FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240  
241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   >>   >|  
s terrestrial ball, He fires the proud tops of the eastern pines." And Wordsworth, in one of his minor poems, on leaving Italy: "My thoughts become bright like yon edging of pines On the steep's lofty verge--how it blackened the air! But, touched from behind by the sun, it now shines With threads that seem part of his own silver hair." [72] Some valuable remarks on this subject will be found in a notice of the "Seven Lamps" in the British Quarterly for August, 1849. I think, however, the writer attaches too great importance to one out of many ornamental necessities. CHAPTER XXII. THE ANGLE. Sec. I. We have now examined the treatment and specific kinds of ornament at our command. We have lastly to note the fittest places for their disposal. Not but that all kinds of ornament are used in all places; but there are some parts of the building, which, without ornament, are more painful than others, and some which wear ornament more gracefully than others; so that, although an able architect will always be finding out some new and unexpected modes of decoration, and fitting his ornament into wonderful places where it is least expected, there are, nevertheless, one or two general laws which may be noted respecting every one of the parts of a building, laws not (except a few) imperative like those of construction, but yet generally expedient, and good to be understood, if it were only that we might enjoy the brilliant methods in which they are sometimes broken. I shall note, however, only a few of the simplest; to trace them into their ramifications, and class in due order the known or possible methods of decoration for each part of a building, would alone require a large volume, and be, I think, a somewhat useless work; for there is often a high pleasure in the very unexpectedness of the ornament, which would be destroyed by too elaborate an arrangement of its kinds. Sec. II. I think that the reader must, by this time, so thoroughly understand the connection of the parts of a building, that I may class together, in treating of decoration, several parts which I kept separate in speaking of construction. Thus I shall put under one head (A) the base of the wall and of the shaft; then (B) the wall veil and shaft itself; then (C) the cornice and capital; then (D) the jamb and archivolt, including the arches both over shafts and apertures, and the jambs of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240  
241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

ornament

 

building

 

places

 

decoration

 

methods

 

construction

 
generally
 
understood
 

simplest

 

expedient


broken

 

respecting

 

brilliant

 

imperative

 

speaking

 

separate

 

connection

 

treating

 

including

 
archivolt

shafts

 

arches

 

apertures

 

cornice

 

capital

 

understand

 

volume

 

useless

 
require
 

reader


arrangement

 

elaborate

 

pleasure

 

unexpectedness

 

destroyed

 
ramifications
 

painful

 

shines

 

touched

 

blackened


threads

 
remarks
 

subject

 

notice

 

valuable

 

silver

 
eastern
 

Wordsworth

 

terrestrial

 
leaving