XIII. Lions’ heads, large and coarse, and with very poorly carved tufts of foliage between them.
XIV. Wild animals. The whole of the beast, not the head only, is given. They are poorly carved and designed.
XV. Damsels and Youths. Considered by Selvatico, and after him by Mr. Ruskin, to represent Idleness. There are no inscriptions. More probably they represent the youth of the higher class with marks of their sportive occupations. This is an extremely well-carved capital.
XVI. Eight large heads alternately with tufts of foliage. The whole finely carved and designed. Supposed by Zanotto to represent the foreigners who traded with Venice. Selvatico describes it as representing Latins, Tartars, etc., and as being in fact a repetition of No. XXIII. (vide infra.)
XVII. Philosophers. This is very much damaged, and the inscriptions are nearly destroyed. (1) Solomon. (2) Triscian. (3) Aristotle. (4) Tully. (5) Pythagoras. On a label carried by this figure Mr. Burges reads the date 1344. Mons. Didron interprets it 1399; this is a date, however, which he will not admit, believing the real date to be 1299. Mr. Ruskin does not appear to have seen these figures, and I have been unable to satisfy myself about them.
XVIII. This is the angle capital. Above it is the Temptation of Adam and Eve; and on the second stage, the four winds on the capital of the arcade, and the Archangel Michael above. The whole is a perfectly beautiful group of sculpture, of an equally beautiful and well-selected story.
Planets. (1) Creation of Man; de.limo.Ds.Ada.de.costa.formavit.et.eva. (2) Saturn; et.Saturne.domus.egloceruntis.et.urne. (3) Jupiter; Inde.jovi.doma.pisces.simul.atq.cirona. (4) Mars; E—ARIES.MARTIS.ET.ACU—E.SCORPIO.PARTIS. (5) The Sun; EST. DOMU. SOLIS. TU. QUOQ.SIGNE.LEONI. (6) Venus; Libra. cū. tauro. Venus.—t. purior. auro. (7) Mercury; Occupat.erigone.stilbons.gemiuq.lacone. (8) The Moon; Lune cancer.domut.pbet.ī.orbe signorio. The whole of the sculpture of this capital deserves careful study. Mars is a figure in chain mail. Venus, seated on a bull, and the Moon—a female figure in a boat, with a crescent in one hand and a crab in the other—are both of them exquisitely treated.
XIX. Artificers. Figures alternately crowned and uncrowned working at parts of a building. The foliage is admirable. The pieces of stone on which the artificers are at work are inlaid with porphyry. Mr. Ruskin points out that all the architectural details represented are such as would be found in the early part of the fourteenth century. It is certainly very curious that among the workers one has ‘Discipulus optimus;’ another—‘Disipūls incredūl,’ over the head: a reference to S. John and S. Thomas, which is not intelligible to me.
XX. Beasts. Eight large heads, well carved and set as knops below masses of rather heavily treated leaves. The beasts have their names inscribed: Leo. Lupus. Ursus. Musipul. Chanis.[104] Aper. Grifo. Vulpus.
XXI. Trades. Finely carved. Inscriptions over the heads of the workmen: (1) Lapicida sum. (2) Aurifices. (3) Cerdo sum. (4) Carpentarius sum. (5) Mensurator. (6) Agrichola. (7) Notarius sum. (8) Faber sum.