Chapter 1 of 21 · 4757 words · ~24 min read

CHAPTER XXI

RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE AND ORNAMENT 369

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE

Monument of Lysikrates _Frontispiece_ 278. Alabaster Frieze 227 279. Alabaster Frieze Plan 227 343. Alhambra Diaper, Superposed Ornament 305 331. Ambo or Pulpit from St. George’s at Salonica 287 83. Amen or Ammon 58 93. Amenophis III. Presenting an Offering to Amen 67 319. Ancient Panel, Florence 267 193. Andro-Sphinx, Robe of Assurbanipal 144 162. Anou, or Dagon, Nimroud 120 314. Anthemion, Carved 264 71. Animal Ornamented Patterns, Corrupted Figures 44 of Lions 72. ” ” ” ” 44 73. ” ” ” ” 44 132. Antelope and Papyrus 97 270. Apollo Belvedere 218 341. Arabesque Ornament from the Wekāla of Kāit Bey 302 350. Arcades in the Mosque of Ibn-Tūlūn 312 352. Arches: _a_, Ogee; _b_, Horseshoe; _c_, 313 Pointed 282. Architrave and Frieze, Mycenian Palace 229 161. Assyrian Standard 120 180. Assyrian Base in Limestone 136 163. Assurbanipal Attacked by Lions 121 181. Assyrian Capital 137 183. Assurbanipal and his Queen after his Victory 137 over Teuman 185. Assyrian Stool 139 217. Astarte, Terra-cotta 164 268. Athene Polias (Villa Albani) 216 169. Babylonian Brick 129 62. Barbarian Copy of a Roman Medallion 40 253. Base of Pillar at Susa 196 254. Base and Capital from Persepolis, Propylæa 198 255. Base and Capital, from Hypostyle Hall of 199 Xerxes, Persepolis 307. Bas-Relief on the Arch of Titus 258 382. Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire 341 400A. Bishopstone Church, Wilts, Priests’ Entrance 361 234. Bottle with Incised Ornament, from Cesnola 176 235. Bottle with Geometric Decoration 176 237. Bowl in the Piot Collection 178 196. Bouquet of Flowers and Buds 146 125. Border from Thebes 93 41. Breast-plate, with Spiral Ornaments 24 28. Bronze Axes, Paalstabs, and Moulds 22 29. ” ” 22 30. ” ” 22 31. ” ” 22 32. ” ” 22 33. ” ” 22 34. ” ” 22 35. Bronze Swords and Spear-head 23 36. ” ” 23 37. ” ” 23 38. ” ” 23 39. Bronze Button for Sword Belt 24 40. ” ” 24 45. Bronze Bowl found in Sweden 26 47. Bronze Hatchet found in Sweden 27 50. Bronze Horn 29 54. ” 32 57. Bronze and Gold Buttons 33 58. ” ” 33 63. Bracteate, Golden 40 64. ” 41 186. Bronze Foot of a Piece of Furniture 140 204. Bronze Platter 153 205. Bronze Cups 154 206. Bronze Cup, Border of 155 209. Bronze Bucket 157 326. Brahminical Rock Temple at Ellora 275 170. Brick from Erech 129 339. Byzantine Capital from Santa Sophia 298 264. Cameo of Athenion 211 177. Capital of Temple, Assyrian 135 178. ” ” 135 221. Capital, Cypriot 168 222. ” 168 223. Capital at Djezza, Limestone 169 224. Capital from Kition 169 225. Capital from Golgos 170 302. Capital of the Lysikrates Monument 251 336. Capital from Santa Sophia 297 337. Capital from St. Demetrius at Salonica 297 338. Capital from St. Demetrius 297 372. Capital from Wartburg 335 378. Capital from Palace of Barbarossa 338 379. Capital from St. Cross, Winchester 338 148. Carpenters Making Chairs 108 212. Carthaginian Coin, Silver 161 213. Carthaginian Coin, Electrum 161 388. Cathedral of Nôtre Dame, Paris 349 123. Ceiling Decoration at Thebes 92 431. Ceiling by Serlio 401 432. Ceiling by Sansovino 402 410. Certosa of Pavia, portion of 376 146. Chair, Egyptian 107 147. ” 107 191. Chariot Horses 142 426. Cinquecento Ornament 398 428. ” ” 399 429. ” ” 400 430. ” ” 400 216. Coin of Byblos, Enlarged, with Sacred Cone 163 265. Coins of Elis, with the Phidian Zeus 212 149. Coffer in Wood 108 55. Collar of Bronze 33 390. Cologne Cathedral, Window Gable 352 109. Column of Thothmes III., from the Ambulatory 83 of Thothmes 110. Column from Hypostyle Hall of the Ramesseum 84 118. Column from Bas-Relief 88 252. Column with Volute Capital, Persepolis 196 189. Combat between a Lion and a Unicorn 142 335. Cornice from Santa Sophia 296 69. Corrupted Figures of Lions 44 70. ” ” 44 397. Crockets, Lincoln 359 258. Crowing Wall of the Staircase, Palace of 202 Xerxes, at Persepolis 353. Cusped Inter-Arching, Mosque of Cordova 314 363. Cursive Writing from the Alhambra 323 207. Cylinder from Soldi 156 208. Cylinder, Assyrian. Worship of Sacred Tree 156 56. Danish Bronze Knives 33 317. Decorated Mouldings from Temple of Minerva, 266 Polias 155. Demons, from the Palace of Assurbanipal 115 194. Detail from the Enamelled Archivolt, Khorsabad 145 238. Detail of the Decoration of a Cup 179 273. Diana of Versailles 221 441. Dietterlin’s Architecture 408 275. Dionysus and the Lion 223 25. Dolmen at Hesbon 20 359. Doorway of a Private House 320 384. Door of St. Gabriel’s, South of France 342 190. Dog used for Lion Hunting 142 399. Dog’s Tooth Ornament, Stone Church, Kent 360 7A. Drawing of Human and Animal Forms by Bushmen 12 7B. Drawing of Animals by Bushmen 13 157. Eagle-headed Divinity from Nimrod, with Sacred 117 Tree 233. Earring, Gold, from Cesnola 175 21. Earthenware of the New Stone Age 18 22. ” ” ” 18 23. ” ” ” 18 24. ” ” ” 18 345. East Colonnade of the Mosque of 'Amr 307 152. Egyptian Ship 110 248. Elevations and Sections of Doorways and 192 Windows of a Palace at Persepolis 162A. Embroidery from a Royal Mantle, Assyrian 123 163A. Embroidery on the Upper Part of a King’s 124 Mantle 164. Embroidery Detail of Upper Part of King’s 125 Mantle 165. ” ” ” 125 260. Enamelled Ornament on Bricks from Susa 204 140. Enamelled Earthenware Dish 102 141. Enamelled Earthenware Bowl 102 220. Entablature from a Temple at Byblos 167 283. Entablature Restored, Mycenian Palace 230 284. Entablature of C. Selinous’ Temple 231 301. Entablature, Capital, and Base of Greek Ionic 249 Temple 306. Entablature of Jupiter Tonans 257 96. Entrance to Hypostyle, Hall of Temple Amen 71 4. Esquimaux Carving 9 5. Etching of Reindeer on Bone 10 6. Etching of Reindeer on Slate 11 7. Etching of Mammoth on a Piece of Mammoth Ivory 11 303. Etruscan Door 252 98. Façade of the Great Rock-cut Temple, Ipsamboul 73 192. Fantastic Animal 143 409. Farnese Palace, Upper Story of 375 184. Feast of Assurbanipal, Enlarged Detail 138 66. Fibula in Gilt Bronze 43 67. ” ” 43 158. Figure of a Goddess in Act of Adoration 118 245. Fire Altars at Naksh-i-Rustem 189 126. Flattened form of Lotus-Leaf Ornament 93 404. Flamboyant Panel 365 405. Flamboyant Panelling 365 8. Flint Implements of the Neolithic Period 15 9. ” ” ” 15 10. ” ” ” 15 11. ” ” ” 15 12. ” ” ” 16 13. ” ” ” 16 14. ” ” ” 16 15. ” ” ” 17 16. ” ” ” 17 424. Floral Ornament, Italian 396 396. Florence Cathedral, Window Gable 358 144. Fragment of an Ivory Castanet 105 167. Fragment of Border of Fig. 166; from a 127 Threshold of Khorsabad 179. Fragment of an Assyrian Building, from a 136 Bas-Relief 247. Fragment of Door Frame, from Hypostyle Hall, 191 Susa 281. Fragment of Frieze, Mycenæ 228 310. Frets, Greek 262 311. Fret, Greek, Carved 263 244. Funeral Tower at Naksh-i-Rustem 187 171. Gates of the Harum at Dur Sargini 130 330. Gateway of Temple of Confucius 282 27. Giant’s Tomb, Sardinia 20 86. Goddess Bast or Pasht 60 53. Gold Bowl 32 59. Gold-plated Ornament 38 143. Golden Hawk, Egyptian 104 230. Gold Bracelet, from Tharros 174 291. Gold Pendant, from Troy 237 292. Gold Ornaments, from Troy 237 293. Gold Plate, from Troy 238 294. Gold Disc, from Troy 238 295. ” ” 239 296. Gold Cup, from Troy 240 297. Gold Ewer, from Troy 241 101. “Gorge,” Egyptian 76 406. Gothic Arches 366 407. Gothic Tracery 367 401. Gothic Mouldings 362 102. General Appearance of an Egyptian Temple 77 87. Great Pyramid of Kheops 62 91. Great Sphinx 65 315. Greek Border with Fret Bands 265 316. Greek Ivy Meander Border 265 156. Griffin in Egyptian Style 116 200. Guilloche Ornament on Enamelled Brick 149 312. Guilloche, Treble Ornament 263 313. Guilloche, Ornament, Double 264 304. Half Capital, Mars Ultor 254 65. Harness in Gilt Bronze, Fibula Decorations 42 114. Hathoric Pier 85 120. Hathor-headed Campaniform Capital, Temple of 89 Nectanebo, at Philæ 263. Head of one of the Lions from Frieze at Susa 207 267. Head of Hera 214 272. Hermes, Statue of 220 414. Holland House, Ancient Parlour of 385 1. Horse, Upper Cave Earth, Robin Hood Cave 8 127. Hunting in a Marsh, from a Bas-Relief in the 94 Tomb of Ti 131. Hunting in the Desert 96 2. Ibex Carved on an Antler 8 80. Ideal Lake Settlement 52 360. Illuminated Koran of the Sultan Sha’ Ban 321 241. Intaglio on Chalcedony 182 427. Italian Panel 398 172. Interior of a Temple after Layard’s 131 Restoration 329. Interior of the Palace at Delhi 279 369. Intersecting Blind Arcade 333 82. Isis Nursing her Son Horus 56 145. Ivory Plaque 106 201. ” 150 202. Ivory Plaque found at Nimroud 151 203. Ivory Fragment in British Museum 152 280. Ivory Plaque from Mycenæ 228 308. Jewish Candlestick from Arch of Titus 259 97. Khita, Rout of the 72 362. Kufic Writing, from the Alhambra 323 78. Lacustrine Habitation in Lake Mohrya, Central 49 Africa 79. Lake Dwellings, Sections and Plans 50 385. Landgrave’s Room at Wartburg 344 81. Lake Dwellings, Objects from 53 356. Lattice-work, Saracenic 317 357. ” ” 318 358. ” ” 318 138. Lion from a Theban Bas-Relief 101 187. Lion coming out of his Cage 140 188. Lion and Lioness in a Park 141 262. Lion from the Lion Frieze in Enamelled Bricks 206 at Susa 277. Lion’s Gate, Mycenæ 226 122. Lotus, Drawing from the Tomb of Ptah-Hotep 91 124. Lotus and Water-Leaf Ornament 93 106. Luxor, Plan of Temple 80 107. Luxor, as Restored, Bird’s-eye View 81 298. Lycian Rock-built Tomb 243 299. ” ” ” 244 395. Marienberg Town Hall 357 290. Marseilles Ewer 236 348. Mausoleum at Cairo 309 228. Medallion from a Cup from Griffi 173 274. Melpomene, Vatican 222 26. Menhirs, Sardinia 19 92. Memnon at Thebes, Statues of, Colossi of 66 Amenophis III. 347. Minaret of the Mosque at Kaloum, Cairo 309 105. Model of an Egyptian House 79 60. Mountings, Metal 39 61. ” ” 39 218. Model of a Small Temple in Terra Cotta 165 351. Moorish Capital 313 349. Mosque of Kāit Bey, Cairo 310 130. Mummy-Case, Painting on 96 420. Mural Painting, Pompeii 392 323. Mural Painting, from Pompeii 270 242. Naksh-i-Rustem, General View of the Rock-cut 184 Tombs 416. Nest of Scroll, Roman 388 133. Netting Birds, from a Tomb 98 381. Norman Doorway, Semperingham Church, 340 Lincolnshire 121. Nymphæa Nelumbo 90 104. Oblong Building, Egyptian 78 239. Œnochœ, New York Museum 180 240. ” ” ” ” 181 322. Ogee Decorated—Astragal, Jupiter Stator 269 324. Ornament from Asoka’s Pillar 272 361. Ornament from the Portal of Sultan Hasan 322 422. Ornament, Ghiberti Gates 393 365. Ornament on an Arch of the Wekāla Kāit Bey 326 439. Ornament from Doorway, Crewe Hall 407 321. Ogee and Fluted Cavetto Moulding; Jupiter 268 Tonans 85. Osiris 60 318. Ovolo with Egg and Tongue, from the Erectheum 266 320. Ovolo and Astragal Mouldings, Roman 268 334. Opus Alexandrinum Pavement 293 198. Painted Ornament on Plaster 148 332. Painting from the Catacombs of St. Agnese 289 269. Pallus Athene, Naples 217 119. Palm Capital from Sesebi 88 300. Parthenon; Greek Doric 247 366. Panel from the Maristan of Kalaun 328 367. ” ” ” ” 328 434. Panel, Carved, Henri II. Style 404 435. ” ” ” ” 404 436. ” ”French, Sixteenth Century 404 437. ” ”from Louvre 405 440. ” ”Elizabethan 407 438. Panelling, Elizabethan 406 227. Patera from Curium 172 142. Pectoral; Egyptian 103 402. Pedestal, Henry VII.'s Chapel 363 232. Pendant, Wild Goat; Gold 175 150. Perfume Spoons 109 151. ” ” 109 243. Persepolis; Tomb on the North-east 185 246. Persepolis; Staircase of the Palace of Darius 190 249. Persepolis; Doorway to Royal Tomb 193 113. Pier with Capital 85 433. Pilasters, Louis XII. 403 421. Pilaster by Donatello 393 287. Pilgrim Bottle 234 115. Pillar, Octagonal, Beni-Hassan 86 116. Pillar, Sixteen-sided, Fluted 86 117. Pillar Osiride, from Medinet-Abou 87 328. Pillar and Bracket, Doorway of a Pagoda 278 210. Phœnician Merchant Galley 159 211. Phœnician War Galley 160 226. Phœnician Silver Platter 171 51. Pinak or Plate, from Rhodes 30 139. Pitcher of Red Earth 102 403. Place House, Cornwall 364 168. Plan and Elevation of a part of a Façade at 128 Worka 346. Plan of the Mosque of 'Amr 308 383. Pointed Arcading from the Cathedral of Palermo 341 17. Polished Stone Hammer and Celts, Neolithic 17 Period 18. ” ” ” ” ” 17 19. ” ” ” ” ” 17 20. ” ” ” ” ” 17 417. Pompeian Objects 389 371. Porch of the Heilsbronn Monastery 334 380. Porch of St. Zeno at Verona 339 76. Pottery of the Iron Age 46 3. Prehistoric Carving 9 99. Principal Hall in the Great Temple 74 108. Principal Façade of the Temple of Luxor 82 84. Ptah 58 354. Pulpit of the Sultan Kāit Bey 315 364. Pulpit in the Mosque of Barkuk; Stone 328 111. Quadrangular Pier 84 112. Quadrangular Pier, Tapering 85 134. Quadruped with Head of a Bird 98 136. Ram or Krisosphinx 100 100. Rameses II., Louvre, Portrait of 75 68. Rim of Fig. 67, Part of 43 153. River Transport of a Mummy 110 305. Roman Corinthian, Pantheon 255 373. Romanesque Shaft and Base 335 375. Romanesque Ornament, late 335 376. Romanesque Moulding Ornaments 336 386. Romanesque Ornament from Hinge from “Notre 345 Dame” 387. Romanesque Panel from a Church at Bonn 346 374. Roof Cornice of Church at Alstadt 335 370. Rose Window 333 342. Rosette in Mosque of Suyurghatmish 303 195. Rosette of Lotus Flowers and Buds 146 415. Rosette from Trajan’s Scroll 387 368. Round-Arch Frieze 333 309. Roman Composite Order; Arch of Titus 260 215. Sacred Emblems from Carthaginian Votive Stele 162 411. San Marco Library 377 325. Sanchi Tope; Bhopal, Central India 274 174. Sargon’s Palace 133 175. Sargon’s Palace, a Bedroom in the Harem 134 251. Sarvistan, Palace of, Principal Façade 195 88. Section through the Great Pyramid of Kheops 63 95. Seti with Attributes of Osiris between Amen 70 and Chnoum 166. Sill of a Door from Khorsabad 126 231. Silver Pin; Cesnola 175 52. Silver Brooch 31 74. Silver Goblet, with Gold-plated Decorations 45 90. Southern Pyramid of Dashour 64 94. Solar-Disk, Adoration of, by Amenophis IV. 69 103. Square Building; Egyptian 78 257. Staircase Wall of the Palace of Xerxes at 201 Persepolis 344. Stalactite Vaulting 306 89. Stepped Pyramid 64 412. St. Paul and St. Louis façade 381 340. St. Nicholas at Moscow 299 408. Strozzi Palace, portion of 374 355. Street in Cairo 316 48. Sun Signs 27 49. Sun Snakes 27 400. Spandrel, Stone Church, Kent 360 135. Sphinx, or Man-headed Lion; from Tanis 99 137. Sphinx with Human Hands 101 391. St. Lawrence, Porch of 353 392. St. Lawrence, Interior of 354 393. St. Sebaldus, Shrine of 355 394. St. Sebaldus, Bride’s Door of 356 197. Tabernacle from the Balâwât Gates 147 423. Tabernacle, Fifteenth Century 395 176. Temple on the Bank of a River, Khorsabad 135 259. Temple in a Royal Park 203 327. Temple of Biskurma at Ellora 276 398. Temple Church, From the 359 219. Tomb at Amrit, restored 166 377. Towers and Round-Arch Frieze, Abbey of Komberg 337 199. Tree of Life, Upper Portion of 149 173. Triumphal Gate at Entrance of the Palace 132 288. Three-handled Amphora 234 75. Under Side of a Fibula 45 42. Urns of the Bronze Age 25 43. ” ” ” ” 25 44. ” ” ” ” 25 46. Urn of the Stone Age, found in Swedish Dolmen 26 261. Upper Part of Parapet Wall of Staircase, Susa 205 256. Upright of Royal Throne, Naksh-i-Rustem 200 285. Vase in Woman’s Form 232 286. ” ” ” ” 233 289. Vase with Geometric Decoration 235 271. Venus of Milo 220 425. Venetian Panel 397 229. Vessels Figured in Tomb of Rekhmara 174 236. Vessel in Shape of a Goat 177 276. Victory, Figure of 224 250. View of a Group of Domed Buildings, from an 194 Assyrian Bas-Relief 214. Votive Stele from Carthage, with Sacred 162 Emblems 128. Vultures on a Ceiling 95 333. Wall Painting, from Catacombs of S. Calixtus 290 418. Wall Painting, Pompeii 390 419. Wall Painting, Herculaneum 391 389. Westminster Abbey 351 129. Winged Globe with Uræus 95 154. Winged Bull, Assyria 114 159. Winged Globe, with the Figure of a God 119 160. Winged Globe 119 182. Winged Sphinx carrying Base of Capital 137 413. Wollaton House 384 77. Woollen Cloth with Gold and Silver Threads, 46 Piece of 266. Zeus of Otricoli 213

HISTORIC ORNAMENT.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

It can hardly be doubted that, for the education of the student in ornamental design, or in architecture, a study of the history of ornament and a knowledge of the principal historic styles of architecture is indispensable.

Historic styles of ornament remain for us, vast accumulations of tried experiments, for the most part in the character of conventional renderings of natural forms; for however remote from nature some of these may be, they can, as a general rule, be traced back without much difficulty to their natural origin, where in most cases they were used symbolically. Even the most arbitrary forms—for instance, those found in Saracenic ornament—were only developments from natural forms, and the innocent Greek key pattern, that has earned the reputation of being the ornament most unlike anything in nature, is supposed by some to be but a rectilineal development of the rippling waves; and, on the other hand, there is the hypothesis that it is developed from the _fylfot_, a sacred sign that is supposed to symbolize the rotary motion of the planets.

There is no ornament more common or so universal in prehistoric, savage, Egyptian, Assyrian and Mediæval decoration than the ubiquitous zigzag, or chevron, and though extremely simple in itself, at least two-thirds of all conventional ornament is based or constructed on its lines: yet this simple ornament has been used as a symbol of totally opposite and different things, by nearly all the various tribes and nations that have used it in decoration. With the Egyptians and Assyrians it has been a symbol of water, with some savage tribes it denotes lightning, with others it does duty for a serpent, with some others it represents a series of bats, birds, and butterflies; as with the original tribes of Brazil, with the magic-loving Semang tribes of East Malacca, it means a frog, and in some instances the branches of trees; and lastly, with the natives of the Hervey Islands, it symbolizes the human figure when placed in duplicate parallel rows.

(For a fuller description, and illustrations of this and cognate savage ornament, the reader is referred to Haddon’s “Evolution in Art,” 1895.) We can hardly think of an ornament more simple or more common than the zigzag, and yet how varied in different countries are the sources from which it springs.

This may be taken as a warning that it is not safe to accept the same forms as always having the same origin, when we find them in the art of different countries.

Apart from the symbolic origin of ornamental forms, students of to-day may learn, from examples of the past, how far they can go, in the converting of natural forms to conventional ornament, without absolutely adapting such examples to their present needs. The past styles in ornament have, in one sense, died out with the nations that created them, and can never be satisfactorily revived, although, as we have often seen, a new style may be built on their foundations. The tendency of to-day is to undervalue the teachings of historic art, and, as a result, we see much work in which both fitness and beauty are conspicuous by their absence.

In any notice of the historical development of ornamental art, the concurrent styles of architecture should, in their general features at least, be illustrated, for it is not always possible to divorce ornament from architecture, and it is hardly possible to design or construct good ornament otherwise than according to the laws that govern good architecture. Of course, we must admit that some very beautiful ornament, or rather decoration, has been designed otherwise than on architectural lines, but this kind of decoration has its beauty of technique and execution to recommend it, rather than its constructive qualities. Chinese and Japanese ornament will occur to the reader as examples of this kind of work, but the best ornament the world has ever seen has been constructed and is based on the laws that govern good architecture.

Some of these laws, such as stability, repose, variety, and proportion, are derived from nature. As all architectural styles, however, possess them more or less in common, we must look elsewhere for the sources from which the peculiar characteristics that distinguish the styles are developed and derived. The causes and forces are so subtle and the developments so gradual, that it is almost impossible to arrive at a satisfactory explanation, as religions, inventive faculty, and symbolism play an important _rôle_ in style development. It is rather to the inventive faculties of man, than to hints supplied by nature, that we must look for the origin and development of what is called style in architecture or ornament. In every case this is arrived at by a slow process, and by the extensive and persistent use of distinguishing features selected according to the needs and requirements of the time, to satisfy the prevailing tastes. “Style” is then the something that man has invented or created; it may be called the soul of architecture, without which, a building, however pretentious, ceases to exist as an artistic conception.

Apart from the greatest or more striking features in the various divisions of historic architecture, such as the horizontal beam in Greek, the round arch in Roman and Romanesque, the pointed arch in Gothic and Mohammadan buildings, there are the mouldings that are so important in determining the period—they alone of themselves will often determine the style or date of a building—and these features, above all others, are the least derived from nature. On the other hand, the decoration of mouldings, though suggested by their contours, is generally derived from natural forms.

The “best period” in the life of historic styles and its duration corresponds with that of the highest culture and religious thought of the people, at their settled and most flourishing epochs. When a change or revolution in the order of things sets in, we find generally the style of architecture changing also to adapt itself to the new laws and new thought. This illustrates, to a certain degree, the reason why the so-called Victorian Gothic has not developed to any great extent in England, although some of our best architects sought to revive the earlier Gothic some years ago.

The Mediæval mysticism, love for symbolism, and reverence are wanting in the mass of the people of this century, which characterized the people of Europe in the palmy days of Gothic architecture.

It has always been found that whatever the people ask for the artist is generally able to give, although he may not be always willing; but he must satisfy the popular demand if he is to live by his work, otherwise he must make way for others who are willing to produce work that will reflect the taste of the period.

We are handicapped in the development of anything new in the way of an architectural style by traditions of the past. Our knowledge of what has been done in the past, paradoxical as it may appear, has proved itself a great stumbling-block to the progress of new ideas. This partly accounts for the slowness of style-development in the present century. If fashion does not step in and disturb the march of events in the immediate future, we may hope for something distinct, if not exactly new, as an architectural style, in which a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance forms will be seen, the latter perhaps predominating. It may happen that later generations will look back and be able to discern something distinct in the way of style in buildings erected in the last quarter of this century, in the midst of much that is somewhat chaotic and confused.

In a book like this, which is intended chiefly as an introduction to the study of historic ornament, one cannot pretend to criticise the various styles of ornament, either from an artistic or scientific standpoint. It will be enough to attempt to point out the principal beauties or characteristics, to trace the history and overlapping of one style with another, and to trace, where possible, some units of ornamental forms to their symbolic ancestry. It is absurd to criticise the ornament of any period or country dogmatically, for we must remember, that although certain forms of art may not conform to the critics’ idiosyncrasy, they may be quite orthodox and good art when judged by the artistic laws of their own country. The difference in race, religion, manners, and customs, must always be taken into account, before we begin to criticise the art of a nation to which we do not belong.

As already remarked, we are hampered by tradition in our attempts to produce originality in ornament, but there is very little tradition for the absolute copying of a particular style, except from nations who have had no decided art of their own. As far as we know of the history and practice in the whole field of ornamental design, from its remote beginnings it has been mostly all along a series of systems of developments, sometimes for good and sometimes for the opposite, but rarely, if ever, a system of copying. Some notable exceptions to this may be noticed, as when, for the expediencies known as “tricks of the trade,” the Phœnicians made ivory carvings in exact imitation of Egyptian designs, and sold them to the Assyrians; and likewise bronze bowls and platters in both Assyrian and Egyptian imitations, and traded with them throughout the Ægean and Mediterranean, or when the Siculo-Arabian silks were made at Palermo in imitation of Saracen designs, with mock-Saracenic inscriptions, and sold for the real articles. Other instances might be cited, but these were among the most successful.

As regards the purity of styles it may be safely said, that, with rare exceptions, it is well-nigh impossible to find a well-designed and complete scheme of decoration, or a building that will stand the test of having perfect unity in style; in fact, it may be more artistic on account of its incompleteness in this respect, for any work of art that is designed by receipt, like the Egyptian temples or Mohammadan ornament, is rather wearisome. It is pleasant to see at times a little bit showing here and there of the designer’s individuality. When the monotonous repetition of the laws peculiar to any arbitrary style are broken by a wilful and, perhaps, sinful artist, we often get a refreshing and original rendering that is not by any means displeasing.

In transitional design from one style to another, much beautiful work may be seen. In connection with this the Byzantine style may be mentioned, with its Classic and Oriental forms, Elizabethan, Jacobean, Lombard Gothic, and the French styles of Henri Deux and François 1^{er}, in most of which Gothic and Renaissance forms are happily blended; and in the beautiful Siculo-Arabian textiles, where Italian and Saracenic forms make an interesting union. We learn from these examples that the successful designer of ornament should have a thorough knowledge of the historic styles, not for the purpose of reproducing their forms, but in order to discover for himself the methods by which the old artists arrived at the successful treatment of nature and of former styles, so that by the application of his knowledge, derived from the study of nature and the works of former artists, he may be enabled to give to the world some original and interesting work.