. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. Fig. 55.—The Erectheion at Athens. columns with their nine diameters of height is quiteas attractive in its own way as the splendid strengthand inertia of the Doric supports of six. Here also, as in all Athenian work, may be seenthe admirable manner in which the Greeks composedwith sunlight and all the enchantment contained inthe play of light and shade. Every moulding pencilsits own black line of contrast with sharp distinctness, * This band of bas-reliefs has now been removed to the BritishMuseum. 166 GREECE. and the lum
. The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries. Fig. 55.—The Erectheion at Athens. columns with their nine diameters of height is quiteas attractive in its own way as the splendid strengthand inertia of the Doric supports of six. Here also, as in all Athenian work, may be seenthe admirable manner in which the Greeks composedwith sunlight and all the enchantment contained inthe play of light and shade. Every moulding pencilsits own black line of contrast with sharp distinctness, * This band of bas-reliefs has now been removed to the BritishMuseum. 166 GREECE. and the luminous lines of light along the shafts standout boldly against the dark shadow painted by theportico. All this and more may be likewise seen to advan-tage in the Erectheion or Temple of Erectheus( and Plate XIX), the masterpiece of the Ionicstyle. Owing to the triple arrangement of this temple(Fig. 56), and a rather obscure and discursive sentencein Pausanias, it was believed for a long time by 56.—Finn of the Erectheion at Athens. Fergusson and others that the Erectheion was inreality three temples united under one head and dedi-cated to Ercctheus, Pandrosus, and Minerva; butrecent investigation has disclosed this to be only par-tiallv correct. The truth is that the Temple of Erec-theus, which once occupied this site, was entirely de-stroyed during the Persian wars, and that at the dedi-cation of the present building it was only twofold; THE ERECTHEIOX. 167 the western portion (including the northern and south-ern porticoes) being- sacred to the nymph Pandrosus,the deified daughter of Cecrops, while the easternportion was consecrated to Minerva Polias, the guar-dian of the city, as always assumed. The Erectheion (which, however, for conveniencewe shall still continue to call it) held all the holiestand most deeply venerated relics of Athens. Herewere kept the sacred Palladium or wooden statue ofPallas believed to have fallen from heaven ; the sacredfountain
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