Architecture in Italy, from the sixth to the eleventh century; historical and critical researches . nder the existing pave-ment of that basilica, of the beginning of the ancient apsis,which curved in the place wherein the triuniphal arch is nowsituated, and, before it, of the vestiges of Gregorys tribune withthe steps that led to the altar, besides a great number ofsculptured marbles, which must have composed the ruga orchancels of the above-mentioned presbytery * and which werefound turned upside down and used as a pavement. There are nearly twenty almost entire parapets. I aminclined to thin
Architecture in Italy, from the sixth to the eleventh century; historical and critical researches . nder the existing pave-ment of that basilica, of the beginning of the ancient apsis,which curved in the place wherein the triuniphal arch is nowsituated, and, before it, of the vestiges of Gregorys tribune withthe steps that led to the altar, besides a great number ofsculptured marbles, which must have composed the ruga orchancels of the above-mentioned presbytery * and which werefound turned upside down and used as a pavement. There are nearly twenty almost entire parapets. I aminclined to think that two of them date from the end ofthe eighth century, or at least that they issue from adifferent hand than the others. I am induced to believethis by the great carelessness of the design and the in- * De Eossi, Bullettino dArcheologia Cristiana, anno 18G6. i86 elegance of the composition. In the one we see an ingeniousinterweaving of curved and right lines; in the other, twopalm-branches and two crosses surmounted by two peacocksdrinking from a vase between serpents, bunches of grapes and. Fig. 93rt.—Parapet of S. Maria of Trastevere, Eome— 827. roses—a wretched work that seems to have come out of thesame workshop as the well of the Lateran Museum. One cannot say the same of the other parapets, for thoughtheir chiselling is not much better, yet they show a diligence inthe tracing of the various ornaments that often approaches toelegance. Here all those loose compositions of animals, crosses,and palms, which the Greeks delighted in, are banished becausethey exacted too much skill of the artist. Geometrical decora-tions, and especially complicated braidings of circles and rightlines, are preferred. In the study of these designs it seemsthose artists exercised all their diligence and experienced anextraordinary pleasure. The drawing serves much better thana minute description to give the reader an idea of thoseparapets, each one of which differs from the other. We
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectarchitecture, bookyea
