The seven lamps of architecture . at Venice, shows oneof the earliest occurrences of the cinque cento ara-besque, and a fragment of the pattern is given in PlateXII. fig. 8. It is but the arresting upon the stone workof a stem or two of the living flowers, which are rarelywanting in the window above (and which, by the by,the French and Italian peasantry often trellis withexquisite taste about their casements). This arabesque,relieved as it is in darkness from the white stone bythe stain of time, is surely both beautiful and pure;and as long as the renaissance ornament remained insuch forms it
The seven lamps of architecture . at Venice, shows oneof the earliest occurrences of the cinque cento ara-besque, and a fragment of the pattern is given in PlateXII. fig. 8. It is but the arresting upon the stone workof a stem or two of the living flowers, which are rarelywanting in the window above (and which, by the by,the French and Italian peasantry often trellis withexquisite taste about their casements). This arabesque,relieved as it is in darkness from the white stone bythe stain of time, is surely both beautiful and pure;and as long as the renaissance ornament remained insuch forms it may be beheld with unreserved admira-tion. But the moment that unnatural objects wereassociated with these, and armour, and musical instru-ments, and wild meaningless scrolls and curled shields,and other such fancies, became principal in its subjects,its doom was sealed, and with it that of the architec-ture of the world. XXXV. III. Our final inquiry was to be into the use ofcolour as associated with architectural ornament. Plate. THE LAMP OF BEAUTY. 137 I do not feel able to speak with any confidence respecting thetouching of sc7dpt2ire with colour. I would only note one point,that sculpture is the representation of an idea, while architectureis itself a real thing. The idea may, as I think, be left colourless,and coloured by the beholders mind : but a reality ought tohave reality in all its attributes : its colour should be as fixed asits form. I cannot, therefore, consider architecture as in any-wise perfect without colour. Farther, as I have above noticed, Ithink the colours of architecture should be those of natural stones ;partly because more durable, but also because more perfect andgraceful. For to conquer the harshness and deadness of toneslaid upon stone or on gesso, needs the management and discre-tion of a true painter; and on this co-operation we must notcalculate in laying down rules for general practice. If Tintoret orGiorgione are at hand, and ask us for a wall
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectarchitecture, bookyear1883
