Then comes the group 14 to 18 in stone, derived from the mouldings 1 and 2; first by truncation, 14; then by beading the truncated angle, 15, 16. The occurrence of the profile 16 in the three beautiful windows represented in the uppermost figure of [Plate XVIII.] Vol. I. renders that group of peculiar interest, and is strong evidence of its antiquity. Then a cavetto is added, 17; first shallow and then deeper, 18, which is the common archivolt moulding of the central Gothic door and window: but, in the windows of the early fourth order, this moulding is complicated by various additions of dog-tooth mouldings under the dentil, as in 20; or the gabled dentil (see fig. 20, [Plate IX.] Vol. I), as fig. 21; or both, as figs 23, 24. All these varieties expire in the advanced period, and the established moulding for windows is 29. The intermediate group, 25 to 28, I found only in the high windows of the third order in the Ducal Palace, or in the Chapter-house of the Frari, or in the arcades of the Ducal Palace; the great outside lower arcade of the Ducal Palace has the profile 31, the left-hand side being the innermost.
Now observe, all these archivolts, without exception, assume that the spectator looks from the outside only: none are complete on both sides; they are essentially window mouldings, and have no resemblance to those of our perfect Gothic arches prepared for traceries. If they were all completely drawn in the plate, they should be as fig. 25, having a great depth of wall behind the mouldings, but it was useless to represent this in every case. The Ducal Palace begins to show mouldings on both sides, 28, 31; and 35 is a complete arch moulding from the apse of the Frari. That moulding, though so perfectly developed, is earlier than the Ducal Palace, and with other features of the building, indicates the completeness of the Gothic system, which made the architect of the Ducal Palace found his work principally upon that church.
The other examples in this plate show the various modes of combination employed in richer archivolts. The triple change of slope in 38 is very curious. The references are as follows:
| [Plate IX.] Vol. III. | 1. Transitional to the second order. 2. Common second order. 3. Brick, at Corte del Forno, Round arch. 4. Door at San Giovanni Grisostomo. 5. Door at Sotto Portico della Stua. 6. Door in Campo St. Luca, of rich brickwork. 7. Round door at Fondamenta Venier. 8. Pointed door. Fig. 6c, [Plate XIV.] Vol. II. 9. Great pointed arch, Salizzada San Lio. 10. Round door near Fondaco de’ Turchi. 11. Door with Lion, at Ponte della Corona. 12. San Gregorio, Façade. 13. St. John and Paul, Nave. 14. Rare early fourth order, at San Cassan. 15. General early Gothic archivolt. 16. Same, from door in Rio San G. Grisostomo. 17. Casa Vittura. 18. Casa Sagredo, Unique thirds. Vol. II. 19. Murano Palace, Unique fourths.[67] 20. Pointed door of Four-Evangelist House.[68] 21. Keystone door in Campo St. M. Formosa. 22. Rare fourths, at St. Pantaleon. 23. Rare fourths, Casa Papadopoli. 24. Rare fourths, Chess house.[69] 25. Thirds of Frari Cloister 26. Great pointed arch of Frari Cloister. 27. Unique thirds, Ducal Palace. 28. Inner Cortile, pointed arches, Ducal Palace. 29. Common fourth and fifth order Archivolt. 30. Unique thirds, Ducal Palace. 31. Ducal Palace, lower arcade. 32. Casa Priuli, arches in the inner court. 33. Circle above the central window, Ducal Palace. 34. Murano apse. 35. Acute-pointed arch, Frari. 36. Door of Accademia delle belle Arti. 37. Door in Calle Tiossi, near Four-Evangelist House. 38. Door in Campo San Polo. 39. Door of palace at Ponte Marcello. 40. Door of a palace close to the Church of the Miracoli. |
V. Cornices.
[Plate X.] represents, in one view, the cornices or string-courses of Venice, and the abaci of its capitals, early and late; these two features being inseparably connected, as explained in Vol. I.
The evidence given by these mouldings is exceedingly clear. The two upper lines in the Plate, 1-11, 12-24, are all plinths from Byzantine buildings. The reader will at once observe their unmistakable resemblances. The row 41 to 50 are contemporary abaci of capitals; 52, 53, 54, 56, are examples of late Gothic abaci; and observe, especially, these are all rounded at the top of the cavetto, but the Byzantine abaci are rounded, if at all, at the bottom of the cavetto (see 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 28, 46). Consider what a valuable test of date this is, in any disputable building.
Again, compare 28, 29, one from St. Mark’s, the other from the Ducal Palace, and observe the close resemblance, giving farther evidence of early date in the palace.
25 and 50 are drawn to the same scale. The former is the wall-cornice, the latter the abacus of the great shafts, in the Casa Loredan; the one passing into the other, as seen in Fig. XXVIII. Vol. I. It is curious to watch the change in proportion, while the moulding, all but the lower roll, remains the same.