and it is from
the portico of that temple we take the example illustrated in
Fig. 1. It has already been observed that the Greek- Doric
column consisted only of the shaft B filling the space between
the stylobate A and the capital C. The latter is composed
merely of an echinus molding under an abacus, which is the
plain square slab upon which the architrave D rests. The
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
Greek-Doric order never possessed a base, but stood upon a
stylobatc A, which is the substructure or foundation usually
disposed in three steps or divisions that extend entirely around
the building, and by spreading the ground line of the structure,
FIG. 1.
give a proper feeling of solidity and support. In the outline
of the column, we first observe contraction and then expan-
sion ; the former where the echinus converges to the neck of
the column, and the latter where the column swells out to
form a firm and substantial support at the bottom, which is
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
larger than the top. With few exceptions, the column of
the Greek-Doric order is fluted ; that is, its surface is
grooved perpendicularly by a series of concave channels that
touch each other and form a series of ridges, or arrises, upon
its surface a mode of decoration that is the direct opposite
of that practiced by the Egyptians, some of whose columns
exhibit, not channels, but a series of convex ridges, like a
bunch of reeds or stems bound together. In the Doric order,
the number of channels is either sixteen or twenty, though
in the other orders there are usually twenty-four. The
number varies, but it is invariably divisible by 4.
Doric flutings are much broader and shallower than those
of the Ionic or Corinthian orders broader for two reasons,
first, because they are fewer in number, and therefore
divide the circumference into larger parts; and, second,
because there are no separating fillets between them. The
shallowness of the Doric flutes is due to the fact that the
arrises, or edges where the flutes come together, would be
thin and liable to breakage if the flutes were deeply cut.
This manner of fluting Doric columns, leaving arrises
between the grooves instead of fillets, has been retained in
modern practice as one of the characteristics of the order.
In the Greek-Doric, every detail is marked by its breadth or
flatness, or by its sharpness. There are no curved moldings
or surfaces except the cpititJiidas (a term given to the upper-
most member of the corona) and the echinus, the latter
being almost flat on its under side and finished with a sharp
turn against the abacus. The breadth and shallowness of
the channels, and the flat curves in which they are formed,
are therefore in perfect keeping with the style, as are also
the sharp arrises between the flutings, which are expres-
sive of a severe simplicity. The horizontal rings, or annu-
lets mere grooves cut around the neck of the column
to form lines of separation between the capital and the
shaft are again expressive of the most extreme simplicity,
and are in direct contrast to the projecting astragal, or
convex molding, of the Doric capital as modified by the
Romans.
6 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
The echinus is a simple convex molding, and, from its
shape, is often called a thumb molding. Its form is sug-
gestive of strength, as it expands to connect the dimin-
ished upper end of the column with the overhanging
abacus.
5. Doric Entablature. The entablature of the Doric
order is, like the column, the embodiment of dignity and
simplicity. Its lowest division, the architrave D, is a plain
beam, whose height, including the taenia, or fillet, is a trifle
less than the upper diameter of the column. The middle
division, or frieze E, constitutes a very characteristic feature
of the Doric order, being invariably ornamented with its
triglyphs and metopes. The former of these consists of
upright blocks about one-half the width of the mean diam-
eter of the column, having their faces grooved with two
V-shaped channels, and their edges chamfered off with
two half channels, thus making three channels altogether,
from which the ornament derives its name of triglyph,
or three-channeled, A portion of the triglyph, called
the fillet, extends below the taenia of the architrave, and
depending from it are six drops, or guttae, which repre-
sent the heads of treenails or pins used in the early wood
construction.
In regard to the arrangement of the triglyphs, one was
placed over every column, and one or more over the space
between each pair of columns, but always so spaced that the
metopes, or spaces between the triglyphs, should be exactly
square; in other words, the height of the_ triglyph was
always equal to the distance between them. In the best
Greek work, there was only one triglyph between each pair
of columns, and this arrangement is usually called monotri-
glypliic, or single-triglyphed intercolumniation. A peculi-
arity of the Greek-Doric frieze was that the end triglyphs,
instead of being, like the others, in the same axis, or cen-
tral line, as the columns beneath, were placed quite up
to the edge or outer angle of the frieze. This is accom-
plished by making the extreme intercolumniation less by
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
one-half a triglyph than the intermediate ones, thereby
imparting an expression of strength to the angles of the
building.
The triglyphs are thus seen to govern the spacing of the
columns, and as the
spacing or intercol-
umniation governs
the diameter, and
the diameter gov-
erns the height, etc. ,
we see that nearly
all the proportions
of a Doric temple
can be traced from
the size of its tri-
glyph. There is one
exception to this,
however, and that
is the little choragic
monument of Thra-
syfius, on the south
slope of the Acrop-
olis, at Athens. This
monument has no
triglyphs, but a
series of wreaths
ornament the frieze in their stead. The guttae are never-
theless retained, but, instead of being grouped at intervals,
they are continued across the lower side of the taenia unin-
terruptedly, as shown in Fig. 2.
6. The Cornice. The third and last division of the
Doric entablature, the cornice F, though extremely simple,
is strongly characteristic and boldly marked. It is in height
about two-thirds the height of the frieze, and it is divided
into three principal parts, the corona^ with the mutulcs
beneath it, and the echinus above it. The mutules are thin
plates or tablets worked on the soffit, or under side, of the
!
*
1
u
o o
o o
is
I)
j
';_ '." ' ' ""
*"" tr "-r.^
BBS
, -! ^
r 7
M^K
FIG. 2.
8 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
corona, directly over each triglyph and each metope. With
the former, they correspond in width, and their soffits, or
under surfaces, are set with a rake, or slant, which makes
them parallel with the line of the pediment. They repre-
sent the under side of the wood roof beams that extended
over the eaves in the earlier construction. Three rows of
gutt.
14
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 8.
11. The Greek-
Corinthian Order.
The Corinthian order
is the lightest and most
delicate of the three,
but it is almost impos-
sible to determine for
what class of builders
the Greeks considered
it best adapted, as there
is but one perfect
example left for us to
judge at the present
day, and that is the
choragic monument of
Lysicrates, at Athens,
shown in Fig. 8. Like
the Ionic, the prin-
cipal characteristic of
the Corinthian order is
its capital tall, bell-
shaped, and richly foli-
ated, as shown at C,
Fig. 9. As was said
with regard to the
entablature of the Ionic
order, the capital of the
Corinthian column is
higher in proportion to
the diameter of the
column than is either
the Ionic or the Doric;
but, as the shaft is
longer and more slen-
der than either of
the others, it is able
to carry a higher
capital.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
15
12. The Corinthian capital has two rows of leaves,
eight in the upper row, and sixteen in the lower row, so dis-
FiG. 9.
posed that, of the taller ones, composing the upper row, one
conies in the center, beneath each face of the abacus, and
the lower leaves alternate with the upper ones, coming both
Hi HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
between and under the stems of the latter, so that in the
first, or lower, tier of leaves there is, in the middle of each
face, a leaf between each two leaves of the upper row, and
also a leaf under the stem of the central leaf above them.
Above these two rows is a third series of eight leaves, turned
so as to support the small volutes, which in turn support the
angles of the abacus. Besides these outer volutes, which
are invariably turned diagonally, as in the four-faced Ionic
capital, there are on each face of the capital two other
smaller ones, termed caulicnli, which meet each other
beneath a flower on the face of the abacus.
The abacus itself is different in shape from that of either of
the other two orders. In the Doric, it is, as we have seen,
merely a thick slab resting on the echinus beneath it, and
left absolutely plain ; in the Ionic, also, it is square, but the
sides are molded and sometimes carved, while the Corinthian
abacus is, strictly speaking, not even square, except in
general form. True, it has four equal sides, but instead of
being straight, they are deeply concave in plan, and the
acute point that would be formed by the meeting of these
concave sides is usually cut off straight, thus making the
abacus an eight-sided figure, four of whose sides are short
and straight, while the other four are long and curved.
13. The base A of the Greek-Corinthian column is of
the Attic type, almost the same as that of the Ionic order;
and the shaft /?, like the Ionic also, has twenty-four flutes
separated by fillets, but these flutes and fillets terminate at
the top very differently from the way they do in the Ionic.
Here we have a row of leaf-like ends curling out from the
column, with the fillets forming their central ribs. The
edges of these leaves intersect in an angle, and this angle
gradually flattens out until it disappears entirely in the
surface of the flute. Above these leaf-like ends, and below
the lower row of leaves in the capital, is a groove, cut
entirely around the column, to emphasize the starting
point of the capital, and which is said to have originally
served as a receptacle for a braided band of bronze laurel
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 17
leaves, contrasting beautifully with the white marble of the
monument.
The entablature is very similar to that of the Ionic order,
with the exception of the cornice, which is larger and some-
what richer than the uppermost member of the order from
the Erechtheum. The architrave is divided into three facias,
as in the previous order, but their surfaces are not perpen-
dicular. On the contrary, the faces are battered back so
that the three arrises, or edges, are perpendicular over one
another, and the offsets are formed by the batter. The
molding at the top of the architrave is a simple cyma reversa,
resting on a bead and surmounted by a rather heavy fillet.
The frieze is shown here with the carved figures in relief, as
it appears in the original monument, although, as said before,
this carving does not form a component part of the order itself.
Above this frieze is a small torus and an ovolo supporting the
dentil course. These dentils are small rectangular blocks,
spaced about two-thirds their width apart, and, in all proba-
bility, are the stone representations of projecting ceiling joists,
which existed in an early system of wooden construction.
Above this dentil course is a cyma recta, supporting a
cyma-reversa bed molding under the corona. The corona
projects more in the Corinthian than it does in the Ionic
order; and the crowning member, instead of being a cyma,
as in the previous order, consists of a series of antefixce sup-
ported upon a serrated band, which is separated from the
corona by a small echinus.
This completes the general description of the Greek
orders, a description that has been here given somewhat in
detail, in order that the student may fully comprehend the
liberties that were taken with these orders when the Romans
converted them to their own uses.
THE ROMAN ORDERS.
14. The Five Orders of Architecture, according to the
Italian architect and writer, Vijjnola, \yill now be analyzed
and described, and the attention of the student is called
18
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
J
FIG. 10.
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 19
particularly to the unrefining influence of the Romans
expressed in their interpretation of the Greek art forms.
The Romans were not an imaginative race, and had few
original ideas in architecture. Their early works were
copied from the Etruscans, and their later efforts were bor-
rowed from the Greeks. In nothing is this fact more evident
than in the first of the five Roman orders, namely, the Tus-
can, Fig. 10.
15. The Tuscan order is but a modified form of the
Greek- Doric, or, perhaps, more strictly speaking, it is an
undeveloped form of the Roman-Doric. It takes its name
from the Etruscan people, who are supposed to be its orig-
inators, though it is not improbable that the Etruscans
received their ideas from the same source as did the Greek-
Dorians, both nations having emigrated from Asia about the
same time. One thing is certainly true, the Tuscan column
and entablature bear a closer resemblance to the proportions
of the Greek-Doric than they do to the Roman-Doric, which
was admitted to be more or less copied from it; and the
Roman-Doric resembles more the Tuscan column and entab-
lature than it does the Greek order, whose name it bears.
Hence, we see that the Tuscan is a sort of connecting link
between the Greek and the Roman orders. It contains many
Greek details that the Roman-Doric does not, while, on the
other hand, the Roman-Doric possesses many Tuscan fea-
tures unheard of in the Greek. The characteristics of the
order are its crudcness and plainness, combined with its heavy
moldings and lack of refinement in outline. It has, like all
other Roman orders, a regularly proportioned and molded
pedestal B, which, though not a specific part of the order
itself, is generally drawn with it when the order is shown
alone.
16. The pedestal is simply a square block B, with an
apophyge, or escape to the fillet, resting on the plinth A at
the bottom, and with a cyma reversa and a fillet at the top.
Upon this stands the base of the column /?, which consists of
20 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
a torus and a fillet resting upon a square plinth. The capi-
tal F is in some respects similar to the Doric, but lacks both
the refinement of the Greek-Doric and the delicacy of the
Roman. It consists of an abacus, ovolo, and necking. The
abacus is square in plan similar to the Greek-Doric, and is
composed of a fillet resting upon a plain facia that has an
apophyge, or curved escape to the fillet. The ovolo is a
plain molding, often referred to as a quarter round, as its
section is exactly a quarter of a circle.
The entablature is subdivided into an architrave G, a frieze
//, and a cornice /, in proportions nearer to the Greek-Doric
than is the Roman order of that name. But the triglyphs
and mutules so characteristic of the Doric order are omitted
entirely, while the moldings are large and heavy and out of
proportion to the surfaces they are intended to ornament.
The shaft of the Tuscan column is never fluted, and no carv-
ing or enrichment of its moldings or surfaces is ever practiced.
17. Comparison of Greek and Roman Orders.
Before making a comparison of the Greek and Roman orders,
let us first consider some of the conditions that made alter-
ation necessary, before the art creations of the Greeks could
be adopted by the Roman builders.
The distinguishing characteristic of all Roman architecture
is the persistent use of the arch. The Greeks spanned their
openings with lintels simple stone beams laid across from
one column to another and the width of the openings they
could thus span was limited by the length of the stones they
could conveniently quarry. But, by means of the arch, the
Romans could span any width desirable ; but the pressure of
the arch at the abutments was in the character of a hori-
zontal thrust, which would overthrow any ordinary column,
and especially such columns as were used by the Greeks, laid
up in several courses and devoid of mortar or cement.
Heavy masonry piers laid up in strong mortar with securely
bonded courses, became necessary, therefore, to withstand
this thrust, and the Romans, having no structural use for the
Greek orders, applied them as ornament to their masonry
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
abutments. This is a very important point and sliould be
remembered.
The orders, thus backed up by heavy piers, did not require
that appearance of sturdy independence that the Greeks
instilled into their supports, and they were consequently
drawn out longer and thinner, and embellished with much
carving and enrichment, as though endeavoring to attract
the attention to their false beauty, while the piers and
arches did the real mechanical work of holding up the
building.
This will, perhaps, be more clearly understood by refer-
ring to Fig. 11, which is a portion of the facade of the Thea-
ter Marcellus, at Rome. The arches resting on the piers
support all the mason work
above them, while the col-
umns and the entablatures are
applied to the structure sim-
ply as ornament. Strip these
columns off, and the building
will stand as well as with them,
but in appearance it will be
simply a structural edifice,
entirely utilitarian, and in no
way esthetic.
Greek designers made their
architecture beautiful by orna-
menting the construction itself
remove the column, or en-
tablature, and you remove the
essentials of the structure
but the Romans designed the structure entirely apart from
the ornament, and the latter might easily be removed with-
out injury to the strength of the fabric.
18. Description of the Roman-Doric Order. The
Doric column, as used by the Greeks, was from five to seven
diameters in length, and the bottom of the shaft, being of
the greatest diameter, it required no base to stand on, and
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG.
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 23
was beautiful in its simplicity. The Doric of the Romans,
as shown in Fig. 12, was, on the contrary, eight or more
diameters in height, and the bottom of its shaft was so
small in proportion, that a regular molded base became
necessary to give it an appearance of stability. There are
instances where the column was used without a base, and
the first story of the Theater Marcellus, at Rome, Fig. 11,
is a most excellent example of the struggle to apply the
Tuscan details to the Greek form. The lower order of the
Theater Marcellus presents the Tuscan entablature with
triglyphs in the frieze and guttse under the taenia, while
the mutules are omitted entirely, and a row of dentils
and bed moldings is inserted under the soffit of the corona.
It will also be observed that in this case the column is
not fluted, and stands upon the stylobate or plinth with-
out a base, while the capital is molded after the Tuscan
model.
19. In the typical Roman-Doric, Fig. 12, the pedestal
is higher in proportion to its width than the Tuscan, and its
base exhibits more moldings than does the latter. The
addition of a subplinth serves to raise the die B above the
ground line without producing too broad a band under the
base. The cornice moldings of the pedestal are much like
the members of the Tuscan entablature, and show another
point of resemblance between these two orders. The base
of the column D is almost identical with that of the Tuscan
order, with the slight addition of a bead molding between
the torus and the fillet. The column is fluted with shallow
grooves that meet in an arris, as in the Greek order, but,
unlike the latter, they die out or terminate below the line
c d, which marks the apophyge of the shaft at the base.
The capital F of the column is decidedly more Tuscan than
Greek. It is separated from the shaft by a projecting fillet
and bead, which in this position is called an astragal.
Instead of the annulets beneath the echinus, as in the Greek
capital, we have simply three projecting fillets, and the
echinus is rounded out until it becomes in section a mere
24 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
quarter circle. The abacus is square, but has a crowning
member, and it has panels sunk in the corners of its soffit,
as shown by the dotted lines.
20. Doric Entablature. There are, in fact, two dis-
tinct systems of grouping the members of the Roman-Doric
entablature : one, as in the Greek, with mutules in the frieze,
and the other an entirely Roman invention with a course
of dentils under the corona.
The mutular Doric is the order shown in the drawing
plate ; and, as will be at once observed, its entablature bears
but a slight resemblance to the Greek model. The archi-
trave G is divided into two facias, the upper one projecting
slightly over the lower one, somewhat in the manner of the
Greek-Ionic. The triglyphs of the frieze // are always cen-
tered over the axes of the columns, and, consequently, the
metopes, which were always square in the Greek order, are
often oblong in the Roman, with the longer axis set either
vertically or horizontally.
The mutules, which in the cornice of the Parthenon were
set over each triglyph and metope, existed over the tri-
glyphs only in the Roman- Doric structiires, and the soffit of
the corona between them was paneled as shown by the
dotted lines.
The cornice 7 is lighter and more delicate than in the
Tuscan order, and its epitithidas is a cyma recta instead of
an echinus.
21. Roman-Ionic Order. The result of the Roman-
izing of the Ionic order is shown in Fig. 13, and is scarcely
more successful than the Doric. The Romans never seemed
to understand the possibilities of the order from the Erech-
theum, and, as a consequence, only three accredited exam-
ples of the Roman-Ionic column are known in Rome today.
These are the temple of Fortuna Virilis, the temple of Con-
cord, and the second story of the Theater Marcellus. The
first of these is by far the best, its volutes retaining much
of the Greek character, while the last is the simplest and
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
25
'f
,J
-+-
the
plainest, and also
the smallest in its
proportions; but
second is remark-
able for its ugliness in
general, and the inar-
tistic arrangement of
its volutes in partic-
ular, which spring out
diagonally so as to pre-
sent four equal and sim-
ilar faces.
The example shown in
Fig. 13 is taken prin-
pally from the first of
those just mentioned,
with only such altera-
tions as are necessary to
bring it down to a gener-
al type. In it we find the
pedestal slightly longer
in the die than was the
Doric, while the cor-
nice C and base A of the
pedestal are more richly
molded than in either of
the previous orders. The
base D of the column,
however, is of the famil-
iar Attic type that has
already been described
in connection with the
Greek- Ionic order, and
exhibits the first point
of strong resemblance
to the Greek ancestor.
The shaft of the column
is nearlv of the same
FIG. 13.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
height as the Greek; and, in many examples, is grooved by
twenty-four flutes separated by fillets, though in this exam-
ple there are but twenty.
By a strange perversity, however, when we arrive at the
capital, we meet a striking difference from the Athenian
order. In the columns of the portico of the Erechtheum,
we have a necking, between the echinus of the capital and
the astragal of the column; but in the Roman-Ionic, the
flutes of the shaft extend almost to the eyes of the volutes.
In their Doric order the Romans inserted a necking above,
which did not exist in the Greek order and must have been
borrowed from the Attic- Ionic, or, possibly, from the Tus-
can ; but when they adopted the Ionic order, they seem to
have taken especial pains to omit the detail that, according
to previous appearances, they particularly admired. For
some reason, they omitted this necking, and the Roman-
Ionic capital has a flat, crushed appearance in consequence,
as shown. The Roman- Ionic volute contains but one
band, while that of the Greeks possessed three, though
there are instances where a single band was coiled in the
capital of the Greek
order, as in the temple
on the Ilissus River,
Fig. 6. But the Ionic
order reached the ze-
nith of its perfection
in the Erechtheum, and
it is with the details of
that building we must
compare any subsequent
Ionic constructions.
The architrave G and
frieze H of the Roman
order are very similar
to those of the Greek, but between the frieze // and
corona of / is inserted a row of dentils with upper and
lower bed moldings, which cast a serrated shadow and
emphasize the projection of the corona.
FIG. 14.
4= HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 27
22. The Ionic capital above referred to in the temple of
Concord is illustrated in Fig. J4. It is shown here, not on
account of its architectural beauty, for it has none, but
because in certain classes of early Renaissance work, this
style of cap was redesigned by Palladio and used in com-
binations where its defects were not so glaring. The prin-
ciple on which this cap is designed is that the volutes a are
growing out and curling over the edge of the contracted
echinus , while the whole is covered with an eight-sided
abacus c, strongly resembling the Corinthian. The space
under the abacus and between the volutes is filled with a
carved rosette, or, in a few instances, with an animal's
head.
23. Roman-Corinthian Order. We now come to the
Corinthian, which we may consider a typical Roman order.
There is but one example of richly foliated capitals in all
Greek art, and the modern Corinthian order, though prob-
ably taken from it, bears but a general resemblance to its
prototype. We have gone into the details of the Greek-
Corinthian capital, and the Roman style will only be dwelt
upon where it contrasts with the details of the Greek. The
Roman-Corinthian capital, shown at /% Fig. 15, has two
rows of leaves, eight in each row, so disposed that of the
taller ones composing the upper row, one comes in the mid-
dle, beneath each face of the abacus, and the lower leaves
alternate with the upper ones, coming between the stems
of the latter; so that, in the first, or lower tier of leaves,
there is in the middle of each face, a space between two
leaves occupied by the stem of the central leaf above
them.
24. Fig. 15 is not taken from any particular edifice, but
is compiled from a number of different structures, in order
to get a general type of the order. . The shaft here is fluted
with twenty-four flutes, though in many of the best examples
it is not fluted at all. The portico of the Pantheon possesses
one of the handsomest examples of the Corinthian order in
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
7
f- h r
JJiJUULTLOJULd
h
f
7
Rome, but the granite columns are left unfluted, and their
surfaces are highly
polished, to com-
pensate for the
omission. The base
of the Corinthian column
varies somewhat in dif-
ferent examples, but is
most frequently an en-
riched variation of the
Greek-Attic. It is scarce-
ly necessary to comment
on the pedestal of either
the Corinthian or Com-
posite orders, as there is
no change from the ped-
estal of the previously
described orders, except
an elongation of the die
and an increase of the
number of the moldings
that ornament its top C
and base A. The same
may be said of the base D
of the column, the only
change from the previous
orders being an increase
of the members between
the two torus moldings.
The shaft E of the col-
umn is but slightly longer
than in the Ionic order,
but the increase in the
height of the capital
makes the entire column
ten diameters high. The
entablature, however, is very different from any we have
yet described. The architrave G is divided into three
FIG. 15.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
horizontal bands, or facias, as was the Ionic, but instead of
i a plain projection
/ of one facia beyond
7 I the other, they are
separated by a number
AJpJJLOXIlJUUIJLfU of different small mold-
ings, which, in nearly
every instance, were
carved and enriched al-
^-, most to excess. The
frieze H is here shown
as plain, but the ma-
jority of examples show
it carved in high re-
lief. The cornice /
exhibits the greatest
alteration from the pre-
vious orders that we
have yet seen. A row
of dentils are support-
ed by a cyma reversa
immediately above the
frieze, similar to the
Ionic arrangement; but
immediately above this
we have a heavy ovolo
supporting a row, of
course, of modi/lions.'
25. A modillloii is
the projecting bracket
supporting the corona
of the Corinthian en-
tablature. These brack-
ets possess a volute
somewhat similar to
that of the Ionic capi-
tal, but curved in the opposite direction.
30 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
2(>. Composite Order. Between the Corinthian and
Composite orders there is very little difference except in
the size of the volutes, and, with the exception of the cap-
ital of the column, there is scarcely any difference in the
proportions of their parts. Fig. 1C shows the general
form of this essentially Roman composition, but omitting
entirely the ornamentation of the frieze and moldings,
which is as much a part of this order as the triglyphs
are of the Doric. Ornamentation, as a rule, forms no part
of the order that it enriches, and, consequently, should not
be considered a part of the structure of the order, but
the Composite order was invented by the Romans for no
other purpose than to carry heavy ornamentation; in fact,
it was the excessive and extravagant ornamentation of
the Corinthian order that caused the Composite to spring
into existence, and our example is, therefore, not com-
plete until it receives such ornamentation as may be
appropriate to its purpose. The general form is here
given, and the application of ornament will be discussed
later, in its proper place.
The pedestal of the Composite order is almost identical
with that of the Corinthian, there being but a few slight
changes in the moldings of its base and its cap, while the
die is a trifle longer. The base, shaft, and capital of the
column are the same height as the Corinthian, and with
the exception of the capital are almost the same in design.
The architrave, frieze, and cornice have the same rela-
tive proportions as in the previous order, but are treated
somewhat more elaborately in the subdivisions of their
parts.
The Composite capital is a combination of the Cor-
inthian and the Ionic capital from the Roman temple of
Concord, heretofore referred to. It is not an artistic
combination, but its broad, strong volutes give an unus-
ual surface on which to carve florid ornament, and, as
such, it suited exactly the later-day admirers of every-
thing strictly Roman. It suits its place in modern art
very well, when in proper handling, but the Renaissance
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 31
architects were conspicuous in Italy by the interior appli-
cation of the Composite order in every spot where it did
not belong.
27. The Roman Acanthus. The acanthus leaves
under the Roman modillions and those around the bells
of the Corinthian capitals are placed, one before the
other, stiffly and inartistically ; they are not even bound,
together by the necking at the top of the shaft, but appear
to have been cut off to rest directly upon it. It will be
remembered that in the capital of the Egyptian column,
where the stems of the flowers are arranged around the
bell, they appear to be continued through the necking of
the column, and at the same time express a beauty and
a truth.
The great facility that the Roman system of decoration
affords for the application of this acanthus ornament to any
form and in any direction, is the lamentable cause of the
invasion of this ornament into most modern work. Its
design requires little thought and is so easily manufac-
tured that it has encouraged designers in an indolent neg-
lect of one of their especial provinces that of invention.
In the use of the acanthus leaf, the Romans showed but
little art. They received it from the Greeks most beauti-
fully conventionalized, and though they went nearer to
the general outline of the leaf, they exaggerated the
siirface decoration. The Greeks confined themselves to
expressing the principles of the foliation of the leaf,
and bestowed great care in the delicate undulations of its
surface.
28. Character of Roman Ornament. As said here-
tofore, Roman ornament consists essentially of one scroll
growing out of another and encircling a flower or a groiip
of leaves, as shown in Fig. 17, which is a characteristic
piece of Roman ornament. This is the principle of Greek
ornament, and though the Romans borrowed the pinnciplc,
they omitted the Greek refinement.
32
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
The most characteristic method of using the acanthus
leaf in Roman art can be seen in the Roman concep-
tion of the Corinthian
capital, Fig. 15. The
amount of design that
can be obtained by
working on this prin-
ciple of Roman orna-
ment of leaf within
leaf and leaf over leaf
is very limited, and
it was not until the
principle of one leaf
growing out of an-
other in a continuous
line was abandoned,
for the adoption of
FIG. 17.
a continuous stem
throwing off ornaments on either side, that the pure
conventional ornament received any development.
29. Painted Decorations. The painted decorations
of Roman art arc comparatively few; the style was some-
what similar to what we see at Pompeii an adoption from
the Greek, executed in the hands of the Roman artists.
The coloring is hardly worth great consideration, as it
possessed nothing of an original character, and the stu-
dent should bear in mind that all art forms of Rome are
borrowed forms. Her construction she inherited from
Etruria, and combined it with the art obtained in Greece.
In fact, it might be said that there is no true Roman
style, that is to say, executed by Romans themselves, for
the Roman was essentially a warrior and a politician, and
his art works were designed by the subjugated Greek and
his structural works put into effect by descendants from
the Etruscans.
The transition of Greek ornament into the styles of
Europe was simply delayed by the conquest of Greece
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 33
by Rome, and, during the delay so caused, the style
was degraded, and spread throughout the country in
that condition.
ROMANESQUE ORNAMENT.
30. Development of tlie Romanesque Style. In
considering the Romanesque style, it must be borne in
mind that the Roman Empire covered almost the entire
continent of Europe, and that Roman art had penetrated
as far west as Spain and as far north as England and the
Baltic Sea. After the downfall of the Western Roman
Empire, the conquering races from the North attempted
to carry out the Roman style of building as they found
it in different parts of the country, and the endeavor to
apply these art forms under a new system of religion,
and influenced by different conditions of government and
living, together with the necessity of practicing a rigid
economy in material, caused an alteration of the original
Roman style and brought about the style that we now
consider Romanesque.
31. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, in 470
A. D., therefore marked the beginning of a new architec-
tural era throughout all Europe (except possibly in the East-
ern Empire, with its capital at Byzantium), and the so called
dark ages that followed this event may be considered as a
formative period of western civilization during which the
barbaric conquerors of Rome became gradually Christian-
ized and were subjected to the authority and educational
influences of the Church.
Under these conditions a new architectural style was
developed, founded on the traditions of the earlier Chris-
tian builders, but modified in different regions by local
influences. The prevailing characteristics of the style
were at first essentially Roman, for Rome soon recovered
her antique prestige as the leading city of Europe, and
the Roman monuments covering the soil of Southern
34 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
Europe were a constant object lesson to the builders at
that time.
32. Influence of the Chui-ch. Romanesque archi-
tecture was distinctly ecclesiastical. Civilization and culture
emanated directly from the Church, and the requirements
and discipline of the religious orders gave form to the
builders' art.
Corinthian columns, marble incrustations, splendid mosa-
ics, etc. were not to be obtained in the forest lands of France
and Germany, and the priests caused to be erected with
unskilled labor churches of stone, and the struggle with this
structural problem underlies the entire system of Roman-
esque design.
33. System of Building Under Roman Domination.
The Romans, when they wished to erect grand monuments
of public utility, could send to the spot, no matter how
remote, an army of soldiers, and, by their tyrannical system
of government, compel the very inhabitants of the locality
to desist from all their employments and work for the
emperor of Rome. They thus achieved by a multitude of
hands those prodigious results that today stand monuments
not only of their enterprise but also of their despotism.
Had the builders of the Middle Ages desired to pursue
this course, where would they have found the army of w r ork-
men ? In countries not only without stone but without
money to buy it, without beasts of burden to transport
material if they could buy it, without even roads over which
to travel, how could these people make any attempt to follow
the course of their Roman predecessors?
Bearing these facts in mind as we study Romanesque
ornament, we will readily see in the earlier examples an
attempt to copy Roman art an attempt that failed as a
duplication of an antique style, but was eminently successful
in the development of a new style that was much more
rational than the one back to which the Middle-Age builder
had been looking.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
35
34. In Fig. 18 is shown the capital of a column, the
moldings of which and the crude formations of whose
leaves are easily traceable to the Roman-Corinthian order;
FIG. 18.
FIG. 19.
and the capital shown in Fig. 19, though entirely different
from that shown in Fig. 18, also illustrates the influence
of classic art and the Corinthian order in the formation of
the style at this period.
More clearly, perhaps, than either of these is the base shown
FIG. 21.
in Fig. 20, which dates back to the eleventh century. Here
the moldings are almost identical with those seen on the
classic columns. In Fig. 21 is shown a base of later date,
which exhibits a radical departure from the classic lines.
36 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
35. The frieze shown in Fig. 22 is taken from an exam-
ple in Southern Germany, dating back to the twelfth century
FIG. 22.
FIG. 23.
FIG. 24.
The treatment of the leaf forms there clearly shows a classic
origin, but the boldness of the treatment shows an inclination
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
to become independent of the traditions of the classic-
style, and in Fig. 23 the ornament, taken from a French
church of the twelfth century, shows a decided freedom from
the governing rules of classic design, although the character
of the curves and proportions of the surface covered is
strongly suggestive of the Greek anthemion. -In Fig. 24 is
shown a most independent example, where we have the main
running stem and the branches from alternating sides, while
the small pyramid forms cut in the main stem appear here
and are characteristic of the Romanesque period.
In Fig. 25 is shown an example of German twelfth-century
art that shows the possible influence of Celtic work. Observe
that, complicated as this design at first appears, it is really
very simple in construction and contains only one leaf form
arranged in two positions. The entire free flowing lines are
then woven around these forms
to produce a most satisfactory
effect.
3(>. In repeating ornament
and diaper patterns, Fig. 26
shows a simple arrangement of
circles from the church of
St. Denis, at Paris, dating back
to the twelfth century, while
Fin. 90.
38 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
Fig. 27 shows a diaper pattern from the Lincoln Cathedral,
in England, of the same period,
showing a radical difference in
style on account of the remote-
ness from Rome.
In Figs. 28 and 29 are shown
two patterns taken from stained-
glass windows, the former of Ger-
man design and the latter French.
The simplicity of the design in
each case is its distinguishing
characteristic, and, though in ap-
pearance somewhat complicated, a little study eliminates all
FIG.
FIG. 29.
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 39
complications, and shows the geometrical principle on which
it is constructed to be of utmost simplicity.
37. Origin of Gothic and Byzantine Ornament.
From these few examples, with which the artists of the
Romanesque period decorated their structural details, we
see that the application of Romanesque forms was simple
simple from a necessit)?- of economy, and simple on account
of a freedom of mind devoid of any art traditions.
The builder and designer of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries had no memories of Rome or Greece to follow, and
no historical forms that had been handed down from genera-
tion to generation, to copy which was almost required by
law, and to depart from which would have been a sacrilege
in the eyes of his country. The medieval builder attacked
his problem with no other tools than his eye and his
brain, and gradually developed the form of art that we call
Romanesque, and that culminated in two entirely new
styles', both in construction and ornamentation the Gothic
in the West and the Byzantine in the East.
BYZANTINE OKNAMENT.
38. Oriental Influence. In the East, around the city
of Byzantium, Romanesque ornament was influenced by the
art of Assyria and Persia. In fact, its entire character
became tinged with an oriental spirit, and, in the course of
the next three or four centuries, it developed into a new and
entirely different style of architecture and art, known as
Byzantine. The old Roman forms became obsolete and
gave place to new forms, original, beautiful, and artistic.
It will readily be understood that there would be a period
of transition between the slowly developing Romanesque
and the finished Byzantine style, and it is with such exam-
ples of ornament as date from this period of transition that
uncertainty as to their proper classification arises. It is
more difficult to distinguish between these styles, whose
40 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
transition took place peacefully, than between the Greek
and Roman styles, where the transition was sudden.
39. The Romans had wealth, ambition, and, to a certain
extent, taste, but their taste was tainted with vulgarity,
through their ostentatious display and desire to express their
power as a nation. Consequently, they seized boldly upon
the Greek art forms and elaborated them indiscriminately in
their Roman designs. The refinement and delicacy of the
Greek style was thus immediately wiped out, and there is
little difficulty in distinguishing between the ornament of
Greece and that of Rome ; whereas, between the ornament
of the Romanesque 'and that of the Byzantine period there
is such a gradual change that distinction is in many cases
impossible.
40. llagia Sophia. Byzantine art, though spread to a
greater or less extent throughout the continent of Europe,
originated in and around the city of Constantinople, formerly
called Byzantium. The great church of Hagia Sophia was
built by the Emperor Justinian, in the year 532 A. D., and
is the earliest monument purely Byzantine in style. A
peculiarity of this monument and its style is the fact that
we find so perfect an example of an original style with so
little transition toward it.
The emperor declared that he would erect a church, "That
should be the grandest monument ever built by man, " and
the governors of even the most distant provinces of the
empire were ordered to ransack all the ancient Roman
buildings for sculptures, precious marbles, and works of art,
to be used in this edifice. Eight columns of pure white
marble were brought from Palmyra, and eight more of deep-
green marble were stripped from the temple of Diana, at
Ephesus, and shiploads of costly relics were brought from
all sections of the empire to become a part of this great
structure.
Ten thousand men toiled night and day for six years, and
the royal, treasury and private purse of the emperor were
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
41
42
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
exhausted by the prodigious expense. But the church was
built, and is certainly one of the grandest architectural
monuments , the world has ever seen. The plan and con-
struction of this edifice is no more remarkable than the scale
and treatment of its interior decoration (see Fig. 30), and it
stands to Byzantine architecture as the Parthenon stood to
the Greek. Unfortunately it is now converted into a Moham-
medan mosque, and the severity of the Mohammedan religion
required that its beautiful interior decorations should be
covered from sight by repeated applications of whitewash.
However, we have been able to secure reproductions of some
of these great ornaments so characteristic of the Byzantine
style.
41. Examples of Byzantine Style. At Ravenna,
which was the seat of government of the Eastern Empire
under Justinian, the church of San Vitale is also a fine
example of the Byzantine style, and at Ravenna, Byzantine
art reached its height in this edifice.
Venice also felt largely the Byzantine influence, and the
church of St. Mark, built in the eleventh century, is a monu-
ment patterned largely after the plan and decoration of Hagia
Sophia ; and, extending as far south as Sicily, we have the
cathedral of Monreale, near Palermo, showing strong Byzan-
tine influences, but at the same time possessing many details
that are so strongly character-
istic of the Romanesque style
that it is difficult in many cases
to classify them.
4:2. The capital shown in
Fig. 31 is from one of the
columns in the first tier of
arches in the church of Hagia
Sophia, at Constantinople. The
scrolls in the upper part of this
column undoubtedly have their
origin in the Ionic order, and, though the entire capital is
FIG. 31.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
43
FIG. 32.
decorated with the conventionalized acanthus leaf, observe
how widely different it is from any Roman model. Here
the block of the capital is sound and heavy, and at its bot-
tom is a foliated ring that seems to bind it together, while
the carved leafwork grows
out of the top of the column
and enters materially into
the construction of the capi-
tal itself.
Another Byzantine capi-
tal, shown in Fig. 32, is
taken from another church
in Constantinople, built
about the same time as
Hagia Sophia, but less
original in detail. Here
the heavy scrolls project
from the angles of the capital very much in the same man-
ner as the volutes in the temple of Concord at Rome, and
the place usually occupied by the abacus is filled by a heavy
semipyramidal form on which the ornament seems to be
applied as a surface decoration more than a component part
of the construction.
The effect of this illustrates, however, a radical departure
from the traditions that limitated the architectural designs
in Roman art ; and even
when we arrive at Byzan-
tine capitals of the eleventh
century, as seen in St. Mai k's,
at Venice, Fig. 33, we can
still observe the influence of
Roman art, but thoroughly
subservient to the Byzantine
school of design.
In Fig. 33, the volutes at
FlG 33 the top of the column, the
shape of the capital as it
swells out to the abacus, and the general character of the
44
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
entire detail are strongly suggestive of its Roman- Corinthian
origin; but the strictly conventional treatment of the leaves,
the character of the scroll around the abacus, and the bind-
ing together of the ornament in
the construction show plainly the
influence of the work in the East.
Fig. 34 is another example of
Byzantine capital, from Italy, and
is even more freed from Roman
influence than that of the previous
example. The long elliptical
curves formed by the leaves, the
sharp-pointed lobes, and the deep
indentations are all suggestive of
its Byzantine origin, while the
little row of dentils so uselessly
arranged around the top show the difficulty of producing
any work in Italy without some taint of classic spirit.
43. The running- ornament is illustrated in Fig. 35,
which example is taken from the same church as Fig. 32,
where the leaf form is thoroughly conventional, and, though
FIG. 34.
FIG. 35.
tending slightly toward a scroll, is governed by a continuous
wavy line, from opposite sides of which the leaf forms branch.
Fig. 36 is an example of geometrically arranged running
ornament from Hagia Sophia. The main geometrical forms,
as will be observed, are circles, but these circles are not
formed complete in themselves, but result from the crossing
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
45
and intersection of two wavy lines precisely the same in
general character as the wavy line that forms the governing-
element of Fig. 35. Instead of branching foliage from oppo-
FlG. 3f>.
site sides of the lines, in the latter case, however, geometrical
figures are arranged within, and foliated forms that have the
cross of St. George for their guiding element are used to
form prominent details of the design.
44. Going back again now to the church of St. Mark,
built in the eleventh century, we have a wall decoration
46
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
between two arches, shown in Fig. 37. Tracing out the
outline of this running surface ornament, it will be observed
that the same wavy line governs its principle and direction,
as in the case of Fig. 35 ; but a close study will show that the
branching of leaves from one side is accompanied by a branch
from the opposite side, so near that the general feeling is
of a scroll growing out of a scroll, somewhat after the order
of classic art. Above this ornament, however, the semi-
circular ring is ornamented by geometrical devices within a
governing outline, precisely similar to that seen at Hagia
Sophia, Fig. 36,
In all these examples, the student will observe that the
character of the leaf is particularly uniform, that it is in the
principle of the decoration that we find the greatest variation,
and that the variation in this character only amounts to a
greater or lesser display of oriental or classic influence.
FIG. 38.
45. Examples of Byzantine art found in "Greece are
usually purer than any found in Italy, as Roman art and
influence never secured a thoroughly characteristic foothold
in the conquered country. Byzantine art was built on Greek
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
47
art in the first place, and examples of it on Greek soil are
usually of excellent character. Besides this, Greek examples
have not been mutilated by Mohammedan invasion to the
extent that we find them in other eastern countries, and the
color treatment and contrast can be best studied there.
46. Ceiling Decoration. Fig. 38 shows an example of
ceiling decoration from the church of St. George at Thessa-
lonica. The circular ornament within the border was exe-
cuted in red on a blue ground, though the hollow-sided
square in the center of it was gold, as were also the triangles
at the four corners. The peculiar outline of the device adja-
cent to the four sides of the interior rectangle is suggestive
of Arabian origin, and is exceedingly ingenious in its method
of preserving symmetry and preventing awkward repetition.
The border around this was executed entirely in gold on a
blue ground, with the exception of the extreme outside line,
which was red.
47. Wall Decoration. Fig. 39 is an example of wall
FIG. 39.
decoration from the same edifice, the rectangles and circles
containing the leaves and crosses, all being worked with a
4S HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
plain gold round, while the figures and half of the smaller
crosses were green and the outlines of the larger crosses and
the remaining smaller crosses were red. The effect is very
rich, and the arrangement of the rectangles and smaller
circles shows a knowledge of surface division that is well
carried into effect. The student's attention is particularly
called to the fact that the .shape of the groundwork between
the rectangles is also crucial, and that every effort is made
to bring that symbolic detail into prominent display.
48. In giving examples of Byzantine ornament, nothing
could be more characteristic than the stone panels herewith
illustrated. The style of the ornament itself, the character
of the carving, and the development of the geometrical pat-
tern are all details that are shown here in a most character-
istic Byzantine form.
FIG. 40.
49. The pierced screen shown in Fig. 40 is from
Ravenna, and illustrates the geometrical pattern based on
an arrangement of circles (somewhat after the style of the
Celtic ornament), in which is carved the typical Byzantine
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
49
leaf. The cross outlined in the center was emphasized in
the original by a plating of gold, and the spaces around the
foliage were filled with birds whose peculiar modeling and
conventional outline is characteristic of the Byzantine style.
Another characteristic of the style, shown clearly in this
illustration, is the sharp angular cutting of the leaves, the
deep circular and elliptical openings between the lobes of
two adjacent leaves, and the tendency of the whole panel to
appear in high relief on a dark ground rather than to be
pierced through entirely.
In Fig. 41 is shown another screen of the same character,
where the interlaced bands that form the geometrical outline
FIG. 41.
of the foliated ornament were originally gilded, and the leaf
forms carved between them are similar to those in Fig. 40.
5O. Fig. 42, however, shows a trend in a different direc-
tion. Here the openings in the screen are larger, the exterior
portion of it being outlined with a design undoubtedly
derived from the Grecian fret, while in the center a large
Latin cross divides the panel into four smaller rectangles,
50
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
each filled with a particular device symbolic of Christianity
and characteristic of the Byzantine style. Observe also the
running; foliage around this panel, and its branching leaves
and fruit, alternately from opposite sides, and note the differ-
FlG. 42.
ence between this style of treating foliage and that of the
Roman and Greek artists, where continuous foliage was
accomplished by growing one spray or stem out of a calyx
or cup from which a scroll emanated.
51. The capital of the column shown in Fig. 43 is also
from Ravenna, and the peculiar looking birds on the upper
part, as well as the sharply indented foliage, are character-
istic of this style. Here, also, is seen that same geometrical
pattern as the governing outline to which we called atten-
tion in Fig. 40, and also the wandering-vine border line,
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
51
throwing off its leaves on alternate sides in a similar manner
to the outline in Fig. 42.
That the capital of the column is cut in full relief is clearly
shown by the fact that the light shines through the screen
work on to the stone interior, as may be seen. This style
of capital will be found throughout Northern Italy where
FIG. 48.
any example of Byzantine style exists. The dark portions
of it were originally gilded, and must certainly have pre-
sented a most remarkable effect.
52. Turning to St. Mark's, at Venice, Fig. 44, we find
a frieze such as shown in Fig. 45, the lines of which are
based on identically the same motives as the screens we
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
53
have already studied; but the carving-, though in high relief,
does not pierce the screen, and the border of the panel, as
well as the treatment of the foliage within the panel, shows
a highly developed Byzantine feeling. Observe, however,
FIG. 45.
the influence of its proximity to Rome on the treatment of
the scroll forms. In the central part of the panel we do
not have the running vine, with its leaves branching from
each side, but a partly controlled tendency to grow one
54 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
scroll out of another a tendency that is so well kept in
submission that it does not materially affect the delicacy of
the design.
In the same church, we find the panel shown in Fig. 46,
the rounded forms of which are not often found in this
style. Note, however, the severe conventionalism of the
foliage treatment, and also the independence of the artist
concerning the preservation of absolute symmetry. On
one side, the vine runs off the panel both at the top and
edge, and, on the other side, runs off the panel on the
top only. One of the two central leaves extends over the
molding of the panel frame ; the other is carved entirely
within it.
53. In Fig. 47 is shown a well at Venice, the details of
which illustrate clearly the strong, bold, outline effect char-
acteristic of Byzantine carving. The guilloche border around
the top and the leaves patterned after inverted anthemions
are suggestive of classic origin, but are treated with such
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
55
strong Byzantine effect that the classic taint is fairly
obliterated.
54. Ingenuity of Byzantine Ornament. The geo-
metrical arrangements in Byzantine ornament are exceed-
ingly ingenious, and especially remarkable in mosaic work,
FIG. 47.
the monotony of which they destroy by well planned and
complicated constructions based usually upon a variation of
the straight line and the right angle.
In Fig. 48 is shown one of the doorways in the cathedral
of Monrcale, near Palermo, around which mosaic patterns
are inlaid in the jambs and also in the flanking walls. The
pattern of this mosaic is typical of examples of that art in
the Byzantine style, as the Byzantine mosaics can nearly
always be distinguished from the Roman mosaics by the
56
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
fact that the geometrical construction forms an integral part
of the design. There is one style of this mosaic ornament
that is also typical of the Romanesque period, particularly
FIG. 48.
in Italy. This consists of a geometrical arrangement of
lozenge-shaped pieces of glass in a complicated series of
diagonal lines, the directions of which are defined and
terminated by means of pieces in different colors.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
57
The examples of this work in Central Italy are much
simpler than those of the southern provinces of Sicily, where
the influences of Saracenic art are very much felt; and this
mosaic work, as observed in the southern provinces, is very
difficult to classify positively, either in the Romanesque or
the Byzantine style.
58 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
55. In Fig. 49 are shown some clustered columns from
the cathedral of Monreale. One group of four columns is
richly carved with the interlaced ornament so familiar in the
examples of Byzantine art, while the adjacent columns, inlaid
with zigzag lines of mosaic, are more suggestive of Roman-
esque art, and the capitals and bases of both sets of columns
are more in accordance with the Romanesque idea than with
the Byzantine. This, however, may be largely accounted for
when we consider that both styles were merged together
in Sicily at about the close of the twelfth century, and the
examples in Figs. 48 and 49 are here given in order that the
similarity of styles may be carefully studied.
56. Sculpture in Byzantine Art. Pure Byzantine
ornament is distinguished by broad-toothed and acute-
pointed leaves, which in sculpture are beveled at the edge
and are deeply chiseled throughout and drilled with deep
holes at the springings of the teeth. The running foliage is
generally thin and continuous. The ground, whether in
mosaic or painted work, is almost universally gold. Thin
interlaced patterns are usually preferred to geometrical
designs, and the introduction of animal or other figures is
very limited, especially in sculpture, and in painted work is
confined principally to holy subjects in a stiff conventional
style, exhibiting little variety of feeling. In fact, in Byzan-
tine art, sculpture is a very secondary importance.
57. Sculpture in Romanesque Art. Romanesque
ornament, on the other hand, depended mostly on sculpture
for its effect. It is rich in light and shade, deep cuttings
and massive projections, and a great intermixture of figure
subjects of every kind with foliage and conventional orna-
ment. The place filled by mosaic work in the Byzantine
art, in the Romanesque is supplied generally by paint. In
colored ornament, animals are as freely introduced as in
sculpture, and the ground no longer confined to gold, but
composed of blue, red, or green. In other respects, how-
ever, the two styles are very much alike.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 59
ASIATIC OKNAME:NT.
58. Characteristics of the People. Before studying
the style of the ornament of this section of the eastern
hemisphere, let us consider how different are the character-
istics of this people from the European nations whose
ornament we have so far analyzed. Oriental people are
traditionally immobile in character and unprogressive in their
methods of business and manufacture. The processes of
weaving, carving, and other practices of art design are trans-
mitted carefully and faithfully in the oriental nations from
generation to generation, and it is therefore practically
impossible to assign a precise date to any one production, so
similar are the designs. The study of oriental art is there-
fore freed from any minute chronological examination, and
the student is able to consider the subject in a broad sense,
considering only primary and original styles that predomi-
nate over lesser divisions and personal modifications. These
styles can be divided into three general groups: (1) Chinese
and Japanese, (2) Indian, and (3) Arabian.
CHINESE AND JAPANESE ORNAMENT,
59. The Chinese are a nation of great antiquity, and we
can discover no detail of art training that they have ever
given to or received from any other civilization. This nation
has been ever satisfied with itself, and this lack of progression
and consequent isolation have given it an originality of
character devoid of any detail that we find of the art works
of other nations, unless we except those general geometrical
formations that instinct seems to have implanted uniformly
in the minds of every known race.
GO. Prlinltlveiiess of Chinese Ornament. Chinese
ornament does not seem to have gone beyond the very
earliest stages of design that we find among the most prim-
itive people. They are even behind the New Zealander in
CO HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
their theory of applied art, and are plodding along- in the
creation of fresh designs at a fixed point that is neither pro-
gression nor retrogression. Like all oriental nations, they
possess a wonderful faculty of color harmony, but they have
never expressed an appreciation of pure form a condition
that must necessarily be arrived at by a subtle process and
result from highly endowed natural instincts, or from the
development of primitive ideas through successive gen-
erations of artists, each improving on the work of its
predecessor.
In their decorative and woven patterns, the Chinese pos-
sess only just such talent as might be expected of a most
primitive people. Their most successful efforts are those in
which a geometrical pattern forms the basis of a design, and
even in these they depart from patterns formed by the inter-
section of equal lines, and seem to have a very imperfect
idea of the distribution of space.
Their taste for color, which amounts almost to an instinct,
enables them in some measure to balance form, but in designs
deprived of color they seem to be almost helpless. The
Chinese are certainly colorists, and are able to balance with
equal success both the fullest tones of color and the most
delicate shades. They are not only successful' in the use of
the primary colors, but also in the secondaries and tertiaries,
and they are particularly deft in their management of the
lighter shades of pure color, such as pink, light blue, pale
green, etc.
(>i. Lack of Idealism in Chinese Ornament. In
their printed paper hangings, the treatment of both figures
and landscape and of ornament is so conventional that, no
matter how inartistic we may consider it, we feel that it is
within the bounds of decoration. In all cases, their instinct
thus restrains them within the true limit, and although the
arrangement is generally unnatural and inartistic, they never
by shades or shadows violate consistency, as is repeatedly
clone in work at the present day.
In their floral patterns, they always observed natural laws
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 61
of radiation from the parent stem, and tangential curvature.
It could not very well be otherwise with a people like the
Chinese, whose strongest peculiarity is their fidelity in copy-
ing, and hence we must infer that they are close observers
of nature. It is the taste to idealize on this close observa-
tion that is wanting. On the whole, Chinese ornament is a
very faithful expression of the nature of this peculiar people.
Its characteristic feature is oddness. We cannot call it
capricious, for caprice is a playful wandering of a lively
imagination ; but the Chinese imagination is disorderly, and
all their works are wanting in the highest grace of art,
namely, idealism.
62. Dearth of Chinese Architecture. The extreme
fancifulness of Chinese ornamental compositions, and the
lack of order or method in them, is not surprising when we
take into consideration the fact that the Chine.se have never
developed anything worthy of the name of architecture in
the true sense of the word. They have no original form of
construction that would be likely to give rise to a system of
ornament in which even the most insignificant designs have
been known to assume character and even grandeur, as is so
well exemplified in Egyptian style.
63. The absence of a national architecture renders the
character and genius of the Chinese easily understood. To
this people, that seems to occupy itself with naught but
details in everything, the conception of a monumental
building is entirely beyond comprehension. Certainly, this
circumstance is largely responsible for the condition of
the Chinese today and the rudimentary character of their
designs.
The first element of beauty in the Chinese school of art is
variety, and in their foliated designs we find leaves following
one after another bearing not the slightest resemblance to
one another. One panel of a screen painted with a land-
scape will be set beside another ornamented with metallic
arabesques. The use of straight lines and right angles is
62 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
either studiously avoided or so disguised that they will be
vague or misunderstood.
64. Chinese Coloring. That the Chinese imagination
is of a disorderly character is shown in some of their curiously
shaped forms; these are so entirely different from those with
which we are more familiar, and so completely destitute of
the elements that cause an impression of grandeur, that the
interest in their designs is with difficulty maintained. The
Chinese are apparently ignorant of the simplest laws of
perspective, and seem in no way to comprehend the effect of
light and shade. Notwithstanding this inferiority, however,
the coloring of their ornament is so rich, and their imagina-
tion is so wild and irregular, that they make a varied and
charming use of their ornament in particular applications,
such as ceramics, incrustations, and woven fabrics. Their
productions are models of color harmony, and are in some
respects superior to the works of other nations. The very
defects in their designs form sources of some of the good
qualities that accompany them, and the capricious activity of
their minds inclines them to make an ornament of every-
thing, whether it be a cloud, wave, shell, rock, or form from
the animal world. The bright-colored butterfly flitting
among flowers and the .laming thunderbolt bursting from
the heavens are of equa; importance to the Chinese artist
when applied to a surface as ornament.
To these rich and varied resources may be added a limited
number of time-honored figures that, to a certain extent,
have symbolical significance. We are all familiar with the
Chinese dragons those monsters with frightful heads,
formidable looking teeth, and fearful claws certain funny
looking dogs with claws, sharp teeth, and curling mains
somewhat resembling the lion, grotesque birds, and the
mandarin duck, all of which are conspicuous in Chinese
decoration.
f>5. Adherence to Standard Forms. A peculiarchar-
acteristic of this art is that, though it appears in itself so
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 63
capricious, its execution expresses such faithfulness of trans-
mission in the representation of things from generation to
generation that the lapse of hundreds of years has not caused
the slightest modification of one of these standard ornaments.
This may be due to the effect of the imitative instinct of
this isolated nation that, so advanced in some points and so
primitive in others, is always consistent in itself. It is
possible, however, that this fidelity in the observance of the
form and coloring of some preceding work is due to some
mysterious rules some sort of ritual perpetuated through
various ages. Ancient laws and customs established certain
rules governing the color of the robes and vestments of the
imperial court, according to different dynasties; once it was
white, afterwards green, and the -Tai Tasig dynasty, now
reigning in China, dresses in yellow.
Chinese art is a mixture of ideal and imitative elements,
the latter being used in the most conventional manner, the
coloring of which is also conventional and not in the least
subject to any imitation of nature.
66. Japanese Art, though borrowed from the Chi-
nese, possesses much greater individuality and is better
preserved to the present day. The Japanese have devel-
oped the study of nature, especially in birds, with more
truthfulness and power of observation than did their ances-
tors or rivals, and their imitative style is therefore less
conventional. However, even though their delicate pro-
ductions have added fresh charms to the old Chinese cer-
amics, they are not equal to the figures of the work of the
finest periods.
One of the principal causes of the general progress of
Japanese art may be found in the fact that a great profusion
of examples of design of all sorts, conceived by good artists
and carved in wood, are so distributed as to be constantly
before the general public. Therein lies an element of prog-
ress, as it cultivates a taste for objects of art among the
common people and creates a demand. When all objects
and utensils of service and utility are richly carved and
64 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
decorated with ornamental designs, the eye is bound to
become educated and the general taste of the people more
refined. This is strongly exemplified in the Egyptian
civilization.
INDIAN ORNAMENT.
67. Unxn'ogressiveness of Indian Art. Although less
isolated than China, and in more frequent communication with
the rest of the world, Indian civilization has not experienced
such changes as mark the history of many other nations.
The social and religious organizations, the priests, and castes
of people, the sacred books and poetry, and the manners,
customs, and superstitions remain today much as they were
among the Hindus hundreds of years ago.
Art naturally has shared in this standstill, and the sub-
stance of Indian decoration is still limited to a few general
features that for many centuries have undergone no funda-
mental alteration. The most striking of these characteristics
are the continuity and abundance of decoration. The sur-
face decoration is usually filled up entirely with a profusion of
ornamental forms that, if not exactly alike, are very similar.
The ground color is always warm and harmonious occa-
sionally light, though more frequently dark which serves
to unite the designs and add greatly to the general effect.
(58. The method of distribution and the admirable feel-
ing for color procures in Indian decoration a richness and
calm that gives it an undefinable sense of repose. The
tendency of the style toward monotony is overcome by this
powerful unity that leaves no room for desire or need of
greater variety. The designs are usually based on some
floral type and are treated in a most conventional manner,
and though the imitation bears a closer resemblance to
nature than in most of the styles we have studied, it is by no
means servile. The type from which an ornament is derived
can usually be recognized without trouble, and, although
floral ornament is occasionally seen under the pure art form
g 4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 65
characteristic of the Egyptian style, it is usually treated
with a pliancy of execution and picturesqueness of idea that
brings it to a closer resemblance to the modern style.
69. In the execution, however, Indian art never
attempts the rounding of a form (a process that is naturally
opposed to the idea of surface decoration), and usually con-
fines itself to silhouette drawings, in which the outline is
shown off by a dark tint on light grounds or by a lighter tint
on dark grounds.
70. Characteristics of Indian Ornament. Indian
ornament possesses the valuable characteristic of being dis-
tinctively original. It has been allowed to grow up and
develop itself without any foreign influence or
conflicting ideas of religion. In the application
of ornament to the various portions of an object,
the greatest judgment is, in this style, always
shown. In the first place, the ornament is
always in perfect scale with the position that it
occupies. On the long narrow necks of the
hookas are the small pendant flowers, as shown
in Fig. 50, while the swelling form toward the
base is occupied with larger patterns.
71. In the equal distribution of surface orna-
ment over the grounds, this nation exhibits a
remarkable perfection of drawing. An exact
balance is obtained between the various colors
used, and this balance is carried to such a nicety
that it is practically impossible to reproduce
any of their woven or embroidered goods with
any degree of accuracy. In all their woven fabrics, the
colors are so fused together that the entire piece of goods
at a little distance presents no individual coloring, but a
neutralized bloom.
72. The following general rules observed in the designs
of their woven fabrics are of importance:
06 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
J. When gold ornaments are used on a colored ground,
or where gold is used in large masses, there the ground is
darkest. Where gold is used more thinly, the ground is
lighter and moi'e delicate.
2. When gold ornament is used alone on a colored ground,
the color of the ground is carried into it by ornaments or
hatchings worked on the ground colors in the gold itself.
3. When ornaments in one color are on a ground of con-
trasting color, the ornament is separated from the ground by
an edging of a lighter color to prevent all harshness of contrast.
4. When, on the contrary, ornaments in a color are on a
gold ground, the ornaments are separated from the gold
ground by an edging of darker color to prevent the gold
from overpowering the ornament.
5. In other cases where varieties of color are used on a
colored ground, a general outline of gold, of silver, or of
white or yellow silk separates the ornament from the ground,
giving a general tone throughout.
73. In Fig. 51 is shown a diaper pattern taken from an
Indian textile, and exhibits the regularity of repeated form
FIG. 51.
that thoroughly fills up the surface, as heretofore described.
There is a slight tendency toward a geometrical formation
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
67
observable in this pattern, where the wavy line becomes
tangent to its neighbor. This geometrical pattern is
not as rigidly carried out,
however, as in Fig. 52,
where the construction lines
governing the main details
consist merely of semi-
circles connected by short
straight lines, thereby forming
knees, as indicated at a. The
style of ornament enclosed in
the geometrical figures thus
formed is typical of Indian
design, and shows a number
of forms tangent to a general
stem, all of which may have
had their origin in brush
strokes of painted work, or
possibly in the shape of the
palm leaf, which they slightly
resemble. FlG- 52 _
74. In Fig. 53 is shown a typical example of Indian
ornament taken from a woolen fabric, many of the details of
FIG. 53.
which will be found similar to the strokes referred to in
v<:
FIG. 68.
FIG. 69.
of another primary element the inclined line. Now, add
the third element the curved line as shown in Fig. 08, and
the figure expresses complete harmony. In this case, the
straight line or square is the leading form and the others are
subordinate, but the same result can be obtained by making
the inclined line the leading form, as shown in Fig. 60.
1O7. It is the neglect of this simple rule that causes so
many failures in paper hangings and carpets, and more espe-
cially in articles of dress. The lines of papers generally
appear to run up through the ceiling most disagreeably in
one direction only, carrying the eye right through the walls
of the apartment.
The study of any design or pattern that has been regarded
with any degree of satisfaction in ancient times, will show,
as component parts of its structure, the straight line, the
curved line, and the inclined line characteristic of the surface
decoration of the Moors.
1O8. Consistency of Moorish Oi'iinmeiit. In the
decorative art of the Moors, all lines flow out from a parent
88 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
stem. Every ornament, no matter how remote, can be traced
to its branch and root. An ornament is so adapted to the
surface decorated that it often appears to suggest the general
form rather than to have been suggested by it. In all cases
where foliage flows out naturally from a parent stem, the eye
is never offended as is done by modern practice in the random
introduction of ornament without reason for its existence.
However irregular the space they have to fill, the Moors
commence by dividing it into equal areas, and around these
they fill in their detail, but invariably return to their parent
stem. They appear in this to work by a process analogous
to that of nature.
1O9. Take, for instance, the leaf of a vine, the object
here being to distribute the sap from the parent stem to
the extremities; it is evident that the main stem should
divide the leaf as nearly as possible into equal areas. So
again with the minor divisions, each area is then again
subdivided by intermediate lines that all follow the same
law of equal distribution, even to the most minute filling
in of the stem feeders.
HO. The Moors follow another principle that of radi-
ation from the parent stem as may be seen in a chestnut
leaf, wherein the leaflets all radiate from the parent stem,
each leaflet diminishes in size toward the extremities, and
each area is proportionate to the leaf.
The Orientals carried out this principle with marvelous
perfection, as did the Greeks in their honeysuckle ornament.
A great difference between the Greek ornament and that of
the Arabian and Moresque, however, is that the former
grows its ornament scroll out of scroll as before explained,
and the latter grow their ornaments off from each side of a
continuous stem. With the Moors, all junctions of curved
lines with curved lines, or curved with straight, are tangen-
tial to one another.
111. Conventionalism In Moorish Ornament. A
charm found in the works of the Arabs and Moors lies in
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 89
their conventional treatment of ornament. Their creed for-
bade them to represent living forms, and, therefore, they
could not let their art decline to realism even though they so
desired. They worked on the same lines that nature worked,
but always avoided a direct transcript ; they took her prin-
ciples but they did not copy her works.
Coloring In Moorish. Ornament. The coloring
of the Moorish ornaments was treated as skilfully as was the
form. They followed certain fixed principles founded on
observations of natural laws. The colors employed on their
stucco work were in all cases a combination of the three pri-
maries blue, red, and yellow, the last being represented by
gold and the secondary colors purple, green, and orange
occurred only in the mosaic dados. These, being nearer the
eye, formed a point of repose from the more brilliant color-
ing above.
113. It may be remarked here that among the Egyp-
tians, Greeks, Arabs, and Moors, the primary colors were
used exclusively in the earliest period of the arts, and, during
the decadence, the secondary colors were used. Thus, in
Egypt, the temples of the Pharaonic period were painted
entirely in primary colors, while those in the Ptolemaic period
used the secondaries. The early Greek temples were deco-
rated in the primary colors, while at Pompeii every variety
of shade possible appears. In modern Cairo, and in the East
generally, we have green appearing frequently side by side
with red, where blue would have been used in the earlier
times. This is equally true of the works of the Middle Ages.
In the early manuscripts and in stained glass, the primary
colors were chiefly used, although other colors were not
entirely excluded, while, in later times, every variety of shade
and tint is used indiscriminately, with preference for none.
1 14. In Moorish art, the primary colors were used in the
upper portions of the design, and the secondary and tertiary
colors on the lower portions. This is entirely in accordance
with natural law. We have the primary bhie in the sky, the
90 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
secondary green in the trees and fields, and the tertiaries in
the earth itself. It is also observable in flowers, where the
primary colors are the buds and flowers, and the secondaries
are the leaves and stalks.
115. The ancients always observed this rule in the best
periods of art; though in Egypt we do occasionally see a
secondary green used in the upper portions of a temple, but
this arises from the fact that all ornament in Egypt was
symbolic, and if a lotus leaf were used in the upper part of
a building, it would necessarily be colored green. The law
is true in general, and the aspect of an Egyptian temple of
the Pharaonic period usually gives the primaries above the
secondaries, while, in the Ptolemaic period, the order was
inverted. In Pompeii, we occasionally find in the interior
of the houses a gradual coloring, from the roof down, of a
light to a darker color, ending with black, but this was by
no means universal.
116. System of Moorish. Coloring. The system of
Moorish coloring might be considered absolutely perfect.
All the surfaces were modeled and proportioned according
to the color they were to receive, and, in using the colors
blue, red, and gold, they took care to place them in such
positions that they should be best seen themselves and add
most to the general effect. On molded surfaces they placed
red (the strongest color of the three) in the depths, where it
might be softened by shadow, and never on a raised surface;
blue was placed in the shade, but not deep shade ; and gold
on all the surfaces exposed to strong light, for it was evi-
dent that by this arrangement alone could their true value
be obtained. The several colors are either separated by
white bands or by the shadow caused by the relief of the
ornament itself, and this seems to be an absolute principle
required in coloring colors should never be allowed to
impinge on one another.
117. In Fig. 70, the background , on which the orna-
ment is placed, was of a deep-red color, while the leaf forms b
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 01
were colored with the primary blue. All the rest of the
surface, including the necks of the columns, was gold, and a
grand harmonious bloom was spread over the whole design.
118. Blending of Colors. In coloring the grounds of
the various diapers, the blue always occupies the largest
area, and this is in accordance with the theory in optics and
the experiments that have been made with the prismatic
spectrum. Rays of light are said to neutralize one another in
the proportion of 3 yellow, f> red, and 8 blue. Thus, it will
be seen that a quantity of blue equal to the sum total of the
required quantity of red and yellow will produce an effect
of harmony and prevent the predominance of any one color
92
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
over the others. In the Alhambra, yellow was replaced by
gold, which tended toward a reddish yellow, and the blue on
this account was further
increased in proportion,
to counteract the tend-
ency of the red to over-
KINMNNNHX XTN N N x M power the other colors.
X N N N X X N X KX.MMMM 119 ' Moorish oma -
ment is governed by cer-
xlKNNNMMXXK W 1OOI tain geometrical patterns
in its formation, although
the number of these
":A'~X:X;:X;:X*A'~X~A'-X-A'~X-:S ; patterns is small. In
*/ ** * x^/^w* * x x ' -i^- wi 1
K'-^-X-K^.~-K~-X-K-X-X'-K'-^' : Fig. 71 is shown an in-
terlaced pattern consist-
FIG. 71. ing, first, of vertical and
horizontal lines arranged
in pairs, the distance between each pair being twice the dis-
tance between the lines composing each pair; second, of diag-
onal lines drawn through
the pattern at an angle ot
/I r\rvi -i [xrxix^i [xfxixi i\.ry
45, and spaced a distance
apart equal to the verti-
cal and horizontal pairs.
The diagonal lines are
arranged so that the set
of squares formed by their
intersection will contain
in their centers the inter-
section of the vertical and
horizontal pairs.
ISO. In Fig. 72 is
shown a slight variation FIG. 72.
of this same interlaced
pattern, wherein the vertical and horizontal lines are drawn
singly and the diagonal lines are drawn in pairs, but of
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 93
slightly different proportion from Fig. 71. The amount
of Moorish ornament that can be developed from these
two figures is unlimited, and the Moors themselves extended
even this limit by the variety of coloring in the different
parts.
Figs. 73 and 74 are based on the system shown in Fig. 71,
and Figs. 75 and 76 are developed from the system shown
FIG. 73.
in Fig. 72. A slight variation of the systems themselves
will produce most remarkable results in the figures.
FIG. 74.
121. However much disguised, the whole ornamen-
tation of the Moors is constructed geometrically. Their
94 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
fondness for geometrical forms is evinced by the great
use of mosaics, in which their imagination had full play.
FIG. 75.
However complicated may be their patterns, they are all
extremely simple when the principle of setting them is
once understood. The} 1 all arise from the intersection of
equally distant lines around fixed centers.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 95
WESTERN ABT.
CEI/TIC ORNAMENT.
122. Origin and Character. In studying the orna-
ment of Western Europe, we follow a chronological order
instead of an ethnological one, as we have been doing here-
tofore, the history of ornament in this section being pro-
gressive and free from outside influences except to a very
limited extent.
When Byzantine art spread over Western Europe, as it
did about the twelfth century, it must have found among
the nations of Celtic origin an indigenous art, arising from
the peculiar aptitudes of that race. The Celts undoubtedly
had a spontaneous national art, though its birthplace,
whether in Scandinavia or Ireland, has never been satisfac-
torily decided.
123. Interlacing forms almost the only element of the
Celtic designs of the earlier period, and this establishes its
antiquity, for the intertwining ornament is essentially a
primitive style. Its distinctive mark is the division of the
surface, decorated by such a combination of lines that the
development is usually happy, possible, and logical, and
there is no doubt that the origin of these designs was pro-
cured originally from interlaced cords. The pliability of
this original type would account for the curved instead of
acute angles, this being a characteristic difference between
the Celtic and Arabian geometrical designs.
124. The variety of productions obtainable from such
simple elements is remarkable. In many of them the com-
plications prove, by their skilful divisions, and the ingenuity
of the windings, a practical comprehension of ornamental
construction. There is lacking, however, in this style, a
vital element the element of more extensive representation
and its resources were threatened with exhaustion from
96 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
having used every possible combination of the intertwinings
of a cord.
Introduction of Animal Forms. In combi-
nation with Byzantine art, Celtic ornament advanced in
style. A portion of the original interlacings was still
retained, and for the discarded part was substituted the
stem from which sprang the leafwork and terminated in
floral spans.
Having thus attained some decorative richness, the Celtic
style rose to the level of art ; at the same time, the differ-
ence already mentioned between it and purely geometric
conceptions, such as are usually found in Arabian decora-
tions, became more striking, from the frequent introduction
of the heads of quadrupeds and birds, serving as terminals
to some of the principal lines that were made to represent
bodies elongated out of all just proportion or probability,
and from which emerge feet and claws corresponding with
the head. Such as they are, these fantastic and grotesque
images constitute a separate art that the interlacings alone
could never have reached.
126. Distinguishing Characteristics. The chief
characteristics of the early Celtic style consist : first, of the
entire absence of foliage or other vegetable ornament; sec-
ond, the extreme intricacy and excessive minuteness and
elaboration of the various patterns, most of which are geo-
metrical, consisting of interlaced ribbon work, diagonal or
spiral lines each of which invariably wove itself alternately
above and below each successive transverse strand strange,
monstrous animals, and birds with long topknots and tongues
and tails intertwining in almost endless knots. Some of the
manuscripts have entire pages covered with elaborate pat-
terns in compartments, the whole forming a beautiful cruci-
form design, and one of these facing a commencement of
each of the four gospels.
The labor employed in such a mass of work must
have been immense, the care most infinite, as a critical
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
97
examination with a magnifying, glass does not detect
an error in the truth of the lines or the regularity of
the interlacings; yet with all this minuteness, the most
harmonious effect of
coloring has been
produced.
127. Intricacy
of Design. Of the
curious intricacy of
some of these designs
an idea may be ob-
tained by following
a ribbon in one of
these patterns, as,
for instance, in the
upper compartment
of Fig. 77. The
method adopted to FIG. n.
secure this intricate
interlacing, so that each strap shall alternately cross above
and below each following one, can be better understood
by reference to Fig. 78, where the preliminary arrange-
ment of a woven pattern is laid out at (a) and the turning
and joining of its exterior ends are shown at (#), while
08
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
at (r) is seen the completed interlacement and complication
of interior curves and returnings.
FIG. 79.
Sometimes two ribbons run parallel to each other, but are
interlaced alternately, as in Fig. 79. When allowable, the
FIG. 80.
ribbon is dilated and angulated to fill up particular places in
the design, as in Fig. 80. The simplest modification of this
pattern, of course, is the
double oval seen in the
angles of Fig. 81. This
occurs in Greek and Syr-
ian manuscript, in Roman
tessellated pavements, but
rarely in Celtic manu-
script.
128. Symbolism.
No symbolic meaning
seems to have been at-
tached to the Celtic orna-
FIG. si. ments, except perhaps in
the designs so frequently
found without beginning or end, in which appears what
might be a symbol of eternity.
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 00
The union of the Celtic and Byzantine styles did not
entirely give way to the Gothic style with which it long
existed. It furnished types for the finest ornamentation
of glass and manuscripts, that in this period, from the
eleventh to the fourteenth century, resembles stained glass
on a reduced scale.
GOTHIC OKNAMTCNT.
129. involution. Gothic art grew out of and suc-
ceeded the Romanesque in Western Europe in the same
manner that the Byzantine did in the East. Each was the
result of an attempt to adapt a modified Roman style to the
new conditions caused by political, religious, and geograph-
ical changes. In Western Europe, however, the Roman-
esque style failed to develop into a new architectural system
until about the middle of the tenth century, while the
Byzantine became a perfect style of art before the close of
the sixth century.
ISO. Influence of Religion. Gothic art in every par-
ticular was directly opposed to classic art, not only because
it was developed by the nations that had conquered Rome,
but because it was a Christian art, in opposition to a pagan
art, and its architecture was based on an economical system
of construction, while that of classic Rome was an extrava-
gant construction. Its greatest monuments were built to
the glorification of the Supreme Being, while those of
Roman art were for the glorification of the empire. It is
not surprising, therefore, to find the best and purest exam-
ples of Gothic art in localities most distant from Rome, and,
as we gradually approach the south of Europe, we find
Gothic ornament tainted more and more with classic influ-
ence until, in Italy, the examples are so different in feeling
and expression from those we find in England that they
constitute almost an entirely different style. In PYance,
the style is not as pure as in England, but it contains none
of the extreme variations seen in Italy, and being patterned
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
more or less after the English examples, derives what good
it has from that country.
131. German and English Gothic.
In Germany, Gothic art was copied from
the French, and carried the imperfec-
tions of the French style to a still lower
degree, and its entrance into Italy from
Germany renders its condition in the seat
of the old Roman Empire so debased that
it possesses none of the underlying prin-
ciples of the pure Gothic style.
English-Gothic ornament may be di-
vided into three general periods, each
associated approximately with the cen-
tury of its greatest development. These
periods are called the Early English, or thirteenth century,
the Decorated, or fourteenth century, and the Perpendicular,
or fifteenth century.
FIG. 83.
FIG. 84.
Generally speaking, the Early English period is char-
acterized . architecturally by long, narrow, lancet-shaped
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
101
windows arranged in groups of two or three, as shown in
Fig. 82, the space between the openings usually containing
a third perforation in the form of a trefoil or quaterfoil
included under the same dripstone as the window opening.
The mullions, or bars, separating the window openings
were, toward the latter part of this period, split to form a
network in the upper part of the window, called tracery,
as shown in Fig. 83. This tracery was greatly elaborated
as the style advanced, and filled the upper portion of the
window with a complicated series of geometrical forms that
were frequently richly elaborated with a ball-flower orna-
ment, as shown in Fig. 84.
132. The Ball-Flower Ornament. The ball-flower
ornament is characteristic of the Decorated period, and
FIG. 85.
consists of conventionalized floral forms nearly spherical in
shape, a detail of which is shown
in Fig. 85. They were not always
used to such an excess as is shown
in Fig. 84, and were inserted un-
der the dripstone at regular inter-
vals, as shown in Fig. 86, which
is a sedile, or seat, sometimes
built in the interior walls of a
church. The dripstones of this
period usually terminated at each
end in the carved head of some
person of prominence, such as the
king or bishop, as shown in Fig. 84.
As we approach the Perpendicular period, the lines of
1-1.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
tracery are still more complicated but arranged more in
perpendicular pan-
els, the horizontal
elements being sup-
pressed as much as
possible.
13:$. Designs
for "W i nd o w
Heads. All these
designs for window
heads were worked
out on simple geo-
metrical combina-
tions, as shown in
Fig. 87, which is a
window with six
days, or openings,
divided in two groups of three each by means of pointed
FIG. 87.
FIG. 88.
II 1STOR 1C ORNAMENT.
103
arches shown at b a c and c d t\ over which a circle is
struck, with its center at o, whose diameter is equal to half
the width of the window, and its circumference is divided
into twelve parts, as shown at 1, 2, 3, h etc. Within each
of these parts, small circles, tangent to one another and to
the circumference of the great circle, are described, and
form the generating elements of the interior design.
FIG. 89.
This example is given with its construction lines simply
to show how these details are geometrically worked out.
All the elements of the design can be located and executed
by means of a pair of compasses and a straightedge, without
any other device to lay off measurements.
The lower part of these windows on the exterior, during
the Perpendicular period, as said before, were divided into
104
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
105
long panels, the total window opening usually being of
immense area, as shown in Fig. 88, which is the west front
of St. George's Chapel, at Windsor. This also shows the
general exterior appearance of the Gothic architecture of
Great Britain, and, with the west front of Westminster
Abbey, shown in Fig. 89, will be interesting to compare
FIG. 92.
with the Gothic art of other countries, which we will con-
sider hereafter.
134. Freiu'H AVimlow Tracery. In France, the
progress of window tracery was similar to that of Eng-
land, but on less systematic lines, and the doors and win-
dows tend more to rich elaboration on the exterior, usu-
ally being carved with full-length human figures, as
shown in Fig. 90, which is one of the entrance doors to
the church of Notre Dame, Paris, the full front elevation
of which is shown in Fig. HI. A comparison of Fig. 01
IOC
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
with the two examples of English Gothic will be interest-
ing, showing the tendency of the latter to vertical lines
more characteristic of the Gothic style, and of the French
to horizontal lines influenced by its closer proximity to
classic art.
1 35. (iothie Architecture in Italy. In Italy, Gothic
architecture is unique, and though the Palazzo Vecchio,
FIG. 93.
at Florence, shown in Fig. 92, possesses the crude, bold,
unassuming construction of the early Gothic castles, it
scarcely represents the fundamental principle on which the
Italian design is developed. It is in Venice that we find
more elaborate examples, where window tracery is carried
to a most fanciful extreme.
The Foscari Palace, shown in Fig. '.):>, shows the gradual
HISTORIC ORNAiMENT.
107
development of this window treatment, which seems to con-
stitute the entire idea of the Italian-Gothic style. In the
FIG. 94.
lower story we have the plain ogfival arch, and in the central
portions of the second and third stories, small colonnades,
108 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
connected by pointed arches, and in the upper of the two
with pointed arches, separated by plate tracery. In the top
story, this tracery is carried to an elaborate extreme. This
system of treatment, though based on entirely different
structural ideas from the Gothic of the North, brought
about many happy results, however, and the palace of Con-
tarini Fasan, also known as the House of Desdemona, shown
in Fig. 94, exhibits how adaptable the style of this Vene-
tian work is to modern requirements by the careful pro-
portioning and grouping of its parts and treatment of its
details.
It is not in the exterior of these buildings that we find
the most of value to us in ornamental design, except possibly
in Venetian work; therefore, the treatment of the interior
details we will now consider in regular order, having under-
stood the transition in style that took place from the British
Isles to the Italian peninsula.
136. Evolution of Gothic Ornament. The transi-
tion of the round arch, characteristic of the Romanesque
style, to the pointed arch, characteristic of the Gothic style,
is easily traced in buildings where the two styles are inter-
mingled, many of these being extant about the beginning ot
the thirteenth century, as shown in Fig. 95, which is taken
from an arcade of Canterbury Cathedral, in England. But
the passage from Romanesque ornament to that of the Gothic
period is by no means so easily traced.
All traces of the acanthus leaf have by this time disap-
peared, and we find a purely conventional style of ornament
prevalent in all buildings of the time. The nearest approach
to the acanthus formation we find in the illuminated manu-
scripts of the twelfth century, where ornamental forms, such
as shown in Fig. 96, are used, and appear to have been
derived from some old Greek manuscripts, as Gothic orna-
ments are formed by a continuous stem throwing off leaves
on the outer side and terminating in a flower.
Early English ornament is the most perfect, both in prin-
ciple and in execution, of all the Gothic period. There is as
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
10ft
much elegance in distinct modulations of form as there is in
the ornament of the Greeks. It is always in harmony with
the structural features of the building, and always grows
FIG. 95.
naturally from them. It fulfils every one of the conditions
that we desire to find in a perfect style of art, but it remained
perfect only so long as the style remained conventional. As
the style became less idealized
and more direct in imitation,
it ceased to be an ornament of
structural features, but became
ornament applied.
137. Characteristics.
In the capitals of the columns
of Early English architecture,
the ornament rises directly
from the shaft, above the neck-
ing of which the column splits
FIG. 96.
J10
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
into a series of stems, eaeli stem terminating in a flower, as
shown in Fig. I) 7. This is analogous to the mode of deco-
rating the Egyptian eapital. In the decorated style, on the
contrary, where a much nearer approacli to nature was
attempted, it was no longer possible to treat a natural leaf as
FIG. 98.
part of the shaft, and therefore the shaft is terminated by a
bell shape, around which the leaves are twined, and the
more natural these were made, the less artistic became the
arrangement, as shown in Fig. 98. This method of applying
ornament reminds us of the Roman-Corinthian capital.
FIG. 99.
FIG. 100.
In. the Perpendicular period, the capitals of the columns
were usually plain, and the shaft consisted of a cluster of
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
Ill
small columns. In some large buildings, however, the capi-
tals were carved with shallow foliage of a pronounced
geometrical shape, as shown in Fig. 9!J.
In foliage and running ornaments on bands and moldings,
the Early English period shows examples where the lines of
the ornament follow
the general directions
of the lines of the mold-
ing, and the foliated
work is conventionally
rendered, but, at the
same time, is graceful
and natural, as shown
in Fig. 100. In painted
bands, the lines itsti- FlG 101
ally are easy and flow-
ing, following the principle of carved work, as shown in
Fig. 101.
During the Decorated period, however, there is less effort
made to continue the foliage in the direction of the molding,
and the guiding stem fre-
quently wanders directly
across the molding, from
one side to the other, pre-
serving the governing
principle of throwing
leaves off alternately,
but at the same time
chopping the molding up
into a number of sec-
tions rather than giving
it a feeling of continuity.
In Fig. 102 is shown
an example of molding
from this period, where
the guiding stem of the foliation crosses and rccrosses the
molding almost at right angles to the line of its direction,
and though the leaves are arranged to cover up this guiding
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
stem to a certain extent, the fact still remains that its most
prominent sections are seen across the molding, instead of
flowing with it.
138. In the Perpendicular period, the system of decora-
tion is still further removed from that of the Early English,
and the molding is fre-
quently divided up into a
number of rectangular
v V *5 nmm '? *jyPBS panels, each of which is
decorated to represent
fggjjiJBHBiegigiifiJljiijgttgBj^^ some specific natural
FIO. \03. form, but so convention-
alized as to be reduced
to a pronounced geometrical outline. This is shown in
Fig. 103, where the leaves of the grape vine are reduced to
FIG. 104.
perfect rectangles, spaced evenly along the molding, between
which bunches of grapes are geometrically arranged.
1 39. Spandrels. In the
Spandrels of the arches, so
long as the conventionalism of
the Early English style was
maintained, one main stem
was distributed over the panel,
from which sprang leaves and
flowers, as shown in Fig. 104;
but as the style advanced the
stem ceased to be the guiding
FIG. 105.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 106.
form of the ornament, and, in the endeavor to represent in
stone the softness of nature, lost all its grace and decorative
characteristics. Finally, the stem as a leading feature dis-
appears, and \ve find the
spandrels filled with three
immense leaves, springing
from a twisted stem in
the center, and bearing
no structural relation to
the panel on which they
are planted, as shown in
Fig. 105.
14O. Diapers. In
the painted wall decora-
tions and diapers, the Early
English artists usually
divided the surface into a
number of geometrical forms within which a simple con-
ventional ornament was introduced resembling tile work.
The devices covering these ornaments were sometimes
heraldic and other times
based on forms borrowed
from the vegetable world,
as may be seen in Fig. 106.
During the Decorated
period, the wall divisions
are less naturally divided,
and circular disks, within
which are stenciled geo-
metrical patterns, are
spread over a wall sur-
face, and between them
are arranged shields with
coats of arms and other
X* IG. 1U7.
devices, as shown in
Fig. 107. Another system prevalent in the Decorated period
was to divide the wall into a number of bands, each of which
114
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 108.
was decorated with a running ornament, as shown in Fig. 108,
where the character of this running ornament is not widely
different from that seen in the Early English period, as
shown in Fig. 101. How-
ever, introduced with
this foliation are forms
from the animal world
that seem to possess no
relation to the design, or
the ornament, or the posi-
tion that they occupy.
The diapers of the
Perpendicular period are
attempts at realism, and
in Fig. 109 is shown a
painted wall in which
the pointed arch of
ogival form and the foliations and crockets characteristic
of the carved work of this period are attempted in the repro-
duction on the flat surface. This form of arch, with its
compound curve con-
vex below and concave
above is a distinguishing
characteristic of the Per-
pendicular period, as is
also the subdivision of its
under surface into the
small arches or foliations,
as shown. Within each of
these panels (which in all
work were long and nar-
row, giving the style its
name of Perpendicular),
the wall was decorated in
the conventional pattern
'as shown, and executed in
two colors. Similar patterns were also used for silks, tapes-
tries, and other fabrics of this period.
FIG. 109.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
115
In Fig. 110 is shown another style of wall treatment of
the Perpendicular period, where the surface remains flat
and no attempt is made to depict arches or moldings bor-
rowed from carved ornament, but details from the vegetable
world are drawn realis-
tically against a back-
ground interspersed
with conventionalized
outlines of leaf forms.
141. Zenith of
Architectural Devel-
opment. In the thir-
teenth century, beyond
all others, architecture
was at its zenith. The
mosques of Cairo, the
Alhambra in Spain,
Westminster Abbey,
and the Salisbury and
Lincoln cathedrals, in
England, all possess the same secret of producing the
broadest general effect combined with the most elaborate
decoration. In all these buildings there is a family like-
ness ; although the forms differ and the forces that have
called them into existence are totally unlike, yet the prin-
ciples that they embrace arc the same. They all exhibit the
same care for the leading masses of composition, the same
appreciation of the undulations of form, the same correct
observation of natural principles in the ornamentation, and
the same elegance and refinement in all the decoration.
The attempt to produce at the present day a building of
the character of those in the thirteenth century would be vain
indeed. Whitewashed walls with stained glass and encaustic
tiles cannot alone sustain the effect that was arrived at when
every molding had its color best .adapted to develop its
form, when from the floor to the roof not an inch of space
but that had its elaborate and appropriate ornament an
FIG. no.
116
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
effect that must have been glorious beyond conception. In
fact, so glorious a point, indeed, had the style reached that
it exhausted itself by the effort ; the light burned out. Not
only in architecture, but in all decorative arts that accom-
panied it, immediately there began a decline a decline that
never stopped until the Gothic style was dead.
142. Gothic Art in France. In France, the three
periods of Gothic art are known by the terms : (1) Early
French, corresponding in period with the Early English,
but beginning a trifle later; (2) Rayonnant, meaning radi-
ating, and corresponding with the Decorated period of
English art; and (3) Flamboyant, meaning flame-like, and
corresponding with the
Perpendicular period of
English art.
143. Early French
Period. The Early
French capital, though
patterned after the Early
English style, does not
possess its most impor-
tant characteristic that
of the apparent spring-
ing of the foliation from
stems bound together at
the neck of a column by
a carved band. The
capital in Fig. Ill pos-
sesses the characteristic
of having its foliage
spring from the top of
the column and spread
out gracefully under the abacus that receives the weight
from above, but this foliation seems to be planted on a
surface, rather than to be forming a part and detail of the
supporting member itself.
FIG. 111.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
117
144. Hayommnt Period. In the liayoimant period,
the capitals of the columns, like those of the Decorated
period in England, are
formed of bell shapes
over which foliage is
arranged; but, as shown
in Fig. 112, the French
arrangement is far infe-
rior to the English, inas-
much as no attempt is
here made to have the
foliage a part of the sup-
porting construction. It
is evident that the bell
shape does the support-
FlG. 112.
ing of the superimposed
load, and the carved vine is
simply an ornament laid on
the surface to break up its
monotony.
145. Flamboyant Pe-
riod. The Flamboyant
style, shown in Fig. 113,
carries this fault to still
greater extent, and the
twisted foliation is plainly
planted on the bell shape,
growing from nothing, supporting nothing, and apparently
ready to drop off, as there is no reason why it should be left
FIG. us.
118
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 114.
there. In Fig. 112 the vine is of a clinging- character and
would naturally appear to attach itself to the capital,
although it does not appear to grow naturally out of the
shaft of the column in the manner characteristic of the
foliage of the Early English capitals. In Fig. 113 the folia-
tion is not only of no particular character, but it is simply
"stuck on" with no
origin and no struc-
tural relation and con-
veys no idea of fitness
or propriety.
In the running bands
and moldings we find
the same characteristics
as those of England, but
not so pure in form.
In Fig. 114 the foli-
ated forms, it will be
observed, appear to be
attached to and grow
from the top and bot-
tom members of the
molding. The line of
their growth is curved
toward the center of
the molding, but, at
the same time, follows
the line of the mold-
ing itself and appears
continuous with it ;
while in the Rayonnant
period, as shown in
Fig. 115, the molding
is divided up in sec-
FlG 116 tions more like the
Perpendicular period of
England, and the leaves, though growing apparently from
the stonework beneath them, are nevertheless stiff and
FIG. 115.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
119
geometrical and do not appear to belong- to the surface on
which they are placed.
A characteristic of the Flamboyant style is seen in Fig. 110,
where the guiding stem of the ornament that is carved
on the molding is in some places clear from the molding
itself, and though it shows great skill in the carving,
exhibits little art in the
design. The leaves and
floral forms are twisted
so that their ends repre-
sent forked flames, from
which the period gets its
name, and there is no
structural relation be-
tween the foliation and
its moldings.
146. Early French
diapers divide the wall
surface into geometrical
forms in a mannersimilar
to that in England, and stenciled within these figures are
characteristic devices typical of the nation and the style.
In Fig. 117 we have a
wall divided intolozenge
shapes by diagonal lines,
within some of which
flcurs-dc-lis are sten-
ciled in gilt on a blue
ground, while a simple
foliated outline is sten-
ciled within the others
on a gold ground.
In Fig. 118 is shown
a more complicated de
sign based on the inter-
section of a number of
FIG. ns. circles whose centers
FIG. 117.
120
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
are found at the intersections of evenly spaced vertical and
horizontal lines. In this case, the ground of the decoration
is pink, and the outlines of the subdivision and the stenciled
forms within them are in gold.
<
147. The character of surface treatment in the Rayon-
nant period is best shown in Fig. 119, which is from
an illuminated manuscript. The
lines of the foliage and the
FIG. 119.
FIG. 120.
geometrical rendering of the flowers are characteristic
of this style of work, and the twisted forms are suggest-
ive of the change that
is taking place toward
the Flamboyant period.
In Fig. 120 is shown
another example from
illuminated manuscript,
where the naturalistic
treatment of the flower,
with the foliage reduced
to a flame-like outline,
shows the systematic ren-
dering of all work of this
period. FIG .
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 121
148. German-Gothic Details. German-Gothic de-
tails were influenced more largely by France, but, at the
same time, borrowed ideas direct from England. Fig. 121
shows a wall diaper divided into circles somewhat after the
manner of the English example shown in Fig. 107, within
which geometrical forms are stenciled in some cases, while
in others the conventional brush form of the eagle, emblem-
atic of Germany, is rendered in light green on a darker
ground of the same color.
149. Misinterpretation of Gothic. As the term
" Gothic " as applied to architecture is, in the minds of most
persons, associated almost entirely with ecclesiastical edifices,
we are all likely to labor under the impression that the
medieval cathedrals were the only structures built during
these dark ages. As a matter of fact, however, every build-
ing erected during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries,
throughout Western Europe, was built in what we now call
the Gothic style. In order that we may better understand
this domestic architecture and its details, from which much
of our ornament at the present day has descended, it will be
necessary for us to look into the habits, customs, methods
of living, and government of the people at this period.
Kings, princes, earls, and even the lesser nobility, all lived
in castles during this period, and these structures form a
most important part of the architecture, as they are undoubt-
edly the prototype of the modern dwelling house from which
have descended all those details of house plan that modern
requirements have brought into service.
150. Feudal System. At this time all lands were held
iinder what is known as the feudal system. When the
tribes from the North had conquered Rome and overrun the
entire Roman Empire, the generals or chiefs of the different
military organizations were given lands for themselves and
their subjects over which they ruled as kings and princes.
This system existed throughout all Europe, but with slightly
varying conditions in Italy, France, Germany, and England,
1:2;} HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
according to the influences of each locality. The general
principle was the same, however, and we will confine our dis-
cussion simply to the effect of this system in France, inas-
much as it reached a most thorough organization there, and
had a more marked influence on the subsequent art of the
period of the Renaissance.
The political organization of a country under the feudal
system consisted in the bulk of the land being divided into
states called fiefs, which were held by their owners on the
condition that they should, when called on, perform certain
military duties to their superiors or pay them fees in grain,
wines, cattle, etc., and in default of such service or payment,
the land could be reclaimed. The superior lord might be
the king of the realm, or some nobleman that held a feudal
tenure from the king, and who in turn created fiefs by and
under his own personal rule.
An important detail of the old feudal law was the fact that
the. king or superior lord, from whence comes the modern
term landlord, was entitled to the fealty of his own tenants,
but not to that of his subordinate tenants, every man looking
for rule and discipline only to his own immediate lord and
master. It therefore frequently happened that one of these
noblemen would build up a community so powerful as to
feel practically independent of his king, and therefore
refuse to render to his superior such military service as
was demanded. The result of this was inevitably the
same war between the king and his subject. On the other
hand, if the subject remained loyal to his king, he was likely
to depend on the royal influence and encroach somewhat
upon the fief of some one of his feudal neighbors. This
would bring about the same result war between two feudal
barons. And even if he remained within his own territory
and was true to his sovereign, the prosperity of his fief or
his influence with the royal court was sure to excite the
jealousy of some one of the surrounding nobles and bring
about war.
It would thus appear that the feudal barons were at war
with one another a large part of the time, and these frequent
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
123
wars required that the medieval castle should be a military
post from necessity and a domestic household for convenience.
During the war the castle was the stronghold of the lord and
his retainers, and during peace it was a house of entertain-
ment for his guests and vassals.
151. Castle of Coucy. In Fig. 122 is shown a plan of
the castle of Coucy, near Laon, France, the irregular outline
of which is due to the fact that military engineering required
that these structures should conform as nearly as possible to
the top of the hill, on
which they were usually
built, thereby rendering
it impracticable to storm
the fortress from more
than one side that on
which the entrance was
located.
A large tower, or keep
in the French castles
called the donjon
guarded this main en-
trance and at the same
time served as a strong-
hold and point of last
resort in case other por-
tions of the castle shotild
fall into the hands of
invaders. The donjon
of Coucy was 180 feet in
height and 108 feet in
diameter, and the walls
were 34 feet thick at the
base. The uppermost of its three stories was the largest, as
the walls were thinner at the top, and 1,500 men could be
here assembled in a circular room and receive their instruc-
tions for the military routine of the day. In the middle
story was the family apartment for use during siege, and in
124 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
the basement were storerooms for sufficient provisions to
last 1,000 men over a year.
The keep was surrounded on the outside by a moat, or
water-filled ditch, shown at #, beyond which was a large
enclosure shown at A,, called the outer bailey. This was a
large piece of cultivated land and contained the chapel r and
the stables s. The interior courtyard d was called the inner
bailey and was the only outdoor area open to the garrison in
time of siege.
These points are of interest, as from them are developed
many details that are characteristic of the modern house in
plan, while other details of more decorative value had their
origin in devices originally invented for purely military
purposes.
152. In Fig. 123 is shown a bird's-eye view of the castle
of Coucy and the surrounding country. Around the top of
each of its five towers will be observed small projections that
carry an enclosed gallery. The spaces between these pro-
jections, or corbels, as they were called, were open through
the floor of this overhanging gallery, and, in time of siege,
when the walls of the castle were surrounded by sappers
and miners endeavoring to disintegrate the stonework and
gain access to the interior, deadly missiles were shot straight
down from the floor of the gallery, or quantities of boiling
oil or molten lead were used to make the base of the walls as
unapproachable as possible.
The windows in the castle all opened on the inner bailey,
no openings being permitted toward the outside except
small loopholes of sufficient size only to shoot an arrow
through. The tops of the individual walls enclosing the
inner bailey were notched, and the rectangular sections of
wall between the notches called battlements each con-
tained a large loophole, as may be seen in the perspective
view at j. Behind these battlements was a platform on
which archers could stand and shoot at an invading force,
while a similar treatment of the top of the walls around the
outer bailey enabled the besieged to defend the outer bailey
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
125
against the besiegers before finally retiring within the castle
walls for safety.
All these details were altered from time to time, as civil-
ization advanced, and when the invention of gunpowder
FIG. 123.
rendered the castellar system of defense obsolete, the
corbels, battlements, and other details of feudal military
origin were still retained a.s ornamental features in many <>
the buildings developed from the castellar plan.
126 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
153. Mode of Living in Ancient Castles. Regard-
ing domestic life within these castle walls, it is well to
remember that, previous to the fourteenth century, there
was not much subdivision in the household apartments even
of royalty, the king and queen and the servants and retainers
all usually occupying one room, known as the great hall. This
great hall is shown in the plan at //, and was to the domestic
part of the household what the donjon was to the military
the main apartment wherein all household duties were per-
formed. Here the lord sat at his meals with his family, his
guests, and his retainers; here he transacted all business of
the day, both financial and domestic ; and here in the earliest
times he slept at night on a rough couch at one end.
By degrees, society began to improve and become more
refined, and the constant daily association w r ith servants and
soldiers becoming undesirable, the great hall was divided
into two apartments, one of which \vas known as the with-
drawing room, where the lord and his family could retire
after meals, but the hall was still retained for business and
dining purposes. However, a further subdivision provided
another room for the transaction of business, which was still
called the hall, but in distinction the remaining portion was
called the dining hall. These three rooms the hall, the
dining hall, and the withdrawing room were the principal
apartments in the house or castle, and, consequently, the sep-
arate sleeping apartments, which advanced ideas demanded,
were crowded into any out-of-the-way corner that circum-
stances afforded. For this reason, these sleeping rooms
were often dark, cheerless apartments, and were designated
by the term chamber a \vord derived from the Latin, mean-
ing a dark vault and finally, when the bedstead was intro-
duced as an article of household furniture, the sleeping
rooms were called bed chambers, to designate them from
other rooms in the castle of similar character but not for
sleeping purposes.
154. Heating of Ancient Castles. In the earliest
days, the castle was heated by an immense fire-grate located
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 127
in the center of the room, the smoke from whieh passed
through openings in the roof called louvers. Subsequently,
this grate was removed from the center to the side wall, and
the louver was replaced by a chimney stack. This neces-
sitated a separate chimney for each room, and is responsible
for the fact that nearly every French chateau built in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries bristles with beautifully
designed chimney stacks above the roof, and nearly every
room in the French chateau of the Renaissance period pos-
sesses a fireplace and a distinctively designed mantel.
155. Heraldry. Another point of this feudal system
is the subject of heraldry, which is of vast importance in
its relation to historic ornament, inasmuch as it is based
entirely on that important characteristic of all ornament,
namely, symbolism. It is doubtless true that armorial bear-
ings were not in much general use until the twelfth century,
when they were brought into prominence by the crusades a
term given to those wars waged by the Christians of Western
Europe against the Mohammedans around Jemsalem for the
purpose of rescuing the Holy Sepulcher from the hands of
infidels.
The purpose of heraldic devices was to designate one per-
son from another, as surnames did not exist in those days;
and though the painted device by which the savage sets
forth his personality may be considered as heraldic as the
device borne on the shield of a soldier, it is with the latter
class that. we have to do in ornamental design.
We have seen in Egyptian art evidences of heraldry,
inasmuch as the two serpents flanking the sun disk of the
winged globe are symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt, and,
therefore, heraldic. But with the twelfth century, we arrive
at a system of heraldry whereby the heraldic device was
passed down from generation to generation, in the same
manner that the family name is transmitted at the present
day. A heraldic device would be transmitted from father
to son, on the death of the former, with few alterations, so
that in our study of the history of subsequent styles, we can
128 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
locate and date many details by our familiarity with the
insignia associated with certain royal families.
156. Tlie Fleur-de-lis. The fleur-de-lis has ever been
emblematic of France, because Hugh Capet, the first French
king, carried it on his shield as the insignia of his family,
and subsequent rulers used this same emblem as an indica-
tion of royalty, while they coupled with it some other device
to more clearly establish their own personality. In subse-
quent periods, as we shall see, the initial letter was fre-
quently used by royalty on works of art erected by them
during the period of their reign ; but this is not of so much
importance to us as the heraldic devices, as several sover-
eigns of the same name ruled many years apart. The
importance of these heraldic devices cannot be overestimated,
as will be pointed out when we study the ornament of the
subsequent periods in the Renaissance.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 3.)
RENAISSANCE ART.
INTRODUCTION.
1. Origin. Although the medieval style of art and
architecture prevailed throughout all Europe for at least six
centuries, it is still a difficult matter to draw a line at certain
dates when the influence of the ancient classic art utterly
ceased and the revival of that classic art after the Medieval
period took place. In fact, if the two subjects were studied
separately and independently, it is not unlikely that traces
of revival of classic art could be discovered even before the
classic style itself had become extinct.
It must be borne in mind that Italy, in the extreme
southern part of Europe, was the seat of the original Roman
government, and the country wherein the classic style devel-
oped to its greatest voluptuousness. The Roman people
spread all over civilized Europe and established their monu-
ments everywhere, but no place so profusely as in Italy
itself.
After the conquest of Rome by the barbarous hordes from
the North, the Latin-speaking people were largely confined
to the Italian peninsula, and though a new style of architec-
ture was developed by the % conquering race a style since
derisively termed Gothic by the artists of the Renaissance
5
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
t> HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
period the original Romans at home still endeavored to
adhere to their ancient traditions and styles of art. If this
point is thoroughly understood, there will be no difficulty in
tracing the progress of Renaissance art from Italy through-
out Europe. We have seen that the farther north we go
from the site of the Roman Empire, the purer was the style
of the Gothic art that prevailed, inasmuch as it was less
hampered by the tradition of classic art.
2. Revival of Classic Style. Now, when it comes to
a revival of the classic style, it is not strange that that revi-
val should take place first in Italy, where the Gothic style
never secured a prominent foothold, that the revival should
spread from Italy to France a people made up largely of
Latin extraction- and that, lastly, it should extend from
France to England, but in a very imperfect form, as the
English people were not Latins and had no sympathy with,
nor tie to, the original Latin style. Bear in mind also that
the Celtic ornament, of which we have studied, originated
among the earlier inhabitants of the British Isles and natu-
rally influenced any importation from a strictly foreign coun-
try, as was Italy.
3. Scope of Renaissance Period. In describing
Renaissance art, we will commence at the period of its
infancy and continue under 'this heading clown to the present
day, inasmuch as there has been no new style evolved and
no revival of any other style that need break this term of
continuity. Moreover, it will not be inadvisable for us to
set a period or character of the Renaissance style that theo-
retically may bi considered the best, and, in doing this, we
must consider all the influences that are brought to bear.
4. Intention of Renaissance Artists. -The effort of
the Renaissance artists was not to invent a new style, nor to
bring about through a transition a development based on
classic lines, but to deliberately copy the monuments of
pagan Rome and Greece and use these heathen forms, no
matter how inappropriate or illy suited for the purpose of
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
modern Christian art. They were different from anything
they had ever seen or conceived; they were the products of
an age cf wonderful art and literary advancement, and, in
the eyes of the Renaissance artists, were accepted as supe-
rior to anything they could themselves devise.
5. Kenaissance Art In Italy. The style of Renais-
sance we find in Italy, where Gothic art had its slightest
influence, naturally adheres as closely as possible to the old
Roman forms, for there they had the old Roman buildings,
many of them still intact, that could be copied line for line.
The invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France, toward
the close of the fifteenth century, brought into the latter
country examples of this revived Italian art that were much
admired by the French public, and the revival of classic art
was immediately felt throughout France. Devoid of actual
buildings from which they could study their designs, the
French artists were compelled to go to Italy and study, and
French kings imported Italian artists to do work in and
around Paris. Either experiment was bound to produce an
altered style.
6. Introduction Into France. The French artist had
been working in the Gothic style, and he studied the Italian
monuments with an idea of medieval construction in his
mind. The Italian artist came to France possibly with a
clearer idea of classic art, but was hampered in his execution
by the necessity of employing workmen that had cut stone
in no other style than that which had prevailed during the
six centuries of the Middle Ages. An even compromise can
therefore be considered to nave taken place between the
perfect construction of the Gothic style and the perfect pro-
portion of the classic art.
7. Introduction Into England. The introduction of
Renaissance into England, however, was far different. True,
her artists studied the styles under great Italian masters at
Rome, but they, too, had to compete with designers in the
local school, where Gothic art had secured its strongest
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
foothold. Germany and Holland before this had adopted the
Renaissance style from France, and the systematic patience
of the Germans and the phlegmatic immobility of the Hol-
lander are well woven into the style of classic art they
reproduced. When these perverted ideas were transmitted
to England, it is easily understood that they contained few
details that could be considered purely classic. By a suc-
cessive alteration through several countries, they could be
with difficulty identified with their original type.
8. Purity of French Style. We may therefore con-
sider that in France we find the best examples of a practical
adaptation of the ancient classic ornament to modern condi-
tions and purposes, while in Italy we find a Renaissance of
classic art that adheres more closely to the classic style, but
can hardly be considered even a new departure. In Eng-
land, however, the style that was developed in the Renais-
sance period is not classic at all, except in its derivation, and
there, after repeated endeavors to apply the inappropriate
forms to the modern purposes, the style was abandoned and
an endeavor made to revive that of the Medieval period.
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE.
J). Origin. Fragments of exquisite beauty in stone,
bronze, and marble were hardly covered over by the top of
the soil in the ruins of the ancient buildings of Rome, and
these buildings therefore became quarries from which stone
was easily obtained and recut to be used for tombs and other
buildings wherein the style of art for which they were origi-
nally used played no part. This accounts largely for the
fact that Gothic art secured so little foothold in Italy and
remained for so short a time.
The pointed arch was introduced in the northern part
of Italy early in the thirteenth century, and this might be
considered the planting of the seed of Gothic art in this
territory ; but almost at the same time there was a protest
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
made in favor of the ancients and the arts as being supe-
rior to anything the barbarous hordes from the North could
produce.
1C. Art and [Literature. The great poet Dante,
though an ardent Christian, was a profound student of
classic learning as well as a strong advocate of pagan art.
The celebrated authors Petrarch and Boccaccio were intimate
friends and spent their lives, not, as many people supposed,
in writing Italian poetry and prose, but in laboring almost
incessantly in the preservation and restoration to the rest of
the world of the long-lost text of the Roman and Greek
authors. It was Boccaccio that first gave to Italy a lucid
account of Greek mythology and that first instituted a school
for the study of the Greek language at Florence, and these
efforts at a revival of learning were seconded and backed by
a large number of notables who could not have failed to
make it a success.
11. Invention of Printing: ami Its TCfFeots. Now,
understand that at the time when the labors of all these
men had accumulated in their libraries public and private
all that could be recovered of classic learning, all that
could be gathered from the earliest scrolls of tlrj Greeks, all
the information concerning art that remained from the
wreckage of old Rome, about the middle of the fifteenth
century, the art of printing was introduced into Italy and
the learning of the ancients became spread among the people
of all Europe.
The invention of printing and the printing press is there-
fore responsible for the development of the Renaissance
style. Louis XI of France sent Nicholas Jenson into Italy
to learn "the new art by which books were made." This
learned man was no less a competent editor than he was a
zealous printer, and from about the year 1400 he gave to the
world in rapid succession many editions of Greek and Latin
classics and a history of ancient art profusely illustrated with
engravings on wood.
6 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
12. Publication of Vitruvius. Through these illus-
trations, which display a study on the part of the artist of
ancient art, types of ornament geometrically opposed to those
of the Middle Ages were disseminated over the continent of
Europe; and, in 1511, the publication of the architecture of
Yitruvius at Venice, with illustrations of the classic orders
of architecture, set a final seal upon the fate of matters in
art and afforded the means of spreading throughout other
countries those details of ancient design that had so engaged
the art public of Italy.
13. Italian Aversion to Gothic Forms. However,
before those laborers that were endeavoring to bring classic
art and literature to the* front had succeeded in getting the
least sign of encouragement, it was apparent that the Italians
did not take kindly to Gothic forms. The acanthus leaf was
typical of Italian art, and the foliated capitals of the Gothic
school had to accept this form of vegetation.
In its earliest stage, Renaissance art in Italy was really a
revival of classic principles, and it was not until the middle
of the fifteenth century that it could be considered an actual
revival of style.
14. Iloman Influences. At Rome the great wealth of
the Italian princes and the great ecclesiastical works under-
taken by successive pontiffs of the Church attracted to that
city the highest procurable ability in the art world, and it is
for that reason that we can still find in Rome, in the various
palaces and churches, the most exquisite fragments of deco-
rative sculpture in detail.
15. Doiiatello. One of the most interesting qualities
of this style of ornament is the skill with which those by
whom it has been wrought have availed themselves of a
variation of light and shade by the treatment of the surfaces
on which the ornament is raised. The refined appreciation
of the delicate shades of relief in sculptured ornament was
carried out with the greatest perfection by Donatello, an
artist whose authority on matters of art was held in the
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 7
highest esteem by the people of Florence, and whose example
was followed by all classes of artists.
He was the first to practice the true basso rilievo^ by
which the effect of projection and of rounded molding
is obtained within what would appear to be impracti-
cable limits of relief; that is to say, in modeling his orna-
ment on surface, it was raised but slightly above the surface
but was treated in its carving so as to appear in high
relief.
Donatello then combined this style of work with mezzo
rilievo and alto rilievo, the former being a half relief, and the
latter being a sunken ornament below the surface on which it
was executed. This combination maintained a division of the
subject of his design into several planes. Donatello enriched
many of his ornaments with elements derived from the art
of painting.
16. Plane System. At the zenith of its perfection, this
system of regular arrangement of ornament in planes was so
ingeniously managed in position of light and shade that,
when viewed from a distance, the relief presented only cer-
tain points symmetrically disposed with some dominating
geometrical figure. An approach of a few yards served to
bring to the eye lines and details connecting the points of
greatest importance, and a still nearer approach revealed the
leafage of the delicate tendrils that were required to convey
a tangible idea of the type of nature selected for the conven-
tionalized design. And beyond this, no inspection could be
too close a test of the artist's perfect appreciation of the
refinements of surface texture.
17. Characteristics. In the hands of less profoundly
impressed artists than Donatello those possessing an inferior
sense of the proper limit of convention in sculpture the
introduction of pictorial elements in the bas- relief design soon
degenerated into realism and confusion. Great as was the
skill of Ghiberti, the effect of many of his most graceful
compositions was marred by the introduction of perspective
8 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
effect and accessories too servilely copied from nature. In
many of the ornaments of sculpture, this fault is exagger-
ated until the dignity of the design is lost in the frivolity of
the detail. These monuments, decked with huge garlands
of flowers, hung with heavy cartouches and tablets, and fan-
cifully overgrown with foliage, appeared more as examples
of the artisan's skill than works of art commemorative of the
date or dedicated to sacred purposes.
This is somewhat illustrated in Fig. 1, which is a part of a
cornice taken from the Palazzo Vecchio, or Town Hall, of
Florence, Italy. This also illustrates the minutia of detail
FIG. l.
with which this style of ornament abounded. Along the
frieze are heavy garlands of flowers, the design of which
includes also fruit and grain, while at the points between
which they are stretched are hung shield-shaped cartouches
bearing devices of a more symbolic character. The fleur-
de-lis, emblematic of certain royal families, and the crossed
keys of St. Peter are here seen, and it would appear that one
ot them must be strangely out of place in the frieze of a
town hall. The other ornaments on the moldings, though
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
elaborately carved, are less out of place and are characteristic
of the style and period.
18. Frivolity and Incongruity of Designs. The
panels in the elaborately carved seat in Fig. 2 show to what
extreme and frivolity ornament of this character can be car-
TB55
ried. Here, as the settee in St. Peter's Church, Perugia, we
have a design not only proportioned according to the pagan
rules and ideas, but elaborately interspersed with grotesque
10 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
figures, comic masks, griffins, bucrania, flowers, and fruit,
not one of which would appear to be particularly identified
with any detail of the Christian faith.
Many of the designs of this period are strangely incongru-
ous with the purpose for which they are called into existence.
Tragic and comic masks, musical instruments, antique altars,
tripods, hybrid marine monsters, and chimeras do not har-
monize well with monuments reared in consecrated edifices
or dedicated to religious rites. However, this fault of the
confusion of details cannot be laid entirely upon the shoul-
ders of the artists of the Renaissance period, as their works
may be considered simply as a reflection of the taste and dom-
inant spirit of the age; and this revival of mythological
symbolism was a protest against the hampering trammels of
esthetic tradition erected into dogmatism by the rulers of the
East, and endorsed by the Church during those centuries
when its ascendency over an ignorant and turbulent popula-
tion was at its greatest height. The minds of even the most
religious men were thoroughly imbued with such inappro-
priate and incongruous associations in the fourteenth century.
1 9. Value to the Designer. To the designer, the study
of this period in ornament is of the greatest value, as in no
style has ornament ever been better spaced or arranged to
contrast more agreeably with the direction of the adjacent
architectural lines by which it was bound and always kept in
subordination. Rarely do we find an ornament placed in a
horizontal position that is more suitable to a vertical one, or
vice versa; and rarely are the proportions of the ornaments
and moldings, or the stiles and rails by which regularity and
symmetry are given to the whole, at variance with one
another.
20. Propriety of Subject. In Fig. 3 is shown a
column from the inner court of the Palazzo Vecchio, with
its stucco decorations in the style of the Renaissance of this
period. Observe that the arabesques fit perfectly the rect-
angular panels on the sides of the octagon column, and
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
11
that the ornament is well spaced, appearing not crowded or
excessive, but flowing naturally and preserving a proper
relation between the plain surfaces and the richly orna-
mented ones. None of this ornament could be said to have
FIG. 8.
been better suited to a horizontal position, nor can it be
stated that the relative proportions of the details of the
ornament are such as to make one portion of it any more
prominent or excessive than another.
In Fig. 4 is shown another column from the same build-
ing, ornamented on an entirely different system, although
included in the group with the one of the previous example.
Here the flowing grape vine winds spirally around the col-
umn, and the leaves and fruit are so disposed as to set off
clearly the details and at the same time preserve that space
relation that is always characteristic of good ornament.
12
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
The capitals of these columns, it will be observed, are
almost identical in design, although one of them crowns an
octagonal column and the other
a round shaft.
*]. In Fig. 5 is shown one
end of a sarcophagus in the
tomb of Marsuppini, at Flor-
ence, designed by a pupil and
follower of Donatello. This is
considered one of the finest
examples of Italian-Renaissance
sculpture. The treatment of
the leaves and foliage, and the
proportioning of the ornament
to the surface, with the digni-
fied simplicity of the inscription
and frame, make it deserving
of close attention and considera-
tion of the method by which
its decoration is handled. The
relation here of plain surface
and running ornament is very
happily proportioned, avoiding
so successfully the appearance of excess, so characteristic
of most Renaissance design and at the same time satisfying
the mind as to its sufficiency.
22. Scrollwork. In Fig. is shown the capital of a
pilaster from the church of San Spirito, in Florence. The
treatment of the acanthus leaf here, it will be observed, is
very similar to its treatment on the Roman-Corinthian cap-
ital, very few alterations having been made in the type.
The introduction of the oak leaf in an acanthusized form
shows a step in progression, as does the introduction of the
acorn accompanying the leaf. The peculiar form of S scroll
in the center of the capital, each side and below the acorns,
is characteristic of the Renaissance, and has its origip
FIG. 4.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
FIG. 5.
FIG. 6.
14
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
undoubtedly in that irrepressible tendency of Roman orna-
ment to end its scrolls each time in a flower. The propor-
tioning of the ornament to the surface in this case, however,
is much more moderate and refined than in the Roman-
Corinthian capital, and though copied after the classic
model, this is certainly an improvement on it.
23. Foliated Terminations. In Fig. 7 is shown a
portion of a cornice supported on pilasters around the door-
way in the same church. The treatment of the frieze shows
its origin in Roman ornament, but the introduction of the
FIG. 7.
human figure and birds with foliated terminations reminds
us again of the innovations made by the Renaissance artists.
Observe that all surface is here ornamented, that every
molding is cut to break up an appearance of continuous line
and cast an irregular shadow, and that the surfaces, such as
the top of the pilaster and its capital and the panels in the
frieze just referred to, all have their decorations properly
proportioned and in keeping with the position they occupy.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
15
In Fig. 8 is shown another cornice from the same church,
the design of which follows more closely the ancient classic
model. The ornament on the frieze is carved in high relief
and does not possess that easy flowing feeling that is seen
in the previous example. The same may be said of the
FIG. 8.
moldings on the pilaster that supports the cornice, and of
the capital of this pilaster. The ornament is too thick and
there is not sufficient blank surface to rest the eye from this
abundance of detail, thereby giving the whole design a feel-
ing of unrest that was more characteristic of the extravagant
16
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
Corinthian order of the Romans than the more refined hand-
lings of Italian art.
In Fig. 9 is shown a bracket that forms a detail of the
pulpit in the church of St. Croce, in Florence, the treatment
of the decoration of which is well worthy of study. The
ornamen* is not excessive and well fills the surface where it is
placed, and the leafwork is carved in low relief and does not
possess that excessive surface molding that so materially
detracts from some of the work of the later Renaissance.
24. Examples of Venetian Renaissance. In Fig. 10
is a bracket from the Ducal Palace at Venice, and is charac-
teristic of the style of the Venetian Renaissance. The
scrollwork and treatment of the foliage in this bracket is
particularly happy, and illustrates, more clearly than any
example we have had, the obedience to those laws of nature
that must be observed in all good ornament : radiation from
the parent stem, tangential curvature of lines, and distribu-
tion of areas. The latter rule is particularly well shown in
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
17
this by the gradual diminution in surface occupied by the
running ornament as it extends into the extremities of the
triangular panel. The scrollwork under the bracket is not
so artistically formed or well proportioned, but errors here
are amply balanced by the good points of the scroll.
In Fig. 11 is shown a panel from a large candelabrum
that gives a very clear idea of the treatment of Venetian
arabesques. The panel is symmetrical on each side of a
center line, carved in high relief in stone, and is treated in
Fir,. 10.
a manner that makes the ornament somewhat monotonous
in itself but well proportioned to the surface it is intended
to cover, with enough blank space to prevent tiresomeness
in its study.
25. Ingenuity of Ileimissam-o J>esijrmr. Fig. 12 is
a panel under the balustrade of the stairs in the cathedral at
Sienna. This illustrates to a remarkable degree the inge-
nuity and fertility of mind possessed by the early Renais-
sance designer and sculptor. Here we have, forming the
18
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
running- border around a trapezoidal panel, the guilloche
ornament so characteristic of classic art, and the running
arabesque identified with the classic- revival period; within
this a modified form of the old Greek fret and then an irreg-
ular panel, the surface of which is carved in low relief with
FIG. ll.
a foliated scroll and arabesque that close study discovers is
terminated at one end in a grotesque animal and at the other
in a bunch of fruit.
26. Renaissance Ironwork. Not only was art at this
period exemplified in details carved in stone and marble,
modeled in stucco and painted on canvas, but the iron
worker executed many details that brought his trade almost
to a fine art.
Fig. 13 shows a bracket from the Florence Museum, rep-
resentative of a cornucopia filled with grapes and leaves.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
19
The treatment of the scrollwork and the elaboration of all
the detail of this device is peculiarly well adapted to the
FIG. 12.
purpose, and altogether this exhibits a remarkable design
for a piece of work of this kind.
In Fig. 14 is shown a portion of an iron grille from the
cathedral at Prato, one portion of which, based on the com-
binations of the circle, shows a slight leaning toward Gothic
ideals, while the panel to the right is strictly Renaissance in
the treatment of its leafwork and small figures; but the
20 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. $ 5
general direction of its outline, with its alternate branches to
the left and right, undoubtedly have their origin in the
Gothic school of foliation.
It must be borne in mind that at this period there was no
separation in the branches of the art world. A man was
architect, painter, and sculptor at once, and often combined
these with the trade of goldsmith. The great artist Raffael
designed ornaments for carvers in stone and metal, and
exhibited in them the purest taste and most exquisite fancy.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 21
7. Michael Augfdo, Sculptor ami Artist. Michael
Angelo was born in 1475 and was a pupil of Domenico
Ghirlandajo. Having shown at an early age a strong talent
for sculpture, he was given an opportunity to study in a
school for the culture of sculpture founded by Lorenzo de
Medici. The Medici family was banished from Florence
when Angelo was 20 years of age, and the young sculptor
Fin. II.
was forced to retire to Bologna, where he worked for a while
on the tomb of St. Domini. He returned to Florence, how-
ever, and about the time of his twenty-third birthday finished
his celebrated statue of Cupid, and also his Bacchus, which
were the cause of his being invited to Rome.
At Rome, among many other works by him, is the Pieta
now standing in St. Peter's Church. His gigantic statue of
22 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
David, at Florence, was his next great achievement, and
before he was 30 years of age he was summoned to Rome
by Pope Julius II for the purpose of designing his Mauso-
leum, for which building the famous statues of "Moses"
and " The Slaves " were originally designed.
Thus far the work of Michael Angelo has apparently been
that of a sculptor, with possibly the exception of the design
of the Mausoleum. His next great work, however, was the
painting of the Sistine Chapel one of the greatest of his
achievements, \vhether we regard it purely as a work of
intrinsic art or as a monument that exercised a powerful
influence both on the art of a contemporary character as well
as that of later times.
For Pope Paul III, in 1541, he completed his vast fresco
"The Last Judgment" in the same chapel, and the
remainder of his long life was chiefly devoted to the con-
struction of St. Peter's Church, on which he was employed
at the time of his death, in 1564, and for which he refused
any remuneration.
During the long life of Michael Angelo, everything he
executed expressed a desire for novelty, and this is the only
detraction he ever seemed to have from the study of pure
excellence. His daring innovations in ornament are most
striking. His large broken pediments and moldings, his
sweeping consoles and scrolls, his direct imitation of nature
in some of his enrichments, and the amount of absolutely
plain surface that he uniformly preserved in all his archi-
tectural compositions, seem to bring new elements into the
field of design that were greedily snapped up by men of
lesser genius than he himself possessed.
Thus the style of the Roman school became materially
altered through the work of Michael Angelo. Subsequent
artists, down even to Vignola himself, so far as ornament
was concerned, adopted all his beauties, and defects of design,
the greatest of which were an exaggeration of manner.
28. Giacopo Tatti Sansovino. Venice seems to be
the only city of Italy that did not follow the style that was
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 23
set by Michael Angelo, and this was probably due to the fact
that she had a hero of her own in Giacopo Tatti Sansovino.
This artist was born at Florence in the year 1479. Having,
at an early age, displayed a remarkable talent for art, he was
properly educated and distinguished himself by his build-
ings at Florence. He was then taken to Rome by San Gallo,
architect of Pope Julius II, where he attracted the notice of
Bramante, and made, under Bramante's direction, a large-
wax model of the Laocoon, in competition with other artists.
Sansovino's was judged to be the best, and a bronze cast was
taken of it that finally came into the possession of Cardinal
Lorraine and by him was taken to France in the year 1534.
Sansovino was obliged to leave Rome on account of his
health, and was placed by Bramante with the artist Peru-
gino, who was then painting the ceiling in the Toore Borgia.
Perugino was so pleased with Sansovino's ability that he
caused him to prepare many models for his own use.
In the year 1514, most elaborate preparations were being
made at Florence for the entry of Pope Leo X, and Sanso-
vino was employed in the preparation for designs of many
triumphal arches and statues. The works were so success-
ful that he was given the commission by the Pope to make a
design for the facade of San Lorenzo, in Florence. After
this he continued in Rome and was employed both in sculp-
ture and architecture, and was the successful competitor for
the church of St. John, of the Florentines, against Raffael
and Antonio San Gallo. From this on he was engaged on
work of importance in Rome until the year 1527, when
Rome was taken by the French, and Sansovino sought
refuge in Venice, intending from there to visit France,
where the king had offered him employment. The Duke
Andrea Gritti, however, persuaded him to remain and
undertake the restoration of the cupolas of St. Mark's
Church a work that he performed so successfully that he
was appointed to a public office, given a house, and provided
with a stipend. It was to this appointment that Venice
owes so many architectural monuments that are among the
finest examples of Italian art.
24 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
FRENCH RENAISSANCE.
29. Rapidity of Transition. The transition from the
style of the Middle Ages to the style of the Renaissance, that
took place so gradually in Italy, was in France sudden and
complete. The campaigns of Charles VIII, Louis XII, and
Francis I in Italy brought them in contact with the wonder-
ful art productions of that country, and filled them on their
return to France with an ambition to rival the splendid
palaces and gardens of Italy, for which purpose they took
with them Italian artists to act as instructors to the French.
However, although these imported Italians introduced many
classic elements and details into French art, they failed to
dominate the natural spirit of the French master masons
and architects in matters of general composition. There-
fore, the early French Renaissance is wholly unlike that of
Italy, from which it derived only a few minor details and
the impetus that carried it forwards. On account of its
possession of greater originality than the Italian style, and
its freedom from the baser incongruities that prevailed in
the Renaissance in Germany and England, we can take the
French style as a good standard, and study it as a revival of
classic art modified almost perfectly to fit more modern
ideas. It is important in studying the French Renaissance
to bear in mind the periods into which it is divided and sub-
divided, and also to bear in mind the dates of these periods.
In modern practice, when any designs are executed in any
particular style, the French styles more than any others are
rated according to their period rather than nationality.
30. Periods of French Renaissance. French Renais-
sance may be divided into three general periods: (1) Valois
period, or Renaissance proper ; (2) Bourbon, or Classic,
period ; and (3) Rococo period.
\. Valois Period. The Valois period extends from 1483
(about the time of the invasion of Charles VIII into Italy) to
loSO (about the end of the reign of Henry III). This may
be subdivided into: (c?) The Transition period, comprising
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 25
the reigns of Charles VIII and Louis XII and the early
years of Francis I, extending from 1483 to 1515. This
period is characterized by a picturesque mixture of classic
details and Gothic ideas. (/;) The style of Francis I, or
Early Renaissance, extending from about 1520 to 1547. The
ornament of this period is distinguished by its great variety
and grace of composition and the exquisite beauty of detail.
(c) The Advanced Renaissance, combining the reigns of
Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III, extend-
ing from 1547 to 1589, and distinguished by the general
adoption of the classic proportions in the orders and a decline
in the delicacy and originality in the treatment of the orna-
ment. In other words, this period represents, as did the
later Renaissance of Italy, an attempt to actually reproduce
all classic forms.
2. Bourbon Period. This period of the Renaissance
extends from 1589 to 1715, covering the reign of Henry IV
and of Louis XIV. This may be subdivided into the style
of Henry IV, covering entirely his reign and part of the
reign of Louis XIII, extending altogether from 1589 to
1G45. The distinguishing characteristic of this period is
the excessive use of the classic orders and other forms with
a heavy, bold, florid ornament. The style of Louis XIV
begins during the reign of his predecessor and extends to
the time of his death from 1(545 to 1715. This is the great
age of classic architecture in France, wherein the luxury and
wealth of the nation and its desire for splendor exceeded its
taste in art and represented in its architecture an attempt at
the grandeur of Rome.
3. Rococo Period. This period may be considered the
decline, and is distinguished by the marked extravagance of
detail derived from the leaf and other ornamental forms of
previous periods, combined with rock and shell forms, so
capricious as to be absolutely meaningless.
This period of French Renaissance terminates in what is
known as the Empire style. This consisted of a strong pro-
test against the frivolity of the ornament of the Rococo, and
a return to the actual detail of more classic forms. As it
26 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
progressed into the nineteenth century, it expressed itself
under the reign of Napoleon, as emperor, and attempted to
produce the grandeur of Imperial Rome.
France had conquered the greater part of Europe, and
believed that she was to set up a universal empire covering
the entire country, as Rome had done, and with this idea in
mind, built triumphal arches, columns of victory, gorgeous
palaces, and country chateaux, and in every way lavished
money on public and private monuments, in an endeavor to
visibly express her imperialism.
31. Castles and Chateaux. The transition from the
Gothic to the Renaissance is more clearly expressed in the
chateaux, or country residences, of the nobles than in almost
any other class of buildings, and for that reason we will confine
our discussion largely to a few of these interesting edifices.
We have seen how the castle of the Middle Ages was built
mainly for defense, its ornamental features being merely
an embellishment of the necessities that were prominent in
its construction. Such was exhibited in the general appear-
ance of the castle of Coucy, Fig. 123, Historic Ornament, 4.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
27
The remodeling of these Gothic castles to suit the taste of
the Renaissance brought in many incongruous but very
picturesque ideas. In Fig. 15, a view of the castle of Azay-
le-Rideau, it will be observed how the towers and turrets
characteristic of the old style are retained, how the upper
portions are still carried out on bold corbels, and their tops
Ouff/n* fVan of
CHATEAU DE.BLOIS.
Fie;. 10.
roofed over in a cone; but the drawbridge, the moat, and
the portcullis have disappeared. Broad airy windows dimin-
ish the extent of blank wall surface characteristic of feudal
times, and pilasters each side of the windows, topped with
classic capitals and carved in rich arabesque, show the adop-
tion of Italian art. The plan, composition, and grouping
of the parts are still French and more or less feudal, and the
Italian art has onlv affected the detail.
28 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
32. Chateau de Blois. The largest, and, in many
respects, the most important, of these country residences of
royalty is the Chateau de Blois, and this we will consider in
detail, as within it may be traced the gradual transition of
each phase of the French Renaissance, from the time of Louis
XII to the time of Henry IV, thereby including the entire
Valois and a part of the Bourbon period of this style.
In Fig. 16 is shown a plan of this structure, the irregularity
of which gives evidence of its medieval origin. About the
ll 111 ;!
nviiii
^ t(C. ' ^...iii 'Ml .....n.ii-ia*. -- -~ *
FIG. 17.
year 1500 Louis XII remodeled the east wing, which bears
his name, a front view of which is shown in Fig. 17. In this
may be seen the elliptical arch, the clustered column, the
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
29
high-pointed gable, and the slender pinnacles whose origin
can be traced to medieval days, but the introduction of flank-
ing pilasters and arabesque ornament, though here but spar-
ingly seen, is suggestive of the change to come.
On the outside of this wing, the archway that leads through
to the "Court of Honor," shown
in Fig. 18, is flanked on each
side by heavy piers, over which
is a conventional Gothic niche
wherein, against an elaborate
background of fleur-de-lis, rides
King Louis XII on his charger.
To the right of this is a little
doorway that gives the pedestrian
access to the passage, and over
this entrance, in bas-relief, is
carved a porcupine, the emblem
of Louis XII, and a knotted
cord for Anne of Brittany,
his queen. Of these emblems
we will have more to say later.
We will now turn to the wing of Francis I, on the north-
west side of the court. This was erected but fifty years
after the one we have just considered, but the difference
in style is manifest even to the most casual observer, as
shown in Fig. 10.
33. French Conception of Uoniaii Ideas. The artists
of the sixteenth century, hurried along by the swift current
of fifty years of wonderful intellectual regeneration, seemed
to arrive at a comprehension of the use that the Romans had
made of the Greek orders. They seemed to understand that
the orders were not used in Rome as elements of construc-
tion, as they had been in Greece, but as decorative details
having no essential relation to the construction itself. They
seemed to comprehend by instinct that there was no reason
why they should not take those same Roman orders and
details and use them in anv wav thev chose structural or
FIG. is.
30
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
non-structural so long as their use suited the purpose to
which they were applied.
Thus a study of this period of French architecture shows
that the French builders accepted not the conventional
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
31
restrictions of the classic formulas, but the spirit of these
formulas, as an organized system of ornamentation. A study
of the court facade of this Chateau de Blois shows that the
lessons in classic styles given by the imported Italian mas-
ters were accepted by the French architects with respect and
intelligence, but not learned by rote. The Italian rules had
an influence, but were not accepted as a law.
34. Octagonal Staircase. The greatest artistic effort
of this period was probably the octagonal staircase that
appears in this facade. It is considered one of the master-
pieces of the sixteenth century, though it is at the same time
an example illustrative of the audacious independence of the
FIO. ao.
French architect. It has no architectural relation to the
wall surface from which it protrudes, except that its four
great free-standing buttresses support a cornice and balus-
trade that are a continuation of those on the wall. These
buttresses are niched and contain exquisitely carved figures,
while between them extends the balustrade of the stairs,
33 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
divided into panels carved with the crowned salamander
emblematic of Francis I, and in other places with the mono-
gram F and C under a crown, standing for Francis, and
Claude, his queen.
In Fig. 20 is shown a large detail of this salamander device,
and the form of its crown, decorated with fleur-de-lis. This
FIG. 21.
is the key of the period and style, as was the crowned porcu-
pine a key to the style of Louis XII. The fleur-de-lis will be
found on nearly every detail connected with French royalty,
as it was adopted originally by Hugh Capet, the first king of
France.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3:i
If we now go into this castle and wander through its
rooms, we will find many details typical of the spirit of the
French people and suggestive of their love of display and
art. We will be able to judge largely the period of each
particular room by the emblems characteristic of the reign.
Vic.. 22.
35. Development of the Fireplace. It was about
the beginning of the Renaissance period that the chimney as
a means of carrying off the smoke was introduced into
France, and in the Chateau de Blois we see the full develop-
ment of the fireplace. Therefore it will be well to make a
34 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
study of these details by themselves, inasmuch as the student
can then make a better comparison.
36. In Fig. 21 is shown an old mantel that stood at the
end of the great hall of the States General. Its design is
Gothic in feeling, as is plainly shown by the crockets around
its cornice. The columns either side of the opening are
carved with Gothic capitals, and the ornament extending
across the top of the opening is Gothic in its detail, though
indicative of the influence of the Renaissance arabesque.
In Fig. 22 is shown a mantel of the hall of the Guards,
the details each side of the opening of which, as well as the
panel across the top of the opening and the frame panel over
the mantel, are certainly Gothic in feeling. The pilasters at
each side of the mantel, however, and the capitals at their
tops, are certainly of Italian origin and design.
These two examples, particularly Fig. 21, give a good idea
of the earliest ornamental mantel used in French art, and are
typical of the designs in use at the close of the fifteenth
century.
37. Heraldry. In Fig. 23 is shown the mantel known
as the Mantle of Crowns, on which in high relief we find the
crowned porcupine emblematic of Louis XII, together with
the crowned initials L and A, standing for Louis and Anne
of Brittany, his queen. Around the frieze is a knotted cord
that also is emblematic of Anne of Brittany, and in later
years was used by some queens as a sign of widowhood. The
dolphin forming the background of this mantel, and bearing
the crow r n of France, appears as a detail in many French
designs emblematic of heirship to the throne, the nearest heir
to the throne in France being called the Dauphin a word
derived from the dolphin, that fish being the emblem.
Another interesting detail in this design is found above
and below the knotted cord, around the frieze ; above is the
conventional fleur-de-lis emblematic of the kings of France,
and below it is the conventional form of ermine emblematic
of the queen, Anne of Brittany.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. .'}/>
In Fig. 24 is shown another mantel from the Chateau de
Blois, of the period of Louis XII, in which the crowned por-
cupine and the crowned ermine are each displayed in sepa-
rate panels, the ermine in this case being shown as a complete
animal instead of the conventional form representing its fur,
FIG. 28.
as displayed in the previous figure. The moldings of this
mantel and its general outline and proportions are strongly
suggestive of the Gothic style, but the treatment of the
arabesque at each side of the panels, the carving of the
three-quarter columns that mark the separate panels, and
the frieze over the fireplace, show conclusively their Italian
:>>; HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
origin. It will be observed that the initials L and A are
repeated across the top of the chimney, and the background
of the panels containing the reliefs of the porcupine and
FIG. 24.
ermine are each diapered with the fleur-de-lis and conven-
tional form of ermine fur.
38. In Fig. 25 we have another mantel of this same
period, where the frieze over the top of the fireplace opening
is evenly divided between the crowned initials of the king
and queen, on a fleur-de-lis and ermine background, typical
of their houses or families. The crowned porcupine between
5 HLSTORIC ORNAMENT. 37
the two the symbol of Louis XII appears in nearly all
designs executed during the reign of that king. Above
the fireplace are the figures of two angels, supporting the
crown of France, and the shield bearing the escutcheons
FIG. ;J5.
of both the king and queen. A little observation of the
detail at the top, and the moldings of the columns, will
show that the Gothic influence still pervaded the art of
the period.
In Fig. 2G is a chimney with the emblems of Anne of
Brittanv. The elaborate A and knotted cords avrainst a
38 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
background of ermine, together with the entire treatment
of the design, is suggestive only of the house of the queen,
undivided with that of King Louis.
Fig. 27 shows a mantel wherein no initials occur to indi-
cate to whom or what period it belonged ; but we can easily
FIG. 26.
judge from the presence of the knotted cord in each of the
side panels, and the existence of this device as a border to
the center panel, and its stenciled background of ermine and
fleur-de-lis, over which the shield surrounded with shells has
been placed.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 39
39. In Fig. 28 is shown a mantel of the later period
that of Francis I a fact that is clearly declared by the pres-
ence of the salamander in its design, a word concerning
which might be necessary. The salamander is a mythical
FIG.
animal supposedly so cold blooded that it will actually quench
fire when placed within it, and the design here shown
expresses this idea of the salamander, standing on a bed of
coals and surrounded by flame that he is supposed to quench
by the coldness of his breath.
4u HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
The details of this mantel are very classic. The capitals
of the columns are derived undoubtedly from the Italian
Renaissance. The acanthus leaf forming the bracket at the
FIG. as.
corners of the mantel, and the bracket over the crown, as a
sort of clumsy keystone in the center, are decidedly Italian
in their molding. The mantel is chiefly interesting by its
strong personality and association with the reign, period,
and person of Francis I.
4O. In Fig. 29 is shown what is called the Chimney of
the Fleur-de-lis, the upper background of which is stenciled
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 41
exclusively with fleur-de-lis, and bears in its center the
crowned shield surrounded by shells.
We now arrive at Fig. 30, a mantel in a room known as
the Cabinet of the Queen, and here we get the severe clas-
FlG. 29.
sicism characteristic of the period of Henry II. The pilas-
ters each side of the mantel, and the panels of the wall,
all richly carved in arabesque, and the frieze over the top of
the mantel, with similar ornament, show the predominating
influence of Italian art. The background of the upper
portion of the mantel, with its stenciled H and fleur-de-lis,
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
and the oval cartouch or modillion in the center, with its
crowned H surrounded by laurel leaves, stamp this design
characteristically with the period of Henry II, while a small
cartouch in the center of the mantel over the fireplace open-
ing bears the initials H
and C, standing for
Henry, and Catherine
de Medici, his queen.
The study of these
designs and escutch-
eons is of particular
interest to the student,
as nearly all detail of
the French Renaissance
period can be classified
easily by bearing in
mind the heraldic sym-
bols characteristic of
each reign and period.
41. Wall and Ceil-
ing Decoration. No
less interesting than the
mantels of this cele-
brated chateau are the
decorations of the walls
and ceilings with the
characteristic surface
ornament of the period.
The same monograms
and initials are here
found in embossed leather, surrounded by richly foliated
ornamentation in strong colors and gold.
In Fig. 31 is shown a room known as the King's Chamber,
the walls of which are decorated with a repeating pattern at
regular intervals, within which we find the initials H and C,
for Henry and Catherine, the king and queen. An enlarged
detail of this wall decoration is shown in Fig. 32, and is
FIG. 30.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
43
valuable as a characteristic wall treatment of the period of
this French Renaissance.
In Fig". 33, the decorations of Oucen Catherine's chamber
may be seen, and it is interesting to note that in each of
44 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
these rooms there is an abrupt termination between the wall
decorations of the main room and the dado or wainscot of
the niche or alcove, no attempt being made to blend the two
FIG. 32.
patterns so that they die or fit into each other. The inde-
pendence expressed is in perfect accordance with that
already spoken of in the arrangement of the buttresses of
the great staircase.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
45
Beyond this room, through the open doorway seen in
Fig. 33, is another apartment, the walls of which are treated
with a surface decoration shown in Fig. 34. The single letter
H under the conventional crown indicates this apartment to
46
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
have been decorated in the period and style of Henry II,
and a little study of the design in comparison with Fig. 32
will show the simplicity and neatness of the earlier style as
FIG. 4.
compared with the later one. Fig. 35 shows a third example
of the wall decorations of this chateau.
These wall decorations are very valuable to the interior
decorator of today, inasmuch as they furnish him with a
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
47
clear suggestion of the style of interior work during the
Renaissance period, of which so few examples are in exist-
ence at the present time.
42. Fon taiiiebleau and Versailles. During the decline
of the Renaissance to the period of the Empire, the seat of
government and the royal family were centered in Paris,
and the palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles are the
48 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
most important, with the exception of the Louvre, of the
many palaces of France. They are both built up of sections
that vary in style and age from the fourteenth century to
the present day, but in each of these parts the greatest
architectural interest centers in the details of the period of
Francis I and his immediate successors.
The details of this style of architecture, as seen in Fon-
tainebleau and Versailles, are more urban than those from
the chateaux we have just been considering, and, though all
these buildings in their proper sense were palaces, yet the
two structures in present consideration were always spoken
of as such, inasmuch as they were the city residences of the
king in distinction from his country seat.
43. Variation of Styles. In the rooms' of these palaces
can be seen the furniture and decorations whose style is
typical of French art during each period of the Renaissance
and at the height of its glory. Here, during the reigns of
Louis XV and Louis XVI, we have the style of furniture
characteristic of and known by the names of these monarchs,
as well as that dainty specific style of design called Marie
Antoinette. After the year 1662, French furniture can be
roughly divided into foitr styles, corresponding to the four
monarchs under whose influences its manufacture was car-
ried on. These are: Louts XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, and
Napoleon, usually called Empire.
As in all cases of subdivision into periods, there is a tran-
sition from one period to another that makes the styles over-
lap one another, and the distinctive characteristics of each
cannot be applied with certainty. The dividing lines in the
case of French furniture, however, are more clearly drawn
than in other art details, inasmuch as each style seems to
have been the result of a court fashion that depended largely
on the taste of the reigning monarch.
44. Louis XIV loved pomp and grandeur, and the forms
of Louis XIV furniture are bold and severe in line and pro-
portion a fact that kept them from appearing gaudy in
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 49
their excessive gilding. A great desire in furniture at this
period was magnificence, and native woods were set aside in
preference for foreign woods from India and America.
Rarity of material was of more importance than any other
detail, and artistic composition was now relegated to an
inferior place. The effect of this was to make the details
small, as the use of costly materials required that they should
be treated with care and that even the smallest fragments
should be used.
45. Introduction of Costly Materials. A great differ-
ence was thus established between the old-fashioned joiner,
faithful to the carving of native woods, and the cabinetmaker
to the king, whose care was to produce objects of magnifi-
cence. In other words, vulgarity was introduced into the
scheme of ornament, and brilliant and costly materials were
used solely for their expression of brilliancy and costliness ;
and it is from this standpoint that French furniture of this
period must be regarded. The skill lavished upon it and
the fancy and variety that characterizes its design and the
minuteness of its workmanship in inlaid surfaces, graven
and chiseled brasses, and the ingenuity of its construction
and expense, can then be appreciated.
46. Discouragement of Symmetry. During the
period of Louis XV, furniture loses the dignity of outline
and proportion that characterized that of the previous style,
although it possesses all the brilliancy and gaudiness of the
former. Another detail of importance between these two
styles is that in the Louis XIV work symmetry was not dis-
tinctly observed, as the great effect of varied light and shade
was enhanced by the abruptness of vms5 T mmetrical parts. In
the period of Louis XV, this eccentricity became a law, and
symmetry became not only a detail of no consequence, but
a thing not to be encouraged. This caused the design to
reach the height of irregularity, and the style took the name
of Rococo a term in the French language meaning frivolous.
In this eccentric ornamentation other details figured, and
50 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
roses, cornucopia, vases, scrolls, etc. are interwoven with a
great predominance of shell-like forms. There is nothing in
the entire range of art acting as an example or prototype of
this Rococo idea. Every shape and line throughout it is
twisted and turned until it is almost a deformity; the
ordinary acanthus scroll was carried into an endless reedy
foliation. Nature appeared to be looked upon as a rude and
barbarous affair that needed some dressing of French taste,
and yet some specimens of Louis XV furniture impress us
both with the actual skill of the man that did the work,
whether in metal or wood, and that the pieces of furniture
are themselves marvels of decoration. These twists and
turns, though absolutely meaningless, seem to have an object.
They reflect the light from gilded metal in a thousand
different ways, and from a thousand different points, while
the high relief affords an abundant play of light and shade
amidst this brightness. Toward the end of the reign of
Louis XV, a reaction set in against these absurdities, sim-
ply because the exaggerated style was being carried beyond
reasonable limits.
47. Under the reign of Louis XVI, the furniture is
similar to that of his predecessor, inasmuch as the festoons,
garlands, gildings, and shell decorations still exist, but the
shape of the chair, and the care and study expended on it,
is very different. Refinement is evident in every one of its
lines and proportions. The earlier chair, with sprawling
legs called the cancan was not to be accepted during the
reign of Louis XVI, but to be departed from as widely as
circumstances would permit. During this period, we find
none of the bandy-legged forms of the chair and table
characteristic of the previous style, but straight-turned and
sometimes fluted shafts imitative of attenuated vases or
cups, or suggestive of little columns or colonnettes. The
gilding was used, not entirely over the surface, to increase
the gaudy appearance, but in lines, to accentuate the fluting
of the column-like legs more than to emphasize the curves
of the moldings that were turned according to Greek ideas.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 61
48. The entire interior decoration of this period par-
took of a similar reformation. The panels of the rooms
were divided into straight lines, and omitted all details of
the rococo flourishes. These panels were painted white,
and the pilasters between them were carved in rich and
delicately executed arabesque.
The whole scheme of decoration of this period was
equally elaborate and rich with that of its predecessors, and
various articles of furniture were made of tulip wood,
laburnum, or of rosewood, and on other occasions they
would be executed in lighter wood, colored in various gold
and brown shades by means of a hot iron. The chief orna-
ment was marquetry of elaborate pattern, usually in floral
garlands with borders of fine diaper work. The chairs,
beds, and couches were usually upholstered in fine Gobelin
tapestry or costly French and Italian silks, all of which were
further enriched by beautiful metal mounts, while inlaid
bits of Sevres porcelain added a delicacy to the whole.
GERMAN AND ENGLISH RENAISSANCE.
49. Influence of Italian Art. Renaissance ornament
penetrated into Germany at an early period, but was not
particularly popular at first, and took no hold on the hearts
of the people until the spread of books and engravings pre-
pared the way to the adaptation. From an early period
there had been a steady current of artists leaving Germany
to study art in Italy, and the return of these affected many
of their countrymen.
50. Albert Durer, a German artist and illustrator, in
many of his engravings, showed a perfect understanding
of the conditions of Italian design, leaning occasionally to
the Gothic style of his early master and on other occa-
sions to the Italian style of his more recent studies. .The
spread of these engravings undoubtedly influenced the
German taste, but, even at its best, the Renaissance of
Germany was impure. The inclination of her people for
52 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
difficiilties that could be solved by the hand rather than
by the head soon led her into strapwork, jeweled forms,
and monstrous devices more animated than graceful, but
exhibiting fully the delight of the clever mechanic to
execute details that were difficult to handle but easy to
conceive.
51. Introduction Into England. The introduction of
Renaissance art into England dates from about the year
1518, when Henry VIII employed an Italian architect to
design a monument in memory of Henry VII, which still
exists in Westminster Abbey and is almost a pure example
of the Italian style of that period.
The same architect designed a monument of the Countess
of Richmond at Westminster, and shortly afterwards left
England for Spain, leaving behind, however, a number of
Italians attached to the service of Henry VIII, by whom a
taste for the Italian style was thoroughly inoculated into
the country. Among these was the architect John of Padua,
who appears to have done more work than any of the others,
among the most important of which is the old Sommerset
House, built in 1549.
At the time these Italian artists were spreading a taste for
Italian architecture and sculpture throughout the length
and breadth of England, another influence was at work to
temper this style and prevent its being accepted in its purest
form.
52. Holbein. In 1524, the celebrated German artist
Holbein came to England from Holland, and to him and
John of Padua is due mainly the resulting style of archi-
tecture that appeared in England during the reign of
Elizabeth. Holbein was a man of great individual genius
as a painter, and naturally inclined to establish the taste of
the German school in England, and, though he died in
1554 thirty years after entering the country his influence
on John of Padua is plainly seen in the results of that archi-
tect during the subsequent years.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 53
5.'*. Dutch Influence. At the time of Elizabeth, a
number of artists came over from Holland, built several
buildings, and painted many portraits, and, though these
artists and architects were thoroughly imbued with a taste
for Italian art, that taste was certainly affected by their
Dutch surroundings and education.
Theodore Havens, of Cleves, was architect of four gates
of Caius College, in England, built toward the close of the
sixteenth century, and at this time it appears that most of
the Italian architects had left the country. There were
many English goldsmiths and jewelers, as well as a number
of artists and architects, whose names appear prominently
at this time, and all this jointly had the effect of conglom-
erating the Dutch, Italian, and English-Gothic style of art.
54. Political Ties of England and Holland. During
the reign of Elizabeth we meet a great preponderance of
Dutch names, considering that it was an English country,
which is accounted for by the fact that England was bound
by political and religious ties with Holland; and although
the greater number of these names are applied to artists and
painters, it must be borne in mind that all the arts were
connected closely in those days, and artists and sculptors
were frequently employed to design models for ornament
and even for architecture, and, in the accessories of their
own pictures, found frequent opportunity for the exhibition
of ornamental design.
Michael Angelo was an artist and painted the ceiling and
side walls of the Sistinc Chapel, at Rome ; Michael Angelo
was a sculptor and carved much of the statuary that now
stands in the corridors of some of the most prominent
museums of Europe; Michael Angelo was an architect and
completed the building of St. Peter's Church, in Rome, the
most stupendous undertaking of the age and the largest
structure now in existence.
55. Influences on English Art. During the early
part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, we are then justified in
54 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
concluding that a most important influence must have been
exercised on English art, through the medium of the Prot-
estant states and low countries and also of Germany.
Heidelberg Castle, in Germany, was completed about this
time, and it is not unlikely that this, too, had an effect on
English art, especially when we consider that Princess Eliza-
beth, daughter of James I of England, was queen of Bohemia,
and held court at Heidelberg about the beginning of the
seventeenth century. Records show that toward the close
of 'Elizabeth's reign, and about the beginning of that of
James I, English artists seem to have predominated, and it
would appear that at this time would be found the most
likely development of a strictly native style. It is to be
deplored, however, that this period of English art, known as
Jacobean, is undoubtedly the most inartistic, inappropriate,
and ill-composed in all history.
56. Elizabethan Ornament. Thus we may expect to
meet with the purest Italian ornament during the reign of
Henry VIII. During the reign of Elizabeth, his daughter,
w r e perceive but a slight imitation of the Italian models
and an almost complete adoption of the style of ornament
practiced by the decorative artists of Germany and the
Netherlands. In the reign of James I, Elizabeth's suc-
cessor, we find this same style continued, or attempted to
be continued, by the English artists, but in a large and
gross manner.
57. Characteristics. There is little, then, that can be
justly termed original in Elizabethan ornament. It consists
more of an adaptation of foreign elements an adaptation of
elements with which the adapters had no intimacy, and about
which they had little understanding. The characteristics of
Elizabethan ornament may be described as consisting chiefly
of a grotesque and complicated variety of pierced scrollwork
with curled edges, as though a number of short straps were
interwoven and their ends allowed to curl up; of interlaced
bands, sometimes on a geometrical pattern, but more often
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 55
flowing irregularly and capriciously ; bands composed of strap
and nail-head ornaments; festoons of fruit and drapery inter-
spersed with roughly executed figures of human beings;
grotesque monsters and animals, with here and there large
and flowing designs of natural branch and leaf ornament.
High-paneled apartments often filled with designs, of foliage,
shields, and coats of arms, grotesque keystones in arches,
and immense flowing brackets, are freely used; and the
carving, whether in wood or stone, is always very roughly
and crudely executed, and the design coarse and ill-adapted
to the material in which it is executed.
Unlike the adoption of the Classic style in Italy and
France, these ornaments are not applied to a Gothic system
of construction, but the entire building is masked under a
coat of plaster or other material, and the groundwork of
classic simplicity is first laid, to receive the meaningless
ornament that stamps the period.
58. Revival of Antique Art. About the beginning
of the sixteenth century, the revival of the antique art,
which we have already discussed, in Italy became invigorated
and reduced to a system, as we have said before, through its
popular introduction afforded by the means of printing and
engraving. Translations of the work of Vitruvius, copiously
illustrated and ably commented upon, were printed and
spread so as to become the foundation of work for every
designer of eminence throughout the country, and at the
same time offered a suggestion on which at least half a dozen
other writers prepared treatises on architecture, among them
Palladio and Vignola, whose works have been preserved and
form the standard down to the present day.
59. Architecture and ornament during the period of the
English Renaissance may be considered as failures from an
artistic standpoint. The purest ornament developed during
this great historical period we find in France, where it was
uninfluenced by any foreign elements of importance except
those received from Italy with the style itself.
56 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
CONCLUSION.
60. Object of Complete Reviewal of Historic Orna-
ment. -Thus we have considered the entire range of historic
ornament, from the earliest days of Egypt to the beginning
of the nineteenth century. The object of this study has not
been to acquire a number of forms that were characteristic
of each period, that the student might copy or imitate out-
lines and designs of the past, in order to execute ideas
characteristic of a certain historic period. The purpose has
been to train the mind in order that the natural develop-
ments arising from conditions in the past can be applied to
the probable conditions that would arise under similar cir-
cumstances of the present day and the future.
61. Influences Affecting Styles of Art. It has been
pointed out that religion, politics, and geography have
affected the character of ornament in different countries, as
well as historic influences, and at the present day we find
that the majority of the ornament is affected by the inven-
tions and advancement in science and art characteristic of
the nineteenth century, as was the Renaissance period char-
acterized by the advancement of learning in its period. In
fact, the latter half of the nineteenth century has been
characterized by some writers as a New Renaissance, if
such a term can be reasonably used. It certainly bears a
similar relation, to the three hundred years that preceded it,
that the beginning of the Renaissance period bore to the
centuries before its dawn.
62. Effect of Environments on Art and Architec-
ture. In the fifteenth century, we have the introduction
of books to the masses of people, through the invention of
the printing press and printing. A spread of desire for art
and learning followed as soon as the antiquities of Rome
and Greece were learned, and with this development of the
human mind, a rapid advancement of civilization took place
that characterizes the period as one of the most brilliant in
history.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 57
In the same manner, we have a number of inventions
characteristic of the latter half of the nineteenth century
that have so changed the conditions of man that his entire
habits and character are different from those of his ancestors
in the Renaissance period. Steam and electricity have been
controlled so as to convert night into day, and make it no
longer necessary to discontinue any line of work or manu-
facture at sunset. These same agents have rendered the
distances between business centers even on two continents
matters of only a few hours' or days' travel. Conversa-
tion between individuals a thousand miles apart is so easily
maintained that it may be considered that space, from a
business standpoint, is practically annihilated, and, with a
hundred other inventions, we are confronted with a propo-
sition in design today that makes the traditions and devices
of past ages simply symbols of antiquity.
The modern mind is so imbued with mechanics and inven-
tions that the present age can give little time to the study
and development of a national or characteristic art. Designs
of the past have been copied, and we are satisfied to imitate
what has been done in this line, instead of trying to do some-
thing for ourselves. The human mind has not attempted to
invent practical art forms, and years hence the study of the
art of this period will be considered in much the same terms
that we now consider the art of the Jacobean period in
England.
63. Adherence to Old Designs. A simple illustra-
tion of this may perhaps be seen in the ordinary chandelier,
or hanging light. In the days when candles furnished all
the light for rich and poor that was obtainable, it was cus-
tomary that a rod or bar should hang from some portion of
the room and support on its end one or more candles. The
introduction of lamps to general use made it necessary that
there should be a bulb or metal globe somewhere near the
bottom of this rod, to be filled with oil to supply the lamp that
still was suspended from the ceiling by a rod, or, occasion-
ally, a chain. With the introduction of gas as illuminating
58 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
power, the rod was replaced by a pipe, still in imitation
of the old rod, but serving the double purpose of support-
ing" the chandelier and conveying the gas to the burner.
The horizontal bars that formerly carried lamps now carry
lava tips from which the gas burns, and the large round
balls or globes that originally contained the oil to supply the
lamp are now false, hollow devices, used to cover the joints
where the vertical and horizontal bars are united..
In addition to this, elaborate designs for gas fixtures often
introduced long chains from various portions of their cross-
bars to staples in the ceiling, suggesting that these fixtures
were hung from the ceiling by chains, as the lamps of old
a clumsy deceit, inasmuch as the chains nearly always hung
loose and the fixture was plainly supported by its central
pipe.
From a point of design, nothing could be more incon-
sistent than to borrow the chain that hung the lamp of our
ancestors and use it as a decorative element where it was
allowed to hang in a limp curve, on account of this outline
being more pleasing to the eye. The reason for this is to
be found in the fact that the designer did not invent new
conditions to suit the new material. Had he never known
of chandeliers for candles and lamps and been called upon
to design a device for gas, there is no doubt he would have
done much better. His knowledge of historic ornament in
lamp fixtures, therefore, did not benefit him, but injured his
ability to design something original for gas, and now, with
the introduction of electricity, many are continuing in the
same error today.
64. All that is required for an electric-light illumination
is a pair of small wires to convej^ the current, and a bulb in
which the incandescent fiber is enclosed. The designer is
free to use these two agents in any form he pleases, to elabo-
rate them in any way he chooses, and to produce an equal
illumination of a room in the simplest and most artistic way
that circumstances can possibly admit. Yet, the majority
of our electrolier designs are based on developments of the
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 59
old gas fixtures, or, in some instances, going back to the
old candelabra of our forefathers, where tiny lights are
poised on the ends of glass imitation tapers, designed with
the ornament and after the style of the old dim candles of
the sixteenth century, but burning with the brilliant electric
illumination of the nineteenth century.
65. Use of Historic Ornament in Designing. In
making use of historic ornament for a matter of design,
there are two methods the student may legitimately pursue.
He may make a design for any purpose whatsoever, which
he may call after the style of Louis XII, for instance, and to
carry out his idea, may honestly and confessedly borrow
details from prominent chateaux or castles and carry them
out with all the crude simplicity of this Medieval period.
Or he may accept only the spirit of the period and produce
designs that are copies of nothing that has ever existed
before, but are applications of the simplicity and sternness
of the necessities of that time to the change of conditions
existing in his new surroundings. In other words, he may
duplicate a historic building, in some cases, to produce an
emphatic suggestion of a historic period, or he may erect
an entirely new structure that is designed of modern mate-
rials and with modern methods, but the spirit dominating
that is similar to the spirit of the time he would have it
represent.
Another illustration of this point may make it more clear.
A sitting room or library that is to be decorated in the
so called Gothic style need not be trimmed with antique
oak, carved with deep moldings, and furnished with uncom-
fortable high-back chairs that run to a point, with finial and
crockets, after the shape of church windows, but it can be
decorated and furnished in the spirit of that period, with
furniture more suitable to modern times. It need not be
oak if mahogany suits better, nor need the chairs be high
back or pointed. The treatment of this interior will consist
more of an avoidance of what is wrong than of an introduc-
tion of what is absolutely correct.
GO HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
Carpets on floors were practically unknown at this period,
and some of the richest palaces had floor coverings of no
better material than straw; but in the nineteenth century
we require carpet, and our Gothic interior need not be made
as crude as a barn in order to be correct ; we can use hard-
wood floors and rugs, or if carpet is more desirable, we
must avoid colors and designs that are inconsistent with the
spirit of our purpose.
66. Window and Wall Ornamentation. We must
remember that glass was scarce and expensive at this time,
and that in most cases the windows were large and filled
with small panes first, for the admission of sunshine and
air, and, second, for economy. But glass is cheap now, and
it is not necessary that we should divide our windows lip
into a multitude of trivial openings, in order that our panes
may be small, because they were in the Gothic period.
Leaded glass and stained glass existed in those days and
can be used now to obtain any effect we desire that is con-
sistent with our purpose. Walls were hung with tapestries
at that time, whereas to-day the paper manufacturer has,
for economical reasons, crowded the tapestry industry into a
comparatively second place, except for the very wealthy.
However, we can cover our walls with paper if we choose,
but its design should not be suggestive of any period but
the one we have in mind.
And so throughout, all our efforts may be carried out with
the material we have in hand or available at the present
time, if we but stop to consider the reason for certain things
in the past and a reason why they should or should not be
reproduced in the present.
67. This same suggestion applies to the designer of
fabrics of all kinds as well as to the decorator, and, whether
executing a design for a carpet, wall paper, dress fabric, or
linen damask, it is a simpler matter, if its practice is once
started, to imitate the spirit of any age or style than it is to
attempt to copy the elements of existing designs.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 61
HISTORIC LETTERING.
68. Lettering does not in reality form a part of Historic
Ornament as the various other ornamental details do, but it
is here introduced with .the explanation of the characteristics
of each style, in order that it may be associated with the
ornamental style of each characteristic period. We all know
that there was no such style of alphabet as we term Antique
Egyptian extant in ancient Egypt, but we do find letters of
this character in certain Roman works executed at a late
period on Egyptian soil, and it is from these that it derives its
name. The styles of letter here given must all be accepted
with a certain amount of liberality, as each, though in har-
mony with the period it represents, has certain modern char-
acteristics introduced for purely commercial advantages.
69. The practical designer is frequently called upon to
execute ornamental lettering appropriate to some historic
style and in harmony with some practical purpose. For this
reason the student is herewith given a number of useful
alphabets, with a brief description of each, that will enable
him to execute the outlines of each letter properly and pro-
portion them according to rules. The titles given to these
alphabets are names by which they are known in modern
use and explain themselves.
There is no rule by which one can determine what style
of letter is best suited to each particular purpose, but it is
well to bear in mind that legibility is always the first con-
sideration, and where the lettering of a design is intended
to convey direct information, as in a sign or piece of adver-
tising matter, the lettering should be simple and clear in
order that the purpose of the design may not fail. On the
other hand, where the lettering is for a certificate, diploma,
memorial, or other piece of matter that is more ornamental
than instructive, the lettering may be elaborated to any
degree within reasonable limits. The relative amount of
space covered by letters and background is a matter of
design that is considered in the same manner as spotting,
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 03
and the proportions of letters to each other must also be
considered in the composition of the design, as matters of
the principal and subordinate parts of the same design, all
of which will be more fully explained hereafter.
Elaboration of letters or the use of elaborate letters does
not enhance either the beauty or the value of the design
unless these letters are used intelligently, and a plain letter
correctly and intelligently proportioned will produce a much
more pleasing effect than the most elaborate style badly and
ignorantly arranged.
ANTIQUE EGYPTIAN ALPHABET.
7O. This letter, Fig. 36, is almost identical with the plain
Egyptian, the distinction being in the addition of the spur at
the angles of the letters, but no variation occurs in the propor-
tion of the letter or its stroke. The stroke of a letter is the
proportional width of its heavy lines in comparison with its
height. In this letter the stroke is one-fifth the height, as
shown by the small squares in which the letter surface is
divided. Some designers make the spur much more exag-
gerated than is shown on this plate, while others make it
scarcely perceptible. The examples given herewith, how-
ever, may be taken as an average, wherein the spur projects
about one-third the width of the stroke. All letters having
a horizontal stroke, as the E, L, etc. , have these strokes fin-
ished with a beveled end, on which the spur is added at
the same angle. The ends of the strokes of the C and the
iipper stroke of the G and S, and figures 2, 3, 5, 6, and P are
beveled at an angle opposite to that of the other letters
referred to above. This bevel, shown on the upper terminal
of C\ is made by drawing a line from a point one-fourth the
width of the stroke to the right of 5 a to a point one-third
the width of the stroke to the left of 5 c. The points 5 a and
fie refer to the intersection of the fifth vertical line from
the left side of the letter, with the third horizontal line
marked c.
The middle bar of the A is the width of the stroke below
<;4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
the center; the middle bar of the //is one-half the width of
the stroke above the center; while the middle bars 'of the E
and I 7 are exactly in the center. The J is finished with a
spur at ~> c, as well as just above 1 c. The points that deter-
mine the inclination of the strokes of the K are from 5 a to
two-thirds the width of the stroke below 2 d, and from ^/to
the intersection of the upper slanting stroke with line 3 one-
third the width of the stroke above d. The two slanting
strokes of the M meet in the center of the letter at a point
on line /", and no spurs exist on the insides of the slanting
strokes at the top. The tail of the Q is cut on an angle of
45 degrees, the shorter side being the width of the stroke in
length and the longer side being equal to the distance from
2 c to 3f. The tail of the R is a slanting stroke ; the points
of contact are 4 d to 5f. The strokes of the W come to a
point on line a to correspond with the M. The corner of
the Z is beveled off at about the same angle as the interior
of the 5 and the top of the character &. The long slanting
stroke of the character & is drawn from a point one-half the
width of the stroke to the left and below 1 a to a point one-
half the width of the stroke to the right of 4f. The corre-
sponding, or upper, slanting stroke, from its top to the
beginning of the curve, is made from a point one-half the
width of the stroke to the right and below 4 a to a point 2 d.
The other slanting stroke intersects the long stroke the
width of the stroke below this point and is parallel with the
upper stroke, finishing on line c. The curve by which these
strokes are united is three-fourths the width of the stroke to
the left of line 1 at e. The middle bar of the numeral 8 is
beveled at a slight angle, as shown. The character of the
numeral 5 is changed at the point where the vertical stroke
joins the curved bottom portion of the numeral 5. The
point added below the line d is necessary to fill out the space
to the line of the curve. The numerals 6, 8, and 9 are about
one-third the width of the stroke wider than the other char-
aracters, but are similar in other respects to the same
numerals in the plain Egyptian alphabet.
The lower-case letters are, in many respects, the same as
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 65
those in the plain Egyptian alphabet, although many excep-
tions occur. All strokes extending above the line a are
cut at an angle of 60 degrees, to which the spur is added
at the same angle. This characteristic is also observable
on letters of shorter height, such as the i, j, m, n, etc., but
the ends of the strokes of all letters extending below the
line are finished without this detail.
LIGHT ANTIQUE EGYPTIAN ALPHABET.
71. The difference between the alphabet shown in Fig. 37
and that shown in Fig. 36 is almost entirely in the weight
of the stroke. The capital letters and figures of this alpha-
bet are one-fourth higher than wide, with the exception of
the letters A, M, O, Q, S, W, etc., which are wider than the
others, and the letters /, L, and N, which are narrower.
On the top line we have, in A, a letter whose width is
equal to its height, and in /a letter whose width is but three
thirty-seconds its height. The cross-bar of the A is two and
two- thirds strokes above the bottom line, and the curved line
at the top and to the left of A is a short pen or brush stroke
termed the cyma, on account of its resemblance to the curve
of the Greek moldings of that name. The purpose of the
cyma in lettering is to fill the space between the slanting
parts of the letters, or extremities of letters where wide
openings are likely to appear where the letters are placed
together. It is also used as an integral part of some letters,
as in the Q and lower part of the Z. In other styles of
lettering the cyma is freqiiently used as a structural part of
many letters, particularly in the Old English alphabet. On
the letter A the cyma is eight strokes in length and is located
one stroke to the left of the upper point of the A.
The letter B is fashioned so that its lower portion to the
middle of bar is eight strokes above the bottom line, and
projects one stroke to the right of the upper portion. As far
as it goes, the letter C is a perfect arc of a circle, and the spur
on the inside is about two strokes from the top line. The
10
Of
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 67
lower extremity of the letter projects a stroke beyond the
top and finishes at a point about three strokes above the
lower line. The right side of the letter D is semicircular
and becomes tangent at the top and bottom three strokes to
the right of the vertical. E, F, G, and H each possess a
middle bar that is located four strokes below the top of the
letter, and in the letters E and F this middle bar extends to
within three strokes of the right extremity of the letter. In
K the slanting stroke begins three strokes above the lower
line and extends to the top line where the end is beveled at
an angle of about sixty degrees. The letter L is about one
stroke narrower than the other letters, and the cyma is
placed over it so that its lower extremity is even with the
right-hand portion of the letter/ M is two strokes wider
than the other letters, and in some cases is made precisely
like an inverted W, except at the union of the two slanting
strokes where the letter is finished flat with a spur instead of
being pointed as in the W. Here the middle strokes of the
M are brought to a point one-half the width of the letter
below the top line. The slanting stroke of the TV commences
on the vertical stroke one-fourth the width of the letter
below the bottom line. The loops of the P and R are very
different in style, the middle bar of the P being four and
two-thirds strokes from the bottom line, while the middle
stroke of the R is six and two- thirds strokes above the bottom
line. The tail of the R intersects the middle bar at a point
where the curve becomes tangent. The letter 5" curves in
each direction from a point in the center of the letter on a
line with the middle bar of the R, and this letter is narrower
at the top than at the bottom and can be enclosed in an
isosceles triangle whose height is about three times the
height of the letter. The W is precisely the same as two
Ps joined at a point two and two-thirds strokes below the
top line. The vertical stroke of the F extends six and two-
thirds strokes above the bottom line, the letter being twelve
strokes wide on the top. The X is nine strokes wide on
top and thirteen strokes wide on the bottom. The letter Z
is the same width as the average letters on top, but it may
I
\
or
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 69
be finished either with the cyma as shown here, or with a bot-
tom corresponding in detail to the top, as the fancy dictates.
The figures are of the average width of the letters, the 3
being similar to the S, and the Z to the 7. The lower-case
letters are easily constructed, as shown.
HEAVY ANTIQUE EGYPTIAN ALPHABET.
72. The style of letter shown in Fig. 38 is the heavy
extreme of the Antique Egyptian style, in the same manner
that Fig. 37 was the light extreme of this style. Between
these two extremes the style may be varied to almost any
extent, .slight variations in the form of letter being necessary
to suit the different conditions. The Heavy Antique Egyp-
tian, however, is rarely used as a solid black letter as shown
in this figure, and is only so printed here in order to preserve
uniformity in the alphabets.
In much design work this letter is found in simple outline,
and though extremely bulky on account of the weight of its
stroke, it may be gracefully handled and elaborately orna-
mented to produce a most pleasing effect. The stroke in
the Antique Egyptian alphabet should not exceed one-third
the full width of the average letter, which is the extreme
illustrated in this case, and it will be observed that with this
heavy stroke it is necessary that certain letters, such as the
K, S, y, W, etc., be carried beyond the limiting top and
bottom lines, in order that the full outline of the letter may
be shown without confusion of parts. In some places, too,
it will be found necessary to diminish the width of the stroke
in order to leave necessary space between strokes, and other
variations may be indulged to suit specific circumstances.
MEDIEVAL ROMAN ALPHABET.
73. This style of letter, by many authorities, is termed
the Antique Roman, but it belongs to the historic period
indicated by its name. The Medieval Roman alphabet as
w
W
EC>
W
RS
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 71
shown in Fig. 39 possesses three distinct and characteristic
features. First, there is a. small spur that projects above
and below the lettering- lines, and there is another projection
of the inside line of the stroke beyond the fine line for a
distance of about one-third the stroke, as in the top of the
letter A and the bottom of the letter N\ and besides these,
every angle between a stroke and a fine line is rounded.
The width of the stroke here is from one-fourth to one-fifth
the height of the letter, and the spur is one stroke long and
is joined to the letter one stroke above the bottom, or below
the top line, thus making the curve on the inside an exact
quarter circle.
All letters average five strokes in width, with the excep-
tion of such letters as have heretofore been described as
varying from the regular limits. In the letter A the fine
line intersects the stroke at the point of the letter, and
though on its inside the stroke is carried past the fine line,
the intersection takes place precisely as though this peculi-
arity did not exist. The horizontal fine line of the A is one
and one-fourth strokes above the bottom of the letter.
IiIGIIT AND HEAVY FRENCH ROMAN ALPHABET.
74. In modern usage the Roman alphabet is varied
somewhat to suit certain purposes. One of these variations,
called the "New York Roman," adheres in outline very
closely to the original Medieval form with the exception of
the projecting spur of the stroke beyond the fine line.
Another variation, known as the "French Roman," differs
from its prototype by increasing the weight of the fine line
in order that it may be better expressed in carved stone-
work, etc. The variations of these three styles, from an
extremely light letter to an extremely heavy letter, is prac-
ticed by all designers, but the similarity is such that we only
give the normal conditions of the Medieval Roman and
extreme conditions of the French.
In Fig. 40 is shown the Light French Roman alphabet,
E
O
IL,
E
I
IL
Q
(D
CD
-
-
74 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
and this fills the
same position in
the variation of the
alphabet as the
Light Antique
Egyptian. In giv-
ing the letter
weight, as shown
in Fig. 41, certain
liberties are taken
with the fine lines,
as shown in the
lower strokes of
the E, L, and Z.
In using these
Roman alphabets,
care must be taken
to have the lower-
case letters well
proportioned in the
weights of their
strokes with the
capitals that are
used. In Fig. 42
are shown the
lower - case letters
of the French
Roman and the
Medieval Roman
alphabets, the
former, it will be
observed, possess-
ing a much heav-
ier stroke. These
lower-case letters
in Fig. 42 are pro-
portioned for the
normal condition
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 75
of alphabet, and where used with the heavy or light
alphabet, they must be increased or diminished in stroke
accordingly. The use of the Roman numerals with these
alphabets is by no means essential, but the numerals are
given here in order that the proportionate stroke may be
observed. There are many cases where the use of the
Medieval Roman alphabet is appropriate beyond all other
alphabets, and it is usual that in such cases the Roman
numerals be used.
GOTHIC ALPHABET.
75. The style of letter we term " Gothic" was designed
during the latter part of the Medieval period and is asso-
ciated both historically and architecturally with the style of
Gothic architecture that existed during the Flamboyant
period in France and the Perpendicular period in England.
In modern use this letter is largely applied to church deco-
ration for the purpose of making religious quotations, and is
also used in printing for certain kinds of literature on
account of its origin in ancient monasteries. It is similar
but much more easily read than what we term "Church
Text," and is, therefore, given here to. the exclusion of the
latter, as it is much more serviceable.
In Fig. 43 the capital and lower-case letters, as well as
the figures, are shown, and the distinguishing characteristics
of this style lie in the peculiar formation of the letters
A, C, E, F, //, /, and U. The letters A, ^[, .V, etc. do not
possess any slanting strokes as they do in the Roman
alphabets, but are formed with a vertical stroke as one of
their sides and curved strokes for the rest of the outline.
The letters C and R are closed on their right sides by a
vertical line ending in small dots or volutes, the line on /:
being longer than that on the C. The Fis similar in gen-
eral outline to the capital F oi the Roman styles, but carries
its spur on the upper fine line below the bottom of the
letter itself. The capital //is but slightly varied from the
lower-case //, and they is peculiar in its general details to
H
a
F*
tn
CO
B
5
W.M
U
3D
ft w
fc
E
^
Stf*
*9
w
V
&
>
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 79
this style of alphabet. Other details of peculiarity exhibit
themselves to the student as he studies this style. This
letter is frequently elaborated in certificate and engrossing
work, by means of shading and elaborate backgrounds, and
some proportions of the letters may be slightly changed in
order to suit them to particular circumstances.
A later development of this alphabet is shown in Fig. 44,
where the letters A, M, N, etc. partake of the same char-
acteristics as the Roman letter, while the peculiar ogival
form of outline characteristic of the Gothic style is main-
tained in all of the curves in the stroke. A strong character-
istic difference, however, between the alphabet in Fig. 43
and that in Fig. 44 is that in the former all the fine lines
are straight and in the latter all of the fine lines are curved,
except in the A, K, M, etc. This style of letter, usually
termed "10th Century," is suitable where more elaboration
is required than the Gothic style permits, and is seldom used
for church work as it is associated with that period of archi
tecture when the building of churches was in its decline.
Another style of letter that had its origin, also, in the
Gothic is illustrated in Fig. 45 and is termed " Henry VII "
inasmuch as the only existing example of this work is to be
seen in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey. As
a matter of fact, this is technically a Renaissance style,
although like all early Renaissance art it developed from
the Gothic. The tendency to elaboration and the intro-
duction of meaningless curves and forms is characteristic of
this period, but the style of alphabet when properly treated
affords a very valuable means of enriching a design that is
composed almost entirely of lettering work.
OTVD EXGT.TSII ALPHABET.
7(>. A standard alphabet that has ever been popular
and is ever serviceable under certain conditions is the Old
English, shown in Fig. 40. There can be little doubt that
this bears a close relation to the Gothic alphabet, and,
V ts
-^ ^M^M^.
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 81
indeed, its lower-case letters are very similar to the Gothic;
and, though it is much used in church work and in the
designing of certificates and other engrossed documents, it
is not as legible as the Gothic alphabet and is more suitable
for conditions where ornamentation is required rather than
clear information.
It will be observed in this alphabet that the cyma forms a
marked characteristic in each of the letters. For instance,
in the letter E nearly all the strokes are composed of at
least a portion of the cyma. Certain letters are very hard
to distinguish from one another in this alphabet, and care
should be taken to remember the distinguishing character-
istics of each in order that they may be rendered without
referring constantly to the copy. In some forms of alphabet,
the C and the E are almost identical, the exception between
the two letters being that the E contains a solid stroke where
the two horizontal fine lines exist in the C. We think it
preferable, however, to use the form of E shown in Fig. 46,
although this is somewhat confusing when compared with
the F. It will be observed that the vertical stroke of the F
is a straight stroke and not a cyma as in the , and that a
fine line connecting the upper spur of the F with the main
stroke is straight instead of a curved continuation of a cyma
as in the letter E. T and U are also difficult to distinguish
in some styles of alphabet, and study should be given to the
formation of the / and J in order that they may not become
confusing.
A little consideration of these letters will show the student
that there are only three or four different styles of stroke
and that many different letters are formed simply by the
addition of some detail of other letters. For instance, the
letter E differs but slightly from the letter L, except in the
addition of its center spur, and the left-hand portion of the
letter M is almost identical with the letter /. Similar
resemblances will be found in many other letters, such as
the Q, R, etc. , and the Z, though shown on this plate with
a compound final stroke, is often drawn with a top and bot-
tom of the same character.
83 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
The lower-case letters are similar to the lower-case letters
of the Gothic alphabet, except that they are somewhat
heavier in their stroke, but for all practical purposes the two
styles are so near alike in their lower case that one is fre-
quently used with the other without invoking any severe
criticism.
77. In making use of these alphabets in design, it has
been customary to associate all the Roman styles with
Classic and Renaissance art and to use the Gothic and "16th
Century" with Medieval art; while the Henry VII and Old
English are used both in Medieval and Renaissance art.
There are cases where one style of letter may be used per-
fectly proper in another style of art, but care must be given
to this consideration when the mixture of styles is attempted,
as it will readily be seen that there is nothing particularly
incongruous about using the Roman letter in Renaissance
art, or even in Gothic art, but a Gothic letter would be highly
out of place in Classic art no matter what were the circum-
stances. The reason for this should be clear, as the Gothic
architect might have inherited some knowledge of the Roman
letter and used it in his designs, but it would be utterly
impossible for the Roman designer to borrow a letter of the
Gothic style inasmuch as that letter had not been invented
during the period of the Roman architectural styles.
78. The initial letters that are woven in many of the
designs of French Renaissance art usually tend toward the
character of the French Roman, and the interwoven initials
of H and C in the wall decoration shown in Fig. 32 are
borrowed from the style we have herein described as French
Roman, and comparison of other initials that will be found
carved in the stonework of the mantels illustrated in the
foregoing pages will indicate that they have all been adapted
to their modern purpose from the more ancient style of
classic letter.
A SERIES
OK
QUESTIONS
RKLATING TO THE SUBJECTS
TREATED OE IN THIS VOLUME.
It will be noticed that the various Question Papers that
follow have been given the same section numbers as the
Instruction Papers to which they refer. No attempt should
be made to answer any of the questions until the Instruc-
tion Paper having the same section number as the Question
Paper in which the questions occur has been carefully
studied.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 1.)
(1) (a) How many types of people were there among the
Egyptians ? (b) Describe each.
(2) What natural types are found in Assyrian ornament ?
(3) (a) How many moldings are there in Greek archi-
tecture ? (b) Make a sketch of the outline of each molding,
with its name under it. (These outlines should be about
1 inch high. )
(4) (a) Who were the Etruscans? (b) What nation was
largely affected by their art ? (c] What class of work did
they excel in ?
(5) (a] What two plant forms play a conspicuous part in
Egyptian ornament ? (b) Make a sketch of either one of
them and describe the other one.
(6) How is Assyrian sculptured ornament inferior to the
Egyptian ?
(7) State the difference between ornament and decoration.
(8) (a} What is the winged disk ? (/>) What does it
.signify ? (c) To what style of ornament docs it belong ?
(if] Of what class of ornament is it ?
('.)) Make a sketch, about 2 inches high, showing the
Assyrian rendering of the Egyptian lotus.
3
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
(10) (a) Where is the torus molding most frequently
used ? (b] Where is the echinus molding most fre-
quently used ? (c] Where is the cyma recta most freqtiently
used ?
(11) What is meant by the term conventionalism ?
(12) (a) What is a scarabaeus ? (ft) To what style of
ornament does it belong ?
(13) What great geographical differences were there
between Greece and Egypt ?
(14) What is the principal Greek building in the Doric
order ?
(15) (a) Should a floral design on a textile fabric be as
close an imitation of the natural plant as is possible ?
(6) Why?
(16) Into what three classes is Egyptian ornament
divided ?
(17) Describe the character of the Greeks as a nation.
(18) Make a drawing 2 inches high of the Greek anthe-
mion.
(19) How should color be used in decorative design ?
(20) Describe Egyptian carved ornament.
(21) How does Greek art differ from Egyptian and
Assyrian art ?
(22) Make a drawing 2 inches high of the Greek lily.
(23) What was the origin of the fixed styles of orna-
ment?
(24) Describe the preparation of a bcdy for burial, as
practiced among the ancient Egyptians.
3 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
(25) (a) In what does the beauty of Greek ornament lie
most largely ? (b) What characteristic that is prominent in
Egyptian art does it lack ?
(26) What is a guilloche ?
(27) Of what advantage is the study of historic orna-
ment ?
(28) What is the scroll ornament, as seen in Egyptian
art, considered to be symbolic of ?
(29) To what do the leaves of the Greek flowers owe
their form and shape ?
(30) What is polychromy t
(31) What natural phenomenon had a marked effect on
Egyptian ornament ?
(32) Make a sketch, about 2 inches by 3 inches, of charac-
teristic Egyptian ornament based on a combination of circles
and ornamented with lotus-flower devices.
(33) What are the three great laws of nature observed by
the Greek artist in his ornament ?
(34) Describe the colors used, and the location of each,
in the Grecian- Doric order.
(35) What peculiarity does Egyptian ornament possess
over all other styles ?
(36) (a) What colors were used in Egyptian ornament ?
(b) Why was it necessary to use bright colors ?
(37) (a) What are antefixae; and (V) from what derived ?
(38) (rt) What are the three Greek orders ? (/>) What is
the distinguishing characteristic of each ?
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
(39) From what country was the ornament of Assyria
borrowed ?
(40) What is a propylon ?
(41) How are the contours of Greek moldings profiled ?
(42) What objects standing in front of the Egyptian
temples are characteristic of this style of art ?
(43) Draw a hyperbola.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 2.)
(1) What great religious difference existed between the
Arabs and the Persians ?
(2) What other nations carry- out the same principles of
surface decoration that we find in Indian art ?
(3) In painted Byzantine ornament, of what does the
ground almost universally consist ?
(4) (a) Romanesque ornament in Eastern Europe was
affected by the art of what other countries ? (^) Into what
style of art did the Romanesque develop under this
influence ?
(5) What is a modilliou ?
(6) What products of Persian design are still considered
the finest in the world ?
(7) What is the relationship that exists between Byzan-
tine and Arabian ornament ?
(8) What is the relative importance of sculpture in
Byzantine and Romanesque art ?
(9) Why is the distinction between Roman and Greek
art so much more clearly marked than that between Byzan-
tine and Romanesque ?
H
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
(10) (a) What is the essential difference between the
Roman-Corinthian order and the Roman-Composite order?
(b) For what reason was the Composite order originally
designed ?
(11) What are the characteristics of Celtic ornament ?
(12) From what did the Moorish style spring ?
(13) What are the restrictions of the Mohammedan
religion in relation to decorative design ?
(14) What is the relation of mosaic work and painted
work in Byzantine and Romanesque art ?
(15) (a) What is the earliest monument in the Byzantine
style? (b) When was it built ?
(16) What is the difference between the treatment of the
acanthus leaves at the top of a Roman- Corinthian column
and the lotus leaves at the top of an Egyptian column ?
(17) What is the principal building in Moorish archi-
tecture ?
(18) What peculiar personal characteristics of the ori-
ental people affect the progress of their arts ?
(19) (a) What building stands as prominently character-
istic of Byzantine art as the Parthenon does of Greek art ?
(b) For what is the building now used ?
(20) What is the essential characteristic of all Roman
ornament ?
(21) What characteristic does Moorish ornament lack ?
(22) To what can we trace the predominance of geomet-
rical ornament in all Mohammedan designs ?
(23) Aside from coloring, what is the first element of
beauty in Chinese art ?
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
(24) * Make a sketch of a Byzantine capital.
(25) At the time of its fall, how much of the continent
of Europe did the Roman Empire cover ?
(26) (a) What colors were used by the Moors, and (b} how
were they arranged in wall treatment, to accord with natural
laws ?
(27) Describe the capitals of the columns in (a) the Early
English period; (b) the Decorated period; (c) the Perpen-
dicular period.
(28) * Make a sketch of Arabian geometrical ornament
suitable for mosaic work.
(29) In Indian woven fabrics, what rules are observed
under the following conditions : (a) How are colored grounds
treated when gold ornaments are used, or where gold is used
in large masses ? (b} How is the ground treated when gold
ornament is used alone ? (c) When ornaments of one color
are used on a ground of a contrasting color, what is the
general rule ? (d) When colored ornaments are used on a
gold ground, how are they separated sharply from the
ground ?
(30) * Make a sketch of Byzantine running ornament or
surface decoration.
(31) What conditions gave rise to the Romanesque style ?
(32) * Make a sketch of Moorish geometrical interlaced
ornament.
(33) What was the first Mohammedan nation to adopt
European fashions in architecture ?
(34) Why are examples of Byzantine art, as found on
(rreek soil, usually purer in style than others?
* All sketches are to be about 2 inches square.
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 4
(35) (a) In what year occurred the fall of Rome ?
(b} How did this affect the art of Eastern and Western
Europe ?
(36) In what monuments was Roman art mostly
expressed ?
(37) In what class of work do we find the only ornament
that is strictly Turkish in character ?
(38) What object appears to have been maintained in
the woven fabric of Indian manufacture concerning the
definition of each object, and the effect of colored objects
viewed at a distance ?
(39) What are the characteristics of Byzantine carved
ornament ?
(40) What was the period of highest development in all
architecture ?
(41) What structural problem underlies the system of
Romanesque design ?
(42) Why was modification necessary when the Romans
adopted the Greek orders ?
(43) (a) Can the designs observable in Turkish carpets
be considered characteristic Turkish designs ? (b} Why ?
(44) * Make a sketch of the capital of an early Roman-
esque column.
(45) (a) Name the five orders of architecture, (b) Which
of these are essentially Roman ?
(40) What arc the most prominent colors in Turkish
ornament ?
* All sketches are to be about 2 inches square.
4 . HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
(47) How do Byzantine mosaics differ from Roman
mosaics ?
(48) Why are Romanesque forms so simple ?
(49) In what colors do modern Turkish ornament and
ancient Turkish ornament differ ?
(50) Give the characteristics (a) of the Greek-Ionic order;
(b) of the Roman- Doric order.
HISTORIC ORNAMENT.
(PART 3.)
(1) Into what four styles can French furniture be divided
after the middle of the seventeenth century ?
(2) What are the characteristic differences between the
feudal castle and the Renaissance chateau ?
(3) What effect did the invention of printing and the
printing press have on the development of Renaissance art ?
(4) Execute your name in letters of the Old English
alphabet.
(5) (a) Make a sketch of some heraldic device char-
acteristic of Francis I period; (b) Henry II period.
(6) Describe the furniture of the Louis XIV period.
(7) What is the largest and most important of the French
chateaux ?
(8) What is meant by (a) basso rilievo ? (b} mezzo
rilievo ? (c) alto rilievo? (d) By whom, were they first
practiced ?
(9) Describe the decorations of the molded work and
panels in the three periods of English architecture.
(10) Make a sketch, 2 inches square, showing an example
of Celtic interlaced work.
5
For notice of the copyright, see page immediately following the title page.
2 HLSTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
(11) Describe the furniture of the Louis XV period.
(12) What idea did the French artists conceive of the
Romans' use of the Greek orders ?
(13) What great painting did Michael Angelo execute in
1541?
(14) Describe the diapers and wall decorations of the
three periods of English art.
(15) Where do we find the purest forms of Gothic orna-
ment ?
(16) Describe the furniture of the Louis XVI period.
(17) What was the heraldic device of Francis I ?
(18) What two famous statues did Michael Angelo design
for Pope Julius II ?
(19) Print the title "Historic Ornament " in letters of the
Medieval Roman alphabet.
(20) What are the characteristics of Early English archi-
tecture ?
(21) Describe the interior decorations of the Louis XVI
period.
(22) What was the heraldic device of Louis XII ?
(23) What are the characteristics expressed in all of
Michael Angelo's works ?
(24) What are the three periods of Gothic architecture in
France ?
(25) What are the three periods of English-Gothic
ornament ?
(26) In what way did Albert Durer influence the tastes
in German Renaissance ?
5 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 3
(27) What heraldic device was sometimes used by Anne
of Brittany?
(28) What building was Michael Angelo employed upon
as architect when he died ?
(29) What other buildings than churches formed a large
portion of the Gothic architecture of the thirteenth cen-
tury ?
(30) What are the characteristics of the Decorated period
of English architecture ?
(31) (a) What monument, in England, marks the intro-
duction of Renaissance into that country ? (/5>) What year
was it erected ?
(32) In French heraldry, of what was the dolphin
indicative ?
(33) Why was the transition from Gothic to Renaissance
much more rapid in France than anywhere else ?
(34) Describe the feudal system.
(35) What are the characteristics of the Perpendicular
period of English-Gothic architecture ?
(36) What Dutch architect designed a number of college
gates in England ?
(37) What animal was used in heraldic devices, indicative
of Anne of Brittany ?
(38) Into what three periods is French Renaissance
divided ?
(39) How were the rooms heated in the early feudal
castles ?
(40) What are the distinguishing characteristics of Italian-
Gothic architecture ?
4 HISTORIC ORNAMENT. 5
(41) What are the characteristics of Elizabethan
ornament ?
(42) What two palaces near Paris became popular with
the royal family toward the decline of the Renaissance.?
(43) What class of buildings best expresses the transition
from Gothic to Renaissance in French architecture ?
(44) Describe the influences that affected Renaissance
architecture in Italy, France, and England.
(45) What is the purpose in studying historic ornament ?
INDEX.
NOTE. All items in this index refer first to the section (see Preface, Vol. I) and then
to the page of the section. Thus, " Lotus 3 26 " means that lotus will be found on page
26 of section 8.
A. Sec.
Abacus 4
Acanthus, Roman 4
Adherence to old designs 5
Albert Durer 5
Alhambra 4
Alphabet, Antique Egyptian 5
" French Roman 5
" Gothic 5
" Heavy antique Egyp-
tian 5
" Light antique Egyp-
tian 5
" Medieval Roman 5
" Old English 5
Alto rilievo 5
Analysis of plants 2
Ancient art 3
" castles, Heating of 4
" " Mode of living
in 4
" ornament 3
Angle, How to bisect an 1
" " " lay off an 1
Animal forms in Celtic ornament 4
Annulets 4
An tefixae 8
Anthemion 8
Antique art, Revival of, in Eng-
land 5
" Egyptian alphabet 5
" Egyptian alphabet.
Heavy 5
" Egyptian alphabet,
Light 5
Antiquity of Egyptian ornament 8
Apophyge 4
Applied Design, Drawing plate. . 2
Arabian and Persian art com-
pared 4
" art 4
" " Mohammedanism in 4
" coloring 4
" ornament 4
Page.
8
31
57
51
81
63
ri
75
65
69
79
7
44
9
126
126
9
83
86
%
5
76
67
55
63
Sec. Page.
Arabian ornament, Development
of...
Arc, How to find the center of. . 1
" of circle equal to given
straight line, How to find 1
Architectural development,
Zenith of 4
" orders 3
Architecture, Chinese, Scarcity
of 4
" Classic 4
Conditions influ-
encing 3
" Five orders of 4
" Greek 3
" Influences of 3
Architrave 4
" Ionic 4
Art, Ancient 3
" and literature, Italian 5
" Assyrian 3
" " Development of... 3
" Byzantine 4
" Celtic 4
" Chinese 4
" Standard forms in 4
" Classic... 4
Comparison of Persian and
Arabian 4
Comparison of Persian and
Indian 4
Decorative 8
Egyptian 8
Etruscan 3
French Gothic 4
" Heraldry in 5
Gothic 4
" Evolution of 4
" in Italy 4
" Influence of religion
in 4
Greco-Roman S
38
42
115
58
61
2
5
2
54
4
6
13
9
5
47
47
39
95
59
02
1
52
78
79
6
14
116
34
99
99
106
99
79
Vll
Yin
INDEX.
Sec.
Page.
Sec.
Page.
Art, Greek
3
52
Byzantine ornament, Ingenuity
" Indian
4
64
of
4
55
" " Lack of progressive-
" Origin of. ..
4
39
ness in
4
64
" style, Examples of
4
42
" Influences affecting differ-
ent styles of
5
50
C.
Sec.
Page.
" Japanese
4
5!)
Capital, Corinthian
4
15
" "
4
63
Capitals, decorated, Character-
" Moorish
4
80
istics of
4
109
" " Construction and
" early English, Charac-
decoration in
4
83
teristics of
4
109
" Derivation of
4
80
" " French
4
116
" Primary colors in.. .
4
85
" Flamboyant
4
117
" Oriental
4
59
" perpendicular, Charac-
" Persian
4
78
teristics of
4
110
" Pompeian
3
79
" Ravonnant
4
117
" Renaissance
5
1
Cartouch, Construction of
2
26
" " in Italy
5
3
" Definition of
2
26
" Origin of
u
1
Castle of Coucy -.
4
123
" Roman influences on Italian
5
6
Castles, ancient, Heating of
4
126
" Romanesque
4
33
" " Mode of living
" Sculpture in Byzantine
4
58
in
4
126
" Romanesque..
4
58
" and chateaux
5
26
" Turkish
4
76
Cathedral of Monreale
4
55
" Western
4
95
Cauliculi
4
16
Asiatic ornament
4
59
Cavetto
3
63
Assembly, Hall of
3
17
Ceiling decoration, Byzantine...
4
47
Assyrian art
3
47
Celtic art
4
95
" Development of
3
47
" ornament
4
95
" ornament
3
47
" " Animal forms
" s'culpture
3
48
in
4
06
Athena Polias, Temple of
3
70
" " Characteristics
" " " "
4
9
of
4
96
Attic base
4
12
" " Intricacy of
4
97
(Vxis, Definition of
1
35
" " Origin of
4
95
" " Symbolism in. ..
4
98
li.
Sec.
Page.
Characteristics of Celtic orna-
Ball-flower ornament
4
101
ment
4
96
Base, Attic
4
12
" " decorated
" Corinthian
4
16
capitals...
4
110
Bases, Greek
3
59
" " early Eng-
Basso rilievo
5
7
lish capi-
Blending of colors in Moorish
tals
4
109
ornament
4
91
" " Elizabethan
Blois, Chateau de
5
28
ornament
5
54
" Staircase of Chateau de. . .
5
31
" " Indian orna-
Bourbon penod
5
25
ment
4
65
Bow-pen
1
9
" " Moorish or-
" pencil
1
9
nament. . .
4
81
Brushes, Japanese
2
53
" "Oriental
Brush Work, Drawing plate
2
51
people....
4
59
Bv/.antine art
4
39
" " perpendicu-
" Ornamental influ-
lar capi-
ence in
4
39
tals
4
110
" Sculpture in
4
58
" Persian o r-
" ceiling decoration
4
47
nament. ..
4
78
" decoration
4
47
" " Roman or-
" ornament.... ....
4
39
nament. . .
4
31
INDEX.
IX
Sec.
Characteristics of the Greeks..
" "Turkish
ornament
Chateau de Blois
" " " Octagonal stair-
case in
" " " Wall decoration
in
Chateaux and castles
Chinese architecture, Scarcity of
" art, Standard forms in..
" coloring
" ornament
" and idealism. .
" " Primitiveness
of
Church, Influence of
" of St. Mark
Circle, How to draw, freehand..
" " " inscribe a hexa-
gon
Circles, Perspective of
Classes of Egyptian ornament..
Classic architecture
" art...
moldings.,
ornament.
" style, Revival of
Class of ornament
Cleopatra
Color
Coloring, Arabian
" Chinese
" -Egyptian
" in Moorish ornament..
" Moorish, System of....
" Rules of, in Indian fab-
rics.
Colors, Blending of, in Moorish
ornament
" of Egyptians
Column, Tuscan
Combination of elements
Comparison of Egypt and
Greece
of Greek and
Roman orders
of Indian and
Persian art
of Persian and
Arabian art...
Compasses
Composite order
Composition
Conditions influencing architec-
ture
n
H
n
4*
M
M
M
51
19
80
98
BO
8
fit
1
SO
n
1
8
80
M
8
74
68
M
90
M
Sec. Page.
Conic sections 8 60
Consistency in design 3 i
of Egyptian orna-
ment 3 29
" " Moorish orna-
ment 4 87
Construction and decoration in
Moorish art 4 88
" of cartouch 2 26
" " Moorish geomet-
rical ornament 4 92
Constructive ornament 3 80
Conventionalism 3 6
o f Egyptian
ornament 3 29
" of Moorish or-
nament 4 88
Corbel 4 124
Corinthian base , 4 16
" capital 4 15
" order 3 64
" " Roman 4 27
Cornice 4 7
Corona 4 7
Cy ma recta 8 63
" reversa 3 63
Cymatium 4 8
D. Sec. Page.
Decorated capitals, Characteris-
tics of
" period
Decoration and construction in
Moorish art
" Arabian
" Elements of
" General rules of sur-
face in
" Meaning of
Principles of
Decorations, Painted Roman ....
Decorative art
" ornament . .
" theory exhibited by
the savage
Definition of a drawing
" " axis.
" " cartouch
" "double ordinate....
" "ordinate
" " pitch
" "sketching
" "spotting
Derivation of Moorish art
Design, Adherence to old
" Consistencv in. . .
109
100
83
72
2
8
1
2
32
6
30
35
12
1
2
45
26
45
45
45
1
13
80
57
INDEX.
Sec.
Design, Orders of 8
Details, German Gothic 4
Development of Arabian orna-
ment 4
" " Assyrian art.. 3
" " fireplace 5
" " Romanesque
style 4
Devices, Symbolic 3
Diapers, Early English 4
" " French 4
Disk, Winged 3
Dividers 1
Donatello 5
Donjon 4
Doric entablature 4
" " 4
" order 3
Double ordinate, Definition of. .. 1
Draftsman at work, Position of 2
Drawing board 1
1
2
Definition of.
Freehand. ..
" Geometrical
" Ink
" Instrumental
" Mechanical
" paper
" pen, How to sharpen..
" plate, Applied Design..
-' " Brush Work
" " Flowersand Con-
ventionalized
Leaves 2
" " Linear Elements 2
" " Natural Leaves. . 2
" " Surfaces and
Solids 2
Drawing plates, Preliminary di-
rections for. . . 1
" " Size of 1
Durer, Albert 5
Dutch influence in English Re-
naissance .... 5
Page.
58
121
47
33
33
3
113
119
27
9
6
123
e
24
64
45
4
1
1
2
1
1
1
13
1
1
10
14
70
51
II
9
82
E. Sec. Page.
Early English capitals, Chacter-
" istics of 4 109
diapers 4 113
" " period 4 100
" spandrels 4 112
" French capitals 4 11G
diapers 4 119
" periods 4 116
Echinus 3 03
Effect of invention of printing. .. D 5
Sec. Page.
Effect of traditional styles 3 11
Egypt and Greece, Comparison
of 3 52
Egyptian alphabet, Antique 5 63
Heavy an-
tique 5 69
" " Light an-
tique 5 65
" art 3 14
" coloring 3 46
" colors 3 46
" ornament 3 14
" Antiquity of 3 15
" " Classes of.... 3 30
" " Consistency
of 3 SO
" Convention-
alism of.... 3 29
" " Influence of
Nile on 3 14
" Influence of
religion on 3 16
" temple 3 17
" " Interior of 3 19
" ." Plan of 3 22
Elements, Combination of 3 3
" of decoration 3 2
Elizabethan ornament, Charac-
teristics of 5 54
Ellipse 3 61
" How to draw an 1 43
" " " " "freehand.. 2 20
Empire period 5 25
England and Holland, Political
ties of 5 53
" Introduction of Rerais-
" sance art into 5 3
" Introduction of Renais-
sance into 5 52
" Revival of antique art in 5 55
English and German Gothic 4 100
" Renaissance 5 51
" " Dutch in-
fluence in 5 53
Entablature, Doric 4 6
" Roman Doric 4 24
" Tuscan 4 20
Epitithidas . 4 5
Equilateral triangle, How to
draw an 1 36
Erechtheum 3 71
Etruscan art 3 77
" ornament 3 77
Evolution of Gothic art 4 99
" " " ornament.. 4 108
Examples of Byzantine style 4 42
Expression of taste in savage
ornament . . 3 11
INDEX.
XI
F. Sec.
Fabric.s, Indian, Rules of color-
ing 4
Fall of Roman Empire 4
Feudal system 4
Fiefs 4
Fillet 8
Fireplace, Development of 5
Five orders of architecture 4
Flamboyant capitals 4
period 4
Fleur-de-lis 4
Flowers and Conventionalized
Leaves, Drawing plate 2
Foliated terminations in Italian
Renaissance 5
Fontainebleau 5
France, Introduction of Renais-
sance art into 5
Freehand drawing 1
" " 2
French art, Heraldry in 5
" conception of Roman
ideas 5
" furniture, Lack of sym-
metry in... 5
" " Style of 5
" Gothic art 4
" Renaissance 5
" Periods of. . 5
" Rapidity of
transition
of 5
" " style, Pur-
ity of 5
" Roman alphabet 5
*' window tracery 4
Fret 3
Frieze 4
Furniture, French, Lack of sym-
metry in... 5
" Style of 5
Page.
65
63
33
2
117
116
128
14
47
3
1
1
34
29
49
48
116
24
24
24
4
71
105
37
6
49
48
G. Sec. Page.
General rules of surface decora-
tion 3 8
Geometrical drawing 1 1
" ornament, Moorish,
Construction of. . 4 92
" outlines of natural
form 2 32
German and English Gothic 4 100
" Gothic details 4 121
" Renaissance 5 51
" " Influence
of Italian
art in 5 51
Ghiberti 5 7
Giacopo Tatti Sansovino 5 22
Globe, Winged 8
Gothic alphabet 5
" art
" "Evolution of 4
" " in France
" " " Italy 4
" " Influence of religion
in
" English and German
" forms, Italian aversion to
" German details 4
" Misinterpretation of
" ornament
" " Evolution of..
" " Origin of
Greece and Egypt, Comparison
of 3
Grecian volutes, How to draw. . . 2
Greco-Roman art 8
" ornament 3
Greek and Roman orders, Com-
parison of 4
" architecture 3
" art 3
" bases 8
" Corinthian order 4
" Doric order 4
" lily 3
" orders 4
" ornament 3
" Representative
types of 3
" sculpture 3
Greeks, Character of the 8
Guilloche 8
Guttae... 4
H. Sec.
Hagia Sophia 4
Hall, Hypostyle 3
" " at Karnak 3
" of assembly 8
Harmachis 3
Heating of ancient castles. 4
Heavy antique Egyptian alpha-
bet 5
Helix, How to draw 1
Heraldry 4
" in French art 5
Historic lettering 5
" ornament, Modern use
of 5
I' " Object of
studying. . 5
" Val ue of
study of.. 3
History of ornament 2
Holbein 5
Sec.
Page.
3
27
5
75
4
99
4
99
4
116
4
106
4
99
4
100
5
6
4
121
4
121
4
99
4
108
4
89
52
20
79
79
20
54
52
59
14
3
67
2
52
56
56
52
70
8
Page
40
17
23
17
25
126
46
127
34
61
59
56
13
1
52
Xll
INDEX.
Sec. Page.
Holland and England, Political
ties of 5 58
Horizontal straight lines, How
to draw, freehand 2 12
Horus 3 26
How to bisect a given angle 1 33
" " construct any polygon,
its sides being given. .. 1 41
" " divide a given line into
any number of equal
parts 1 34
" " draw 2 3
" " " a circle freehand. .. 2 19
" " " "helix 1 46
" " " "horizontal
straight line... 2 12
" " " "parabola 1 45
" " " " parallelogram 1 37
" " " "perpendicular
straight line
freehand 2 10
" " " " perpendicular to
a straight line. . 1 29
" " " " straight line par-
allel to a given
line 1 30
" " " "volute 2 20
" " " an ellipse 1 43
" " " " " freehand.. 2 20
" " " " equilateral tri-
angle 1 36
" " " " oval 1 43
" " " " " freehand.... 2 21
" " " oblique lines free-
hand 2 12
" " find arc of circle equal
to given straight
line 1 42
" " " a straight line equal
to given arc of cir-
cle 1 42
" the center of an
arc 1 38
" " inscribe a hexagon in a
circle 1 39
" " " pentagon in a
circle 1 40
" square in a
circle 1 38
" " an octagon in a
circle 1 40
" " lay off a given angle 1 36
" sharpen drawing pen 1 14
" study ornament 3 14
Hyperbola 3 61
Method of drawing. 3 62
Method of drawing
tangent to 3 63
Sec. Page.
Hypostyle hall 3 17
" at Karnak... 3 23
I. Sec.
Idealism and Chinese ornament 4
Indian and Persian art com-
pared 4
" art 4
" " Lack of progress-
iveness in 4
" fabrics, Rules of color-
ing '4
" ornament 4
" " Characteris-
tics of 4
Influence of architecture 3
" " Italian art and Ger-
man Renaissance 5
" " Mohammedanism.. 4
" " nature 3
" " religion 3
" " " in Egyptian
ornament 3
" " " in Gothic
art 4
" " the Church 4
" " " Nile on Egyp-
tian orna-
ment 3
Influences affecting different
styles of art 5
Ingenuity of Byzantine orna-
ment
Inking
Instrumental drawing
Instruments and materials
Intention of Renaissance artists
Interior of Egyptian temple
Intricacy of Celtic ornament. . . .
Introduction of Renaissance art
into England. .
" Renaissance art
into France...
" Renai ssan ce
into England..
Invention of printing, Effect of. .
Ionic architrave
" order. . .
" " Roman
Ironwork, Renaissance
Irregular curves
Isis
Italian art and literature
" " Roman influence on..
" aversion to Gothic forms
" Gothic art
" Renaissance . . .
Page.
60
79
64
84
106
4
INDEX.
Xlll
Sec. Page.
Italian Renaissance, Foliated ter-
minations
in ........... 5 14
'' " French ideas
of .......... 5 29
" Origin of ..... 5 4
" Scrollwork
in
Value of, to
the design-
Italy, Renaissance art in ......... 5
.1. Sec. Page.
Japanese art ...................... 4 63
" brush ................... 2 53
" ornament .............. 4 59
K. Sec. Page.
Karnak, Hyposty le hall at ....... 3 23
" Temple of ............... 3 23
L.
Labyrinth
Lack of progressiveness in In-
dian art
" " symmetry in French
furniture
Laws of foliated ornament
" " nature
Sec.
3
Lead pencils
Lengthening bar
Lettering i
" Historic 5
Light antique Egyptian alpha-
bet 5
Lily, Greek 3
Linear Elements, Drawing plate 2
Literature and art, Italian 5
Lotus 3
Lysicrates, Monument of 4
Page.
37
64
49
22
23
57
10
6
19
til
65
67
9
Sec. Page.
Mohammedan decoration 4 72
Mohammedanism in Arabian art 4 70
Influence of... 4 70
Moldings, Classic 3 50
Monument of Lysicrates 4 14
Monreale, Cathedral of 4 55
Moorish art 4 80
" " Construction and
decoration in 4 83
" " Derivation of 4 80
" " Primary colors in 4 85
" coloring, System of 4 90
" geometrical ornament,
Construction of 4 93
" ornament 4 80
" " Blending of
colors in 4 91
" " Characteris-
tics of 4 81
" " Coloring in 4 89
" " Consistency
of 4 87
" " Conventional-
ism in 4 88
Mummy...-. 3 35
Mutules 4 7
V. Sec. Page.
Natural form, Geometrical out-
line of 2 32
" Leaves, Drawing plate 2 32
Nature, Influence of 3 9
M. Sir. Page.
Meaning of decoration 3 1
" "order 4 2
" " ornament 3 1
Mechanical drawing 1 1
Medieval Roman alphabet 5 69
Metope 4 6
Mezzo rilievo 5 7
Michael Angelo 5 21
Misinterpretation of Gothic 4 121
Mode of living in ancient cas-
tles 4 126
Modern use of historic ornament 5 59
Modillion I 27
Modules... 4 8
Obelisks
Object of studying historic or-
nament
Oblique lines, How to draw,
freehand
Octagon, How to inscribe, in a
circle
Octagonal staircase of Chateau
de Blois
Old designs. Adherence to
" English alphabet
Order, Composite
" Corinthian
" Doric
" Greek-Corinthian
" Greek-Doric
" Ionic...
Sec.
3
" Meaning of
" Roman-Corinthian.
" " Doric
" " Ionic
" Tuscan
Orders, Architectural
Page.
21
56
12
40
BO
64
M
3
:
8
XIV
Orders, architectural, Meaning
of
.V- ', .
4
4
4
3
4
1
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
3
8
3
4
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
INDI
Page.
<
2
20
2
58
17
45
59
39
59
95
39
4
1
10
10
9
69
69
59
37
101
39
95
96
96
97
95
98
31
78
76
59
60
30
1
52
78
79
30
30
14
15
30
29
:x.
Drnament, Egyptian, Conven-
tional-
ism of...
" Influence
of Nile
on
Sec.
8
8
8
5
8
8
4
4
8
8
5
5
3
a
8
4
4
4
4
8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
3
3
4
Page.
29
14
16
54
77
11
99
108
79
52
56
59
56
13
2
14
64
65
55
59
1
80
91
81
89
87
88
80
92
39
78
79
82
9
59
" Comparison of Greek
" Greek
" of design
" Influence
of re-
ligion on
" Elizabethan, Char-
acteristics of
Oriental art
" influence in Byzantine
art
" people, Characteristics
of
" Etruscan
' Expression of taste
Origin of Celtic ornament
" " Gothic and Byzantine
ornament
" Gothic
" Gothic, Evolution of
" Greco-Roman
" " Italian Renaissance...
" " Renaissance art
" Greek
" " set styles
" Representa-
tive types of
" historic, Modern use
of
" " tatooing
Ornament, Ancient
" Arabian
" Develop-
ment of.. .
" Asiatic
" " Object of
studying
" Value of
study of..
" History of
" Assyrian
" Ball-flower
" Byzantine
" How to study
" Celtic
" Indian
" Animal forms
" Character is-
" Characteris-
tics of
" Ingenuity of Byzan-
" Intricacy of. ..
" Origin of.
Japanese
" meaning of
" S3 T mbolism in
Character of Roman
" Characteristics of
Persian
" Blending of
colors in . .
" Characteris-
tics of
" Coloring in
" " Consistency
of... .
" Characteristics of
Turkish
" Chinese
" and idealism
" Class of
" Convention-
alism in.. .
" Derivation
of
" Classic
" Comparison of Per-
sian and Arabian..
Comparison of Per-
sian and Indian. . . .
" Constructive
" geometrical,
Construc-
tion of
" Origin of Gothic and
'' Decorative
" Egyptian
Antiquity
of
" Pompeian
" Classes of
" Consist-
ency of..
" Primitive
" Primitivenessof
Chinese...
INDEX.
XV
Ornament, Renaissance 5
" Representative 3
" 3
" Roman 4
" Romanesque 4
" Style in 8
" Surface 3
" Turkish 4
" Type of 3
" Western 4
Osiris 3
Oval, How to draw 1
" " " " an, freehand 2
P. Sec.
Painted Roman decorations 4
Papyrus 8
Parabola 8
" Ho w to draw a 1
Parallel to a given straight line,
How to draw a line 1
Parallelogram, How to draw a. . 1
Parthenon 8
Pedestal, Roman-Doric 4
" Tuscan 4
Pencils 1
" recommended 2
Pens recommended 2
Pentagon, How to inscribe, with-
in a circle 1
People, Types of 3
Periods of French Renaissance.. 5
Perpendicular characters, Char-
acteristics of... 4
period 4
straight line, How
to draw, free-
hand 2
to a straight line,
How to draw a 1
Persian and Arabian art com-
pared 4
" art 4
Persian ornament 4
" " Characteris-
tics of 4
Perspective of circles 2
Pitch, Definition of 1
Plan of Egyptian temple 3
Plant analysis 2
Political ties of England and
Holland 5
Polychromy 8
Polygon, How to construct a 1
Pompeian art 8
" ornament 8
" " 8
Position of draftsman 2
Sec. Page. Sec. Page.
1 Preliminary directions for draw-
80 ing plates 1 26
33 Primary colors in Moorish art... 4 85
1 Primitive ornament 3 9
33 Primitiveness of Chinese orna-
30 ment 4 59
66 Principles of decoration 3 2
76 Printing, Invention of 5 5
31 Propylon 3 18
95 Protractor 1 18
26 Purity of French Renaissance
43 style 5 4
21 Pylons 3 17
Page. R. Sec. Page.
32 Rake 4 8
26 Ramesseum 3 22
60 Rapidity of transition of French
45 Renaissance 5 24
Rayonnant capitals 4 117
30 " period 4 116
37 Religion, Influence of 3 5
55 " " " in Gothic
23 art 4 99
19 Renaissance art 5 1
10 " "in Italy 5 3
4 " Introduction of,
8 into England.. 5 3
" " Introduction of,
40 into France... 5 3
26 " " Origin of 5 1
24 artists, Intention
of 5 2
110 " Dutch influence in
100 English 5 52
" English 5 51
" French 5 24
10 " " Periods of 5 24
" " Rapidity
29 of transi-
tion in ... 5 24
78 " German 5 51
78 " " Influence
78 of Ger-
man art
78 on 5 51
28 " Introduction of,
45 into England 5 52
22 " ironwork 5 18
44 Italian 5 4
" ornament 5 1
58 period, Scope of. . . 5 2
72 " Venetian 5 16
41 Representative ornament 3 80
79 " types of Greek
79 ornament 8 56
83 Revival of antique art in Eng-
4 land 5 65
XVI
INDEX.
Sec. Page.
Revival of classic style 5 2
Rococo period 5 25
Roman alphabet. Medieval 5 69
" and Greek orders, Com-
parison of 4 20
" Corinthian order 4 27
" domination, system of
building under 4 34
" Doric order 4 21
" entablature 4 24
" pedestal 4 23
" Empire, Fall of 4 33
" influences on Italian art 5 6
" Ionic order 4 24
" orders 4 17
" ornament 4 1
Character of. . 4 31
" painted decorations. .. . 4 32
Romanesque art 4 33
" Sculpture in.. . 4 58
ornament 4 33
style, Develop-
ment of 4 33
Roman acanthus 4 31
Rubbers recommended 2 4
Rules of coloring in Indian fab-
rics 4 65
" to be observed 2 4
Ruling pen 1 11
S. Sec. Page.
Sacred bark 3 36
Saint Mark's church 4 51
Sansovino, Giacopo Tatti 5 22
Savage, Decorative theory ex-
hibited by the 3 12
" ornament, Expression
of taste in 3 11
Scale 1 17
Scarabeus 3 28
Scarcity of Chinese architecture 4 61
Scope of Renaissance period 5 2
Scotia 3 63
Scroll 3 41
Scrollwork in Italian Renais-
sance 5 12
Sculpture, Assyrian 3 48
Greek 3 56
in Byzantine art 4 58
" Romanesque art . . 4 58
Sections, Conic 3 60
Sekos .- 3 17
Set styles, Origin of 3 10
Shaft 4 12
Size of drawing plates 1 26
Sketching, Definition of 1 \
Soffit 4 7
Spandrels, Early English 4 112
See.
Sphinx 3
Spotting, Definition of 2
Square, To inscribe a, within a
circle 1
Staircase of Chateau de Blois 5
Standard forms in Chinese art.. 4
Straight line equal to given arc
of circle, How to
find 1
" " horizontal, How to
draw, freehand . . 2
" " How to divide a,
in any number of
equal parts 1
" " To bisect a 1
Style and ornament 3
" Development of Roman-
esque 4
" Examples of Byzantine. ... 4
" of French furniture 5
Styles, Origin of set 3
" Effect of traditional 3
Stylobate 4
Surface decoration, General
rules of 3
" ornament 3
Surfaces and Solids, Drawing
plate 2
Symbolic devices 3
Symbolism in Celtic ornament.. 4
System, Feudal. 4
" of building under Ro-
man domination.. 4
" " Moorish coloring 4
T. Sec.
Tatooing, Origin of 3
Temple, Egyptian 3
" " Plan of... 3
of Athena Polias.
" " Karnak
Thoth
Three great laws of nature
Thumb molding 4
" tacks 1
To bisect a straight line 1
Torus 3
Tower of the winds 3
Tracery 4
" French 4
Traditional styles, Effects of 3
Triangle, equilateral, How to
draw 1
Triangles 1
Triglyph 4
T square. 1
Turkish art... 4
Page.
25
13
12
88
80
88
&
48
10
11
8
66
24
3
98
121
34
90
Page.
10
17
22
70
9
23
26
57
6
10
28
63
65
101
105
11
36
3
INDKX.
xvii
Sec. Page.
Turkish ornament 4 70
" " Characteris-
tics of 4 76
Tuscan column 4 20
" entablature 4 20
order 4 19
" pedestal 4 19
Type of ornament 3 31
Types of people 3 26
V. .&<:. /V.
Valois period 5 24
Value of Italian Renaissance to
the designer 5 10
" " study of historic orna-
ment 3 13
Venetian Renaissance 5 16
Versailles... 5 47
Sec. Page.
Vignola 4 17
Vitruvius 5 6
Volute 4 12
" How to draw a 2 20
Vf. Sec. Page.
Wall decoration, Byzantine 4 4<
Chateau tie
Blots 5 42
Western art 4 95
" ornament 4 95
Window tracery, French 4 105
Wingeddisk 3 27
" globe 3 27
55. Sec, Page.
Zenith of architectural develop-
ment.. 4 115