GR E E K AN D GOT H IC

P R O G R E SS A N D D E C AY

IN

TH E THREE A R TS
OF

AR C HIT E C T U R E SC U L P T U R E AN D P AIN T IN G
'

, , .

t BY T HE

R E V . ST . JOHN : YR WH IT T ,

[ Md on t R an/6 r,
'

Formerly Sim/m t and

C h riu C l mrc Oxf ord .

L O N D ON

WA L T E R S M I T H,

( L A T E M OZ L E Y SM I T H , ) 6, P A T E R N OST E R R O W .

1 88 1 .
 LON D O N :

R . CL AY, So u s, AN D TAY L OR ,

I RM D ST R E E T HIL L.
 P R E FA C E .

T HE latter part of this bo ok has already appeared be fore

the pu b lic u nder the ki nd
, e d itorship of M iss Y o nge in ,
the
M ont/1 1y P acket . I t there fou nd readers en ough to inv i te

republicatio n ; and it has seemed bes t to ad d a con nected

sketch of a ncie nt G ree k an d R oma n a rts and mo n ume nts .

I hope the w hole ma y form a re adable ha ndbook or guid e ,

to a course of stu d y . It may possibl y sho w the way i nto

a depa rtme nt of histo ry w hich becomes dail y of more
i mporta nce . A nc ie nt monu me nts yield to time d estructio n . ,

and restoratio n , and lo s e their value as docu ments ; or ne w

light is thrown on what remai ns . The M use of H istory is

like the Sibyl in respect of burni ng her boo ks ; but their
relics are al ways worth their p ri ce .

I do no t k no w o f any other connected acc ou nt of parallel

p rogress and dec ay in the T hree A rts of A rchitectu re ,

Scul p ture , and Pai nti ng si nce ord i ndsay s C /zn s tzan

L
'

L
'

,
A rt .
vi P R E FA C E .

If that w ork w ere properl y read by stude nts of history ,

w ith

due re fere nce to Seroux d A ginc o u rt and other sta ndard

,

i llustrated w or k s ; with some travel ,

w i th stud y of or i gi nals

in m useums in short ,
w ith the e nergy com mo nl y throw n

i nto stud i es b y which mone y is to be got th e n the re m ight

hardl y b e room for the prese nt wor k . But i t should b e

co nsi d ered that photography has come to the aid of histori c
a rtistic study si nce L ord L i ndsa y s editio n of 1 8 46 : and

and

that a student ma y no w, t o all i nte nts and purposes i nspe ct ,

the prese nt co nditio n of buildi ngs statues , , and eve n pictures ,

w i thout leavi ng E n g la nd . Besides large , ne w m useu m s l ik e

So uth K e nsi ngt o n are ope n fo r re fere nce , and ed ucatio nal
collectio ns of casts , &c .
, are at any r ate in cour se of fo r

mation in this cou nt ry on the model of the D resde n and

Be rli n galleries . T he ap peara nce of Mr J . . H . P arker s

M o n ume ntal P hotographs would of i tsel f be a razlron d t re

or a sem i historical b oo k
-
in co nnectio n w ith the m .

I have fou nd a ce rtai n n u m b er of repetitio ns quite un

avoidable here si nce the , t wo decorative arts are view ed

as co nnected in depe ndence on architecture and history
al i ke ; and o ne is n aturall y led over the same grou nd more
t ha n o nce . But I hope from the success of a part of the
book , that a su ffic i e nt n u mber of perso ns may b e able to
re ad t he w hole ; perhaps to con su lt so m e of its authoriti es ,

and follo w the course of stu dy to w hich its e x iste nce is

 P R E FA C E . vii

d ue . Perhaps pai nters and sculptors , or n i te n di ng travellers ,

may nd it of use ; and there may be stud e nts of art w ho

have begu n (as I did n early forty y ears ago ) w i th attempts

at n atura list la ndscape , and wh o have bee n led on to
deeper and w ider i nterest in art itsel f ,
and in the che q uered
history of her co nnection ,
no t o nly w i th the nobler pleasu res
of ma n s li fe but

,
w ith his greatest achievements on earth
and highest spiritual p rospects herea fter .

R . ST . J OH N T YR WIII T T ,

C Iz mir! C l mrc/z, Oxf ord .

 C O N T E N T S .

B OO K I .

E T H N I C .

P AR T I GR E E K
. .

P AGE

IN T ROD U C T I ON 3

C HAP T E R I .

3 . P AU L ON M AR S ,
HI LL 9

C HAP T E R II .

T HE P A RT HE N ON 22

C HAP T E R III .

T HE EA R LY D E C ADE N C E 34

C HAP T E R IV .

o o o I o o o o o o o O o o o o l O
x C ON T E N T S .

P AR T II
. R OJII A N .

C HAP T E R I .

G REE K AR T AT RO M E

C H AP T E R II .

G RE C O RO M A N P AI N T I N G T H E WA L L S or l OM P E I l

97
-

B OO K II .

C H R I ST I A N .

P AR T l.
C ON S T R U C T I ON .

C H AP T E R I .

T HE C AT AC O M BS AN D T HE I R P A I N T I N GS n 3

C H AP T E R II .

THE SC R I P I U R AL

C YC L ES or T H E C AT AC O M BS 1 29

C HR I ST I A N SY M BO L I SM 1 5 0

C H APT E R IV .

T HE B ASI LIC A 1 8o
 C ON T E N T S .
xi

C H AP T E R V .

PAC P

TH E B A SI LI C A I 9S

C H AP T E R VI .

T HE C R OSS AN D DO M E 2 08

C H AP T E R VI I .

T RAN SI T I ON S 22 6

P AR T II . D E C OR A T I ON .

C H AP T E R V II I .

M AT ER I A LS AN D M OSAI C O R N AM E N T

C H AP T E R IX .

C HR I ST I A N SC U L PT U RE

C H AP T E R X .

M SS . AN D M I N I AT U RE S 3 8 1

C H AP T E R XI .

T HE L O M BA RDS 347

AP P EN D IX 37 I

IN DE X 37 S
 E R R AT A .

P age 67 , line i ke out comma after E

1 6, str milius .

1 60, 22, Lo ves,

read L
oaves.

Spalat

2 2 7, 2o, o, read Spalatro .

"
2 28 , 2 bottom, f or Spalato, read Spalatro .

"
334, irom botto m, f or B abula, read R abula
I g ) "
.

"
n u Apo moea, read A oea .

6
3 7, note, i
l ne 4 from bott om, aer P rassed e im ert h h
t oug
it mus t be )

.

note, line 2 , f or Sevorus, read Severus .
 GR E E K AN D GO T H I C .

P A R T l
.
G RE E K .

I N T R OD U C T I ON .

T illustratio n o f history by w ork s o f Fi n e A rt o r o f

HE ,

w hatever m ay sta nd fo r it at particular periods is now felt t o ,

be a regular depa rt m e nt in the study of hu m an record A rts .

are la nd marks o f chro nology and historical characteristics ,

o f g e n eratio ns M e n m ust be j udged in part by the w orks

.

they leave behi nd them ; and o fte n literally nothi ng remai ns

o f their deeds except fragme nts o f sculpture o r arch itecture
,

"
so m eti m es all their triu mphs shri nk i nto a coi n A nd .

though this m ay not b e the case w ith the earliest C hristia n

or post A ugusta n ages it begi ns to b e so directly a fter t h e
-
,

age o f Con sta nti ne Chron icles gro w barre n and u ntrust
.

w orthy ; and relics o f buildi ngs and carvi ngs mosaic an d ,

M S beco m e more valua b le as authen ti c record

. A M S fo r . .
,

i nsta nce is valuable fo r its conten ts ; bu t it m ust be some

,

body s M S and may h ave a personal value also We d o

.
, .

n o t k now m uch o f S Patrick or S C olum b a ; but w ithout . .

the least se ntimentalism o r misplaced feeli ng o u r k no w ledge ,

and po wer o f co n ceptio n a b out history receives decided addi

tio n whe n we see th e b ook o f D urro w w ith its epigraph in ,

the latter sai nt s ow n han d

.

C f G p d f S C l mba Trini ty C l lege D blin Westwood s P ale o '

. os : o . o u o , u .

g p
r a ia S a I i h B i
a cr b li
. cal M P l a
r ste ii I and t ext A lso in A nglo Saxon .
, .
-

and I i h M SS
rs

.

0n th yleaf f th e M S i ts l f are th ese w d s

e o

L i be a tem hic sc i pt s
. e or r u r u

manu ipsius B C olumbekille pe r spat ium :2 d ierum an

es t a .

A t the e nd : R ogo be atitu d inem tuam , sancte resb ter P atr c e , p y i ut

q u ic un u e
q
II Z
4 GREEK AN D GO T H I C .

Origi nal w orks art are docume nts in short w hatever they
of , ,

look like T hey may b e ru de or shattered or have bee n

.
,

al ways beautiless or have lost their beauty ; o r w hat is l e ft o f

,

it m ay only irritate mi nds u ntaught to feel it ; as w ith s o

m uch early Christia n w ork But there they are and the .
,

studen t must gai n by a cert ai n k no wledge rst o f w hat they , ,

are at present seco ndly o f what they w ere in their rst glory
, ,
.

H e w ill n eed all the help he c an get in the study o f D ark

A ge H istory t o support him w ith sen se o f truth and reality
, ,

thro ugh his necessary perusal o f pai nfully w ri t te n and d ubious

chro nicles .

What an i m pulse it would give to the histo ry o f this period ,

if an illustrated A mmia n us or a Paul the D eaco n picture d , ,

l ik e the Vatica n Virgil (of perhaps nearly the sa m e date )

could turn up in some I talian libra ry ! I t w ill hardly do to
d well o n great s upposed results in this matter or some ne w ,

Simo nides will go straightw ay and discover w hat w e are

calli ng fo r .

T here is no doubt that all historia n s o f the decayi ng e m pire ,

from G ibbo n t o M ilma n feel the d istress o f its decay and

, ,

t he m ela n choly o f their study But the con ti n uity o f history .

m ust be preserv ed and the D ark A ges bridged over somehow

, .

We w ho are G oths or Teutons o r N o rt h m en if we are t o
, , ,

u ndersta nd ourselves must learn h o w m uch w e are i ndebted

,

t o the co nstructive scie nce o f R ome and the creative art o f ,

A the ns : to the law and la nguage o f the o ne and the thought ,

and la nguage o f the other We all k no w G reek from R oma n

.

an d G othic ; w e w an t t o k no w more o f how G oths lear n t

fro m R ome and through R o m e from G reece

, .

I t has bee n obse rved th at the a rts are the one fai nt light
o f the D ark A g e s I n the I co noclastic period their l ight is
.
,

that o f c o nagrat ion and soo n a fter it they seem to die aw a y

from sight t o be re new ed in the earliest Tusca n R e naissa nce
,

o f th e eleve n th ce n tury ; b ut the eighth alone su f ciently

proves the conn ectio n bet ween art history and secular or -

h unc libellu m manu ten ue rit, m eminerit o u mbae sc riptoris, q u i h o eC l

sc rips i
li
ipsemet E vange u m pe r xii d ierum s at um, grat a D om ni nos tr
.

p i i i i .

Be lo , in a c ontem o rar
w and p
yh
Ora pro me, frater m i : D om nus tecu m i
 I N T R OD U C T I ON .
5

ecclesiastical record We shall have to re fer abu nda ntly to

.

Seroux D A gin c o u rt ; but this remark o f his a bout the earl y

'

Chri s t ia n w orks o f the Catacombs has its best place here :

U ne circo nsta nce part iculi ere m a impos la loi de parler de

ces c im e t ieres souterrai ns ; c est que les prod uctio ns de la
sculpture e t de la pei nture qui o nt servi E les o m er so nt a
p e n pr es les seuls m o n u m e ns des premi eres si e cles de la
dcade n ce
the o nly remai ni ng toke ns o f the faili ng e n ergies
o f t h e E m pire d e scribed in w ords b her decade n t historia ns
, y ,

and correspo ndi n g in mutual evide n ces o f decay .

A fter the fourth and ft h ce nturies three thi ngs seem le ft ,

o f the a n cie n t order to m arshal an d guide the ne w T euto n ic

c haos . There is the Faith o f Christ represe nted by Ch urch ,

orga n izatio ns ; there are the co nstructive la ws o f R ome ; the

sci e ntic pri ncipl e s by w hich a polity m ay b e fra m ed or a ,

city b e b uilt to last ; there are reli cs and pri nciples o f the
arts o f G reece b oth decorative and co nstructive ; and o f her
great thoughts A ll k now ledge is virtually C ra co R o m a n
.
-
,

or G re e k by i nve ntio n and R oma n by a nnexatio n The in .

spiratio ns o f epic o f tragedy and dithyram b or the gram m ar

, ,

w hich secured their purity o f expressio n the pro fou n d s p e c u

l atio n o f ethic and metaphysic and their dialectic o f accurate
,

de nitio n and strict deduction all rst atte m pts at e x pe ri
m e n t al sci e n c e ; the la nguage o f the G ospels and the logic o t ,

the Fath e rs all this comes to us from A the ns t h rough R o m e ,

or else by w ay o f A lexa ndri a .

R eaders o f history may w o nder more at wh at is le ft tha n

w hat is go ne o f the great m o nu m e nts o f a ntiquity
,
They .

are despoiled or re m oved agai n and agai n and they perish , .

Sculptures and pai nti ngs are assem b led en m asse in some
great co nqueri ng metropolis and destroyed in her destructio n
,
.

R ome collects the plu nder o f the elder w orld and the n e w ,

w orld sacks and b urns R ome and her booty I n her hour o f .

co nquest as J uvenal said

,

M agnoru m artic em frangebat poc u la m i es l

U t pbale ris gaud eret equus

In the hour o f ve ngea nce the citizens an d soldiers o f R ome

, ,

s u ch as were le ft o f either could t h i nk o f no better use for

,
6 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

the scu lpt ure o f m i ght y h ands tha n burni ng them i nto lime , ,

o r thro w i ng them on the heads o f stormi ng parties .

T h e i nterest o f the great dra m a shi fts place from age to age ;
but its ru i ned theatres remai n for yet a wh i le Perhaps the y .

are deserted and mournfully silent bere ft of the passio nate ,

audience and the puissa n t actio n w hich once made them echo
to the world s debate Perhaps rest i s de n ied the fallen cit y
'
.
,

and her rui ns must also perish ; s w ept aside by trade and

travel w hich k no w no aw e and thro nged w it h ever ne w

, ,

crow ds o f clamorous masquers mimes in the form o f Go d ,

m ost H igh who act out w hat is in this world the tragedy o f
,

H is purpose Y e t relics o f the beauty o f the great w orld s

.

spectacle are le ft A nd they seem to show at ti m es a peculiar

.

p o w er o f e n forc i ng o n the m oder n E nglish mi n d the lesso n it

is slo west t o lear n that the past was o nce present and th e ,

presen t w ill be of the pas t T hey show ho w the past glides

.

'

through ages t o the prese nt like H eraclitus river w hich not , ,

only moved but s u ere d cha nge and w hose progress w as flux
'

and dissolutio n .

O ne w ay or other the arts are sure to be w ell represe nted

,

at the ce ntral are nas o f the w orld s actio n A n i mperial

.

city o r race o fte n i nvites and adopts great w ork m e n w ho ,

may have bee n born and bred apart u nder circumsta n ce s ,

rather happy tha n i mperia l A the ns w as ce ntre o f b oth art s

.

and arms for a while Sparta bei n g a k i nd o f R ome w i thou t

,

ge nius or governi ng po wer where m en k ne w o nly how to ,

die R ome did m ore than co nquer and collect in bestow i n g

.
,

o n architecture her great gi fts o f the arch t h e cupola vault , ,

and the scie ntic use o f brick I n spite o f the destructio n .

o f ce ntur i es she remai ned to B ru nelles c h i s day and a fter

'

, , ,

hi m ce ntre o f the architecture o f state and size and scie nce

, , ,

as w ell as the exhibitio n room o f I taly for m en w hose hearts ,

and studios were in Flore nce Pisa or Ve n ice O ne must b e

, , .

w ith t he ea gles at least to observe the tra nsitio n betw ee n

, ,

the li n tel and the rou n d arch w h i ch is the R u b ico n o f ,

Greek and R oma n buildi ng .

With the seco nd centu ry comes a per i od o f ack nowledged

decadence and it e nds in the Byza nti ne tra nsitio n w hich
, ,

carries us i nto and t h rough t he D ark A ges It is not .

8 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

T he earliest ages o f the C hristia n C h urch had m ade use

o f carved o r pai n ted sym b ol t o co nvey its highest thou ghts .

T hat h ad bee n do ne b e fore in E gy pt and in G reece ; b ut ,

new forces ca me w ith t h e new Superstitio n i nto R o m a n
li fe
. I t gave li fe more sig nica nce it had more ideas to ,

express it had m uch to set fort h which it only s aw d arkly

,

as in a glas s ; and that could be show n by sym b ol o nly .

M e n had fou nd new u nl i m ited hopes in deat h n e w purity ,

o f li fe T hemselves almost be neath the con tempt o f the

.

I mperium they b elieved in O ne despised The n they w ere

, .

k now n as a pernicious supe rstitio n and drive n to de ns and ,

caves o f the earth ; and there the y b uried all fait h ful dead
together They lay rou nd their mart yrs w ho were the seed
.
,

o f the Church Thither the surv ivors bore their ha b it o f sym

.

bol and picture teachi ng till the tu fa vaults were clad w ith ,

images o f their Shepherd Vi n e R ock ; w ith t he types o f H is

, ,

D eath and R esurrectio n H is P e rson and m iracles o f m ercy

, .

T hese su bj ects or the earliest o f them w ere treated in classic

, ,

forms in a P rimitive age w ith so m e o f the G reek grace o f ,

older t imes ; they have b e e n co nti nued i nto m edi e val and
modern w ork They w ere the w ork o f G reek Christia ns
. .

T hey m ight have b ee n ren ew ed u nder the Vitruvia n o r

Ci nque Ce n to R e naissa nce had that move m en t c ared for
-
,

C hristia nity or bee n really devoted to G r eek art

,
But it was .

in fact and i t has co nti nued to be a like in I taly Fra n ce

, , , ,

and E ngla nd a re newal o f the sci e nce the po m p and

, , ,

peda ntry o f post A ugusta n R ome O u r o wn age calls itsel f

-
.

Christia n and a sect ion o f it perhaps large and certai nly

, ,

loud tell it it do es not believ e in Ch rist I n as far as it

, .

follo w s the R e naissa nce it ad apt s the taste and morals no t

, ,

o f H eathe ns w h o did believe in Ze u s but o f P aga ns w h o did ,

not . I n as far as its taste is peda ntic or barbarous it may b e ,

e ndured b ut when it describes itsel f as H elle nic we can no t ,

b ut remark that it has very little title to that na m e The .

chie f o bject o f the early part o f this book is to d is m iss the

appeal made by the modern A theistic R enaissance to G ree k
A rt an d L i fe as if they cou n te na nced and e ncouraged its
,

o wn nihilis m .
 C H A PT E R I .

s . PA UL ON M AR S
'

HI LL .

A BOO K called f A rt T eaching o tire P rim it ive C / mrc/z ,

S P C K 1 8 7 4 has bee n I believe fou n d use ful by stu

. . . .
, , , ,

dents o f e ccl e s iastical and perhaps o f secul ar history

,
It .

w ill b e re ferred to w ith other w orks o f greater i m porta nce

, ,

in the follo w i ng pages w hich w ill co n tai n a short list o f

,

books o f re fere nce A ll o f them eve n to the co m plete set

.
,

o f P arker s photographs should be fou nd in eve ry large

'

collectio n o f books and all but o ne o r two in most libraries

o f moderate size .

T h e prese nt w ork takes a w id er ra nge su f cie ntly i ndicated ,

b y the ti tles o f i ts four books or secti o ns I t will begi n w ith .

a sketch o f t h e progress or decade nce (as di fferen t people m ay

co nsider it at d i e re nt times ) o f the three arts o f A rchitecture
'

Sculpture and P ai nti ng ; start i ng from the age o f P he id ias

, ,

w hich is assu m ed as the culmi n ati ng poi nt at least o f the ,

t wo rs t I t w ill not tou ch their arch aic periods ; w e are

co ncerned w ith their grad ual decli ne ; w ith their adoptio n
and di ffusio n by mea ns o f R oma n rule ; w ith such mo n u

me nt al fragme nts o f their Sple ndour as have bee n preserved

fo r us ge nerally from the wrecks o f R ome ; and w it h
,

s uch pri n ciples and examples o f their tech nical beauty as

ha ve b ee n preserved fo r us chiey through Byza nti n e or ,

mo nastic artists I t is possible to assert the existe nce o f a

.

Byza n ti ne R e naissa n ce or re ne w al o f activity in art ; but it

,

is more conve nie nt to co nsider Byza n ti ne art as the survival

o f G r e co R oma n or Classical traditio n in C h u rch ha nds u ntil
-
,
IO GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

the true L ombard E tru ria n R e na i ssa nce w he n G reek stud y o f

-
,

nature w as revived o r em ulated b y N iccola P isa n i T h is .

appears to me to be the true d ividi ng period or turni ng poi nt -

o f moder n art .

But havi ng to d o w ith much secular or eth nic or pro fan e

, , ,

w ork I propose t o treat i t from the sta ndi ng poi n t o f the

,
-

Christia n Church T here is practically no other hypothesis

.

o f art possible except the A t h eistic or Materi alistic

, Thi ngs .

are either by D ivi ne O rder or th ey all resol ve the m selves i nto

,

co ncourse o f ato m s and atoms ca nnot make P he id ias or the

E lgi n frieze ; or if they c an they must have an excelle nt spirit
,

in them I n givi ng accou nt o f art or w orks o f art o ne is led

.
,

by necessity to try to accou nt fo r the spirit that is in the

artist ; and if such a thi ng exists at all i t is m y Opi n io n that ,

E nglish Christi anity gives the b est obt ai nable hypothesis and
accou nt of its existe nce and deve lopme nts .

It seems that we have to ad m it and regret th e existe nce o f

s everal mistake n te nde n cies o f the British mi nd as to art an d ,

those devoted t o it First to look o n the w hole thi ng w ith

.
,

suspicio n as i m moral or irreligious ; seco ndl y w ith c on

, ,

tempt as u npro table ; thirdly to select its w orst forms ; ,

fou rthly to i nvest them w ith a vulgarity w hich seems to b e

,

i nseparable from some of its o wn prevaili ng w eak nesses .

E very w riter o n m oder n art or its history must n ecessarily

come in co ntact w ith these four heads o f Suspicio n Conte m pt , ,

Frivolity and Vulgari ty ; and I am privileged in havi ng to

,

d e al w ith the w orks o f dead w orkme n fo r death i nvolves ,

delivera nce fro m these am o ng other evi ls ,

.

I n speaki ng o f the G reek spirit and its great achieveme nts ,

w e nd A rt and R eligio n obviously and ins e narably co nnected ,

in pri nciple and in d etail Somethi ng accordi ngly w ill h ave

. , ,

t o b e said o f G reek religio n ; and the key note o f all th at is -

t o be said w ill be fou nd in the w ords o f S Paul at A the ns : .

Whom ye ig nora ntly w orship him declare I u nto yo u , S . .

Paul k new Me na nder and A ratus and he must in all pro b a , ,

bility have k no w n P he id ias by n ame and history

,
H e spoke .

on Mars H i ll j ust belo w the Part he n o n surrou nded by gods

'

, ,

and heroes They w ere idols to him and n othi ng at all ;

.

except that his spirit was sti rred w ithi n h im by a greate r

 5 P A UL ON M AR S H I L L

. . I I

Spirit w he n he s aw m e n given over so e ntirely to th em He .

spoke to the follo w i ng poi nts an d if his la nguage to idolaters

is very di ffere nt fro m that o f T ertullia n or A ugusti n e it is to ,

be reme m bered that they w rote w ithout the A postle s clear

'

visio n o f his Master s w ill and with the memory o f ce ntu

'

ries o f persecutio n in the name o f false gods The A the nia ns .

as yet had not see n and hated .

o r i ncli ned to i rra

A the n ia ns are t oo supe rstitious
I
I.
,

t io nal fear o f an u nk now n God w ithout love for H im H e , ,

bei ng in fact u nk no w n as to H is love for them

, , .

2. This U nk no wn God is no w preached to them i a H e is , . .

,

made k now n as to their co ncer n w ith H im

, .

3. A ll these images are attempts to symbolise H im t o see

H im w h o is o nly to be felt a fter The use o f the m is a s in .

o f ig nora n ce and al w ays has bee n o ne

,
.

4. N evertheless in ig n ora n ,
tly seeki ng the G od Whose off
s pri ng they are and k no w the m selves to b e they obey H is
, ,

guid ance : and H e w i nks at all ti mes o f their s in o f

ig nora nce in this w orship u ntil now .

5. B u t n o w H e co m ma n ds A the n ia ns an d all m e n every

w here to repe nt and belie v e in o ne rise n from the dead
, .

This strikes directly at the G reek propensity and supreme

faculty o f represe n tatio n ; o f setti ng be fore itsel f gods in
ma n s i m age : wh e reas m an w as made in G od s image ; and

as M in uc iu s Felix said a fterw ards What i mage shall we ,

make o f G od w he n if you thi nk aright m an is hi msel f the

, , ,

i m age o f G od ( O c tcw ix c irc A D . . . .

N o w w e have no reaso n to suppose eit h er that S Paul

,
.

w as a fraid o f his audience or that they were particularly ,

i ndig na n t w ith him Some mocked others w ould hear him

.
,

agai n We m ay suppose t hat those who w ere w illi ng to d o

.

so m ay h ave retai ned a certai n traditional Mo no theis m which ,

had no doubt sadly decayed si nce the time o f P h e id ias ; b ut

w hic h P ro fessor Zeller asserts and proves to have bee n the

practical faith o f the best m e n in A the ns that is to say o f ,

the highest i ntellects and noblest lives all through that and
the succeedi ng age On this S Paul takes his place and lays
. .

his fou ndatio n H e has a belie f in one D ivi nity o r O eiov t o

.

T he i ty fu ll of id ol ma gi n

16
c s, r v. .
12 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

build on and d i gs dow n to that as a rock on it the perfec t

,

faith may be e d i e d H e has to clear a way the i m pedime nt s

.

o f G reek superstitio n o r D e is id aem on ia w hich rested as far

, , ,

as it w as a for m o f po sitive fai t h partly o n H omeric m yt h o ,

logy partly o n a comparatively har m less natural Pa ntheis m

, .

D e is id a m o n ia said T here is n o doubt a Zeus ; perhaps
,

H omer and H esiod are w ro ng about H im an d H e really is ,

j ust and no t u nj ust all po werful and not li m ited God and no t
,
-
,

u ngodl y But there are certai n perso na l bei ngs w ho are H is

.

sons or daughters o r parts o f H im and they are all about

, ,

y o u
. H e sho w s himsel f in thu n der light n i n g an d in rai n ; , ,

they c an take on themselves a hu ma n bod y and let you see ,

i t and feel it t oo They have all sorts o f likes and dislikes ;

.

they like the b lood o f b ulls and goats and i n ce nse ne , ,

flour and ho n ey and black s weet w i ne rich pepla and w h at

, , , ,

no t ; they like pretty much w hat yo u like They are in your .

i mage o r like you o nly much bigger and ha ndsomer Y o u

,
.

must give them w hat they w a n t o r it w ill be the worse for ,

you and they are eve ry where M ake their like nesses or
,
.

ico ns ; o f marb le or o f ivo ry and gold if you c an yo u ho nour

your tutelar D eity that is t o say w hat there is o f Zeus in ,

this city o f A the ns by k neeli ng or d anci ng or pouri ng , ,

libation be fore A the ne or A pollo or Theseus your ow n , , ,

n atio n al H eracles .

This is the most favourable vie w o f G reek worship and ,

t h e most moderate de m a nd o f D e is id ae m o n ia I t is no t .

fe tichis m she asks fo r : she o nly w a nts sy m b olis m o f t w o

ki nds sacricial and ico nic by blood o f victi m s an d b y the
,

grave n i m age Y o u are not to worship the mar b le or ivory

.
,

and gold but a god or hero s o n o f Zeu s t hrough an d b y its

, , ,

mea ns A nd perhaps a m ajority o f the b est and b est t aught

.

m e n in A the ns u nderstood this fro m age to age Th e re w e re , .

some in all ra nks wh o believe d in nothi ng b ut th e ir o w n craft

or dari ng A lc ib iades Cleo n an d C rit ias w ould no t care ,
,

m uch fo r the U nsee n Zeus or U nk now n God These w e re .

the eager s cholars o f the rhetorical sophists or trai ne rs fo r ,

prac t i c al li fe Ma ny more fell i nto fetichism and adored n ot

.
,

P he id ias s Zeus or A the ne s o much as rude a ncestral X oa n a

'

hideous Old wooden images w hich had o nce or a gai n b ee n

 P A UL M AR S HIL L

5 . ON . 1 3

k no w n to fall o n their k nees or w i nk or cry or perspire or , , , ,

strike some b ody bli nd o r do good or evil in a ta ngible way , .

A nd the curious thi ng is t hat no t o nly N icias the timid , ,

w orthy D e is id mm o n the religious m an o f A the ns may
. ,

have w orshipped in this w ay but that the stro ng A then ia n ,

scou ndrel w as o fte n m uch i ncli ned to d o the sa m e H e .

w ould n o t ask P h e id ias to help h im to i magi native co n ception

o f Zeus in gl o ry armed w ith thu n der or o f A the ne in battle ,

w ith ae gis and spear : he w ould go to E u m olp id a: or C e ryc e s ,

or brotherhoods who possessed a ncestral secrets o f rites

w hich had po w er w ith the gods The really evil s u pe rs ti .

tions o f A the ns w ere mi nor mysteries and rites o f i nca ntatio n , ,

and back stairs approaches to deities w h o could be got at

-

and made to take the w orse cause O ne c an see that the .

worse a m an w as supposi ng h im no t to have attai n ed to

,

co nsiste nt A theis m and de n ial o f right w ro ng and j udgme n t , ,

w hich vie w s w ere no t yet form ulated the m ore he w ould

w an t to get i n v isi b le po w ers o n his side whe never it ,

s truck him that there might b e such thi ngs U nscrupulous .

A the n ia ns and the w hole populatio n of A the ns had their

, ,

superstitious side and o n t wo or three k no w n crises it proved

,

rui nous .I n short G reek w ays o f prayer and approach to

x
,

Go d d i ffered like our ow n Socrates w ould sta nd alo ne in .

sile nt prayer to the T he ion w ithout altar or i mage A nd .

there w as give n h im he said a D a mon or spiri tual guide , , ,

w h o w ould no t let him do w ro ng o r speak fo r evil and o n ,

w hose prohi b itio n he al ways w aited Socrates i ndeed desired .

and fe lt a ft e r G od an d looked up w ards desiri ng H im beyo nd

, ,

all thi ngs : and he had his re ward The worldly m an w ould .

as k fo r w orldly thi ngs and the u njust m an fo r worldly thi ngs

at any price H e could not pro bably go straight and ask Zeus
.

o f Ol ym pia to help hi m in w ro ng ; he would try so m e

idol w hich was w arra nted to have the Go d in it and w hose ,

priesthood k new the proper approaches and fees k new how

m uch re ward o f i n iquity the G ods w a nted that th ey migh t ,

favour his i niquit y Such beauty as the P he id ian sculpture s

.

A s in t h i beli f in N i ias g od f
e r e c

s o ort une : in h is o wn fatal hesi tati b
on a ou t

th e ec li pse at Sy ac us e rin the panic : of the H erm ae, and the execu tion of the

ge nerals of A rginu :
:e .
I4 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

possessed te ndi ng to call o ut pure awe and vague co nceptio ns

, ,

o f nobler existe nce must have bee n e ntirel y agai nst gross
,

superstition and i mmoral co nce ptio ns o f D eity We ca nnot .

say ho w far the pe rsecu t io n and death o f P h eid ias may have
bee n urged on by the fetichi s tic or family priesthoods ; but
he certai nly w as i nvolved in the gen eral accusations o f irre
ligio n which w ere directed agai nst th e frie nds o f Pericles ;
and every idea co nveyed by his w ork w e nt agai nst the pow er

and prots o f these corpor atio ns A ny G reek w ho w as near

.

realisi ng th e idea t hat there w as a Bei ng o f w hom the

Olympia n Zeus w as a sig n w ould be beyo nd the thought
,

o f b ribi ng hi m or coerci n g h im by mo ney or ceremo n ial .

A nd such practices w ere the w orst form o f D e is id ze m o nia .

N ow as Pro fessor Zeller has sho w n it is clear th at a large

, ,

n u m ber o f thought fu l m e n o f the Periclea n and later ages

had arrived at the thought o f o ne Supreme Fate or Zeus in ,

some se nse the Father o f gods and m e n in some sen se also ,

the J udge o f all the earth w ho w ould do ri ght Well said

,
.
,

S Paul to some such p e rso ns be fore him a fter 5 00 years

.
,

such a Father is ; and H e d well e th not in temples m ade w ith

ha nds and H e is n o t as yo u are ; s o have do ne w i t h your
a nthropomorphis m s and i mages o f H im But d w ell o n H im .

as Father and j ust Judge ; the n you w ill be able to go o n to

what I have to say about H is So n b ei ng alike our R edeemer
,

and our J udge the M an Who m H e hath ordai ned

, So m e .

w ere in fact a b le t o do so and clave to H im an d b elieved

, .

Such m e n had bee n prepared to receive the Christia n faith

b y their an tecede nt religio n or D e is id mm o n iaC A nd in v 30 .

above quoted the A postle com fo rts the m co ncer n i ng their

,

fathers: The times o f the ig nora nce o f Pericles and P he id ias ,

Socrates and P lato G o d w i n ked at saith Paul

, , .

The H o m eri c mythology and idolatry gre w naturally as ,

Pro fessor Max M iille r has sho wn from the early A rya n semi
,

pantheism w hich deied the po wers o f nature s aw G od in ,

clouds and heard H im in the w i nd

, Materialist or evil .

p antheism mea ns that there is no God e x c e pt c lou d s and ,

w i nd or nothi ng n earer H im tha n they

, But there w as .

c ertai nly a G reek spirit o f aw e ve neratio n delight and

, , ,

e njoyment o f nature w hich peopled w oods and strea m s

,
I 6 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

religio n t o have existed w ithout the collateral purposes ,

o f pesteri ng t h e bishops and clergy o f the A nglica n C hurch ,

he w ould have ob tai n ed far more atten tio n from a far less
ckle audie nce and w e should have bee n spared m uch gro
,

te s q u e i nvective N evertheless the chapter o n C lassical L a n d

.
,

scape in vol iii o f M od em P ainters p I 7 3 may be called a

, . .
, .
,

work o f u nique excelle n ce as a realisatio n o f G reek character ,

and thoughts o n N ature and ma n y pa rts o f A rat ra P en telic i

beari ng o n the sa m e subject are almost o f equal value M r . .

R uski n is huma n like most o f us : bei ng huma n he is some

, ,

ti mes right and someti m es w ro ng ; but these and other o f

his works w ill be w orthy o f care ful study for very ma ny
years to come .

I mea n the n to speak o f Greek art as the w ork o f huma n

creatures more li k e than u nlike to ourselves that is to say
o f T heists to whom the love and fear o f an u nk n o w n G o d
,

seemed possible : o f bei ngs capable and co nscious o f s in

that is to say wh o fell short by personal frailty o f a syste m
, ,

o f morality w h ich had a right to co m ma n d them : o f huma n

bei ngs i n cluded in the Scheme o f R edemptio n It is no use .

,

except fo r polemical purposes to co nsider them as ideally ,

im mora l or as ideally happy and u n co nscious o f virt ue

, .

T heir virtues are o ften extolled as agai nst the Christia n

sta ndard ; their vices are picturesquely set forth as if vice ,

i tsel f had bee n vi rtuous till Christ forbade it Whatever , .

alterations o r restrictio ns the Christia n Faith made in the

ge neral sta ndard o f heathen morality at the ti m e o f i ts rst
preachi ng it w ill not be den ied that S Paul s accou n t of that
,
.

ge neral standard is substa ntially co rrect fo r G reece ; no r ,

co nseque ntl y th at elevatio n and restrictio ns w ere much

,

n eeded . E ve n in the P he id ian age t wogreat social sources ,

o f dege neracy w ere O pe n Slavery w as u n iversal and w ome n

.
,

w itho u t respect The ex iste nce o f a large slave population

.
,

male and female must w ill and i nvariably doe s lead t o

, , , , .

habits o f viole n ce and cruelty and t o ge neral i mmorality and ,

i m purity o f li fe T he O riental seclusio n an d w a nt o f culture

.

u nder which m aide ns and mothers w ere kept in A the ns

destroyed all tenderness and respect o f family relatio n ;
alread y enda ngered b y ge neral loose ness o f li fe an d the ,
 5 P A UL ON M AR S H I L L

. . :7

u niversal pre ference of educated m e n for the society o f the

ed ucated H e ta ra Wh e n a m an is brought up in dis respect
.

fo r his mother he w ill not be lo ng in tryi ng his stre ngth with

,

his father ; and the ge neratio n o f Maratho n and Salamis

could no t tra nsmit their patriotis m or their discipli ne to their
descen dan ts I n R ome supre m e devotio n to the state was
.
,

ha nded down w ith as regular i nherita nce as la nds or arms ;

beca u se all duties o f the household t o gods and ki ndred , ,

w ere e n forced o n m en and w ome n fro m their rst youth and ,

all lived u nder strict law from i nfa ncy} T he national cou se
q u e n c es o f social i mmoralit y are recog n ised in the histo ry
o f eve ry race o n earth ; and there is no reaso n for shutti ng

our eyes to the m in that of A the ns because A thens built ,

the P artheno n for a Maide n Wisdom be fore she herse lf be ,

came hopelessly i m pure and u nw ise T h e brighter side o f .

A the n ia n li fe w as to rejoice in beauty to seek true beauty as ,

sy m bolic o f the G ood t o be co ntent w ith N ature and one s

sel f ; to live in that bala nced Sophrosy ne by w hich every ,

m an k ne w w hat every part of him was t for and what he ,

himse lf w as t fo r But it made no allowance for fail ure or

.

ig nora nce and had no t heard of forgiveness o f s in A nd

, .

C hristia n sel f distrust res trai n t u nrest repe nta nce and hope
-
, , , ,

o f forgive ness sad as it all is nevertheless makes a li fe

, ,

better and happier to lead than that o f the A the nia n sel f
, ,

assertio n and sel f ce ntre : hau nted by the @s ie r 90vep6v or

-
'

in terror o f the E rinnye s .

T here is a note in the Master o f B allio l s editio n o f

5 P au l : E pis tle: (vol i i p 7 6 ed 5 9) w hich may be read

. . . .
, .

w ith adva n tage b y all w ho study G reek art more part ic u larly ,

if they are a w are h ow greatly we are ourselves i ndebted t o

it A t all eve nts its good has survived its evil and some
.
,

of its greatest achieveme nts m ay teach no b le lesso ns to

our ow n people But this is the e nd o f the drama o f sel f
.

assertio n and self regulatio n played out u nder the happiest

-

circu m stan ces in small states w ith a m ple elbo w room with
,
-
,

See M ahaffy s Soc ial Greece,

42 0, on R o man g rav itas ,
or ad p . herence to
a i i
barga n, and q uotat on on Greek sl er ness , from C icero pro C arina
\
ipp i Fid em
nu nquam i ta natio coluit
s .

18 GR E E K AN D GOT H I C .

un matched i ntellect in a c h osen cli m ate amidst g reat tria l

, , ,

m uch glo ry ever prese nt beauty

,
-

I f the i nner li fe had been presented t o us o f that peri od

w hich in political great ness and in art is the mo st brillia n t

epoch of human it y w e should have turned a way from t h e

,

si ght with loathi ng and detestation T h e greatest admirer o f .

old heathe n virtues the m an e ndowed w ith the n est se nsi

bilit ies fo r bea uty and form w ould feel at o nce that there is ,

a great gul f xe d between us and the m which no willi ngne s s

t o ma k e allowa nce for the di ffere nce o f ages and c ou n tri es

w ould e nable us to pass T here are vices which have e x

.

is t e d in moder n times t o a far greater exte nt tha n in a ncie n t

there are v i rt ues in a ncient ti m es whi ch have never bee n

exceeded ; but there are v i ces also which are not eve n

named amo ngst us I t i s a sad but use ful lesso n that th e

.
,

n oblest simplicity in art ma y go alo ng w ith

R ank corru pti on ruining all i hin

w t .

eith er is it u ntr ue t o say that th ere was a thread by wh i c h

N

they were li nked togethe r .

T h e expressio n Greek and G othic Sp i rit may be allow ed ,

and ma y be take n t o mea n the ideal or prevaili ng te nde n c y

o f e ffort in th e w orks o f ei th er race I f any ed ucated perso n .

w ere asked to disti nguish the Gree k spir i t o f creative art fro m
G othic he w ould probably say that o ne w as cheer fu l and eve n
, ,

the other mela ncholy and aspiri ng I f he had to explai n .

himsel f he w ou ld go o n to observe that the cheerful ness and

m elancholy were traceable to i nher i ted co nstitutio n and that ,

agai n to climate external co nditio ns and religion or habit o f

, , ,

c o ntemplati ng the spiritual w orld But he would u ndersta n d .

that architecture is a m atter in w hich externa l conditio ns

dictated varied necessities in a co m mon se nse way to Got h -

and G reek alik e ; s o that if the latter had bee n transported t o

For th e i
earl er, or i
H omer c age, the read er s hou ld refer to M r M ah atfy s
.

com

p ar so i
n b
etween H omer and H esiod , pp .
7 1 76 . I ts im p
hat it all ows
ortance is t
us no age of sent iment about Greece , and prec l ud es mod ern as piration to a Pagan
go ld en age-
. Sad c o ntrasts be tween ri ch and p oor, between th e l ife of a p i il g d
rv e e

c lass and th e hard strugg e o f l i

t he c tiz en-farm er ; boastfu l l y and so d id
c rue t r

d egrad at ion ; d ull contem t p for women, are common to H ellenic as to oth er
h is tory .
 5 PA U L ON M AR S H IL L

. . :9

the C as s iterid es h e would certa inly have covered in his ,

hype thral te m ples and that too w ith roo fs high pitched , , ,

e no ugh to shoot o ff a w i n ter s s now A ll bu ilders are fo r

.

ever u nited in the purpose of getti ng houses to their mi nd

,

and needs and their methods and forms must va ry accord i ng

,

t o their m aterials I f this be true the history o f architectural

.
,

and other art is a part o f a st u dy o f me n s necessities spirits

and cu lture that is t o say an i n tegral part o f histo ry

, , .

A gai n if the arts are thus co nnected w ith the spirits o f m en

,

they w ill be depe nden t on their religio n T h e famil y w ill .

have its L ares its domestic altars not without ornament o f

, ,

pai nti ng and sculpture ; the commu nity w ill have its templ e
o r Teme nos ; the C hristia n E ccles i a w i ll have its church o r

asse m bly or meeti ng house o f the L ord s people Without -

.

prior re fere n ce to E gypt and A ssyria there is no doubt that ,

from the days o f P h e id ias to those o f the P rimitive C hurch ,

and from the n ce to the rst P isa n R e naissa nce art has bee n ,

specia lly connected w ith religio n G ra nti ng all the bea uties !

and meri ts o f E th nic art in the A ugusta n age there is no ,

doubt that it passed i nto the hands o f the C hristia n Church ,

and was by her tra nsmuted but prese rved from u tter oblivio n ,
.

A s for decade nce in her keepi ng G reek art w as decade nt ,

e nough long be fore the fourth ce n tury A D For the light and .

beauty and moderatio n and true C haris o f A the nia n art it ,

w as b y that time j ust as much a thi ng o f collectio ns and

m useums as it is now R ome had regularly led the M uses .

i nto captivity but they w ere cha nged and withered in foreign
,

air They had lost some o f the virt ues of their native land
.
,

w here i n deed their career had not bee n qu ite blameless But .

T he fo llowing lines from D Agincou rt, vol

, . ii pm
.
gh t have serve
.d fo r
3 ,
0 i
a motto for t his b ok p i o i . H e is S eak ng of mosa c Aft er some sente nces as to its
.

d urabili ty it eli gi ous c ha ac te

: s r it hi i i p r r: s s tor c al m ortanc e in c on equenc e : and ~

its ha i ng f ni hed th e t m od l of the E arly R enai anc e he goes on

v ur s rs e s s~ ,

Si l h i toire d e la eli gi on ec it d es a ts quelqu s er i ce la eli gion q i

s r r o r e s v s, r , u

ep and a si s l arts d e no mb ux b ienfai t le es t u til e pa ticulierem nt pour

'

r us ur es re s, ur r e

le mai nti d l ens t ad i ti ns et le c nservation d e l eu hi t i e

e eu r r o On est bi ntbt o r s o r . e

co n ai cu d u p
v n d e d e ( d ou
eu ag ) q e le h ommes ont em ploye s a
ur es vr es u s e

l em bellisse me t d es habi tati n pa ticulie es d e plu a tes palai et mme d es

n o s r r s s v s s,

m on ment d l
u s
gl i e p
e es qu e tou t a d i spa u a ec eux d e la u fa e d e la
eu r o r r r v s r c

I l n es t e te q e les m onum ents consac s leurs grand es affec ti ons i ces

'

te err . r s u re ,

i mpressions profond es communes toutes les peu ples ala religion

C 2
2o GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

the R ome o f th e seco nd ce nt ury l i k e the R ome o f th e late r

,

R e naissance ope nl y dedicated art to pride and lux u ry ; and

,

the decadence bet wee n Per i cles and A ugustus is as marked as

that bet wee n A ugustus and C o nstanti ne wh en Christ i ani t y ,

w as rst i nvested w i th the po wer of the s tate Wh at H eathe n .

R ome did for art was to co ntri b ute her great constructive gi fts
of the rou n d ar c h an d va u lt a nd the
, per fect use of brick wor k
and though t he e ngi neer i ng side o f architecture was so greatl y

ad va nced in her ha nds sculpture lost i ts i nspiratio ns D emeter

,
.

and T hes eus in the E lg i n room are w ork of A the ns at a

ti me when A the ns retai ne d a perturbed belief in gods and
heroes and was t ry i ng to reali se sp i ritual nature by the e ye
, ,

and co nse q ue ntly they have m uch in commo n with the

h ighest forms o f Teuto nic ico nolatry T hey combi n e spir i tua l .

motive wi th natu rali st i c h andli ng they represent D ivi nit y in

,

ma n s image w i th ignora nt worship and te ntat i ve seeki ng T he

, , .

G ree k could o nl y th i nk o f t he Spiritual as the Supe rh u ma n

see i ng no fa i rer image o f Go d th a n m an and bei ng c o nstitu ,

t ionally i n cli ned t o go by w hat he s aw and to represe nt for ,

seei ng s sa k e

H allam has compared the G ree k and I tal i a n R epu b lics in a

w ell k nown pass age in the I talian C hapter o f his M idd le Ag es ,

and a special pa rallel might be dra wn o ut bet wee n A the ns in

the P he id ian age and Pisa from t h e ti m e o f N iccola to tha t

o f Orcag na . R estless act i v i ty and e nterprise war and com ,

merc e to the east ward e n mity o f small ki ndred states th e

, ,

li fe o f soldier c i tize ns ruli ng d e pe ndent cultivators o f i n feri o r

,

ra nk maritime dari ng and trust in the triremes victo ry and ,

outburst o f nati o nal triumph des i ri ng to adorn the city o f

their love and rst in it the temples o f their faith all this th e
,

G ree k and L ombard E truscan cities had in commo n

-
T he .

E truria n R e nai s sa nce returns to A the nia n st u d y o f nature ,

in m an and th e higher a nimals T he A the n ian ( taki ng h im

.

and his faith at the best) ma y have look ed through his i mages

to perso ni ed pow ers o f nature ; fro m them to perso nal

Bei ngs i n terested in hi m and h i s li fe accord i ng to righ t
rule o f N ature ; the nce to one great J ustice or Fate o f , ,

Ze us beyo n d Zeus . Thi s St Paul i mpl i es to the A theni ans

.

o f a late r and falle n day that the best amo ng th e i r fathers

,
 ON M AR S HIL L

5 . P A UL . 21

had done T hey th emselves had now to accept a new

.

G ospel or R evelatio n o f the U nkn ow n G od fo r the m selves ,

and their children ; and the spiritual co nditio ns of i ts

ac c epta nce seem not ve ry di fferent in thei r case from
the di f culties and aids o f ou r o wn race in the ni netee nth
ce ntury .

But it is time to proceed to some brie f a c cou nt of the T hre e

A rts o f a ncie nt G reece from the P he id ian age d o w nwards , .

We c an go no farther back tha n the Parthe no n which is for , ,

our purpose the ce ntre o f all architecture and sculpture

, .

What Greece learned from E gypt is for other and more

learned works We are co ncer ned w ith the decade nce o f .

G reek art from its earl y climax w ith its tra ns fer to R oma n
,

ha nds ; and nally i nto the ha nds o f the Church ; to be by

her preserved for Go th i c stude nts I)
,
.

See Fergusson

s H istory f
o A rc hite ctu re ,
v ol . i .

G hic i
T h e w o rd ot h protes t Fo its d e ri ation
s, of c ou rse , u sed e re und er . r v

f om G ti
r G ti the t ad i ti nal mig ati ns of G pid a and E astern and
e c or e c, r o r o e ,

W e t n Goth &c the st hapters of J rnand es D e R hus Geti is are

s er s, .
, r c o : e c

su ff i nt
ic e b t th i b tance is found in Gibbon
: u e r su s .

I t seem s be t to ad d a list f refe ences h e e to b ooks or parts of book s generally

s o r r

ac es i b l e
c I f th e read er knows someth i ng of H ome
s
. H e rod ot s Th cyd id es r, u ,
u ,

th e T ag d i ans and Aristo phanes Plato and A ristotle so m c h the be tte

r e , ,
u r.

H e h ld read Ac ts x ii 1 634 in t h e rst i nstanc e

s ou v . .

T h Ag f
e P i l We W oLloyd E s q V ol i
er c esi c h x l i ii to th e end
. . .
, . . .
, . v . .

S atoc r a d th esS ati Ag n P r f Ze ll er

e C h i A nd E ay on D e elop
oc r c e. o . . . . ss v

m ent of M onoth ism among th e G reeks C ontempo a y R view 1 8 67 ( vol iv

e . r r e , . .

P 3 9)
R u sk in
Stones of Venice,
s vol. i . Introd . and eh . i
. vol. ii . eh. i ii. . R uskin

s

A ratro P entelic i, ec tures L iii . iv .

H istoire de l A rt par le s M onu ments Fergusson s

D Agm cou rt ( Seroux) . .

A rch itectu re, vols iv , . i . . and on Greece Stud the llustrat ons . y i i .

I ntrod uc ti on to C ou n t R io D e l Art C h rltien

.

See mann

s C otter and H eroen is a good small hand book of i
anc ent scul ture . p
 C HA PT E R II .

T HE P AR T H E N ON .

T HE d i m e nt ary i dea or arra ng e me n t of every place of

ru

wo rs h i p is the same : a sacred spot for the Go d and a pl ac e ,

o f a ssembl ag e for his people be for e h im T h i s G re e k .

t emples have in commo n w ith R om a n and both w i th C hris ,

t i a n church es I n the rst place T em pl um is deri ved fro m

.
,

T eme nos and th at from r p m I t is an aug ural ter m ;

.
,

m ea ns a piece o f grou nd cut off and set ap art and does n ot ,

necessaril y impl y the existe n ce o f a buildi ng B ut to som e 2

.

p art o f s u ch i nclos u res a special sig n ica n ce will al w ay s

attach and co nve y to the w orshippers the idea of a special

,

Prese nce o f God T h e more spiritu al mi nded ma y feel th at

.
-

the wh ole world i s H is and th at H e is present everyw here ,

s ome such n ot i on is implied by t h e u n iversal i nst i nct o f

pra yer But soo ner or later some buildi ng arises in the
.

la c e o f H is Prese nce and if i t be of any size i t w ill hav e

p , ,

a specia ll y sacred place There will be a T eme nos and a .

N aos a Templ um and a C ella a H ol y and M ost H ol y

, ,

H ouse a Preci nct N ave C hoir and Sa n ctuary

, , It w ill , , .

be gi n s a small cella ; it ill re q u i re a porch t o ait

a w w in ; 3

Servi us ad E n I 446 . . .

Luogo aperto e d i Ii bera ved uta Facciolati C onteinpla i d ictu m est a templo . r ,

i e loco qui ab om ni parte aspic i potest

. .
,
Festus ce rto carmine ab augure .

nitus, notatus c ons ecratusque, &c .

, &c .

3 Greek p h lly
y wood en truc t res in the earlies t
tem les were w o or entirel s u

times P a an ia v 2 0 5 3 : t 3 !
. us also viii 1 0 2
s, T he ; o seem prope ly
.
-
, .
- . 1 r

to have been h oll w trees used a nic h es wherei n to p l ac th e i mage of god r

9
o ,
s e o *

here T he .bj ect of rou nd temples o memorial sh i nes of whi c h the m nu

su , r r , e

ment of L y icrates at A th ens is the ea ly and c entral ty pe and the P an th eon at

s r ,

R ome the g and est example eem better d eferred till we c ome to the s bj c t f
r ,
s s u e o

R oman A rt .
24 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

outer colum ns 3 5 feet hi gh 6 feet 2 i nches diameter at bas e

, , .

W ith i n the peri style thus form ed there are six mi nor colu m ns
in each fro nt form i ng a pro naos to the east and a posticus to
,

the w est T he house o r cella wi thi n was divided i nto t wo

.

u ne q ual cha m bers ; the Parthe no n or abode o f the v irgi n

goddess to the east and the opisthodomus ( used as a publi c
,

treasury) to the w est T he rst was 9 8 feet 6 i nches in .

le ngth the seco nd 44 feet and the y were 62 feet 6 i nche s

, ,

w ide. T he Parthe no n had a double tier o f i nn er colu m ns ,

perhaps C ori nthia n the lower o f w hich measured about 3 feet

,

6 i nch es at the base There were fort y large ( probabl y Ion i c)

.

c ol um ns in the O p isthodomus T h e great chry selepha nti ne .

A the ne stood in the eastern c hamber and w as 39 feet in ,

height .

The marble sculpture of the bu i ld i ng w as arra nged th us .

T h e metopes o r spaces in the frieze outside bet w een t he ,

trigl yphs w hi ch s eparated and framed the carvi ngs w ere ,

in high relie f s u i t ed to the ope n air lights ; and their subj ect
,
-

w as the battles o f the C e ntaurs and L apith ae and o f A th e ,

n ians and A m azo ns ; with th e deeds o f A the ne and h er

favourite heroes o n the east an d north sides
, The ou ter .

frieze o f the cella faci ng out w ards w as adorn ed in lo w

, ,

relief adapted to di ffused lights w ith an ideal o f a gra nd

, ,

Pa nathe nai c processio n It i s formed at the w est and .

,

proceeds towards the east ; the sacred peplus is bei ng pre

s e nted below the eastern pedime nt w i th other o fferi ngs ; ,

and the sacred feast is begu n A lo ng pomp o f maide ns .

beari ng o ff eri ngs o f b iga: and q uadrigae o f lyres utes and

, , , ,

v ictims occupies the southern frieze ; and th e n orth and part

,

o f the w est side are lled chiey by the e q uestria n r c

p o e s

sio n ; which is in motion and on its w ay east ward o n the lo ng ,

northern frieze and sti ll formi ng up its dista nt rear o n th e

,

w est. U nder the i nn er friezes there is a shallo w egg and

arrow stri ng co u rse and there are gu ttre belo w the triglyphs
,

o n the outer On the merits o f all the g u re sculpture

.
,

hu m an and a ni m al there is no use in dilati ng here I t c an

,
.

be see n in the British Museum and i t m ust be seen A ll ,

.

we c an say about it is that the whole forms a great u n ity ,

and does proceed as a processio n ; that the i ndividualities

 THE P A R T H E N ON . 25

are those of the most beauti fu l yo u th s or mai den s in art ;

solem nly draped and adorn ed for the service o f the goddess
, ,

o n w hich all are be nt ; that the oxe n are g ra ndl y natural in

their slow pe nsive moveme nts and the horses ready to y ,

out o f their sk i ns T he y are s m aller tha n nature but t h ey

.

,

seem to show the t ype form o f some N i sae a n or Persia n breed -

,

in their small h oo fs ne nostrils broad fro ntals and specially, , ,

clea n at legs ; and they live through si new and muscle

, ,

bone te ndon and ve i n sho w i ng the same se nse o f circula

, , ,

tio n and full li fe below the surface as i s observa b le in the

huma n or heroi c sculptures .

The n for the great w orks o f the two ped i me nts The .

E aste rn m ust be co nsidered t o co nsist of especially A tti c

deities atte ndi ng on the birt h and presen tatio n to Olympus
,

o f the maide n A the ne The Western as certai nly represen ts .

the co ntest o f A thene and P oseido n fo r comma nd o f the

desti n ies o f A ttica We take Welcker s nom e nclature for th e
.

order in w hich the gures w ere arra nged in the former On .

t h e spectator s extreme le ft and right close u nder the pedi

me nt the horses of H el i os are j ust tossi ng the i r heads above

,

the sur face of the sea hal f reari ng as the y gallop u p th e ,

steep o f day T h ose of Sele ne are j ust s i nk i ng O ppos i te their

.
,

settli ng actio n given wi th stra nge graph i c po wer N ext t o .

t h e Su n rise i s the gure generall y k nown as T heseus N ext .

to h im were Welck er s T hallo and A uxo ( casts in British
M useum ) (Vis c ont i s Ceres and Prose rp i ne) the n Iri s or
,

, ,

Ore it hyia as Welck e r believes T he n with one or more now .

lost gures came the great ce ntral group utterly destroyed

, ,

and u nrecorded I ts restoratio n has exercised ma ny able

.

sculptors and criti cs There is the vase pa i nt ing theory

.
-

(Q u a rt re m e re de Q ui n cy s an d in part B rOn d s t e d s ) w h i ch
'

supposes a l i ttle M i nerva issui ng from the clove n head of

Zeus w ith V ulca n and the axe
, M ill i nge n i ncl i nes to th is .
,

b ut i t does not satis fy Welck er who reasonably th i nks it ,

u n likely that the desig ns o f ceramic pai n ti ngs c an have bo rne

O th ir h itting and G ree k horsemanship see some excellent remarks in

n e , ,

G n W hy te M e l ille s R id i g R e ll ti n
e .
-
v

C hapter on the U e of the B idle
n co ec o s. s r .

Welc ker call him C ecrop s Brond ted says C ephalus or D ionysus Colonel
s , s :

L ak V i conti and Ge hard agree in calli ng him H erac les As These was
e e, s , r . us

th e A t ti c H e c ules th is id ea seerm to agree wi th the common nomenclature

r , .
26 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

any relat i on to th os e of groups in marble Welck er and .

L ucas are for a full sized A the ne sta ndi ng by her father and
-
,

the former re fers to a pa inti ng in P h ilo s tratu s (I mag in ii . .

I laM t a 8oe yo va i w ith H eph aestus and the axe M r W at k iss

'

, . .

L loyd th i nk s w ith reason that A the ne must have stoo d in

the ce nt re o f her ow n pediment .

On th e spectator s right o f the ce nt ral group a Vi cto ry

and A res are supposed t o have stood the for m er bal an c i ng ,

Ore ithya o n the left .

The n follo ws the splendid group of three female gures ,

c alled the Fates by L u cas and the majority ; o r A gl au ro s ,

H erse and Pa ndrosos daughters o f Cecrops (Welc k er) ; o r

, ,

t h e H ours or the G races

,
o r Vesta C eres and Proserpi na , , ,

as C olo nel L eak e s ays U n der w hatever name these fully .

,

draped statues seem to us w ith ma ny persons t o give a m ore , ,

n oble and per fect i dea o f w oma nhood tha n any other in

existe nce ; excepti ng perhaps the Ve nus o f Milo alias the ,

Samia n H ere N o amou nt o f passio n suggested or express e d

.
,

pure or m ixed c an ever make such appeal to w hat we c on

,

sider the lo ftier feeli ngs o f art as these three headless r u i ns , .

They are best thought o f as Fates : fo r they have the cal m

o f etern ity and the charis o f some future peace whe n labou r
, ,

is all done and evil all u ndo ne The series e nds w ith t he
, .

down se t tli ng ho rses o f Sele ne ; one head in partic ular as

-

u nmatched in art as T heseus o r the T hree It is in i ts place .

in the E l gi n room .

A s t o the w estern pedime nt we k now somethi ng of i ts ,

ce ntral grou p from the draw i ngs o f Carrey for the Marquis
D e N oi ntel in 1 67 5 be fore the siege and explosio n o f 1 68 7
, .

Its order of s culptures from le ft t o right is thus give n b y

Welck er and M tiller .

l
I iss u s H ercu es l Dmt
e e er Vict ory At he ne C hario t o f Le uc othea T he
or and A res and and Amphitrite M li e c erta se ns
C ep his H e be Di y
on s us C hariot Pos eid on and Pe it ho
H Di
.

Persep hone ippo one C allir

or or or
C ecrops Pand ros os T h e tis Di ana
and Amphit rite Lat ona
A po o ll
( sti ll on Ag l
auros Ven u s
D io ne
te mp l e)
 THE P A R T H E N ON . 27

A nd M ull er calls the last t wo g ures H alirrhoth i us and

E u ryt o .

Of th ese gures all that has es c aped utt er destruct i on is

,

briey catalogued by M r L u c a s in his accou nt of the .

,

Parth eno n p I 7 ,
A ll is in t he Br i tish M useum : that is
. .

to say the c hest and back of N eptu ne a fragme nt of the

, ,

breast and face o f A thene the torso of E rechtheus the , ,

Ilissu s and a part o f th e group of L ato na T he fragment of

, .

A the ne is determi ned by C arrey s draw i ng as i nd eed is t hat

o f N eptu ne T he t w o deities as it we re sta nd up to each

.

other for a mom en t as they turn awa y and mou nt their

,

chariots ; and Mr L u cas s res toration seems most happy in

.

the w ay in whi ch it ill u strates the radiating u nity of all the

other gures in th e pediment on the ce ntral group li k e stro ng ,

petals o f a double ower The yi ng d rapery of M i nerva as

.
,

combi ned w ith her gran d stature gives an idea like that in ,

H o m er o f limbs o f aether yet of t he immortal w eight u nder

,
x
,

w hich the chariot groa ned .

One more remark may be added from Mr L loyd th at .

,

havi ng the statues o n the grou nd in the British M useum is a

great adva ntage to us mode m s enjoyed o nl y by those of old ,

w ho had the entree o f P h e id ias s ergasterion in the brightest
days o f A thens for s o short a ti me be fore the forms we re
,

raised to their places in the pedi me nts T he w ork of th eir .

backs is see n now it was lost be fore and it is jus t as f ully

, ,

elaborated as the parts in s ig ht We now se e m uch o f the .

ex q uisite nis h o f th e parts w hich w ere be fore i nv i sible ; as

the laps of the recli n i ng Parca .

There is no sepa rati ng G ree k art from G reek rel i gion be ,

cause G reek liturgy or religious se rvice c o nsisted in nothi ng

but art A n A the nia n o f the Periclean age w ould neither
.

have u n derstood no r e ndured to be told that the Partheno n

pedimen ts mea n t nothi ng or had nothi ng to d o w ith h i m or
,

his li fe and death in A tt ic a or elsewhere T here is no doubt

, .

that the immediate and present glory and i nuence o f A the ns

w ere o ne great object o f all these w orks A the ns so ught her .

o w n glory but it was by mea n s o f sacrice t o A thene ; and

,

it is not probable that any A thenia n of those d ays thou ght

H am 8 29

. E .
28 GR E E K AN D GOT H I C .

lite rall y othi ng of Pall as his goddess Of c o urse we m u s t

n .

mak e an i nde ni te allowa nce for m i xed mot i ve as we h ave ,

t o d o ve ry freque ntly in esti m ati ng the amou nt of ge n u ine

devotion ma ni fest ed in G othic architect ure Pro fe ssor R us k i n .

s a ys somew here that the cit i ze ns o f C hartres and R o u e n b u i lt

high ch urch to wers agai nst each other in m uch the s am e

Spirit in w hich t wo E nglish to w ns w ould play a cric k et m at ch .

T h e s ame q uestio n recurs fo r G ree k o r G oth Was the .

former co nscio usl y deludi ng himsel f a fter all and spe ndi ng ,

his tale nts me ntal and metallic the spoil o f his v ictories and
, ,

the e nergies of his sou l on names by w hic h he m ea nt ,

nothi ng ? A nd if he mea nt a nythi ng by the names h e

wo rshipped w hat did he mea n ?
, A nd if he did no t quit e
k now what he mea nt how much importance did he attach ,

t o be i ng hi msel f w ell r egarded by T hat w hic h th ese na m es

darkl y expressed t o hi m ?

A certai n feeli ng o f awe and i nterest amou nt i ng t o ve n e ,

ratio n ma y be allo wed t o the

,
E lgi n fragments as we s ee
them A ny u ndergraduate who visits them has be fore h im
.

au tograph and holograph records by the right ha nd of P he id ias .

I t must cert ai nly have passed all over these sculptures thoug h ,

they may o f course have bee n blocked ou t for him by pupi ls ,

from his design or model A great fu ss w ould rightly be .

made about any autograph o f I E s c hylu s Sophocles or E u ri , ,

p i des ; an d these t o o are docume n ts o f history They o n c e .

o ccupied the easter n and w ester n pedi me n ts o f the Parthe n on

o f A the ns What is k now n o f their arra ngeme nt w ith others

.
,

now lost is deri ved fro m the draw i ngs made in 1 67 5 for the
,

M arquis de N oi nte l by an artist named C arrey Sketches , .

2

o f both are give n in Pro fessor Welcker s paper in the C lass ical

M us eu m vol ii p 367 and in M r L u c as s R emarks on the

. . . .
, ,

W tta l t
Mr . af 880 tai i t

s ti g gg
e c ures o t i n a t w k d n
1 c on n n eres n su es o s s o or o e

by nt m p a i
co e a th m
or r es a hai p a t f th f is p ibly by M y
e o re rc c rs o e r ez e oss ron.

W e aremp l l d by wa t f pa
co e t fe th ad t Q a t m e
n d o s ce o re e r e re er o u re re e

Q i y 9 w
2 m f m h i f m i G m i m lli

u nc O
s l
y p ia at k t a:l dor g uc n or o n on ree a er , o e n ,

a d t h wh l
n e bj t f h y l p ha ti n
o e su lp t ec o c r se e n e scu ure .

W l k ill t ati i d i d f m St a t A tiq of Ath ( C ti ati

e c er s

us r on s er ve ro u r s

n . ens on nu o n,

vol i. h
v. w hi h
c . tain a a at py f C a y d w i g f th
c con s n cc ur e co o rre

s ra n ,
ur er

imp d i th B iti h M l i pl m d l f th P th

rove n m e r L a s useu ,
vo . v . . 20 . uc s s o e o e ar enon

in the E lgin R oom s hould be stu d ed w t i i h hi s work .

 T H E P A R T H E N ON . 29

P arthenon ( L o n do n , literat u re o f the subject is T he

su m med u p w ith full re ferences in Smith s D ictionary of
, ,

A ntiq u ities b ut those who w i ll read Welcker L ucas and M r

, , , .

W W L loyd s seco nd volume will lear n all about these w orks

. .
,

o f art w hich c an be k now n t o stude nts o f history o nly To .

k no w them really one must dra w them A nd without a ffecta .

tio n o n this a wk ward po i nt o f tech nical sk ill we may appeal ,

to ca re ful spectators in the E lgi n R oom a li mited au d ience , ,

and ask them t o look at the risi ng or si nki ng horses heads

alo ne or else at a si ngle arm or li m b I t is poss ib le t o see how

,
.

the folds o f the d rapery depend o n the heroic m ould b elow ,

and h o w the mighty m uscles suggest by cu rve and texture all , ,

the glo w o f athletic li fe o f stro ng circulatio n in the hard esh

, ,

an d ful ness o f health sho w n through the bathed and a noi nted

ski n We thi nk that a draughtsma n w i ll assert w ith c on

.

dence and that ge nerally speaki ng non draughtsme n wi l l have

, , ,
-

to accept as a fact the special and u ne q ua lled life o f thes e

,

statues I t may b e expressed w ith re fere n ce to the T hes eus

.
,

and I lys s u s that the y are stro nger do wn the sp i ne tha n other
,

male sculpture and that there is an evi de nt u nity of muscu lar

,

actio n in them from head t o foo t I n the group of the Fates .

( or B right n ess D e w and A ll

, d e w ) t h e c h aris
, o r grace o f -
,

pose and repose the u nity of rest pas si ng i n to rhythmic action

, ,

all appears to us di ff ere n t from and s u per i or to that o f other

female forms I t seems that in these forms we kn ow what

.

noble G reek wome n o f high character were lik e as Praxiteles

,

a fterw ards gave the world assurance of the he te ra in all her

varied characte rs L astly there appears to have been a u nit y
.
,

o f actio n in all t h e g ures in each pedime n t certai nly otherw ise ,

u nexamp led o n such a scal e in whi c h the gures ra d iate and u n ,

fold like petals from th e c e ntral group and which adds greatly ,

t o the pervadi ng sense o f li fe and help s t o make this marble ,

breathe and live beyo nd other marbl e M r L u c as s model . .

calls espec i al attentio n to th is I t is at once recognised in the .

w estern ped i me nt w here the V shape or i nverted tri angle

,
-

bet ween A the ne and Poseido n is its keynote H is restoration .

o f the eastern sculpture does not ig n ore this rh yth m ic u n ity o f

act i on as p erhaps C ocke rell s G erhard s and ot hers d othe i r

, ,

A s Gorge at pa ta
S r , or E lpinice at Athens .
3 o GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

work seems less in accord with the spr i ngi ng l i mbs and o wing
d rape ries that remai n I t looks rath er perpe ndicular and
.

s ometimes cro w ded A ll the old gures have per fect elbo w
.

roo m and are as free as if the m arble pedi m e nt w ere the bl u e

,

e m pyrea n .

T he tech nical merits o f these sculptures w ill ha rdly be

disp u ted A t prese nt there is real and practical reas o n fo r
.

co nsideri ng their religious or spiritual im port T h e question .

o f their beari ng on G ree k religio n co ncer ns us greatly Ma ny .

,

we tru st still hold the C hristia n faith implicitl y

, But it i s an .

everyday necessit y for those o f us who are e ngaged in the

vital co ntroversies o f the time to give accou nt of how we ,

c ame by it and by w hat temporal mea ns it w as ha nded do wn

,

to us . A t the rst step we nd that w e o w e the actua l

w ritten w ord and a very large proportio n o f tradit i o nal and
,

p a tristic literature t o the la n gu

, age a n d the logi c o f A the n s ,

as i nstrume ntal o r s ine quci non causes The w ord o f God is .

t reas ure give n from th e se earthe n vessels t o us wh o are o f

other earth and far from depreci ati ng ourselves w e may o n , ,

the contrary co ngratulate ourselves o n certa i n resembla nces

,

t o the k ee n and an xiously i nq uiri n g spirits o f earlier days

-
.

T h e Word said Philo is t wo fold that which sets in ord e r

, , ,

w ithi n and that w hic h sets forth to others w ithout

, T he one .

is reaso ni ng the other la ngu age

, Ou r faith co m es t o u s .

through this i nterpreter race w ho excelled so in word i nward

-
, ,

and o u twar d We u se the i r la nguage for m s and methods o f

.
, ,

t hought eve ry day We reaso n with the ir syllogis m w e fall

.

i nto and out o f the fallacies they used exposed and analyse d ; , ,

w e are guided in pri nciple by the history of their glory and

t heir shame their mental and moral phi losoph y still helps us
to live in the spirit o f th e full revelatio n o f Go d w h ich is o u r

p r ivilege ; an d above all , the sple n dour o f their

, g reat arts
of poet ry and sculpture has so comm an ded the spirits o f all

educated C hristia ns and heathe n that all have agreed in ,

protable homage and fruit ful admi rati on Still it has no t .

,

b ee n settled to w hat provi nce o f the soul this admiratio n be

longs I s it dependent on voluptuous b eauty ? T he higher
.

A the nian sculpture possesses no beauty to w hich that title

A67 0: s
p o
o opucbs eal
r I VBI J Os r os .
3 2 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

great A galm ata o f gold and ivo ry may follo w ; but a fe w

more words may be said o n the comparative e ffect o f bui ld
i ngs in their decay and o f ho w T ime which has deprived
, ,

them o f thei r sculpture supplies an e ffect and deep se nti me n t

,

o f his o wn w hich makes us forget the wa nt o f it or that it

, ,

o nce w as there We have all o f us see n G othic rui ns

.
,

and passed u nder their spell o f so ft regret ; if travel w e re

w o rth nothi ng else it would be i nvaluable if it o n ly ga v e
,

us a notion o f the rui ns o f an elder Past I t would ad d .

a nother trial to us who hold th e Christia n Faith if all its ,

churches were in rui ns ; because it would sho w us th at t h e

w orld had altogether forsake n us Still those rui ns w ould be .

i mpo rta nt histori cal mo n uments ; and have a pathos fo r a

Pagan or A g nostic ge neratio n in possession o f their e ndo w
me nts w hich would probably be t he deepest feel i ng o f w hi c h
,

it w ou ld be capable Such a feeli n g we all experie nce at .

,

Fu m es s o r Bol to n or Fou ntai ns and we naturally thi nk it
,

peculiar to Gothic rui ns because subtle associatio ns o f o u r ,

o wn lan d mi ngle w ith it T here the w allowe rs smell s we et

.
,

and the foxglove clusters dappled bells and th e sho rt tur f is ,

full o f thy m e or violets such as lea n over our o w n shephe rd

,

streams Gothic rui n is easier t o appreciate tha n Gree k : it

.

takes both study and travel and perhaps a little a rtist i c ,

trai ni ng t o apprec iate the e ffect o f one of the rui ns of all

,

Ti me H e bri ngs low the cloud capt to wers and gorgeous

.
-

palaces but there is a co nfused awe about those which ha ve

made the lo ngest sta nd : and w he n like the Parth eno n they
are central buildi ngs o f the world representi ng wide civilisa ,

tions and the great deeds and su fferi ngs o f ma ny races that
, ,

feeli ng is redoubled T he glorious sculpture and colour the

.
,

frieze o f A the n ia n k n ighthood beauty and sacrice the ivory , , ,

an d gold o f the to weri ng A gal m a are hardly missed as o ne ,

sits a stra nger in place and time among the marble blocks
, ,

w hich lo ng deed time no t in vai n o n ly to be shattered by ,

brute rage o f war A ll the i mmeasurable loss matters no t

.

the great la ndscape w ith its world w ide associations the ri ch -

,

all embraci ng light the te nde r colours o f t wo thousand years

-
,

are enough for us Sculpture we thi nk is necessary to o u r

.

w ild Gothic not here in the desolated ce ntre o f all sculptu re

, , ,
 TH E P A R T H E N ON .
33

no t the temple wh ere all w as emblem and i mage from the

in ,

A gal ma to the corners o f her pedestal We miss the w all .

ow e r sce nt and the tall foxglove ; b ut h ere gro ws the so ft

,

aca nthus gi ft o f the dust o f G reece itsel f the symbol o f
,
!
,

i mmortality risi ng fro m decay amo ng the potsherds o f the

,

earth : type o f forgotten glo ry w hich i s not lost be fore G od ;

pledge o f St Paul s h e pe o f forgiveness and yet greater
.

,

glory fo r the fathers whose ignorance H e wi nked at Y et .

shall ye be like to t h e w i ngs o f a dove that is co vered ,

w ith silver w i ngs and w i th feathers l ike g old

.
,

Stones (
y Venice, i p
. . 2 6.
 C H A PT E R III .

T HE E AR LY DE C AD E N C E .

P R OF E SSO R R U SK I N S m nemo n ic o f Gre ek art w ith a fe w

da tes and remarks may be su f cie nt t o bri ng us to ou r t ru e

,

poi nt o f depa rture w hich is th e C hristia n era A t that d at e

,
.
,

G reek sculpture and pai nt i ng may be co nsidered as naturali s e d

at R ome and applied w ith i mperfect success but the great e st
, , ,

magni ce nce to the decoratio n o f a ne w and most po w e r fu l

,

style in architecture .

The m ne m o nic divides the ni n e ce nturies B C as follow s . .

A A c h ai art 9 th 8 th and 7 th c ent i

. r c . , , u r es .

B . B es t 6th , 5 th , and 4t h
C . C orru pt 3 d , 2 nd , and t s t
r

T he best o r per fectly ce ntral w ork is prod uced in the ce n tral

age the fth ce ntury and may best be remembered by t h e
, ,

dates of the great battles o f the P ersia n i nvasion 490 8 0

79
66 ; as the preemi n e n ce o f A ttic art begi n s w ith t h e

employme nt o f P he id ias in the triu m phal reco nst ruction o f

A the ns . The archaic period i s o ne o f steady progress t he ,

corrupt centuries o f steady decli ne The three coi ns at p . .

1 1 2 o f A ratro P entelic i are highly graph i c examples o f

,

characteristics o f the three periods ; and the chapter itsel f

deserves care ful and repeated study A nd w e must here begi n .

t o recom me n d a list o f actual sculptures models an d at , ,

pictures o r photographs for perusal I t is thought better o n .

th e w hole t o give re fere nces o nly as the results o f w oodcu t ,

are almost al ways disappoi nti ng in poi nt o f accuracy and ,

good autotype and li ne e ngravi ng are too costly fo r thi s

book I t is far better that a stude nt should take it w ith
.
 TH E E AR L Y D E CAD E N C E .
35

h im to t he British M useu m and there take no more notice

o f it tha n by obeyi ng the i nj u nctio n to compare the casts
,

o f the IE gine tan marbles in the ga llery next the E lgi n

r o o m w ith the marbles o f that name and place H e w ill
,
.

s e e the di ffere nce bet w ee n archaic and best bet wee n ,

progress and culmi natio n I t is not too much to say that .

e very you ng m an w h o is readi ng a ncie nt history ought to

d o t h is But those w ho mea n t o bri ng arch e ology to bear

.

o n t he study o f history should go farther ; and make pro

g ress e n ough in actual dra w i n g t o be able to dra w a

statue at least w ith tolerable correctness as to scale and
, ,

a nato m y They w ill have to argue about form dra w i ng

.
, ,

and expressio n and t o j udge o f the dates o f w orks by their

character that is to say by their dra w i ng and expressio n

,
.

A nd it w ill be year by year better u nderstood that form is ,

no t m astered by eye and brai n u nless it has bee n follow ed

b y eye and ha nd ; and that it is no use talki ng about d ra w

ing u n less you c an dra w T he critic ought t o have at least .

hal f the k no w ledge o f the pupil teacher I t is certai n fro m -

.

the exp e rie nce o f teachers that ed ucated people acquire ,

graphic skill w ith peculiar facility w he never they take pai ns ,

about it o n a system and this they w ill nd it necessary to

do soo ner or later .

H o wever the great A galma o f the G od o r G oddess w as

,

o f course the ce n tral object o f a temple It stood fo r and .

e x pressed his P rese nce in his ch ose n place ; and all the
other decoratio n o f the buildi ng w as expressive o f his deal
i ngs w ith m e n and o f their se nse o f his glory
, I n these .

colos s al images there w as a co ncess i o n to great ness o r bigness

o f scale w hich w as a fte rwards repeated in the vast mo s ai c s
,

or Byzanti ne apses and the comparative small ness o f i nferior

deities and huma n creatures is ag ai n and aga i n im itated in
,

Ve netia n sepulchres But every gure in the Parthe no n w as

.

dedi cated to the w orship or the glo ry o f A the ne ; and such

dedicatio n u nq uestio nably gave a lofti ness of aim to the w ork ,

S St
ee of V n i
on esol iii p 7 8
e T om b o f
c e, vD ge Gi o ann.i D o.l no A D. . o v , . .
,

r3 5 6 . C h i st nth ned w ith two angel half i e the D ge and D ogares a

r e ro s, -s z : o s

k n eling be f
e H im ab t g i
o re f the angel
,
Lo d Li nd say e fers th is t th e
ou s ze o s . r r o

sm all tat
er s b n i h and by ome of th g eat C hrys l phantin
ues , or e n as V i ct
s y e r e e es or ,

b y th e P he id ian Ze f Olym pi a us o .

D 2
36 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

w hich n obod y doubts to have been connected with the l o fty

ideal of that Goddess most pure and a wful I t w as a d e .

cadence ln aim w he n a mo re eq uivo cal deity was re p re

sented and honoured w ith equal skill The G reek decade nc e .

is not in tech nical po w er o r science for the fou rth c e n t u ry , ,

at least Those w ho co nsider great art to consist chie y in

.

re neme nt in tech ni q ue w ill not allow that th i s was decay at

,

all T hose who thi nk it co nsists chiey in po w erful e x e c u

.

t io n o f lo ft y ideas wi ll make this co ncess i o n Whatever t h e .

Praxitelea n cha nge was i t w as prepared fo r by the rapid d e

,

cli ne in faith o r po w er o f belie f in the i mage The i m a g e

, .

became m ore and more a fetiche to the vu lgar and a pha nto m
to the w ise I t could no t satis fy o r co nvi nce or a ns w er t he
.
,

hard questio ns o f philosophy or o f li fe The ivo ry Zeus st o o d .

fo r all and i t w as nothi ng at all except the T hought o f th e ,

m urdered P h e id ias and w here he was it could not tell , .

The pleasa nter forms o f nature worship appealed at o n ce -

to re al and u n iversal passions and sti m ulated a w i de r ,

audie n ce by m ea ns o f a di ffere nt ra nge o f artistic subj ect

, .

T he O ld u n derstood Mo no t heis m w ith its xed sta nd ard o f ,

right and w rong its E ume nides and its ulti mate j udgm e n t
, ,

fell out o f me m ory The old cou ntry worship o f m a n s o w n '

n o t io n o f nature took its place and there n ever w as a truer bit

o f cy n icis m tha n the remark in L otha ir that nature w orshi -

p ,

al ways e nds in an orgie A phrodite bega n w ith P raxiteles and

.
,

the gen eratio n fo r whom he w rought t o prevail over A the ne , ,

and t o bri ng in a reti n ue o f her o w n w h o w ere pre ferred t o ,

amazo ns and heroic youths ; or to the for m s o f solem n ly

draped so ns and daughters o f A the ns in their highest and ,

purest mood o f adoratio n T h e D io nysia w ere not so m uc h

.

in h armo n y w ith lo fty sculpture as the P anat h e ne a ; si mpl y

bec a use A the ns dru nk w as no t so purely or te nderly e stheti c
as A the ns sober N o doubt the D io nysiac theatre and it s
.
,

statuesq ue groupi ngs w ere co nnected w ith sculpture ; bu t

,

the E u ri pidea n groups were no t quite like the old I E s c hyle an ,

and sculptural form w as m ore ideal tha n theatrical gestu re .

Besides the P anathene a did not cel ebrate t h ree days o f U n

,

bu ngings and
Pitchers and Pots A phro d ite w as n o t .

mO I y K6 and e
o '
l
u u,
p
the t h e d ay of th D i ny i a
,
o r e s e o s .
 THE E A R L Y D E CA D E N C E .
37

alien to io nysus ; an d P rax i teles i s her great m in i ster as

D ,

P he id ias o f A the ne .

I t see m s that the agnostic o r a ntire ligious views o f art

w hich are curre nt and are asserted to be preva len t at the
,

present day necessari ly in o u r view must degrade it sup

, , , ,

posi ng degradat io n to be a real and possible thi ng This .

is not in fact the case if there be no st an dard o f morality

, , ,

extern al t o ma n s j udgment ; for if m an be the m easure o f

all thi ngs then o ne ma n s j udg m e nt o f wh at degradation

,

may m ea n is as good as a nother s i e as w orth less By

,
. . .

w hatever n ame m e n call themselves or their view s they ,

ge nerally come sooner o r later to see w hat they reall y m ea n .

O u r agn ostics begi n to ack no wledge that k no w i ng nothi ng ,

o f the Ch ristia n s G o d they sta nd illogicall y o n C hristia n

m orality and they try to secrete m oral systems o f the ir ow n ,

w h ich are no doubt b eauti ful but possess n o authority w hat ,

ever except the author s or authoress s and perhaps the

'
, ,

sa nctio n o f the editor of a R eview It seems admitted on all .

ha n ds that if Gree k religio n was all w ro ng and false its art

, ,

i nspiratio ns w e re false ; that is to say w ere like idols nothi ng , ,

at all I f it was all bad the great thoughts and works wh ich
.
,

spru ng from it an d for a ge neratio n w ere e ntirely devoted

, ,

to it m ust have bee n altogether false and h ad also

, It , .

follo w s also that if G reek Pa ntheism or N ature w orship w as

,
-

an orga n izatio n or a decorative system o f gross se nsuality ,

and nothi ng else at any time G ree k art mi nistered t o

se nsuality and to that o nly o r to beauty as a mea ns to
, ,

that e nd This is the severest view on the religious side

. .

I t agrees fully w ith the atheistic as to the character of ,

G reek art on ly that it protests agai nst its assumed se nsuality

,

as si nful w hich the other e x treme does not Where these

, .

vie ws see m to fail is in their disregard o f the c hro nology o f

art ; and o f the parallel decade nce in aim hope and aspi , ,

ratio n w hich A the nia n sculpture and history seems t o us to

,

di s play T h e fact is t hat the relig i ous and irreligious public

.
,

in t his cou ntry as else w here live in about e q ual i natte ntio n
, ,

to actual relics or trust worthy records o f all gl y pt ic art ; and

that people have not quite mastered the fact that there are
statues and statues and that the dates of those we po ssess ,
3 s GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

ra nge over more tha n 800 years I t is no t reali se d t h at .

duri ng that time m e n o f di ffere n t morals produced wo rk o f

di ffere nt cha racter One c an be e nth us i astic o r argu me n t a
.

tive about any w ork o f art ; and any statue will do fo r

polemical purpo ses no w j ust as in older (and eq u all y
,

artistic) days any T orso from Zeus to Sile n us wo u ld d o t o

, , ,

throw on the heads o f o ne s advers aries in siege or on fall

.

Cou nt R io as a critic has lo ng bee n cashiered for C h ri s

, ,

t ian ity nevertheless every draughtsma n o r compete nt pers on

,

w ill tell you that he is per fectly right in w hat he s ays abou t
H eathe n decade nce ; if the expressio n and motive as w e ll , ,

as tech ni q ue of the E lgi n marbles are to b e take n i nto acco u nt

, .

They are o f gods and heroes A the ne and the A mazo ns and , ,

the ha nds which w rought them w ere h e roic as w ell as artisti c .

T h e Praxitelea n age lea ned to wards A phrodites and athlete s ,

and its w or k w as purely artistic in the highest degree O ne o r .

t wo statues or fragme nts ye t remai n w hich seem t o poi n t t o ,

a pe riod o f tra ns i tio n in feeli ng or executio n ; and the bes t

,

k no wn o f these may be said to be the Vatica n T orso and

the Samian H ere or Ve n us o f M elos T he latter may yet be .

said t o sta nd as a type o f pure and per fect w oma nh oo d ,

huma n and somethi ng more ; w oma n without toke n o f s in ,

an d as o ne m ade a little lo wer tha n the a ngels .

We m ust ba nish all symbolic stat u es and pe rs on i c at io n s as ,

G laucus the sea god o r Trito n and the A rcadia n P an t o t h e

-
, ,

archaic departmen ts as deities or to the post A lexa n dri n e ,

-

decade n ce if merely a rtistic gure s

, So also i ncom plet e .

forms like the H erm e H o wever they m ay have bee n

.

i mi tated or revive d in later sculpt u re they have nothi n g t o ,

do w ith us now far less tha n the z E gine tan m arbles w hi c h ,

are next t o our rst period of departure and w hich should b e ,

compared w ith the E lgi n marb les o n the archaic side Th e , .

origi nal s are at M u nich but there are good casts in t h e

,

B ritish M useum and elsewhere T h e s evere co nve ntio na l .

arra ngeme nt o f hair and the stereotyped s m ile o f a n cien t

,

G reek art are preserved though the gures represe n t th e ,

( E ac id e in e rce co n ict ( Se e A r a tro p . A nd t h i s , .

is perhaps the latest G reek exa m ple in our poss es s io n o f t h e

, ,

hieratic or symbolic style o f dedicated art which d e s ire d n o t

4o GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

that large nu mber o f literary person s who q uote Goe t h e

w ith ou t the c o ntext should remember t hat his remark a bo u t ,

miraculous p i ctures bei ng ge nerally b ad w orks o f art ap p li e s

t o H elle n ic i mage worship q uite as m uch as t o Chri s tia n
- .

T here is no doubt that athletic sculpture came do wn fro m

archaic times w ith an ho nourable naturalism o f its o wn o r ,

that it was one o f the orig inal sources o f portra i t Scu lpt u re .

Myron o f E leuthere and Polycleitus o f A rgos both excel le d

in it and in close and brillia n t study o f n ature
,
T he la tte r .

w as thought to have pleas ed the people best ; the for m e r

H e re m e n said ; b ut P he id ias

w rought o ut ,
revealed
Zeus This form ula o f disti ncti on is q uoted in A rat ra
.

P entelici ( p 3 5 ) from L ucia n and there c an be no bette r

.
,
.

P olycleitus is supposed to have written o n sculpture ; and t o

have illustrated his book by the re no wned D o ry phoru s o r
Spearma n an athletic model o f w hich two probable co p i es
,

w ill be fou nd in the British M useum I t remi nds o ne o f .

L eo nardo s Trattato or A lbert D iire r s Proportion s o f t he

'

H uma n Figure Polycleitus worked chiey in bro nze an d

. ,

his w orks have b ee n m e lted i nto oboli to pay mercena ri es ,

i nstead o f b ei ng b urnt i nto li m e to b uild fo rtresses .

A steady popular pre fere nce fo r the athletic o r c o m

m o nly naturalist style marks the perio d o f ti me w h ich e nd e d
-
,

an d succeeded the Pelopo nnesia n War A the ns and h e r .

citi ze ns were cha nged i ndeed from thei r rejoici ng fa ith in

Pallas their Goddess of Victory : they had falle n from h e r
,

and bee n forsake n and could look fo r heroic beauty no more

, .

I t was ti me for Praxiteles ; and no dou b t like E uripides h e , , ,

w as better tha n his ti m e A t all eve n ts if A the ns coul d

.
,

no t rei gn over G reece it saved her from m a ny an a fte r

,

destructio n to be ce ntral acade m y and m useu m o f G reece ;

and in m aki ng her that her citize n s did th eir b est fo r her
, .

E u p h ranor and L ysippus o f Sicyo n co nnect the school o f

Polycleitus w ith the R hodia n sculptors at or a fter th e ,

A lexa ndri ne epoch L ys ipp u s s choice o f athleti c su bj ects

.

did hi m and his art no disho nour But the old view o f t h e .

games as sacred rites o n w hich the gods looked heed ful ly

, ,

w as far out o f date by his t i m e A ll sculp t ure alike h ad .

b ee n s acred to t h e service o f the gods and a part o f t h e ,

 TH E E AR L Y D E C A D E N C E .
4 1

decoratio n o f thei r d welli ngs T he earl i er d vdp ia vr ee or

.
,

statues o f athletes were not matter of private o ste ntation ;

,

they w ere dedicated in temples and thought o f as e ig ies ,

of m e n w hom the gods had fa voured who had w o n in ,

ga m es w here N eptu ne it was whispered had o nce bee n

, , ,

s e e n in b odi ly for m The w re stlers toiled and strai ned in

.

h o nour o f thei r gods ; the pa n cratiast hit straight in pio u s ,

d u ty to Zeus ; an d w he n accide nts happe ned as they c on ,

t in u ally did there w as sorro w fo r the su fferers and also for

,

the people : the gods had sho wn displeas ure at their games .

A ll this had d ied out o f mi nd by the e nd o f the fth ce ntury .

L y s ippus see m s t o have m ade as few attempts at the supe r

,

hu m a n as he co u ld help and t o have treated sacred subjects

,

j ust as R u b e ns and Va ndyck did that is t o say as w ell as he ,

could fo r t he sake o f his art and his patro n not thi nki ng there ,

w as m ore in i t tha n in any other form o f good w ork m a nship .

A lexanar ine Ag e to R oma n T ransf erence

.

The school o f L ysippus or o f Polycleitus w as tra ns fe rred

, ,

to R hodes at the e nd o f the A lexandri ne epoch and sho wed ,

w o n der ful vitality in n aturalist o r athletic represe ntatio n It .

is best to speak o f its greater work s only ; more particularly

as th e y are the most commo nly k now n of all statues in
E ngl an d T heir date and authorship is in almost all cases
.

di s puted ; nevertheless they may be take n as represe ntative

o f t h e best e ff orts o f a very w ell i ns tru cted an d taste ful school
-

o f eclectic sculpture A s t o the i n ferior sculpture o f G reek

.

dec ade n ce w e are not particularly co ncerned w ith it as it

, ,

s e parates itsel f to co nti n ually i ncreasi ng dista n ce from the

u nco nscious spirituality o f the P h e id ian w ork and is as far ,

fro m it nally as from the rude C hristia n e fforts o f th e

, ,

rst or o f t h e thi rteenth ce ntury T he earl y Ch urch k new .

n othi ng o f the A rts except that they w ere b o u n d to the

,

service o f idolatry and immoralit y Sh e bega n with humble . ,

almost beautiless symbolisms though she o ft e n borrowed

,

for m s o f do m estic decoratio n whe n free from idolatrous ,

m ea n i ng and made them sacred emblems o f her o wn

,
.

T he w orks and names ge nerally co nnected w ith this third

P i nd ar OI ii 2 7 , . v . .
4 2 GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

period are w ell k no wn T he warrior o f A gas ias called th e .

,

Fighti ng Gladiator is probably the noblest ; and in t h e ,

O pi nio n of ma ny critics the D yi ng G ladiator or G aul ranks , ,

w ith it Both seem be yo nd the ra nge o f R oman or G re c o

.

R oma n skill eve n in the A ugustan age T h e L aocoo n is

, .

also re ferred t o this period and attributed to A ges an d er , ,

A pollodorus and A th e nd oru s o f R hodes , C asts o f t h e se .

2

works belo ng to every m useum T hey are freque n tly a e c o m .

p an ie d b y a n other male statue some w hat decie n t in li fe b u t , ,

o f yet greater purity and beauty o f form th e origi nal o f w h ich ,

i s still in the L o u vre I t is called the N ude Germa n i c u s .

,

and has bee n supposed to represe n t H erm e s pleadi ng and ,

t o be o f R oma n subject or origi n H o w ever the na m e o f .

,

KA E O M E N E C w h i ch is e ngraved on it see m s to re fer i t to

, ,

the you nger sculptor o f that name w ho ourished at A the ns

-

, ,

w ith G lyc on an d others shortly b e fore the destr u ctio n o f ,

Cori nth by M u m m iu s Glyc o n is the reputed author o f t h e .

Farnese H ercules and the elder C le o m e nes of the Ve nu s d e ,

M edici a so m ew hat u nsatis factory copy o f that o f C nid us by

,

Praxiteles to w hich it sta nds in the same relatio n as th e

A ntiope o f Corregg io to the Ve n u s o f Titia n The o n e .

represen ts b eauty for its o wn sake ; the other beauty fo r ,

the sake o f grosser associations .

These statues w ith the A pollo Belvedere and others abov e , ,

m e ntio ned o f the P rax ite lian epoch form the moder n E ng lis h
, ,

ideal o f sculpture ; and it is some w hat to be regretted tha t

a cou ntry w hich possesses full th ree fourths o f the existi ng -

relics o f the Parthe no n scu lptures should su ffer the pop u la r ,

atte ntio n to b e w ithdraw n fro m th e m I t is i mpossi b le t o .

H e is id d a a Ga l of th ti me of E m n f I gam
co n s ere s wh o u e u e es o

er us,

ov re c am th G alati an C l t i i mm i g ant
e e f A ia M i n - e c r s o s or .

I t i in d i p t wh th
3
s th l pt of th La n had ad th z d b k
s u e e er e sc u or e o c oo re e u oo

o f t he E Id o V i gil h ad
l C en th e g
,
p o f the La n I t i a typ ic al
r r se ro u o c oo . s

wo k ( at l ea t a t it
r nt al g
s ) in e
s p e t
o o f ac ad e m i k ill
s ce n d xe u
r u re r s c c s , re e e c

t i n and d g ad e d m t i
o ,
and e xp
e r i n Se man ay ( Gett a d H n
o ve re s s o . e s s er n eroe ,

p 348 ) that th i gh t a m has b en w ngly est ed and h ld t b t gg ling

. e r r e ro r or , s ou no e s ru

w i th th nak b t g a ping the bac k f th h ead in ag ny

e s e, u r s Th i W th th pen o e o . s, i e o

m th ee m t I I Y L ing hy p th si th at the h e i o ly ighi ng and

ou s IO es : s o e s, ro s n s
'

, s o ( C s
,

n t
o oc i f ati n
v
g B t t
er h at g at c i t i . m a k un th l at i ns f pai n t i nre
g r c s

re r s o e re o o

and poet y a e th l
r al abl e
r n th at a c
n on e t D i co
e d 1 5 06 nea t he
ess v u o c o un . s v e re , r

B ath f Ti t
s o and n w in th V at ican
us , o e .
 THE E AR L Y D E CAD E N C E .
43

hope fo r success in any expostulatio n w ith the public taste

fo r sculpture chiey b ecause n o such really publ ic or popular
,

taste exists N evertheless the lgi n marbles that is to

. E ,

say the metopes o f th e Parthe no n the frieze o f i ts cella and

, , ,

various colossal gures from its pedi me nts are in the British ,

M useum With th em are the marble relie fs of the temple

.

N ike A pt e ros later tha n P h e id ias but full o f the spirit o f h is

, ,

s chool . Further t here are good casts from the external and
,

i nternal sculpture o f th e T emple of Theseus and nally the

re m ai n i ng origi nals o f the P higalean marbles in pa rt repeti ,

t io ns o f the w orks o f the A ttic temples though by you nger ,

ha nds I f these models be no t su f c ie nt to gu ide the studies

.

o f a great school o f glyptic art no others ever c an create o ne ,

in E ngla n d But cli mate and associations must for ever tell
.

heavily agai nst o ne The physical and moral atmosphere o f

.

R ome and Flore n ce are full o f the arts of the past and till both ,

c ities are nally and completely vulgarised hich good ork

( w w
is proceedi ng w ith great rapidity) it w ill be eas i er to most
m e n to w ork at pai nti ng or sculpture in either tha n in L o ndo n ,

or in E nglan d H ar m less pleas ures of eye and ear the sight

.
,

o f mou n tai ns an d falli ng w aters the si mple and si ncere ,

delights o f su nset and s u nrise over sky u npolluted and la nd

u nd e le d the co m pany o f m en devoted honourabl y and
avo w edly to art n ot ashamed o f thei r w ork ; th e da ily sight
,

o f great relics o f the past w hich really prove the possibility ,

o f history and the reality o f a n cie n t days th ese aids or ,

m os t o f them are n ecessary to th e historical a rtist s li fe

'

, ,

u nle s s he be i ndeed o f the so ns o f giants A nd those w ho .

,

l ike Blake T ur ner or H olman H u nt prevail agai nst all

, , ,

o ppositio n an d over all di f cult y su ffer neve rtheless in their ,

vi c tory and produce not w hat they wo u ld have do ne but

, ,

w hat their fate per m its them .

The w orks o f P h e id ias are in L ondo n how ever and it is , ,

b etter fo r the stude nt to labour at them daily than to w a nd e r

from athlete to Fau n and from N ymph to A phrod ite o r , ,

ru n through m iles o f seco n d rate sculpture I t is not that -

.

the later w orks are no t most beauti ful ; but he w ill learn
m ost by goi ng to the ach i eveme nts o f the gre at master ,

w ithout w hom they would no t have bee n what they are .

44 GR E E K A ND GOT H I C

We cannot de ne Purit y here : we c a nno t tell the p u bli c

what we mean b y Breadth : nobod y i s agreed as to t h e
m ea n i ng o f the w ord L ife A ctio n H armo ny R e p os e .
, , .

Si ncerity ep vdp ca xdp t s are simple ideas and u nd e n

, , , ,

able .Superiority in respect o f some o f these q ual i ties d is

t ing uish es th e P h e id ian sculpt u re fro m o ther w orks ; but fu l l
u ndersta nd i ng or appreciat i o n o f them c an hardl y be le arnt

w ithout accurate dra w i ng w hich w e ear nestl y comme nd t o ,

our readers Fo r the draughtsman success ful or u nsucces s fu l

. , .

at least sees a statue full y and thoroughly and to a de gree ,

o f w h ich t h e u npractical critic never has o r c an have an

y
i dea till h e h imsel f becomes a drau g htsma n
, .

The w onder ful vital it y and fert ility o f all the G reek school s
o f art w il l be n oticed herea fter in ou r chapter o n R o m e .

Pro fessor Maha ffy says i t is a fact w h i ch he thi nk s will n eve r

be expla i ned ; b ut his ow n accou nt o f the leisure o f G re e k
li fe seems to t h ro w m uch light o n it H o wever R oma n art .
,

is an e x press i o n w hich c an o nly be us e d u nder protest and ,

w ith expla nat i o n si nce eve n do w n to the middle ages R o m e

was rather the p atro ness and great ce ntral galler y o f I t aly ,

tha n the seat o f an act ual and livi ng sch ool o f art ; and
eve n now her attractio ns to the artist are chie y histori ca l
and social ; though o ne must add those o f cheap pleasa nt ,

livi ng freedom or laxity o f co nduct appreciati ng society

, , ,

freq ue nc y o f patro ns and the easy w ay t o w hat i s calle d an

,

E uropea n reputatio n .

But the vitality o f G ree k art is the livi ng pri nciple o f all
art I t m ea ns in fact delighted study o f the w ork o f god s
.
, ,

k no wn o r u nk nown I n spite o f se nsuous frailt ies someti m es

.
,

more in the eye o f the gazer tha n in the m i nd o f the sculptor ,

the G reek was capab le o f seei ng fair form and colour w it h

delight fo r many a ce ntury o f natio nal depe nde nce or servi
tude T he R oma n was too great a pl u n derer to be a w ork
.

man or scholar I t was easier to imp o rt sculpture and

.

pai nti ngs than to learn to produce them o nesel f Very m u ch .

the same phenomeno n is observable in the practical A m erican

v i e w o f literature w hich c an hardly get re m u nerated in N e w
,

Y ork b ecause it is obta i nabl e b y every m ail from L o ndo n o n

,

gratuitous terms .
 THE E AR L Y D E CA D E N C E .
45

O ne further expla natio n or j usticatio n may e nd thes e

remarks o n epochs o f Greek sculpt u re I t was necessary to .

call atte ntio n to the religious origi n and motives o f all early
G ree k sculpture because t he impress i o n has bee n spread
,

abroad that it is essent i ally i mmoral and a nti t h eistic B u t -

.

though from the earliest days to the prese nt A rt has m i n istered

t o R eligio n there is no doubt that modern t i mes have sepa
,

rated them o r that A rt has falle n from her reasonable se rvice

, .

The Chri s tia n Fa i th can i ndeed d o without her ; and no doubt

ma ny good Christia ns thi n k it ou gh t t o be so Purita n .

rel igio n is per fectl y u nq uestio nab le and where it pred o m i ,

n ates the highest w ork o f art certai nl y never appears What .

w e assert is that in a n cie n t G reece and elsewhere me n s

, ,

aspiratio ns co ncerni ng their gods i nsp i red their highest

atte m pts in art : that i nsti ncts methods and tradition s o f , ,

architecture sculpture and pai nti ng pas se d from G reece

, , ,

t h rough R ome and Byza ntium to the C hr i stia n C hurch : that ,

Chri s ti an m e n for ma ny centuries have cared greatly for

art istic ex press i o n or sy mbolism o f spiritual thi ngs ; that
m a ny o f the greatest w ork s o f Italy and t h e N o rt h have bee n
produced accordi ngly : that such prod uct i on will al ways be
attempted till the spiritual aspi ratio ns o f a race are e x t inc t :

an d that then A rt w i ll fa ll back on m ateria l o r se nsual

i m pulses and so peri sh o r su s tai n a cha nge w hich w i ll

, ,

re nder her in our v i e w a bad thi ng and not a good o ne

, , .

Fu rther w e w ish to i llustrate the connect i o n o f G reek and

,

Gothic art not o nl y b y historical success i o n o r i nheri t a nce ,

o f m odels and tech n i q ue but by the g reat pri ncip le o f study

,

fro m nature and faith ful ness to co n crete Beauty as fou n d

,

and o b served in all thi ngs in their places in G od s creatio n

.

A s the Books o f H is Wi ll fo r us have come to us throug h

G reek la nguage o f l etters s o the study o f H is Book o f ,

N ature has bee n delivered t o us th rough G reek la nguage o f

symbol For the G ree k havi ng o nly th e boo k o f N ature
.
,

ope n to h im read therei n so faith full y that in m a n y respects

, ,

he is still apt t o teach the C hrist i a n a rt i st to stud y N ature

a fter h im .
 C H A PT E R IV .

P A I N TI NG .

T HE begi nni ng o f A ratra P entelic i contai ns o ne o f t h e

best classicatio ns o f the three arts w ith w hich I am
acq uai nted as far as that c an be do ne by givi ng the b road e s t
,

yet most accurate accou nt o f w hat w e reall y mea n by th e

w ords architecture sculpture and pai nti ng
,
We have si m p ly
,
.

three d ivisio ns o f art o ne that o f givi ng colours t o substa n c e ;
,

a nother that o f givi ng form t o substa nce w ithout q u estio n o f

, ,

resista nce to force the third that o f givi ng such form o r p o s i

,

t io n t o substa n ce as w ill make it best capable o f such resi s t

a nce T h ere is pai nti ng o n canvas and o n chi na and o n ho u s e
.
, ,

w alls ; there is sculpture o f carvi ng and hammeri ng an d , ,

chiselli ng and casti ng ; there is architecture o r buildi ng u p o f

,

palaces ploughshares b ig and litt le gu ns and the lo fty rhy m e

, , ,

the latter to resist criticism and Time Milto n s use o f t h e .

w ord build sho ws h ow he exte nded its ra nge over all proces s e s
o f co n structio n or eve n compositio n ; and I have heard h is
,

m ute and i nglorious cou ntryme n talk excusably o f b uil d i ng

a puddi ng or a pair o f boots The n w he never you redu c e a

.
,

shapeless m ass o f matter to a shape that is sculpture w he n ,

ever you d is po sc co lours in per m a ne nt relatio n o n or in a

solid substa nce you are pai nti ng and m uch m ore t o th e sa m e
,

,

excelle nt pu rpose : particularly the tw o i m porta nt o b serva

tio ns ( 1 ) that ge nerally speaki ng pai nti ng and sculptu re
, ,

are imitative and archit e cture m erely use ful ; and ( 2 ) th at

sculpture and pai nti ng as imitative operatio ns for m in p art
, ,
.

G la tape t y ss or s r .
4 s GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

a fter wards rub ri ca or red ochre were the materi als T h e re ,

-
,
.

are four a ncie nt mo nochromes in the M useo Borb o n ic o

at N aples gured in L e A nt ich ita d E rcolano v o l i

. .
, , ,

plates 1 2 3 4 , , , .

So begi ns a native sch oo l o f art in G reece or a nyw h e r e ,

else ; but as o ne race learns from a nother and tak es p o s ,

session o f previous discovery as a matter o f cou rs e such p ro ,

gress is not o fte n traceable from the begi nni ng T h e G re e k s .

no doubt lea rnt somethi ng o f n e sur face bas relie f fr o m -

E gypt ; and w ith it much use o f colour o n sculptu re an d ,

o n the at T hey certai n l y ti nted or brought colour i nt o bas

.
, ,

relie fs and stat u es T hey ti nted the Pa nathe naic pro c e ss io n.

in the Parthe no n that w as or at its height it told as p ai n ti ng , ,

acce nted b y projectio n or sculpture A fte rwards they m ad e .

beauti ful little coloured statuettes at T a nagra and else w h e re ; ,

t hat w as sculpture acce n ted by pai nti ng The thi ng w as t o .

get relie f or proj ectio n i nto pai nti ng o n the at in d iff ere nt ,

colours I t w as easy to step fro m mo nochrome to at p o l y

.

chrome and the fu rther steps o f co m bi ni ng varied colo u r w i th

light and shade o f getti ng the right light and s hade in e ac h
hue and the re ected lights w hich vary both shade and c ol o u r
, ,

are the propert y o f t he H elle n ic rac e O utli ne in polyc h ro m e .

w ithout much light and shade th e y had e ndless an d v e ry ,

n o b le e x amples o f in E gypt Such i nstructio n ma y h av e

, .

bee n co nveyed throu gh the I o nia n and Caria n a u x ilia rie s o f

P s am m e t ic h u s early in the sixth ce ntu ry D C
, But X o an a . .

or archaic i m ages o f the gods must have bee n pai nted l o n g

be fore and the great co m bi natio ns o f the e e c t o f sculpt u re
'

an d at pai nti ng w hich g o to make a gra nd historical pai n ti n g ,

see m to begi n fro m the wo rks o f Polygnotus .

With him pai nti ng w as adva nced to the serv ice o f the g o ds ,

and to the w ork o f n atio nal record and comme m oratio n k ept ,

al wa ys in the temples o f the gods H e pai nted the tal e o f .

Troy in the L esche or public portico o f D elphi ; pe o ple ,

thought his draperies beauti ful ; and his Cassa ndra bl ushed
del ight fully} H e also pai nted in the Te m ple o f Theseu s at
l

For the Le h at D el phi th e e i a m st int ti ng a t i l

sc e , r s o e res r c e, w t i h ill u ~ t rat io ns

wort he ve n m t han e b al d c i pt i on b y th
o re d it
v r f th C l es r , e e or o e ass ical d im m ers.

Vol i ,
. . Pa ke r r, 185 1 .
 P AIN T I N G .
49

A the ns , took his share in the pa nel pai nti ngs agai nst th e
an d

lo ng wall o f the Stoa Pe cil o or Pai nted Colo nnade in the , ,

sa m e city ; also at Plate a and T hespie H e an d M ic on ma y .

have worked w ith P ane nu s on the re no wned Battle o f

Marathon in the P e c ile .

A nd as w e have be fore i ndulged in compari sons betw ee n the

G reek cities o f the Peloponnesia n War and the M u nicipia o f
N orthern I tal y in their C h ristian medi e val form and p e riod
,
-
,

and so far brought G reek and G oth or N o rth m an together ,

w e m ay go o n to atte m pt some ki nd o f parallelism be t wee n

the Campo Sa nto o f Pisa and the P e c ile o f A thens T hey .

have like ness e nough as galle ries of great works o f nati ve

pai nters and Polygnotus M ic on and P ane nus may sta nd over
, , ,

agai nst Giotto Orcagna and Benozzo Goz z oli By what we

, ,
.

k now o f their execution P ol ygnotus in his latest time must , , ,

have been somethi ng like Orcagna more like G iotto in his ,

earliest H e was o f the old H ome ri c type o f an cient pa inti ng

.
,

as m en said in Pli ny s time and pai nted wi th sacred o r his

t o rical motive or no t at all H e represents as Mr Wom u m

, .
, .

says the essential s tyle of pai nti ng : his s ubj ect s are gods and
,
'

heroes li ke P heid ias s he rep res ents the rs t of M r Wom um s

,

.

three e ras o f G reek pai nti ng th ose o f developm ent o f estab , ,

,

lis h m e n t and o f re ne m e nt sa y B C 600 400 340 . . .

The sketches o f P rogres s and D ecadence in E pochs of

P aint ing coi ncide full y w i th Pro fe ss or R usk i n s v i ews e x

,

pres sed in A ratra P entelic i and e lsewh ere Greek and Gothic .

art have both ali k e their peri ods of spiritual and lo fty aim of ,

n aturalism and realism and o f lost ai m and materi alism ,

.

D isti nctio ns bet wee n religious and moral art and art de ,

scriba b le by the co rrespondi ng negatives are no moder n ,

pietis m but as old as the critics of P he id ias and his succes

,

sors Polygnotus is the pai nter of morals or character axyaOcis

.
,

H e may have b ee n neare r the ce ntral school o f

Flore nce in his po wer o f draw ing and I believe Mr W o m u m , .

sa ys he is related to the Alexandri ne artists as Bott ic ell i to

the C aracci at Bologna P ane nu s the nephe w o f P he id ias .
, ,

For the C nidians, he pai nt s in the Le chs e the fall of Troy , the p reparat ons i
for return, and the vis it of Ul ysses to the Shad es .

i
Ar s totle, P o et . vi .
5 0 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

i s compared to H olbei n fo r kee nness o f observat i o n and

record B ut as i t is certa i n that Polyg notus compo s e d h is
.

pictures w ithout perspective or elaborate or natural g ro u p i ng

,

o nly in parallel li nes the nearer at bottom and t h e m o re

, ,

dista nt at top I sho uld thi nk it better to compare h is w o rk

,

w i t h those I talia n pictures which still displa y so m e c o n

s id e rable archaism M uch is said a bout the archi tec t u ral
.

bala nce o f his compositio ns w ith equal numbers o n e ac h

,

s ide ; perha p s with like ness or a nalogy to the w o rk s o f

G iotto at A ssisi The great work o f the P e c ile w as c e rt ain ly
.

the Battle o f Maratho n ; a rather curious i nsta nce o f a p e rfe c tly

historical combat w ith ma ny mythic episodes o f it s o w n ,

believed b y co ntemporaries and actors in the very ev e nt .

T h e hero E c he t lus had appeared quelli ng the Pe rsia n r an ks

,

w ith his ploughshare a hostile shado w had bee n a m o ng the

A t he nia ns all covered w ith its shado w y beard slayi ng and
, ,

striki ng bli nd ; and E p iz e lu s o f A thens who saw it fel l h is ,

right hand m an never s aw on earth agai n

-
, P an h ad .

appeared to Phidippides the ru nn er P h oeb u s A poll o h ad

.

de fended his own D elphi in perso n and se nt stor m and ,

earthquake rui n an d m ad ness o n the Mede D emarat u s the

, , .

Sparta n had told o f his vision in the T h rias ian plai n h ow the ,

w o nted revel o f D io nysus we nt fro m A the ns to E leusis at its

time though A the ns was in ashes and E le u sis and all the
,

la nd u nder the Persian spoiler N either m an no r woma n w as

.

le ft to w ait upo n the god but the dust cloud o f his pro c es -

sio n set fo rward all the same w ith the cry o f the m ysti c
,

I acchus ; and turn ed as ide to brood a bove the m a s t s of

Salamis . A ll this was cert ai nl y believed by m e n w ho h ad
fought at Salamis ; that is to say they repeated the t a le to ,

each other and it seemed likely e nou gh no t a thi ng t o be

, ,

questio ned bu t cheerfully accepted by m e n employe d in

, ,

maki ng history i nstead o f a nalysi ng it and in doi ng g reat ,

deeds rather tha n i nvestigati ng their ow n me ntal operatio ns .

Such belie f was a part o f their triumph Go d had cert a i nl y .

,

and beyo nd all ma nner o f doubt bee n w ith A the ns ; an d no,

A the nia n could fo r the li fe o f him see any absurdit y in h is

havi ng been prese nt in the shape o f E c hetlu s or u nd e r the
veil o f a cloud o f dust .
 P A IN T I N G .
5 :

The R oma ns o t the earliest R epublic in the same c en ,

tu ry w ere scarcely in fact idolaters and had not s o

, , , ,

ready or varied a belie f as the G reeks in the local mytho

logy o f w oods and rivers But they had heard th eir .

Sylva n cry from the w ood that R ome had w on by a si ngle

death and were glad t o thi nk the t w i n so ns o f L eda had
,

fough t be fore the ra nks o f R o m e at R egillus T heirs was .

n o t the faith o f ho n est doubt no w so much pre ferred b ut o f ,

ho nest occupatio n in other w ork tha n doubt O ne cannot .

de n y the coge ncy o f L ord Macaulay s parallel of the appear

a nce o f St James o n a gra y horse at the head o f the a rra y o f

.

Cortez and he re m ark s that the age in w hich that ( lie I am ,

a fraid is his expressio n) was pri nted was one o f pri nti ng
,

,

pre sses libraries u niversities scholars logicians j urists and

, , , , , ,

statesme n But w orthy Bem al D iaz he says wh o w rote
.
, ,

an accou n t o f the expeditio n believed in the appearan ce ,

agai nst his ow n se nses H e sa ys that he w as in the battle .

,

an d that he s aw a gray horse w ith a m an o n his back but

that the m an w as to his thi nki ng Fra ncesco d e Morla and
, , ,

n o t Sa n tiago N evertheless Be m al add s it may be that

.
, ,

the perso n on the gray horse was the glorious apostle Sai nt
J ames and that I si n ner that I am was u nw orth y to see
, , ,

him .

Be m al D iaz probabl y kne w o f a ch urch orga nisation
called the I nquisitio n and its c e nsorship o f sceptical historia ns
,

but in his ti m e such a narrat ive seriousl y related in pri nt no t ,

by h im in the rst i nsta n ce but b y a chaplai n o f Cortez seems , ,

to have had an element o f falsehood or o f reckless ness o f truth , ,

about it w hich ca nnot be imputed to either Greek or R oma n

,

w arriors H eathe n miracles w ere no t in fact made evidences

.
, ,

o f religio n or applied to prove dogma ; they were though t

,

rather li kely thi ngs but they followed from the G ree k pan
,

theism o f nature I f there were divi ne bei ngs all about they
.
,

w ould probably do superhuman thi ng s ; and people w ho s aw

them would w o nder i e call what they saw miraculous or , . .

w o n der ful Bernal D iaz was in error or illogical in believi ng

.
, ,

in an a nthropomorphic po ssibility o f sai n ts retur ned to the

bo dy ; but if such bei ngs are allowed to exist and come on earth ,

V arro, M
0 St Augustine, D e C ir) D ei, iv
. . . c .

In L ays f
o A nc ient R ome, 8 9, ed 1 84 7 p . . .

E 2
5 2 GR E E K A ND GO T H I C .

there is no wo nder at their bestridi ng g ray horses and deali n g

dry blows .

We are not told what Cortez thought o f the appeara nc e

o f Sa ntiago nor if Peri cles said a nythi ng about the pha ntoms
,

o f Maratho n o r Sala m is H e pro b ably quoted H omer and

.
,

reected how P eisistratus had brought the beauti fu l and

giga ntic Phya w ith him dressed and armed like A thene o n ,

o ne o f h i s re e ntra nces i n to the A cropolis But it w as as

-
.

natural to those who believed o r delighted in imagi n i ng ,

these w o nde rs to rep resent t hem in the temples as to fth

, ,

ce ntury Christ i a ns to do the early Old T estament mosaics

o f Sa nta Mar ia Maggiore at R ome o r o f S Vitale at , .

R ave nna in the next cen tury H istory repeats itsel f because .
,

the same great human impulses are pri nciples o f action in all
ages H istory never repeats itsel f w i th out cha nge for those
.
,

pri nciples work o n di fferent m e n and u nder d ie rent circum

'

sta nces Wh at the E gyptia n pai n ters did the Greek o f

.
,

A the ns and the Greek o f Byza nti um and the R oma n o f

the a ge of A laric and the L ombard o f the age o f D a nte all
d id a fter their fashio n They w rote upo n their walls th e
, .

thi ngs they thought best w orth telli ng in the stro ngest nar ,

rat ive la nguage they k n ew in sharp for m and pure colour

, .

E gyptia n work had go ne be fore o n the same roa d I t had .

been chie y record o f co nq uest in h as relie f w ith col o ur o r ,

-

w ithout and in colour relieved or u nrelieved

, It had repre .

se nted its gods as prese nt amo ng the labou rs and the stri fe o f
m en . Still i ts o nl y o bject had been pure record ; it was not
al ways in sw i ft progress of skill beauty and i nterest li k e the , , ,

G reek ; i t had no t the emotio nal attempt at be auty in reli

g io u s expressio n w hich the Christia ns made fo r ce n turies an d ,

at las t with such great results a fter they had lea rnt the lesso ns ,

o f earlier ages I t had its own subli mity and beauty but was
.
,

s te m l li mited by co n ve ntio nal aim and rule It n ever

y .

sought artistic beauty fo r its o w n sake A ll E gy ptian

pictures says M r Wom u m
,

appear to be si mple records
.
, ,

social superstitious o r political E gypt ia n pa inti ng was more

, ,

a symbolic w riti ng tha n a liberal art in a word a coloured ,

hieroglyph Perhaps t h e traditio nal pictures of j udgme nt and

.
,

'
H dt . r
. 60 .
 P AI N T I N G .
53

t he sy mbolic (not really represe nted ) prese nce o f their gods

may be considered w ork o f high er aim but at all events the

s tan dard o f tech n i q ue was u n fairly and hopelessl y k ept dow n .

See Pli ny s H is t N at xxxv 5 1 5 See also R a w li nso n s

-
. . . .

H erod otus vol ii p 2 9 2 t o t he follo w i ng e ec t :

'

, . . . Pai nters
,

and sculpto rs w ere forbidden to i ntrod u ce any cha nge or i n no

vation whatever i nto the practice of their respective arts or in ,

any way to ad d to them T he practice o f E gyptia n artists .

was thu s u ni form from ge neratio n to ge neratio n We learn .

also fro m Syne s iu s that it was co ns i dered a n ecessary system

t h at pai nti ng and sculpture shou ld n ot be practised by i llite

rate p e opl e lest they s hould attempt a nythi ng co nt ra ry to the
,

es tabli sh ed order of sac red thi ngs amo ng w hi c h the re presen ,

tat ions o f the gods w ere c ertai nl y o f the rst i mporta n ce .

H owe ver as various an imal s were specially symbolic o f deity

, ,

i t may be s upposed that great skill and force o f character

wo u ld be attai ne d in th e outli ne dra w i ng o f s u ch creatures ; -

s i nce pra ct ically nothi ng more tha n outli ne w as allow ed

an d ac co rdi ngl y E gyp tia n outli ne is o ften po w erful in the

e x tre me A m an w ould be li k ely to draw a haw k or
,

an ib is w ell wh o believed that Go d w as in the ha w k or

,

th e ibi s .

H ow s trange i t se ems that both in pai nti ng and sculpture

the wo rk o f E gy pt sho u ld remai n in greater per fect io n at s o
far greate r an age tha n that o f G reece I t was a tech nical .

nece ss i ty t hat the imperi shable gra nites and porphyries (as

we shall se e hereafter) should be cut i nto co nve ntio nal an d

c h ange les s and t here fore almost imperishable forms ; and

they re ma in in u nq uestioned order while the marble of ,

Ph i d ias is in piteous fragme nts and t he work of Polygnotus ,

is l ost and c o njecturally compared to that o f all Flore nti nes

,

from C i m ab u e to San dro Botticelli .

A t all e ven t s about B C 400 and partly it ma y be w ith

, . .
, , ,

P ane n us a tim e of more sculpturesque pow er in pai n ti ng

,
.

began with more vigorous proj ectio n b y mea ns o f greater

,

re ne me nt o f ligh t and shade I pre fer to speak o f re ne .

ment rat her tha n force in G ree k C hiaroscuro because w e ,

Wom um , p
39, and ersonal ob servation of
. p bi rd s in the H eliopo litan ik
obel s

and in the D esert of Sinai, at ad y M agh arah W .

54 GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

mode m s associate the idea o f force in li ght and shade w it h

a R embrandtesq ue style totall y alien from all G ree k pri n ciples
o f temple decoratio n
- But tow ards th e end o f the fth
.

century B C correct and vi g orous draw i ng s eems to have

. .

ta ken the place o f that atness and low relie f w hich had
hitherto existed in deco rative pai nti ng I t must be remem .

bered that at this time all pai n ti ng w as deco rative adapted to ,

special and pre ordai ned places in public bu ildi ngs and w hich
-
,

the architecture reall y determi ned ; and that power o f s hade

a nd projectio n o f form may have bee n sacriced to decorative

purpose G reat pictu res w ere all public property adapted to

.
,

great buildi ngs T h e remark made above as to shallow bas

.
,

relie f bei ng suitable to i n door or d iu s ed li ghts may apply to

powe rful c hi aroscuro in pai nti ng C ertai nl y no early Gree k.

pai nte r w ould have thought o f deceptive action or ultra ,

n aturalism to impose on the se nses in the decoratio ns o f a ,

t emple. The ti m e for buryi ng i mportant w orks in pri vate

galleries had not arrived nor had the pro fessed collector made
,

h is portentous appeara n ce betw ee n P e ire u s and Mars H ill .

A nd as pict ures were valued n ot o nl y in relat i o n t o their

subjects (though from the cho ic e o f gra nd mot i ves one can
, ,

see that w e nt rst ) but viewed also primaril y as pieces o f

,

colour decoratio n subordi nate to ge neral e ec t o f colour it is

'

-
, ,

probable that their hues w ere kept al ways light in to ne o r at ,

l east o n a very eve n scale o f light and shade Pol ygn ot u s and .

P ane n u s appear to have made no attempts at illusion or

at projecti ng their gures ou t o f their frames rightly pre ,

ferri ng that thei r pict u res should loo k like pi ct u res and th ei r ,

heroes co nti nue in their proper places o n the walls .

A pollodoru s o f A the ns ( born about 460) was accord i ng t o ,

Plutarch the i nve ntor of to ne or the rst great master o f

, ,

light and shade wh o observed and recorded reected lights ,

and also th e reectio ns o f colour w hich they i n volve si nce ,

light al wa ys partakes in some slight d egree o f th e hues o f the

obj ect fro m which it is retur ned Previous pai nters had .

gradated simply b y d imi nishi ng light o r addi ng shade ;

A pollodorus cha nged and gradated the colour also with
the shadow H e nce his shado ws had a truth an d pow er
.

o f represe n tatio n which as Philemo n H olla nd s P liny says

, ,
5 6 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

subj ect . H e avoided says the i nge nious dialog is t such , ,

vul gar or hackneyed subjects as gods heroes or battles , , ,

and al ways selected somethi ng new and u nattempted ;

then follow s a descr ipt i o n o f th e far fa m ed C entau res s o f -
,

wh i ch he s aw a copy at A the ns the origi nal havi ng bee n lost ,

at sea o n its way to R ome whither it had been se nt by ,

Sulla . T he li ne which Zeuxis and A pollodorus w ere ac cus

to med t o w r i te upo n th e ir pictures ma y apply fairly to
both ; as t o ma ny g reat m e n and their critics in after
'

days
m p a erai rt : p athos i
; ; p
u a er ar .

P arrh as iu s is said to have bee n Ze u x is s equal or in some

se nse his superior H is great po wer o f li ne is specially d welt

.

o n and there is much co nce rn ing his delicacy o f es h ti n t and

,
-

nish A s he pai nted pictures o f a somewhat abomi nable

.

description one in part icu lar which a fterwards ado rned the
, ,

bedcha m ber o f T iberi us his w orks may be thought to have ,

preceded those o f Zeuxis in the favour of that emperor and his

contempo raries for that reaso n ,
.

T im anth e s s name w ill probably be fo r ever remembered

by his i nge nuity or i ngen uous ness in veili ng his A gamem non
, ,

in the Sacrifice of Iphige nia The a ncie nts says M r .
,

Worn u m have all given the i n cident their u nq ualied ap

,

probatio n but its propriety has bee n questio ned b y several

,

mode rn critics especially by Falco net and Sir Joshua R e y

,

ne ld s
. Fuseli how ever in an elabo rate and excelle nt critique
, ,

has probabl y settled the matter in favour o f the pai nter .

For ever we t rust for th e sak e of all parties

, ,
.

E up o m pus of Sicyo n is the last very disti ngu i shed pai nter
o f this period Fro m Pli ny s a necdote o f him a po we rful
.
,

i ndividuality and open eye fo r natural character and bea u ty

seem to have been his stro ng poi n ts and his po w ers ex ten ded ,

over sculpture as w ell as pai nti ng H e is said to have .

told the you ng L ysippus who asked him w hom he should ,

choose as his model to loo k abroad o n th e crowd h e saw,

about them and mak e nature his model not an art i st

, , .

The very same advice has been give n or follo wed by good
artists through all the i nterveni ng time and may be summ ed ,
 P AI N T I N G .
57

up in the Slad e Pro fessor s adv i ce in T he T wo P aths

not o n ly t o cop y R a fae l but t o study N ature as R a fael ,

studied her .

T he names o f A pelles P amphilus o f A mphipolis Protogen es

, , ,

N ico m ac h u s and A ristides P aus ias o f Sicy on N ici as o f A th e ns

, , , ,

E uph ranes A t henion and T heo n are ch ie f in the A lexa ndri ne

, , ,

p e riod o f pain ti ng (say 34 0 w hich correspo n ds w ith ,

strict a nal ogy o f motive and obj ect to the seventee nth ,

ce nt u ry sch ools of the I tali an R e naissa nce It seems as if .

the bes t peri od s o f the Florentine R oman sc h ool s tood in

t he same rela tio n to the Bolognese and late Ve net i a n ( a fter
Vero nese) as A pollodorus or perhaps Zeu x is to A pell es , , ,

t hou gh th e latter probably po ssessed m u ch o f the pow er o f

Vero nese It is si ng ular th at we should have t estimo ny
.

so decided as A ristotle s ( Poet

vi supra) on P olygnot us s

. .
,

po wer of ch aracter and g ra ti fyi ng to nd so great a ,

thi nker thus givi ng ev i de nce in favour o f high thought A t .

all eve nts the d evelopment o f decay o f Greek pai nt i ng as

, ,

o f scu lptu re is pa ralle l w ith the progress good or evil of

, , ,

G ree k character Begi nni ng w ith aspi ratio n and great ach i eve
.

me nt it e nds w i th i ngen uit y the endless m ul tipl i cation of

, ,

ordi nary work s and the production o f ve ry e x traord i nary o nes

, .

H aving d i ctated not arts o nly but law t o R o me the G ree k ,

bec omes her pedagogue scholi ast art istic m in i ster of luxury , , ,

and worse Y e t fo r all that while art e x ists he is its master

.
, , ,

and in pro c ess o f time G ree k han ds in their extreme o f ,

wea kness w ere o nce more stre ngthe ne d by the Christia n

,

Fa i th to show T euto nic students the way the i r u ntrai ned

,

strengt h c ould not tread ; to the a ncie nt study o f Beau ty in

natu re to th e g lory o f the L ord o f nature
,
.

T he d i smal t itl e of wrap ro ypdcpoe seems to have bee n earned i

by P arrhas iu s rst of the great pa i nters but it was applied

, ,

a lso to A ristides Pa u sa nias and others That this k i nd o f

, , .

pa inting should have been a regular bra nch o f art is no t to be

wo nd e re d at in the Ptolem e a n period or that o f the R oma n
co nq u es t of C ori nth ; but the frequ en t pract i ce o f such
work and that by great m e n show s an exact parallel i sm o f
, ,

dec l ine betwee n th e Greek and modern schools T he falli ng .

off is not at rst in tech nicalities they rath er adva nc e for ,

W o m um , p . 1 09 .
5 8 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

t he y monopolise the attent io n of th e a rt ist i t is the spir i t o f

art which departs M en ca nnot long be creative or poetic
.

about bodily passio n because it o nly re peats i tsel f and palls

, ,

by law of nature The i nspiration o f art is the spri ng o f

.

art and soo ner or later m en o f honour and spirit ual feeli ng
,

beco m e aware that art is purs u ing the worthl ess T hey the n .

declare art itsel f w orthless Such was th e P u rita n fee li ng .

,

w hi c h rst displayed itsel f amo ng ourselves o n a gra nd scale

whe n C rom w ell dispersed the collectio ns o f Charles I I t had .

appeared be fore in Ital y in Savo narola s holoc austs o f va nities

,

at Flore nce when many pictures were co nsumed as w e are

, ,

i nformed and probably few much regretted Similar causes

, .
,

physical and spir i tual produce similar e e c ts in di fferent ages

'

and places The n ames o f A pelles and Protogenes how ever

.
, ,

are not i ncluded in the dreary list o f pai nters o f shame Both .

doubtless represented the n ude but they may have prevailed ,

over its temptations and da ngers b y glow o f colour as ,

G iorgion e ; or b y force o f overmasteri ng and re n i ng beauty ,

like T itia n ; or may have risen above the m in a chariot o f

re like T intore t They are not named as m en who gave
, .

place to the devil in lo w or foul i ntent Pli ny makes A pelles .

his represe ntative pai n ter The xdp t c o r grace o f his works
.
, ,

seem s to imply perfect e x ecut io n and exact eve nness o f nish

as w ell as skill in w ork i ng out detail ; and he k new w he n to

leave o ff For A pelles beholdi ng w istly upo n a time
.
, ,

says Phile m o n H olla nd fo r Pli ny a peece o f w ork o f P ro ,

toge nes his doi ng w herei n hee s aw there w as i n nite pai n es

,

taken admiri ng also the exceedi ng c u rios it ie o f the m an in

,

each poi nt beyo nd all measure hee co nfessed and said That , ,

Protogenes in eve ry thi ng els had do ne as well as he h im se lfe

could have do ne yea and better too But in o ne thi ng he
, , .

surpa ssed Protoge nes fo r that he [ P ] could not skill o f layi ng

, .

w ork e out o f his ha nd whe n it was n i shed w ell yno u gh

, a
memorable admo nitio n teachi ng us all T hat double dilige nce
, ,

and overmuch c u rios it ie doth hurt otherw hiles .

The anecdote o f the contest o f li nes bet w ee n A pelles and

Protogenes remi nds us o f R a fael s prese nt to D iire r sho w

ing his ha nd and o f the latter s display o f his sk i ll in

draw i ng a lock o f hair fo r Belli ni o r indeed o f G iotto s
O (a circl e draw n w ith the brush to sho w his s k ill )
. T h at .
 P AIN T I N G .
59

of the grapes cu rtai n o f Protoge nes pa i nti ng o f the

and ,

foam an d o f the cobbler w hose advi ce A pelles follow ed o n

,

shoes bu t rej ected o n legs w ith the Gree k eq uivalent o f the

, ,

proverbi al N e s ntor ultra crepidam are not very i mporta n t

, ,

a rt istic trad itio ns but A pelles purch ase of Protogenes neg

le c ted works for fty talents to show the R h od i a ns t he high ,

value he attach ed to his rival s pictu res places his character in

the happiest li ght H is great succes s in portrai t and the fact

.

o f h is bei ng A le x a nder s favourite have perhaps co ntributed

in so me de g ree to his pri macy among pai nters but our list o f
Gre e k work men need be carried no furt h er We have said .

so methi ng o f t he rst rise and fall of art in sculpture and ,

pai nti ng : at rst in a certai n reaso nable subordi natio n to

architecture : th en i ndepe ndently o f it T h e progress o f .

architecture from beauty to power is best seen in R ome ;

, ,

as R oman additio ns and modicatio ns had so much to do

w i th it . Th e fall of R ome t ra ns fers th e seeds and germs

of art to the keepi ng o f th e Christia n C h urch fo r the be net

o f t he T e u toni c races A few further notes o f resembla n ce

.

betw een the spir i t and conseque nt pro gress of Greek and L om ,

bard or N orth e rn art may be added here and may perhaps

, ,

be fou nd suggestive as to compariso n of li fe and habits ,

be tween the great artistic periods and races and o u r own .

I n the rst place every buildi n g erected fo r bea u ty or fo r

,

solem n pu rpose o r publi c assemblage was conside red

,
-
,

inco m plete b y Gree k or L ombard N orma n and Germa n

, , , ,

u nl es s i t w ere adorned and adorned all over w i th sculptures

, ,

and pai n ti ng sui table to its architecture and desig ned in ,

accorda nce w ith that and there fore with the purpose of the
,

buildi ng I t is the custom to set G reek agai nst Gothic and

.
,

split the a rchitectu ral pro fessio n i nto two opposed ca m ps ,

neith e r o f w hom are presu med able t o u ndersta n d the other .

Gree k may be right and Gothic m ay be right but they ca nnot

, ,

be right together in the same place Ou r own notion is tha t .

they m a y be ri ght at the same ti m e but no t in the same place ,

or c li mate or eve n material : that G reek c an hardly ever be

,

right in E ngla n d a la nd o f freeston e bricks and co nstan t

, , ,

rain and that Got h ic never c an be t for Greece where there

, ,

is u nli mited marble an d su n shi ne But i t h as come about .

fro m the popular determi natio n that Gree k and Gothic shall
6o GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

n ever have the same beauties th a t the beaut y of the Parth enon
,

is popularl y be li eved to have co nsisted wholl y in i ts propor

t i ons Its vast n umber o f statues h as relie fs and pai nti ngs
.
,
-
, ,

are almost ignored T o the m i nd o f P heid ias as to that o f

.
,

P i sa ni or G iotto i t seemed desirable to have a good buildi ng

,

rst o f ne materi al and such mas ses and proport ion s as

, ,

the sp i rit o f wisdom w i thi n th e m ordered ; and then t o orna

ment it all over i ns i de and outside w ith s u ch h istoric or
, ,

sy mbolical forms and colours as should ma k e the buildi ng

s pea k fo r i tsel f about its i nte ntio n and th e d wellers in it and , ,

the w ork to be done in it and h ow it came i nto existe nce

, .

The superi ori ty of the Greek consisted in that po we rful hold

o f the pr evaili ng and g uidi ng li nes and broad masses which

e nabled h im i nvar i ably to k eep his ornament in the proper

place and qua ntity ; and this seems to have been founded
on co ngenita l and subtle perfectio ns o f ey e o rga nisa -

tio n w hich were h is gi ft I t was also derived from the

.

conti nual cult i vat i on o f his tech nical jud g ment by obse rva
tio n o f nature ; espec i all y of the highest and g ra ndest objects
in nature th e clouds the seas the mou nta i ns th e ox dog
, , , , ,

and horse .A nd ch i e y every Gree k kne w the poi nts of the

, ,

m an who is lord of all here and somet i m e s seems a little

, ,

lower tha n t h e a ngels to us ; as to Gree k s h e seemed but j ust

below his dead fathers now heroes or the neare r elemental
, ,

po wers But th ou gh their developments are s o various still

.
,

the art s o f t h e best H ellenes and the best barbaria ns i nvolve

, ,

their g reatest resembla nces T h e wonder i s t h at m en s o far

.

divided in all material and spir itual circumsta nces should

have worked on the sam e pri n ciples and with such si milar ,

results Goth and Gree k e q ually sou gh t th e glory o f Go d

.

and the dead w ho w ere w i t h him ; c olour and marble had

th e sam e q ual i ties t o both t o both a r ig ht a ngle con ,

tained ni net y de g rees The C hri stia n fa i th as illustrated at

.
,

Pisa in the C ampo San to is connected wi th th e history o f

,

an E astern race far removed fro m L ombards o r N ort h

m e n ; that hi story is all importa nt to C hri st i a ns and it is

-
,

duly pai nted by Be nozzo Goz z oli ; and on t he other side

O rcagna se ts fort h hopes and terrors a fter deat h H avi ng no .

de n ite i nformat i o n beyon d death th e old G ree k lled h i s ,

sac red places wit h historic pictures o f death s most ho nourable

 P AIN TIN G . 61

and blessed as m en had met them at Maratho n and if

,

the P e c ile had taught A th e ns nothi ng else i t would still ,

have repeated in her children s ears the stern L i ndsay s apos

trophe L ord what stout hearts m e n may bear : God se nd

,

me and mi ne as brave an e ndi ng .

D ice arc h u s w as a highly compete nt pe rs on abou t the time

o f A ristotle and he w rote a boo k called the L if e o
, f Gr eece ,

in w hich he gives an accou nt o f the history geography and , ,

moral co ndition o f the various states H e says o f A the ns .

that the rst i mpressio n the city made o n stra ngers who en
t e red her for the rs t t i me was simply bad and d isagreeable ,

and th at they o fte n thought there was some mistake and ,

A thens could not be A th e ns A fterwards the y fou nd out that .

,

it was all right and that A th e ns was w hat they had expected
,

in beauty in ce rta i n w ell chose n and appoi nted places The -

.

streets we re extremely narrow and seldom paved and very , ,

ill kept the re was no sanitary system or water supply as in ,

R om e the private houses commo nly prese nted a mere curtai n

w all t o the road bei ng built o f cla y or bricks whit ewashed
, ,

over . I n early times says Becker ( C haricles T he Grec ian
,

H ouse p , w hen a private citize n passed most o f his
.

t i me ami d the gra ndeur o f the public edi ces his own abode ,

w as simple e nough A thenia n residences at the ti m e o f the

.

Pelopo nnes ia n War were certai nly n either large nor stately
stru ct ures A ccordi ng to T h u c yd ii 1 4 the A thenia ns pre
. . .
,

ferred livi ng on their estates in the cou ntry to residi ng in

t he c i ty and he nce t h e cou n try houses were eve n superior to
,

those in the tow n It was not till the M acedonia n e ra w hen

.

,

public spi ri t had gradually decayed an d private perso ns not , ,

sat is ed
w ith p art ic i
p at ing in the g rand e u r of the s ta te ,

b ecam e desirous o f emulati ng it at home th at th e privat e ,

buildi ngs became more sumptuous and mag nicen t w hile ,

pu blic structures were proportio nably neglected .

T he w ords o f H orace as to the w o rthies o f a ncie nt R ome

applied e q ually to those o f A thens in her great time ,

I socr Areop
. . 20, p . 203 : Kan t ian: x. s oM rreAeov fpas .

i as ol as r r 81 11400 w olxobounp dr wr
p
D e mos th Olynlh , 6 ( m o: 3 3 r d: ia
.
3 . .

reu n ions rial xr rreaxcm ufyor 8a? 83 r d riis a dh eres lAdrr o .

1 3 r od-ra y niftrrrai A so in A ris tocr

. l
689, w ere he sa s that mon and
. p . h y Ci
i
P er cles wou ld have been aston s ed at the u xur of h is own d ay ih l y .
62 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

illis ce nsus erat brevis C o m mu ne ma gn um

P riv at u s It
, .

is pai nful to d well o n in our own day the public spirit the
, , ,

social desire o f ho nour and beauty and the ab sol ute civic ,

brotherhood which m ust have been felt for the time by the , ,

m e n wh o pla nn ed or w h o paid for and e njoyed the great

public works o f a ncie nt A thens T hey w ere not patro ns
.

o f art but true lovers o f it

,
They did not thi n k it desirable
.

t o live apart in palaces but to sh are as frie n ds the sple n dour

, , ,

and glory o f th eir ow n state as they partook o f the air and

su nshi ne o f the A cropolis A s friends the y walked in the

.

prese nce of their gods T hey had no great private galleries

.

to be mausolea for great pictures I t is tr ue that w hen they .

,

b ega n t o build rich houses for the m selves they u nderstood ,

that they w ould be u ni nteresti ng w ithout sculpture and ,

decorated them accordi ngly but in their best ti m e they see m

to have been co nte n t if the works o f their chie f sculptors and
pai nters w ere al ways visible for all and a co m mo n delight ,

to all in te m ples and public places T heirs was the artist s

.
,

view of art ours is that o f the collector and the dealer

, ,

regardi ng no t the picture but its price ,

.

The domestic habits o n which we co ngratulate o urselve s are

in part the necessa ry result o f hard clim ate an d hard w ork ,

and are doubtless no subject o f blame or complai n t But the .

w ord domestic i nvolves the idea o f eco n omy or care fu l and ,

somewhat frugal arra ngements T he expressio n domestic .

luxury appears to be a co ntradiction in terms and the state of ,

thi ngs to which it applies seems disastrous at least t o the ,

scie nces o f imagi natio n Private luxury appears to tra ns fer the
.

i nterest o f li fe and art t o small thi ngs not shared w ith others ; ,

t o selsh pleasure and low aim It was o f course eas ier in t he

.

climate o f A th ens w hen books were not or were few and li fe

, , ,

w as tra nsacted v iz/d ooce and face to face for a m an to pass

, ,

day a fter day in e njoymen t o f the highest pleasure s o f sight

in the public b uildi ngs w here he met and faced frie nds and
,

oppo ne nts .T here the great nat i o nal collectio n o f the

,

greatest w orks o f beau ty ever k nown w as conti n uall y be fore

the eyes o f the whole race ; and there existed accordi ngly
a natio nal sta ndard or j ud g me nt about beauty as a real thi ng ,

attai nable o n certai n pri nciples if you were faith ful t o th e m .

64 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

A nd here it ma y be i nquired in a speculative manner , ,

what sum might be rais ed yearl y for churches and hospitals

if all able bodied p e rs o ns gave up o ne w i ne o nly as cha m
-
,

p agne and collected the appro x imate expenses of that liquid

,

onl y or would literall y give th ei r champa gne to the c on

,

vales c e n t w ards ?

Ma ny w orth y scholars tell us we hav e m uch to learn from

the spearme n o f Ma ratho n and oarsmen of Salam i s Few of .

us are likely t o dispute the fact for a mome nt C ould they .

fu rther tell us how w e are t o take it to heart Or is th e dismal

reection true that the darker lesso ns of h istory are n ever
t a k e n to hea rt th at the decadent nation ca nnot face or t race
the ca uses o f de c a y like its own in other times and that ,

similar deg radation m ust fo r ever follo w on si m ilar temptatio ns ,

cy cle by cycle and race a fter race ? So i ndeed i t seems an d

, ,

a mou m fu l prospect seems to l i e be fore us t o stude nts of ,

art history or reli gi o n But in all ages and everywhere

, ,
.
, ,

C hristia ns be yo nd others have q uoted Solo n s max i m in

, ,

th e i r hearts and loo k ed in the i r own sense to dea th before

, ,

w hich no man c an be cou nted happ y For man is a w orld .

in himsel f ; and though he be like Jeremiah or Phoc i o n or , ,

Savo narola alo ne and hated amo ng the crumbl i ng g lory of

,

his people yet h is li fe the li fe of the soul may be give n him

, , ,

for a prey I n no place o r time is the Faith false o r love or

.
,

honour over or God s h a nd shorte ned or H is serva nt and

, ,

o ur si s ter the D eath of the Body delayed for ever fro m

, ,

T h ereafter as it may be

her o ffic e . .

I t seems made out thus far that the spir i tual mot i ves and
, ,

u ses o f G reek art in its bes t days are closel y a nalogo us t o its

ded i c at ed fun ct i ons in th e earl y R ena i ssance and th at th ere ,

is a pa rallel decl i ne fro m such fu nctio ns A lso i t is clear .

t hat a tech nical art d i scipleship o f Goth to G ree k was os

-

tablis hed by N iccol a Pisa no and has co nti nued ev er s i nc e

, .

But in R om an and C hri stian a rchi tecture and ornament th e ,

actual steps o f trans i t i on ma y be traced by w h i ch the Greek ,

temple wi th its graphi c orname nt passed i nto the R o m a n

b as ilica and the Goth i c cathedral wi th the i rs and to R o me ,

we have recourse accord i ngly .

 P A RT I L R OM A N .

C H A PT E R I .

GR E E K AR T AT R OM E .

T H E tr n a s fere nce o f the arts fro m G reece to R ome is a

s ubject o n wh ich ma ny boo k s might be w ritte n but it c an , .

o nl y be treated here in its co n nectio n w ith mode rn history

and w it h o u rselves Fo r R o m e no t o nly rece i ved both the

.

c o nstru ct i ve and decorative scie n ces but preserved and tra n s

,

m itt ed th em in turn to the T euto nic races ; so that o u r o wn

art i n st ru ctio n an d no small share o f its i nspiratio n i s derived
, ,

fro m A the ns and every stude nt m ust begi n w ith her grea t
,

e x e m plari a and as H orace says o f the sister art o f poetry

, , ,

w or k at th em n ight an d day s o as n ever t o forget t hem or

,

their sp i rit T he y are t h e sacred docume nts o f the modern

.

artist cra fts ma n o r worker in beaut y

, , .

T h e e ort a fter beauty makes the d ie re nc e betwee n a

' '

craft and an art o r bet ween a m erely tech ni c art and a ne

,

art. T h is disti nctio n is virtually the same as that bet wee n t h e

co nst ruct ive and decorative sides o f arch itectu re ; and it is set

fo rth in theory by P ro fessor R uski n in w ords already quoted

, .

I t t urns on the use we like to make o f the word beauty and ,

m ay be th warted and made n u g atory if we please I nge nuit y .

o r co m plicat i o n or simplicit y o f co n triva n ce may be called

beauti fu l and has bee n disti nguished as D e dal b eauty or

, ,

e x ce ll e n ce o f cra ft or co nstructio n I n architec tu re t he

.
,

F
66 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

beauties of co nstructive ge n ius are so closely co nnected w ith

the decoratio ns o f the co nstructio n that it is no t advisable ,

fo r popular hi s toria ns o f art to attempt to w ork out elaborate

disti nctio ns These thi ngs are al ways j oi ned together in the
.

great exa m ples o f the w orld and need not be put asu n der if , ,

they could be The metopes o f the P artheno n are extre m ely

.

bea uti ful decoratio n but the co nstruction o f the temple deter
,

mi nes their size n umber and dista nce from each other and
, , ,

all is right T h e very w ord architecture as used by M r

.
,
.

Fergusso n in his history o f the scie n ce v ol i I ntrod p 1 3

, ,
. . .
, .
,

an d w oodcut ii co nnects the ideas o f co nstructive and

.
,

decorative beauty in a practicall y i ndissol uble w ay M ere .

buildi ng is bad buildi ng ; the thought w hi ch should be

applied to give ad ditio nal stre ngth to the m ost prosaic and
co m m o nplace b uildi ng w ould greatly i m prove its appea ra nce ,

as his ill ustratio n sho w s at a few gla nces by progressive ,

steps The sa m e thi ng is proved w ith elaborate yet si m ple

.
,

beauty o f la ng ua g e and illustratio n in vol i o f the Stones , . .

of Ven ice w hich is to b e recomme nd e d especially t o all

,

students o f art chie y because nearl y all masters thereo f

,

k now it already Stre ngth o f co nstructio n that is t o say

.
,

the ut m ost degree o f stre ngth attai nable w ith the materials ,

a m ou nts to beauty in buildi ngs as in the limbs and frames ,

o f m en .G e nui ne m aterials o f sta n dard good ness a w ell ,

u nderstood purpose and ho nest i nge n uit y in worki ng si ncerel y

,

fo r it superi nduce a certai n high d e gree o f beauty be fore

,

decoration proper b egi ns and practically speaki ng in archi , ,

tecture they prepare the way and deter m i n e the place & c o f , .
,

the decoratio n I f architecture the n be buildi ng plus beauty

.
,

all good buildi ng is a rchitectural .

N evertheless it is both true and highly co nve n ie n t fo r

us t o assert that as R ome hersel f developed the chie f
,

beauties o f Co nstructio n fo r moder n ti m es so all decoration ,

best w orth havi ng either comes to us from G reece o r has ,

been developed by study o f nature o n H ellen ic (o r h uma n)

pri nciple s What and how m uch G reece learn ed from E gypt
.

is no t our a ffair at prese nt ; we have got all through G ree ce

or fro m her and architectu re in ma ny respects and sculpture
, ,

and pai n ti ng almost e ntirely seem to have bee n develope d ,

 GR E E K A R T A T R OM E . 67

from the rudime nt by G reek m i n ds and ha nds Ou r previous .

chapters have brough t us t o a poi nt in the parallel decade nce

o f G ree k morals or ma nhood and G ree k skill and po wer , ,

w hich may be called a poi nt o f fracture or crash T h e strai n .

o f R oma n w ar is put o n G reece and she gives way : yet ,

charms her fell co nq ueror and obtai ns a w orld w ide in ,

-

u e n ce in excha nge fo r her libe ty I t is true that the

r .

con quest o f G reece by R o m e does not o f itsel f prove the

degeneracy o f Greece from the time o f P ericles but no
o n e de nies that de g e n eracy a fter all ; and if the m e n o f

C yn o sc e phale had bee n the m e n o f Salam is the course o f ,

history would have been very di fferent A vast q ua ntity o f .

those doc ume nts carved pai nted and w ritte n w hich had , , ,

re s ulte d from and bee n t h e cro w n o f G reek civilisatio n w ere ,

t rans ferred w ith vast results to R ome in the ti m e o f

, ,

( E m ilius Pau lus, and M u m m iu s ;

, and that tra ns fere n ce
c o nti nued o fte n amou nti ng to systematic plu nder
, .

A s h as bee n so o ften observed there was at R o m e , ,

t hrou ghout the period o f the G ree k w ars a native or ,

a

E t ru sca n school o f art that is to say o f the three arts ; an d

,

as far as pai nti ng and sculpture w ere co n cern ed it came t o

an e nd t o s peak as br i e y as possible u n der the e e c t s o f

'

, ,

G ree k competition T h e fe w native artists w ere overpow ered

.

by the vas t n umber o f impo rted models o f great merit ; the

g reat p atro ns an d cultured ge nerals li ke all the IE m ilian ,

family we re all o n the s i de o f the stranger and e ncouraged

, ,

t heir cou ntry me n to follo w G reek examples : the R oma n

E t ruscan natu ralism o f w hich one great typical exa m ple
,

yet remai ns could be pursued no lo nger Works of great

,
.

m erit certai nl y existed and m ay have co nti nued to be p ro,

d u ced in E tru ria I thi n k Sir C E astlake some where tells

. .

u s that E trusca n bro nzes w ere m uch valued eve n in A the n s

d uring th e A ugus ta n age But their type is the group o f .

the C apitoli ne Wol f and T w i ns belo ngi ng to the period o f ,

the Se co nd Pu n ic War It is o ne o f the m ost a ncie nt and .

See L id d ell s H istory q/ R ome, vo l

1 15 . i p . . .

Say from 2 1 4 to 1 46 B C , C ynos ce phalie , 1 9 7 .M ete lus and

. um m as . l M i
i
t r umphed for o r nt C i h
not long afte r Sc o for the d es truc t o n of art age i pi i C h .

y i i
P ol b us came from th e ru ns of the A fr c an c t to the ru ns o f th e I st m us i iy i h .

F 2
68 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

mo m entously i nteresti ng w orks in the city T he re see m

-
.

t o have bee n t wo bro n ze she w olves and tw i n s : o ne m en -

,

t ione d by D io nysi us at the T e m ple o f R o m ulus ; the othe r

by C icero as gilded and struck by light ni ng
,
T h e e xist .

ing group evide ntly has u ndergo n e both trials there are ,

m arks o f light n i ng about the hi n d le g s an d i ndicatio ns o f ,

gildi ng Virgil certai nly s aw the same w ol f if not the same

.
,

t w i ns It is a po werful and noble g roup ; the heavy jaws

.

and m asti ff jo w ls are gra nd natural and ideally car n ivorous , ,

the look o f com fort and maternal happi ness in th e face is

still more remarka b le and the great stre ngth of the li mbs , ,

w ith their loose jo inted expressio n suggestive o f t h e lo ng -

,

lupi ne gallop ma k e it a w ork o f the high N atural I deal

,
.

T h e co nve nt i onal curls o f hair on the n eck and shoulders

remi nd o ne much o f G ree k archa i c sculpture as in the A pollo ,

o f Thera and the various examples give n in A ratra P e n telic i ;

,

but this group con fessedly belo ngs to E truria n R ome .

H ow ever all the i nve ntive pow er o f R ome was called o ff

,

t o the e ngi neeri ng side o f architecture all over the w orld .

T heir patro nage w ithdre w art fu rther t h a n ever from its

early G reek study o f N ature in all her forms and it gradually
lost li fe though portraiture lo ng susta ined it T ech n ically
, .

speaki ng w ith G re co R o m a n or C lassical A rt s o call ed
,
- -

begi ns a fatal severa nce o f decoratio n from co nst ru ction ,

lame nted by Mr Freema n Pro fessor R us k i n M r Fergusso n .

, , .
,

and last w ith great vigou r by Pro fessor Poy nter 3

, It i s , .

in full e e c t as the latter observes at the prese nt time ; we

'

, ,

follow the R oma ns w ith no more i ntellige n ce tha n t hey

follo wed the G reeks an d plaster o u r architecture w it h incon ,

ru o us or n ame nt to the destructio n o f its real e ffect w he

g n ,

very o fte n it is by no m ea ns bad in i tsel f But the rst and .

M ay H and b h ( R ome th C apitol ) and Si J H bhouse s note to

urr

s oo e ,
r . o

C h ild e H a ld ( Ap pend ix t Canto i N xx ) te ll

ro all that is k nown o v. o. v . us

b
a ou t it .

I n his p oe m D e iii 8
C onsu lat es, H e too lib ii . . ; D e ii
D iv . 20 I n C at . . .

w a truc k by li gh tn i ng R m l u
s s wh u i ty ; the gild ed R mulus
,
o u s, o b il t thi
u s o r c o ,

w h m ye remembe r t
o h a e bee n ( p lac d ) in th e Capi t l a small and su ck li ng
o v e o ,

c h l d y t p lli ng at th w l f dd
i , e u

T h e statue f Natta as w ll as the
e o

s u er .

o , e

i mag of god s and the f ms of R om l and R e mus wi th th e wild beast their

es or u us ,

n e f ll l igh tni ng st i k e n
u rs , e C py at S th Ken ington-
rc .

o ou s .

T im
3 O t be 1 6 1 8 7 6 ; S cial S i enc A oc i ation R port
es , c o r , o c e ss e .
 GR E E K A R T AT R OM E . 69

c h i e f reason th at th e R oma ns had no sculpture o f their ow n

i s that they we re n ever stude nts or worshippers of the G raven
I ma ge For good and evil they were never such idolaters as
.
,

the G reeks Wi th a nc i e nt A the ns art w as dedicated t o the

.

glory of God in s ome se nse ; and at R ome it had no such

sanction or i n spi rat i o n .

What stra nge questio ns drearil y recur to us about pro

g ress in anythi ng in huma n happi ness or lea rn i ng or any ,

o f the w a ys o f m e n ! A rt an d civilisatio n are migratory ,

and their ad vance i s local and shi fti ng so m etimes illusory ,

.

One ra th er importa nt meditatio n w ill certai nly occur to any

s pe cula tive perso n w ho visits the E lgi n G allery at the British

M u se um . H e w ill wo nder w hat is mea nt by the progress

o f the h uma n race h ow far and in w hat se nse any col
le c t ive adva n ce c an be made b y ma n ki n d to wards w hat he
w i l l co nsider the g reater goods o f li fe I f e nj oyme nt o f pure
.

bea ut y be any good at all the w orld has receded si n ce th e

,

fth c e n tu ry B C . . T hose wh o made and delighted in these

, ,

g re a t d o cu m e n ts o f hu ma n ity w ere ve ry m uch better o ff tha n

t h o se wh o never g o near them The history o f art is by no

.

m e ans a re c ord o f progress I f it were so the study o f

.
,

G ree k model s w ould be simple a ntiquaria n is m chiey use ful ,

t o th e hi s toria n as a mere register o f na m es and dates But .

t h e great work s o f the fth ce ntu ry B C are still our models . .

,

an d th e pri n ciples and rules o f moder n schools sta n d o n

g e n e r ali satio n s f rom them P h e

. id ias is in the same se n se a

living au th o rity as Faraday The Partheno n as a buildi ng

.
,

in its pla ce and fo r its origi nal purposes is the ce ntral build ,

ing o f the wo rld .T here is no male statue in the w orld

e q u al t o th e T heseus an d the I lys s u s or t he fragme ntary ,

T o rs o ; th e re is no gra n deur o f female form like H erse and

D roso s no combi natio n o f nobili t y and loveli ness like the
,

Ve nu s o f M ilo . A s far as progress of art goes it has ,

not h i ng t o d o w ith time P h e id ias ca rved the Theseus and

.
,

all th e rest o f the ages have k nocked o its nose T wo

'

tho usan d yea rs o f progressive civi lisatio n have reduced the

N ep t u ne and A the ne in w ho m the eye adori ng G reeks de
,
-

sire d t o se e th eir U nk no w n Stre ngt h and Wisdom to lime ,

d us t whi c h may now be occupied in the same h umble ca reer

7 o GR E E K A N D G OT H I C

of use fu l ness as the clay o f i m perial C e sar Onl y the yi ng .

drapery o f the goddess as it yet sw i n gs w ith her tri umpha n t ,

step re m ai ns to recall to the pai nter scholar the idea o f h e r

,
-

li mbs o f e ther yet o f her w eight o f di vi ne m ight u nder

, ,

w hich the chariot g roa n ed O nly the m e m orable care and

.

pu b lic spirit o f a forgotten Fre nch noblema n and d raughts

m an give u s evide n ce o f h ow the frag m e nts in our possessio n
w ere arra nged in the temple pedime nts T o this day every .

perso n w ho has learnt to dra w or eve n really t o kn ow w hat ,

a m an or a w o m a n or a horse is like m ust stand rebu k ed as , ,

i t w ere before the aw ful u ncon scious and path eti c bea u ty o f
,

the P he id ian relics ; and progress c an be m ade o n such

w orks o n ly by a co m i ng race as yet u na nn ou nced .

But w hatever w e m ay thi nk o f a sculpture o f the futu re it ,

i s pretty clear that sculpture was little more to the R oma ns

tha n it i s t o us M u m m iu s cared no more about it tha n .

N elso n and plu ndered it like Soult : tri umphs and trophies
,

w ere all he thought o f at or a fter the taki n g o f Cori nth : he

and his cou ntry m e n see m t o have had little or no religious

associatio n w ith the arts It is n ecessa ry t o consi d er the .

re m arkable state m e nt o f P lutarch that the R o m a ns be fore the , ,

ti m e o f the rst T arqui n had no i m ages o f their gods ; and ,

that o f P li ny that all s u ch o bjects w ere m ade by E trusca n

,

artists for lo ng a fter that period

They are highly proba b le .
,

si nce the true or earlier L ati n religio n was u n doubtedly

sepulchral and domestic a w orship o f the hearth re and the ,
-

L ares or departed sires w h o had successivel y bee n its priests

, .

The nature o f this a ncestral w orship its disti nctio ns from the ,

more natio n al or cos m opolite services o f the temples and the ,

tra nsitio ns by w hich o ne passed i nto the other are amply

described i M de Coula nge s C ite A ntiqzce Its relation
n 3 . .

See H orn 1 1 E . .

. 8 29 .

H is t N . at . xxx v i . 16 ; xxx .
45 .

3 T ans lat d by th
r e e R ev . T C Ba k
. f C h i t C h urc h O xf rd
. L nd n
r e r, o rs , o . o o :

Park er 33 7
, St ran d
, For u r s s
. e ee u P l ta c h tatem nt s in N m 8 8 (and e 1 p 2 5 8
v r

. . . .

Ke lsk e ), 3v ixar bv BBomjxor ra r x puarors ( r em vdovs p ly olxoSOp odp erm, 1 W

.

( unappov n ow ap evo: Bi er lt ow om

le m A lex Stromata I xv o re . C p C . . . . .

'
ypa n r dv 0 67 6 n A aa r l
r v s lBos 06 0 7
1 , an d the w e l-k no wn and an r
g rotes t t o th e l yp
s am e p p u r o se in T lli an D I d lat ia
e rt u , e o r . D ionysi us H alic am assus g i ves a
c ontrar ya c c o u nt o f a w hi p i n tituted b y R
o rs s om u lus ( A n tiq R om
. 1 8, . ii . p . 2 72 ,
R eis k e ) w i th !ad vent iGphaet s , nopcpd s
. rr

atrriniv x . a d oxa. B ut h is s tate ments
7 2 GR E EK AN D G OT H I C .

thought ve n ial and be auti ful had it adva nced towards sp i ri tual
,

co nceptio n o f the Perso nal U nity i nstead o f dyi ng a w ay i n to,

ge neral disbelie f o f God s presence a nyw here But fo r a time

.

he s aw these fair fa ncies w ithi n his head ; and w hat h is i nner

eye s aw his ha nd could and w ould set forth and he nce fo r
, ,

good and evil he has al ways been the i mag e or symbol ma k er

,
-

o f the w orld We hear that the R oma n po nti ffs i nterfered

.

t o protect the shri nes and statues o f G reek gods for a time
but the R oman had no real reverenc e fo r either H ome .

w orship and lay priesth ood seem to have bee n yet st ro ng in

-

the R epublic o f R ome in the second ce ntury B C T hey w ere . .

stre ngth t o the State because they sa nctio ned an i rrefra gable
,

and searchi ng discipli ne based o n t h e highest natural i nsti n cts

, ,

and t h us taught all m e n to obey and comma n d But they .

see m to have resulted in a ki nd o f cy n ical p urita n is m in

ho nest M u m m iu s and other co nsuls What w ere these i m ages .
,

ag almata thi ngs fo r the delight or rej o ici ng o f gods and m e n

,

T he gods might like them quite as w ell in the Forum or Mars ,

w ithout the w all as o n Mars H ill at A the ns : there w as no

doubt who had got the best w ar god o f the two Vic trir -
.

m u m D z zs placu it an d the breathi ng sto nes and ma ny

coloured tablets b elo nged to co nquered gods a fter all So .

they adorned the great triumphs of m a ny a mile ; and it is

strictly accurate to say that in co nseque nce the o nly idea s o f
, ,

architectural orname nt wh ich a R o m a n ever had o f his own ,

mi nd w ere co nnected w ith the tri umph and the trophy H e

, .

h
w ould carve what e had see n the captive shield and spear , ,

and coat o f mail h u ng idly o n the w all or his long les o f ,

doomed priso ners led b y the discipli ned ban ditti o f the earth .

A nd the best builders o f the later ages o rn ame nted their

tri umphal arches in the same w ay w ith pl u ndered bas relie fs -

and u nco nnected fragme nts o f d ecoratio n stole n in idea if not ,

bodily M u m m ius w as shocked and alarmed in a fter days

.
,

to nd he had really do ne the gods an i nj ury by pl u nderi ng

their temples and dedicated a bro nze Jupiter in the A ltis o f
,

O ly m p ia by w ay o f s in o ffering But in the rst i nsta nce he

-
.
t

must have thou ght of such a pop u latio n of deities much as

C rom well thought o f a hag i ology o f sai n ts o n a rood scree n -
.

P ausania E h a I n c 24
s,
'

c . . . v. . .
 GR E E K A R T A T R OM E .
73

T hey had not done m uch good to their w orsh i ppe rs in fact ,

C o rinthia n men and w ome n and their captive d e i ties w ere , ,

m utually discreditable T he soldier cared fo r neither He . .

s aw a g reat deal of g race ful i m morality and h i s race as yet ,

respected their w ives and the household altar T here w ere .

nymphs and a t hletes but those muscles had no t done m uch

in the da y o f battle and those ny mphs w ere not li k e mothers
,

o f the brave .

N on his j uventu s orta

parentibus

I nfec i aequ or sangu i ne P n i

u co

Sed ru s ticoru m m ascula m ilitum

P roles , Sabe l lis d oc ta ligonibus
V ersare glebas, c t sev era
M i
atr s ad arb tr um recisos i i
P ortare fustes

So he let his legionaries play out their game o f dice o n the

D i o ny s i us o f A rist ides it bei ng on pa n el and as good a board
, ,

as a n other . H e told his ship m e n they w ould have to nd

n e w A pollos if the o ld o nes w ere lost over b oard ; and bur nt

the Gree k L upanar t o the glory o f the origi nal L upa She ,

w ol f o f R o m e R oma ns used art fo r pride and pleasure o n l y

.
,

and their be st employ m e nt o f it was in portraiture o f those

w hom the y loved Perhaps it is s o w ith ourselves ; but we

.

have no small share besides o f the H elle nic love o f external

, ,

n a tu re. G reeks may h ave e njoyed her m ore domestic aspects

and o u r o wn taste m ay be more i ncli n ed to the mou ntai n

g l oom or glory But still w e have deep i nterest like them

.
, ,

in th e be auty o f nature It is co n nected in ou r mi nds w ith.

what we call the H a n d and Mi nd o f G od ; w it h the Creative

Power ; and the R easo n which formed thi ngs w ith relation to ,

ma n s li fe o n earth and made th i ngs beauti ful fo r a sign to

,

m an of H imsel f O u r pursuit o f art the n has a sacred ness

.
,

involve s a hope and aspiratio n o f w hich R ome k n e w nothi ng , .

H ow ev er an a n cestral religio n like hers gives a gen ui ne if

, ,

a lo we r directio n t o art because it calls fo r represe ntatio n o f

, ,

h u m a n a nce st ry rather tha n fo r pe rs o ni c at io ns o f deity

,

thro u g h huma n beauty But a religio n o f the eagles is on l y

.

favou rabl e t o the collectio n o f w ork s o f art and by no ,

means t o th e i r productio n or i ndeed preservatio n T he , .

R o mans co ll e cted but did not m uch care fo r t h em

, A .
74 GR E E K A N D GO THIC .

historical eye w il l note the c u rious resembla nce t here is

bet wee n wa nt o f taste in a ncie nt R ome and in m odern
E ngl an d I n both it see m s co nnected w ith ge nui n e and
.

excusa b le suspicio ns But the accum ulatio n o f suc h thi ngs

.

in a vast predatory metropolis has o ft e n led to their d e s t ru c

tio n and the plu nder o f R o m e was mostly destroyed w ith
,

R ome P ro fessor F W N ew ma n has sho wn h ow all the

. . .

civi lisatio n and k no w ledge o f t h e earl ier w orld w as c o nc e n

t rate d in N i n eveh b y m ea ns o f merciless co n quest and as a , ,

co nseque nce destroyed by the hatred o f the surrou n di n g

,

populatio ns w hich fell o n the sculptured records o f their

,

co nquerors w it h a ve nge ful zeal o f obliteratio n w he n their ,

o wn da y ca m e M r Parker g ives us so m e accou nt ( in an

. .

appe nd ix by the late M r J H ema ns ) o f the rece nt d is in . .

t e rm e nt o f sculpture accide ntall y prese rved u n der heaps o f

R oma n rui n ; but fo r ce n turies the real desti n y o f great
statues seemed to b e either burn i ng to li me by G oths or ,

bei ng thrown fro m battleme nts on the heads o f Goths A ll .

2

seemed to perish w ith the E ternal City except certai n i n de ,

s t ru c t ible secrets an d achieveme nts o f for m and colour w hich ,

died do wn to their roots in I taly j ust survived in Co nsta n ,

t ino p le revived fo r a fe w years w ith Theodoric were adopted

, , ,

in stra nge w ays b y Western m o nks ev e n to I rela nd an d

, ,

E ngla nd an d nally rose i n to sudde n but long en duri ng

,
-

splendour with the Tusca n L ombards .

T h e great co nstructive gi fts o f R ome to arch itecture and ,

the i n ue nc e o f the gra ndeur o f her rui n s o n such Goths
as Bru nelleschi and M ichael A ngelo c o nnect t hat bran ch o f ,

art w it h the R enaissa nce o f the ftee nth and sixtee nth c en
t urie s . They too are characterised by the separation o f
, ,

sculpture from architecture the abolitio n o f i ntelligent o m ,

me nt and se nseless w orship o f mere scale and u n mea n i ng

,

luxury w hich mark the digression o f R oma n architecture

,

from G reek But N iccola P is ano s adoptio n o f A ttic models

.

co nnected G reek sculpture w ith the Italia n and all other

Gothic G reek pai nti ng and sculpture m ai n tai ned an exist
.

ence all alo ng though at last b y germ and seed alo ne O ne

, .

A n tiqu it ies O
f R om e, vo l . iii .

3
W e are to be c o ngratu ated l on the atel ly d i
-
sc o ve red H erm es .
 GREEK A R T A T R OM E .
75

bra nch at least was al ways ali v e up to the P isa n R e naissa nce , .

Sc u lpture fai nts and dies by the seve nth ce n tu ry then m osaic
takes its place ; that too si nks in I taly but m ai ntai n s an ex ,

is te nc e in Co nsta nti nople ; an d mea n w hile mi n iature has n ever

failed in the m o n asteries and sculpture begi ns a stra nge ,

barbaric revival in L o m b ardy But in the fee b lest period o f .

the Gree k race their religious art agai n comma nds revere nt
atte ntio n from w hatever re m na n t o f m a nki nd may be capable
,

o f revere n ce at this day w he n ignora nce w rites for ig n ora n ce

, ,

and Muggi n s i s the m easure o f all thi ngs C hristia n w riters .

as w ell as a nti Christia n have their reaso ns fo r compari ng the

-

w ork o f early A ttica do ne w it h vague spiritual purpose w ith

, ,

the rst religious e fforts o f N e o G reek mo nks to w ho m the -

,

Christian faith alo ne gave some fai nt po wer in w eak ness .

T h is is co mmo n to both that b oth w ere do ne to a G o d u n , ,

k nown or revealed One w as to decrease w ith its perishi ng

.

fait h the other to gro w fo r ever w ith the i m peri s hable

, H ow .

ever R oma n decorative art must m ea n pai nti ng or sculpture

,

do ne by Greeks or in G reek schools for R oma n patro ns ;

w hile in R o m a n architecture w e co m e to great natio nal m odi
c at io ns and additio ns in the scie n ce o f b uildi ng w hich begi n ,

the transitio n fro m the h orizo ntal li n es o f the P art he n o n to the

vertical aspiratio ns o f G othic architecture I t ca nnot be

.

said that R ome rst de based G reek pai nti ng fo r the rhypo
graphs and pornographs had do ne it su f cie ntly w ithout her ,

throughout G reece and A sia But she carried co nstructive .

scie nce to a he i ght o f gra ndeur w hich forced her architecture

on all her subject or imitative n atio ns and nall y o n her ,

conque rors A the ns could not have b uilt a P arthe no n w ithout

.

Pentelicus near at ha nd ; b ut the om n iprese n t brick work o f

the E mpire the dome and arch the road and aqueduct the
, , ,

cloa cae and sepulchres the w alls an d tow ers o f de fe nce all
,

these com m a n ded the atte ntio n o f su bjects and stra ngers
e ver yw here and w hether they w ould or no t dictated w ays
, , ,

o f civi lised li fe as w ell as o f scie n tic co nstru ctio n T he y .

mi nistered to the sple ndour an d there fore to the i n ue n ce o f , ,

R ome and became as i t w ere her ro b e o f state be fore he r

, , ,

p e ople ; but they i n structed the m as w ell S ueto n i us accou nt .

of the baths bas ilic a and porticos o f Britai n is a stoc k

c
, ,
7 6 GR E E K AN D GO THIC .

example o f th e exte nt to which the me c ha nics o f arch i tectu re

w ere taught and lear ned and the histo ry o f medi e val b u ild
ing beg i ns and al most c o n ti n ues an d e n ds in the lesso n s o f
, ,

R ome T he y are rst lear nt from G reece they are stud ied
.

apart by Christia n and N orthern pupils w ho adopt and retai n , ,

forget o r mod i fy accordi ng t o the n eeds o f their climate their

, ,

o w n cha ngi ng humour or fa n c y and the co nst ructive hab i ts ,

lear nt from w oode n architecture .

T he ins ign i c anc e o f R oma n temples d uri ng the R epu bl ic ,

as compared w ith secular buildi ngs is dul y noted b y M r , ,

Fergu sso n in the H is tory of A rC / utectu re T h e o nl y temple

'

which remai ns at all w orthy o f such a capital is t h e Pa n theo n

and the Pa n theo n is the g reatest example in the w orld o f the

rou n d type o f buildi n g derived as a co n structio n from a n ci e n t

E tru ria but ge nerall y o rname nted ( accordi ng t o R oma n

,

habit) w i th a G ree k peristy le I n spite o f their u nli ke ness it .

,

m ay be co nnected in our mi nds w ith the T emples o f V e sta ,

by the T iber and at T ivoli , T he Pa n theo n is in fact th e .

, ,

rou n d temple vaulted over fo r w ar m th and w i th its col um n s

, ,

i nclosed w ith a w all m ore R omano Th ere c an be no dou bt

, .

th at the small circular p eristyle is the rudi me nt o f the great

dome as the A ttic ob lo ng peristyle is o f the R oma n and now
, ,

o f the Christia n basilica T h e rou nd heathe n temple i t w ill

.
,

be remembered from L ord L i ndsay an d M ess rs Fergusso n .

o r Freema n is represented in C hristian build i ng by the

,

c ircular baptisteries o f Ital y as at Pisa and those o f St Joh n , ,

.

at Flore nce and R ave nna .

But it i s time to attempt a short sketch o f w hat R o me

really did tra nsmit from G reece t o the Church o f Christ in

architecture .

T h e greatest G ree k models were all temples and the needs ,

o f th e temple w ere u n li k e those o f a place o f secular bus i ness ,

h ow ever di g ni ed and mome ntous

T he cella o f a G ree k .

s hri ne was si mpl y the spec i al place o f the god s prese n ce It

.

m ig ht be a h ollow tree o r narrow cavern and i ts size w as im

m aterial I t was a shri ne or s ekos o nl y N or was it absolutel y
. .

Page 305 vol i and ed 1 8 74 E ven

, . .
, . . th e Pantheon may ave bee n a h
bath and the rou nd tem ple at Tivoli may have been i
d ed cated t o H ercules and
not V es t a . i p . . 297 .
 GR E E K A R T A T R OM E .
77

n eces sa ry to provide accommodat i o n fo r large cro w ds o f

w o rshippers as the great meeti ngs in ho nour o f the gods w ere
,

held as feas ts c hiey in the D io nysiac theatres o r the A lt i s

groves or racecourses o f Cori nth and E lis T he R oma ns .

borrow ed the idea o f the c i rcular or oblo ng peristyle w ith its ,

outer teme nos or templu m and i nner sa nctua ry or cella bu t

they almost i nvariabl y added to the size o f the l atter I ndeed .
,

the idea o f the most hol y place (someti mes represe nted by a
special r i te and an altar) a sa nctuary or cha ncel for
,

special m i nist ry and a larger space a fterwards called navi s , ,

for ordi na ry w orshippers ru ns w ith various nome nclature

, , ,

through all huma n ritual T he leadi ng features by w hich we

.

c an describe the tra n sitio n from G reek to R oma n and there ,

fore to Christia n b uildi ng (speaki ng in ge neral ter m s ) may be

t hes e w h i ch follo w I ) the appeara n ce and modicatio n o f

t h e basilica ; ( 2 ) the i ntroductio n o f the arch and vault and ,

conseq uent breaki ng u p o f the horizo ntal architecture ; (3 )

-

the cha nge descr i bed b y Mr Fergusso n as the tra ns fer o f the .

chie f e ffect o f the build i ng from the outside to the i nside fro m ,

th e G ree k peristy lar i mpressio n to th at o f a Christia n i nterior .

L et us rst say a fe w w ords o n the cha nge from the three

t ru e G reek orders to the ve L ati n The D oric fared ill in .

R oma n ha nds the Io nic w orse nothi ng more could be do ne

,

in e i ther form and it was o nly le ft to degrade both by base

,

uses and over orid orname nt But the Cori nthia n order had
-
.

no t in the seco nd ce ntu ry D C

,
been w orked o u t as a sty le
. .
, ,

o r treated w ith all the rich n ess an d sple n dour it w as w ell

capable o f beari ng ; and this was certai nl y added to it at

R ome w ith very co nsiderable success A n excelle nt w oodcut .

o f a cap i tal and e n tablature from the Temple o f J upiter Stator

in Fer gu sso n (vol i p 300) w ill illustrate and co nr m the

. . .

author s re m ar k that thou gh nothi ng c an surpass the elega nce

'

and g race w i th w hich the G reeks ador ned the Cori nthia n

order the new capital never ac q uired w ith them that ful ness
,

an d stre ngth s o re q uisite to re nder it an appropriate arch i

t e c t u ral o rname n t . H e further adds that this was probably
do ne b y G reek art i sts actin g u nder directio n We are happy .

to be able t o q uote M r Fe rg u s s o n s author i ty fo r t h e decay

:
.

I llustrated to oc ula d em n trati on in the [ J ittery f A /Wm "

r o s o rc .
7 8 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

of the
ori c order as applied t o secular uses a fter its re
D ,

ligio u s employme n t in the P arthe no n fo r example We are , .

co nti nually told that art has nothi ng to d o with religio n o r

morality mea n i ng that modern artists perso nally decli ne the
,

co nnectio n Ve ry w ell this is our great architect s observa

'

tio n o n the i n n ite i nferiority o f the R oma n secular D oric
t o the G reek mo n ume ntal or religious I t w ould be most
u n fair to i nstitute a co m pariso n bet wee n a mere utilitaria n

prop used o nly in ci vil b uildi ngs (no R oma n D oric temple
is in existe n ce) and an order w hich the most re n ed artists
,

in the w orld spe nt all their i nge n uity in re nderi ng the most
per fect because it w as devoted to th e highest reli gious
,

purpose Co m pare his other observatio ns o n the gra ndeur

.

obtai ned by the red u nda nce o f stre ngth and sple ndid stabili ty
in the P a rthe no n The fact is that that buildi ng was erected
.
,

in a spirit o f rej oici ng s acri ce o f all that w as noblest in

A the n s to the patro n goddess w ho had gloried A the ns and
-

that in very truth the spirit o f sel f dedi catio n or discipli n e -

w as u n ited w ith the fullest G reek se nse o f beauty in its

builders There c an be no doubt that dedicat i o n o f o ne s
.

richest property and highest me ntal e o rt to the service o f

'

G o d u nk n o w n and felt a fter is o f the n at ure o f sel f s ac ri c e

, ,
-
,

asceticism or discipli ne The rudime nt o f this H ebraic and

,
.

u n H elle n ic virtue is ce rtai nly fou nd in the sacred buildi ngs

-

o f the P a rthe n o n ; and it is precisely through thei r spi rit o f

sacrice that they excel all others in H elle nic beauty I cti n us .

and P h e id ias w ould have said they sought fo r beauty but if

dialectic had bee n in full actio n in their time they m ight ,

have bee n led to say in whatever G reek seemed ade q uate

, ,

that they w ere se eki ng a beauty above m an and that all ,

ma n s possessio ns and pow ers would be cheap in c ompari son

w ith it This is the k ey note o f Christ i an sel f s ac ri c e if not

.
- -
,

o f mo nastic severity ; both w hich as has been conti nually ,

observed are neither H ebraic n o r Christia n in their origi n

, ,

but simply hu ma n .

There is little t o be said of the composite order except ,

that it displays the R oma n fault of u n i ntellige nt combi na

tio n and vai n atte m pt to u nite the beauties o f two d i fferent
s tyles A t b est it resembles an I o nic capital gro w i ng out o f a
.
,
8o GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

from the G reek or R o ma n colo nnade The mole or mau so le um .

o f H adri a n wi th its ma gn ice nt base and attic and order of

, ,

lo fty colu m ns above was the legiti mate pare nt of the p i llared
,

do m es w hich succeeded it from Pisa to S Paul s ; and the

, .

oblo ng sq uare arcade is the rudime nt o f the basili c a The

-
.

earliest or G reek basilica and some o f those rs t e rected in

,

R o m e w ere in fact colo nnades and no more

, T his s ubject .

req uires separate treatment ; but here we may repeat that ,

the w alled in and covered basil i ca is R oma n rather tha n

-

G reek si n ce R oma n cli mate required more protectio n

, Fu r .

ther the Christia n Church not o nly occupied or reproduced

,

the b asilicae but origi nated for hersel f that typ e of her
,

humiliat i o n as o f her hope the four fold or cruci form basilica

,

w ith its central dome I t is the rst i nsta nce o f C hri stia n
.

ideal i nterpos i ng w ith po wer o n architecture and i nstituti ng a ,

symbolic structure o f its ow n The basilica and the sepulch ral .

chapel ( mortuary o r com memorative subterra nean or palat i al ) ,

w ill ulti m ately be fou nd to be the rudi ments of all C hristia n

churches .

I t is probab le that the earliest Church in R ome accustomed ,

to wo rship in the cu b icula which held the remai ns o f her

marty rs an d o w ni ng so ma ny and so te nder associatio ns wi th
,

the cemetery i nteriors w ould give greater atte ntio n t o,

decorati ng the i nteriors o f her buildi ngs tha n t o the exte rnal
s ple ndour o f the A ttic peristyle So at all eve nts i t w as .
, , .

Cli mate and the n ecessities of Christia n ritual w or k ed to

gether and drew atte nt i o n to the i nn er decoratio n o f a
,

b uildi ng The C hurch s worship had bee n in s o ma ny cas es

.

subterra nea n w he n her buildi ngs had no outs i de at all that

, ,

all m e n s thoughts w ere give n to i ndoor sple ndours excepti ng ,

w he n some soari ng dome was raised to typi fy the va ult o f

heave n w hither they w ere all summo ned A nd it seems that .

the free use o f m osaic fo r m ural orname nt is also co nnected

w ith the catacomb chapels and arcosol i a The Fossor archi .
-

t e c t s had no exter nal light a nd no mea ns o f us i ng tra nspare nt

,

colours transmitted through stai ned glass A ll th e ir light .

w as i nter nal and arti cia l and they w ere led ac c ord i ngly to
,

c over their walls w ith a med iu m w h ich n o t o nly reected

li ght and eco nom i sed lamps and torches but w hi c h p o ss essed
, ,
 GR E E K A R T A T R OM E . 81

su p re m e beau ty of colour e ffec t havi ng no b rilliant wi ndows

,

t o compet e w ith it T h e co ntest bet ween w i n dows and

.

m osaic or p ai nti ng is a vexed and d isturbi ng q uestio n with

, ,

o ur own arch itects and p ai nters A ll we have to say about it

.

is t hat it never c an be rightly solved b y ex aggerati ng colou r

,

on our w alls t o co nt e nd w ith t hat o f our w i nd ow s but that ,

t he op aq ue or t ra nspare nt pictu res must o ne or other ta k e t he

, ,

lead . The co nditions o f arc hitecture m ust decide and as the ,

N orth e rn or Germ an G othic employs larger spaces o f glas s ,

they m ust generall y be i nsi s ted o n in th at sty le in pre fere nc e ,

t o t h e w alls .

There is no doubt as to the ant iquity o f the arch poi nted ,

or ro u nd the former shape origi nate s in the gable and is

.
,

e xem p lied b y every chil d as he b egi ns his house o f cards .

I t is al so t h e most natural form for hori zo ntal vault ings ,

b uilt or le ft in a w all ; the true o r radiat i ng arc h built of ,

w edge shaped block s bei ng naturally adapted t o the c i rcular

-
,

s h ape The R oma ns never used any oth e r form and the
.
,

C loac a Maxi ma co ns i sts o f three arches o f this co nstructio n ,

o ne w ithi n a nother Great co nstructio ns like the vaults o f

.

M yce nae and Ti ry ns hew n as it were o u t o f the sol id sub

,

s t an ce o f th e w all and support e d as part o f it and no t as

, ,

w edge li k e block s b y their o w n coherence have n othi ng to d o

-
,

w i th the t ra nsition o f the true arch fro m R oma n to G othic .

A nd there w as t his special t ness in the radiati ng arc h for

C hristia n and N orthern G othic w ork that it le nt itsel f in
,

p art ic ular t o architecture o f domestic character and the mi no r

m ateri als Baths and cloaca: could no t and needed not all be
.

c arried o ut in t he P e ntelic mar b le w hich A ttic temples had at

h a nd . T h e utilitaria n buildi ngs o f R ome are made ad m irable

and impress i ve b y scale and skill in rough material and in ,

th em we p ass in some degree from t he i m pressio ns o f beauty

i nto th ose o f discipli ned and proportio ned force T h e P an .

t h eon as c ombi n i ng both in the highe s t degree m ust be for

, ,

e ver c o nsi d e red to hold t h e s ame positio n in L ati n and

d er i vati v e architecture as the P arthe no n in pure G reek But .

less c ost ly materials had to b e used o n a great scale through

ou t th e E mpire The m agn i tude o f R o m a n b u ild i ngs was
.

1 4 feet d i am ter ins i d e

e .

( 7.
82 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

n ecessa ry to th e grea tness o f R ome and her citizens not o nly ,

used the traverti ne o f their own hills but appl i ed themselves ,

vigorousl y to brickmaki ng B rick edices w ere s o common .

in R ome up t o the A ugu sta n age as t o give occasio n t o the ,

E mperor s boast that he ( or more properly V ipsan iu s A grippa)

had fou nd R ome o f brick (lateritzam ) and le ft her o f m arble

'

or rather en crusted with it It was not necessa ry to mould

, , .

blocks fo r the radiati ng arches The thi n w ell burn t tetra .
-

doron o r p e ntad oro n tile answ ered every purpose could ,

be w orked in a nyho w or be ma nu factured a ny where and , ,

w ith its fresh ceme nt o f lime bur nt on the da y of usi ng was ,

almost i mperishable The arch says Fergusso n w as n ever .

, ,

properly u nderstood till the R oman tiles w ere used fo r it .

A s w ith Babylo nia n brick s o f m ore dista nt time they w ere ,

d ul y dated w ith time and place maker s name and co nsul

, ,

ate and are o fte n important chro nological eviden ce

, T he .

2 2 nd L egio n has bee n traced through great part o f G erma ny

b y brick s w hi ch bear i ts na m e Bricks of the 6t h and 9t h .

L egio ns are fou nd at Y ork and dates thus obta ined h ave

,

been fou nd o f great val ue in determi ning the period o f

Christia n sepulchral cha m bers as in the cemete ry o f S ,
.

D omitilla w hich co ntai ns dated til es o f H ad ria n s reign

'
.
,

M r P arker s photographs o f the H ouse of P u de ns contai n

.

excelle nt specime ns of rst and seco nd cen tury brick or tile

w ork and illustrate its excelle n t applicatio n to radiati ng
,

arches The use o f less splendid materials seems in time t o

.

have w orked both w ays and mi nistered to pri de of science ,

instead o f pride o f state M r Street has explai ned in a . .

,

manner equally i nteresti ng and co nvi nci ng how the progress ,

o f architectural skill in b u ildi ng vast structures w it h b ricks

,

o r sto nes o f s m all size no larger tha n a m an could carry , ,

grad u ally e ngrossed atte ntio n so that m en began to vie with ,

each o ther in w o nder worki ng i nge nuities o f co nstructio n and

-
,

to thi nk less o f scu lpture and pai nti ng or expres sio n of ,

sole m n or i nve ntive thought .

I t is in R ome as has bee n said that the y et e ndur i ng types

, ,
-

o f a ncie n t arc h itecture become secul ar rather tha n ded i cated .

E W iene r D e Legi one R xxii D an m tad t 1 8 30 pp 1 06

.
, 37 . .
, , . .

3
See Wellbelo ved s
E ara mm .
 GREEK AR T A T R OM E . 83

I n th e t otal absence o f any remai ns o f a Grec i a n house it is ,

e xt re mel y di fficu lt t o reco nstruct o ne from Vitruvi us hasty

a c cou nt of them in his o wn day which i s co ntradicted by ,

othe r weighty authorities eve n in such a m atter as the relative ,

p o s i t i o n s o f the A n dro n i t i s o r m e n s an d the G yn a c o n it is

, ,

or w ome n s apartme nts Which w ere placed in front or

.
,

w he th er in a fter times there w ere or w ere not t wo s eparate

-

entranc es in the same fro nt is duly discussed in Beck er s

C h aric les ( E xcursus on the G reek H ouse) T he streets .

o f Pompei i and H ercula neu m are o f course our great s o urce

of i nformatio n ; and as these cities were more G ree k tha n

R oma n no more i nstruct i ve examples could have bee n pre

,

s erv e d to u s Their co nstructio n c an hardly co nnect the m

.

w ith Chri s tia n work o f later days excepti ng through o ne ,

re v a i li ng feature a n d that a specially G reek o n t h e

p , e

bl ankness o f their house fro nts Their i nternal orn amen t -

.

m us t be c o nsidered u nder the heads o f Gra c o R oma n -

scu lpt ure and picture Be it ob served in passi ng that it .

,

is m uch to be regretted that our ow n popular op ini on o f

an cien t art es pecially o f pai nti ng should be fou nded o n the
, ,

v ol u ptuou s pretti nesses of the w alls o f P ompeii I n E ngland .

,

t h i s m us t ha ve c o n tributed greatly t o t h e natio nal susp i cio n

of th e graphic a rts as o nl y ve h icles o f se nsuality the more , ,

beauti fu l the more subtle and there fore the w orse Cities, .

or lad i e s o f pleas ure are alike u nt to be typical speci m e n s

of t heir g en us .

H ow ever the bald street fro ntages o f A thens where in

, , ,

h er best day s m en gave all their sple ndour t o the gloriou s

,

te m ples and theatres in w hich they met as true citize ns were

,

c e rt ainl y repeated in the cities o f Mag na G ra cia and very ,

p r o b a bl y in R ome u n less they w ere

,
2
varied b y shops in the ,

lo w e r oo rs o f some block s or ins u lar N ow Christia ns w ere .

,

fo r th e rst t w o cen turies accustomed to meet fo r prayer and

s ac rame n ts in private houses and m ust have bee n w ell used ,

t o th eir bla nk exterior A nd this added t o their early .

,

I huc ii 1 4 65 Stat G a m p 8 D e h no m ust alway

' '
. . D ic a archu
, . s, . r , . . u o ur s

be gi en th e Ath en ian in parti cul ar f

v spe nd ing thei w eal th n p bli pl nd , or s r o u c s e o ur

rath er than pri vate lux ry t ntati n Th y certainly cont a t y fa u ably

u or os e o . e r s ver vo r

with oursel es in th i e p c t
v s r s e .

See D yer s P amper},

p . 8 .
84 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

associ at i o ns o f E astern streets close latticed and featureles s ,

-
,

may have co ntributed to the great R oma no Christia n m od i -

catio n o f the temple i n to the basilica and C hristia n church .

A ll their decoratio n was w ithi n The typical example o f .

this progress is in the great hall o f D iocletia n s palace at

Spalat ro This buildi ng is tra nsitio nal and there fore full o f
.
x
,

w ro ng co m bi natio ns as pillars w ith nothi ng to support or , ,

set o n each other or on co nsoles N evertheless it possesses

, .
,

true gran de u r and the aisle pillars o f its great hall w i th the ir
, ,

be nt u p entablat ure may make ame nds fo r the great arch at

-
,

the e nd which is magn ice nt if w ro ng

, , .

It was in fact the te nde ncy o f R oma n b uildi ng w hich

, ,

made the Christia n Church as P ro fessor R uski n w rites , ,

c

seize upo n the arch as her ow n decorate and delight in it , .

I t might be thought that H ebrew G reek and Syria n feeli ng , ,

w ould have adhered m ore closely to the sha ft and horizo ntal
frieze and i ndeed the great church o f Bethlehem is disti n
, ,

g u is h e d from ma n y others by its lo n g co n ti n uo u s li n tel

e nta b lature 3 A nd here at le ngth w e reach w hat are po pu
.
, ,

larly supposed to be the opposi ng a s th e t ic pri nciples o f

G reek and Goth ic that the former is horizo ntal and earth
,

bou nd the latter vertical and aspiri ng
, There is no doubt .

that the u s e o f the arch b reaki ng up the level e ntablature , ,

did give upw ard directio n t o the eyes and thoughts o f

w orshippers in the earliest basilica A nd in d ue time t he .

N orther n races d wellers in the shade o f pi ne w oods brough t

,
-
,

their associatio ns o f forest aisles and cl ustered col um ns i nto

the L o m b ard w ork o f N o rthern Italy which bec ame true ,
.

or vertical Gothic on this side the A lps The vertical tra n .

s itio u dou b tless bega n w ith the R oma n arch wh i ch the ,

Church accepted as she fou nd it in the basilica she built or ,

occupied at the e nd o f the persecutio ns But as certai nl y

, . .

the Christia n imagi natio n did early and delightedly a ttach

itsel f to the do m e and rou nd vault Their great ci rcu lar or .

s pi ral perspectives swept the eye up wards as surely and

m uch more naturally tha n perpe ndicular l i nes T he i dea .

See D Aginc ou rt, A rc/riiertu rc , pl

. III . te xt, v ol. i p . . to .

9
Stone: of Ven ice, v o l 14 . i p . . .

3
Lo rd L
i nd s a s I/ I i lur
y
'

y qf C h i s/id
'

A ri, i .
p . 2 3.
 GR E E K A R T A T R OM E . 85

of as pirat i o n or heave n seeki ng as the i nte nded character i stic

-

o f m e d ia val G othic is harmless and may be allo w ed but , ,

reall y depe nds o n the ocular la w s o f spri ngi ng curve rather ,

th an on perpe ndicularit y I t is no t sheer height straight .

u p wards whi c h gives this i m pressio n it is the soari ng curves ,

o f arches an d vaults in perspective and t he earliest an d

l oftiest ideas o f this ki nd have b een gi ven by the Orie ntal

d ome and cupola Soari ng . li nes in fact mea n li nes , ,

w hich mou nt like an eagle : and eagles do no t in fact y , ,

straight at the ze nith but s weep up ward in vast spirals N o r

, .

d oes the true Gothic i nterior depe nd o n perpe ndicular li ne s ,

bu t o n pe rspe ctives o f piers and arches o n curves radiati ng ,

from cl ustered pillars and o n the co nseque nt appeara nc e o f

,

li fe and growth aw ay i nto the vaulted roo f There is u m .

q uestio nably a suggestio n o f I n n ity and the vast Beyo nd

in all spri ng i ng or projectile cu rves : and even the semi
c i rcl e s o f th e rou nd arch though mecha n ical and li feless
,

cu rves when se en in an elevatio n draw i ng have full e ffect ,

o f li fe and v ig our whe n see n in the perspectives o f an actual

c olo nnade .H eight o f course tells w ith great force and the ,

e ffect o f the successive pairs o f curves which form lo fty

arch e s is perhaps best expressed in a si ng le w ord o f Ca no n

, ,

K i ngsley s uprushi ng piers A n d as the cu rve o f the

.
,

rou nd arch b egi ns at the top o f the s ha ft it retai ns the idea ,

o f orga n ic grow th fro m a s tem like a palm t ree g ro wth o f ,

-

im mo rtal vegetatio n i nterlaci ng its bra n ches in cross vaults

,
-
,

re ne w i ng its youth w ith every pier or colum n till the w hole

a isle is li k e an ave n ue in the gard e n o f t h e L ord Those .

w ho hav e o fte n w al k ed in palm groves w ill have little d if -

c u lty in seei n g an a nalogy b et w ee n thei r b ra nch e s and the

rou nd v aulti ng which is parallel to that bet w ee n the G othic

,

aisle and the ave nues o f the N orthern forest So that the 2
.

c ircu lar arch leadi ng o n gradually (by its intersectio ns or

,

o the rwise ) to the poi nted o ne may w ell express the rst ,

inbrea k o f C hristia n hope re al yet u n realised upo n the level

, ,

lines o f A the nia n s tre ngth co n te nt e d beauty and thought , ,

bou nded by the far and low horizo n .

See Salm ia, by Sir H y . D av .

p
T he alm is t hus archi tec turally us ed in a ~
arc o ph agus . D alian } vol i tav . . . 22 .
86 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

But there w as i ndee d a natural and deep feeli ng in pri mi a

tive da ys agai nst the pure G reek forms and their associatio ns ,

w hich never c an b e forgotte n The most cursory reader o f .

Te rtullia n D e I dolatria w ill apprehend the dread and

"
, ,

dea nce of idolat ry w hich it represe nts and w hich seems to ,

have bee n almost u niversal in th e Church The G ree k temple .

w as b uilt for its i nd weller and had its agalma the god s

, ,

image so named as a thi ng o f beauty and delight : and this

,

w as emphatically t o be the j oy o f G ree k s no lo nger for

ever Whatever high sy mbolis m o f the One God may have
.

q ualied the image w orship o f P heid ias and his ge neratio n

-
,

that race was go ne and blank supe rstition or bla nk denial

,

had take n its place The temple and all its beauties o f
.

li ne and colour propo rtion sculpture pai nt i ng pa ans and

, , , , ,

i ncense seemed a place of sacrice to devil s where in

,
,

plai n fact the Pagan vi c es o f desire and cruelty w ere fully

,

sanctio ned Be fore its altars had stood shiveri ng L apsi

. ,

drive n by fear or actual stress of torme nt to spri nkle on

the P aga n ame the i nce nse w hich they believed was e nd
less rui n to their souls The colum ned fronts and pedi
.

me nts the open pe risty les and fou nta ins of l ust ratio n all
, ,

remi nded men of the co nti nua nce o f b lood y sacrice w hich ,

Christ had brought t o an end T he ag al m a was w ithi n .

,

it had often looked on impassively at the tortu res o f th e

N azarene A ll the dee ds and ho nours o f th e false go d w e re
.

c arven o r grave n arou nd and glorious or shame ful they

, , ,

w ere a part o f the buildi ng al w ays A ll the state and .

beauty o f the G ree k temple was b ou nd to the pol yt heistic

system ; and w e nd in co nseq ue nce that but few temples ,

comparatively speaki ng w ere turn ed to the p urposes of

,

Christian worship Basilica or large halls w ere occu pied

.
, ,

b e fore and a fter the Peace o f the Church ; and the us ual
domestic orname nt of such rooms in the large houses o f the
richer converts (as in th e palace o f P udens) gave no offence
to the assembled c o ngregatio ns They came i n deed to give . . ,

sy m bolic mea ni ngs o f their own to favou rite G ent ile subjects ,

as vi nes and shepherds and to co nstruct a system o f pi c ture

teachi ng fo r themselves which grad uall y exte nded to h istoric
,

i llustratio n o f H oly Scripture .

88 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

rema i ning w alls have j ust been exami ned a ne w and placed ,

o n faith ful record fo r eve r in photograph by the care of ,

M r J H P a rker
. . . .

The ancient w alls ce rtai nl y o f the rst or second century , ,

are stil l part o f the prese nt church of S P u d e nt iana w hich .

,

w as in fact the basilica or great hall o f P udens palace and

'

, , ,

y et retai ns these portio ns o f its origi nal structure behi n d the

altar Mr P arker s photographs have their usual i nterest
. .

here as documents beyo nd dispute and the pictures o f the

, ,

brick arches are specially valuable as givi ng the reader a ,

c lear idea at o ne gla n ce o f w ha t the t rue rs t ce ntury brick -

w ork or rather tilew or k o f R ome really was

,
There are , .

t ype s o f the radiati ng arch w hich fully bear ou t Mr Fer , .

observatio s o n it ; the thi nness o f the tiles an d

'

us s on s n
g
excelle nce o f the ceme nt re n der key sto nes u nnecessary and ,

bi n d the w hole w all together in one i mpe rishable mass .

P assi ng over the lege ndary but by no m ea ns impro bable ,

accou nt o f the family o f P udens and his connectio n w ith

,

Britai n by marriage w ith G lad ys or Claud ia dau ghter of , ,

Claudius C o s id u bnu s o f Britai n po ssibly Claudia in 2 Tim , .

iv w e may fairly ta k e M r P arker s sketch o f the

. .

"
arc ha olog ic al case fo r the house o f P ude ns !
A nastasi us gives the li fe o f P i us I as Bishop o f R ome .
,

A D
. 1 54 . 1 62 P ius was accordi ng to traditio n the grand
.
, ,

s o n o f P ude ns the frie nd o f St Paul H e made the Therm a

, . .

o f N ovat u s in the P atr icia n Street i n to a church to his sister ,

S P o te nt iana or P u d e ntiana the martyr (d od icav it eccles iam

.

T /zermas N ovat i in v ico P atric io) This may remi n d us of .

the consecratio n o f the P a ntheo n in the time of P hocas ; but

these ba ths of N o vatu s are ide ntied w ith the baths o f
Timotheus (a member o f the P ude ns family) where S J usti n , .

M arty r had lived t ill w ith in a short time o f his d eath 5 N o .

P hotograph s 1 7 8 1 7 34 I 7 3 5 , , .

See Sm ith s D i ti na y of ti B ibl P d en

'
c o r re e, r. v .
. u s.

This i ce tainly c n m ed by M art ial in E pig li b i

3 s r 29 ;
o 8
4 ; v i r8
5 ; , . . . v . .

77

A d R fu m
. d e N u ptii P d enti et Claudia per g i na
u C laudia s u s e r .

ca r l is cu m sit R na B ritanni
u e E d i ta xi and i 1 3
u C laud ia R ufe m eo s.

. v. .
, ,

n bit p ere i
u
g na P d e n ti &c r u , .

Lec t e to the R oyal A cha ological I n ti tu te J ne 2 1 8 7 1 A lso in M

ur r s , u , . r.

H emans M on u ment:

o f A ncien t R ome .

5 S . P N J ustini P hil
. .
, . et M art yri, O p era. E d B ened P ar
. . . r7 42 , fol . p .
386 .
 GREEK AR T A T R OM E . 89

p o lem i cal issue depe nds o n this matter and it seems u n ,

reaso n able t o dispute every fact about R om an martyrs o n ly

be c ause th ey su ff ered at R ome These b aths may very w ell .

h ave been a part o f the large area o f the D o m us belo ngi ng

t o Pud e ns in the rst ce ntu ry w hich w as pro b ably co nverted
into an ins ula or block o f smaller houses in the course o f the
, ,

n ext h u n dred an d fty years ; so as to be most popularly

k n own b y its bath s But the more i mportant pa rt o f the

.

e vide nce the best co n rmed by M r P arker s perso nal

, .

inspectio n and care ful photograph y is the follo w i ng : ,

T h e arc ha olog ic al evide nce is stro ngl y in favour o f the
t ru t h o f th ese traditio n s the exist i ng remai ns o f some great
palac e of the rst century w ith alteratio ns o f the seco nd are
, ,

v ery d i sti n ct. It was built agai nst the southern cli ff o f the
V i mi nal H ill . The cellars u nder the houses in the Via de
S P u d ent iana ( origi nall y called the Vicus P at ric iu s ) co nsist
.

o f a se ri es o f lo ng na rrow vaulted ch amb ers the arches o f

, ,

w hich are built of the ne brick w ork o f the rst ce ntury .

T he subterra nea n chu rch is formed out o f these lo ng narrow ,

v aults w ith arches pierced through the w alls and w ith clere
, ,

s tory windo ws made over them These w i ndo ws must have

.

O pe ned into an area and so w ere j ust b elow the level of the
,

g rou n d
,
a n d t h ere fore o u t o f sight T Ice w hole arrang ement
.

was ad m irably calcu lated to avoid obs ervation in t imes of per

secu t ion . But the persecutio ns usually lasted but a fe w mo nth s
o nl y : at other times the Christians w ere treated like other
c iti z e ns and govern ed by the same law s
, They could and .

did assemble in each other s houses at ordi nary ti m es : usuall y

as their n um b ers i ncreased in t he basilica or great hall the

, , ,

largest room in the house This was evide ntly the case in the
.

h ouse o f Pudens as the pres ent church o f St P u d e nt iana sta nds

, .

in the origi nal hall o f the palace ; and the outer w all o f it c an
be se en beh ind the altar w ith the large hal l w i ndo w s in it o f
,

the rs t ce ntury lled up w ith b rick w ork o f the seco nd so

, ,

nearly res embli ng the origi nal co nstructio n that it is n o t easy

at o n ce to d isti nguish them The origi nal w all and arches o f

.

the h all wi ndo w s agree per fectly w ith the arches in the cellars

and t he s ubterra n ea n ch u rch .

H ot air ues are also fou nd cut in the w all o f the rst
-
9 0 GREEK AN D GO THIC
century ; w hich co nnects all w ith the Therm a . T he n ame
Titulus P u d e nt is is applied to the pla c e by A nast asius z

T it u lu m P u d entis , ie
. . e c c les iam Sanc tia P o tent iana
m

P u d e nt iana ) in ru in is i nov ite r re parav it
( p os t a .

As we have said there is no reaso n why any pa rty should

,

w ish to dispute the authe n ti city o f this traditio nal histo ry o f

existi ng remai ns T h e vaults and especially their material
.
, ,

are docu me ntary evide n ce ; let it not b e said that the brick

w ork like that q uoted in evide nce by J ack C ade is not

, ,

disti nguishable from other w orks in the same material for ,

it is u n mistakab ly rst and seco nd ce ntury Mr P arker s -

. .

examples e nable any perso n to disti nguish at e nce between

the bricks o f earlier and later ages and these are certai nly ,

o f the earliest and take n w ith the traditio n the y are a most
, ,

i mporta nt feature in early Church history and illustrate the ,

quiet growt h o f Chri stian li fe in R ome givi ng us w hat is so ,

much w a nted a sense o f its progress in peace ful times w hen

, ,

the Faith all u nnoticed gre w mightily and prevailed and ,

w he n the pri ncipal feature noticed in the demea nour and

li fe o f its pro fessors w as h ow greatly they loved o ne a nother .

Such times are go ne : yet in all o u r compla i nts o f each other s

frow ard ness and lame nts over u navoidable schism s we may ,

co nsider that a certai n u nde ned peace and desire o f pea c e ,

w hich is love i s possible and exists eve n no w in the in ter

, ,

m issions o f a nx i ous d isputatio n and burni ng ques ti ons as ,

i t did in the persecuted Church ; which could not qua rrel

w i thi n itsel f because it w as threate n ed from w ithout w ith
,

mocki ng and s courgi ng re and lio ns T hrough all this

,
.
,

these me n s love for each other in their L ord m ade li fe
en durable and death a victory .

R oma n portrait sculpture must have begu n w i th the

-

I magi nes o f departed a ncestors ; and this in i tsel f w ould

have much to do w ith i ts i nferiority because i t too k sculpture ,

out o f the temples and prevented its bei ng as in G reece a

, , ,

n ecessary additio n to architecture N evertheless the house .

,

hold faith and service o f R ome to the dead priests o f the

H earth re w as a ge n ui ne thi ng in early ti mes and so w ere
-
,

the L ares Virgil sho ws his respect fo r it by maki ng E neas

.

xl ii 343 H ad i an I A D 7 7 2 7 9 5
v . . r . . . .
9 2 GREEK AN D GO THIC .

h eadi ng this chapter to connect the w ord R ome with the

of

w ord A rt because fo r a series o f ages a large proportio n o f

,

th e best w ork s o f art have al w ays b ee n kept in R o m e o fte n ,

destroyed w ith her destructio ns But strictly speaki ng .

, ,

R ome had no i nve ntive share in Fi ne A rt H e r arts w ere .

exactly as Virgil described them those o f crushi ng and exter ,

m inat ing w ar fare co nquest and prolo nged milita ry occup a

, ,

tio n T o spare the sub m issive that is to say to leave those

.
,

people in possession o f their lives who cared to retai n the m

w he n everythi ng else w as take n aw a y ; and to extermi nate
the proud that is to say all who clu ng to their i ndepe ndence
,

to tear and break in pieces w ith teeth and talo ns o f iron ,

was the u nvaried custom o f th e R epublic and E m pire The .

great R oma n m odications and discove ries in art are due to

the E trusca n eleme nt in R ome as the polygo nal road ways , ,

the arch and vault ; though d o ubt less th e use o f bricks (i e

'

. .

broad at tiles) was a great R oma n i mprov eme nt in the

rou nd arch Still R ome laid ha nds on the arts as o n every
.

thi ng else and spread them over E urope w ith e n dless

,

repetitio n and m ultiplicatio n She gav e m e n m uch fo r their

.

liberty and they co nti n ued t o lead a li fe as n early as possi ble

,

sim ilar to the habits and customs o f their i ndepe nde n ce A nd .

w ithout adopti ng any opti m ist or laudatory vie w o f R oma n

rule still less (for it is impossi b le) o f R oma n conq uest one
, ,

ca nnot but see that submissive allies w ere treated at least

w ell e nough t o make them i nto secure bases fo r more
adva nced operatio n s o f co nquest : that war was forbidde n
and the Pax R oma n a mai ntai ned throughout the w hole
I m perium Whe n nature had covered the ghastly tracks of
.

the legions and the bo nes o f slai n freeme n had returned to

,

t heir dust fresh ge n eratio ns gre w up in subj ectio n and u nder

, ,

an iro n order w hich gave full security and allo w ed eve n ,

happi ness in its way It w as slo wly and surely e nervati ng

.

and demoralisi ng but did no t prohibit the domestic v irtues ;

,

and C hristia n m orality held its o wn u nder it I ndeed we .

cannot say that the A the ns o f D emosthe nes or the E gypt ,

o f P tole m y or the A sia o f A n tiochus

, or the Tare ntum o f ,

Pyrrhus s day could have gone o n for ever or that either
, ,

w ould have bee n (as a body politic or natio n) a spe cially , ,

 GR EE K A R T AT R OM E .
93

a d mi rable e x ample to races to co m e We are apt to a rgue .

in view o f the cal am ities o f war and the feroc i ty o f R oman

devastat i o n as if all men slai n w ith pil um and broadsword
,

w ou ld have be e n i mmortal w ithout them or at leas t have ,

d i ed l u x uriously in bed and enj oyed respectable crematio n .

I t is u seless t o compare the facts o f history w ith any ideal

o rder o f thi ngs T o the e nd o f t ime ma nk i nd m ust loo k
.
,

s h u dderi ng o n records or evidences o f death and all the

e vi l w or k w hich culmi nates in it o fte n in u ncertai nty w hose ,

fate has bee n t he worse that of the slai n or of the slayer , .

Before her b ou ndari es had reached their full exte nt R om e

had begu n to tear out her o wn e ntrails T he massacres o f .

T h rasym e ne an d C a nna w ere never repaired ; but w ere

re newe d b y th e s oc i al w ars u ntil the desolatio n o f I tal y ,

promised in vision to t h e implacable enemy was full y ac ,

c om p lished by the I mper i al city hersel f fo r h ersel f T he , .

A u gusta n age had its v illas o f degradi ng l uxury its lati fu ndi a ,

and ru stic fam ilies of w retched slaves scar c ely d i sguisi ng ,

th e d e solation o f the wasted corn la nds wh i ch had o nce fe d -

t he co nqueri ng y eome n of L atium .

E xcludi ng M arcellus the s w ord o f R ome and Fabi u s , ,

M aximus wh o s h o wed moderatio n and some rel i gious feeli ng

,

( w i th th e S cipios wh o see m to have ta k e n a literary vie w o f

,

art and foreseen the tri umphs o f G reek e ducatio n in their

,

o wn c ou ntry) from the list o f chie f spoliators ; there remai n

C M an lius Fu lv ius N obilio r (wh o plu ndered the te m ples

.
, ,

o f A m brac ia) M u mm iu s and Sulla L ucull us Sc au ru s and

, , ,

V e rres Y e t the stores o f the R hodia n work shops w ere

.

in exhaustible and the artistic populatio n must have bee n

,

v ery la rg e : able to supply a great G reek school in R ome as ,

in t he s eve nth centu ry A D w he n barbari sm had returned to

, . .
,

h er decade nce N at i ve talent w as overpo wered but there

.

w as patro nage e no u gh through portraiture triumpha n t bas ,

re l i e f an d orid architectural o rname nt to for m what are 2

, ,

C icero, D e D v n i i i
24 . . .

T he e
r ha d lo n g b e en an occa s on al d e m an d fo r sc enesio f battle a nd v c tor at i y
R ome ; and IE milius s ord er about mpo rt ng a ree k a nter and a

i i oso G
er pi phil ph
cannot h
ave bee n the e arl es t ns ta nc e o f i i
atronage in the forme r ne p ere li . Th
was a p c tur o
e if th Feas t o
e f V olon cs , or free d m e n -
sold ers, of T ibe r us rac c us i i G h
94 GREEK AN D GO THIC .

called the arts of the A ugusta n age What belo ngs to th at .

period is the developme nt o f the arch and v aul t u nderstood

fro m th e earliest times b ut now w orked ou t in the best ,

adapted material the broad tile bricks and excellent mortar ,

-

o f the rst ce n tury A D . .

R oma n religio n had s o much t o d o w ith a n cestral and

sepulchral rites that a great part o f the tra nsitio n o f decoration
,

bet wee n G reek and Teutonic is traceable in sepulchres o nly as ,

D A ginc ou rt says : and R ome is hersel f a su ffi cie nt p lace of

'

tombs fo r all i n quiries O urs w ill lead u s t o the subjects .

o f i nterme n t crematio n and the great catacomb or sub

, ,

terranea n system ; and a co nnecti ng example o f the burial

place and sarcophagi of the great IE m ilian house yet remai ns
to us called the Tomb o f the Scipios This w ill come in more
,
.

properly at the begi nni ng o f ou r chapters o n the Christia n

Catacombs Mea nwhile as the m u ral orname nt o f all these
.
,

s epulchres is b y pai nti ng rather tha n sculpture there are ,

plates and descriptio ns in the w ork s o f M Seroux d A ginc o u rt .

w hich w e here stro ngly recomme nd the reader t o look at if

he c an P lates [ 0 I I and 1 2 v ol v A rch itectu re ( the Tomb of
, , , , . .

the Scipios is at plate 1 2 descriptio ns in vol iii p 8 , . .

, .
,

These are from E trusca n tombs at T arq u inii or Corneta near , ,

Civita Vecchia and they illustrate t he d ec o rat io n as the

, .
,

I E m ilian tomb does the co nstructio n o f the e arlier cata c ombs .

The rst ma y be described here as show i ng in some measure ,

w hat a ncie n t R oma n pai nti ng w ould have bee n e ve n w i th out

the i nux of G ree k models .

The T arq u inian tombs may be briey desc ribed as broad

low bro wed sepulchral chambers s u pported b y massive pill ars
-
,

aft er the battle of B eneventum, cons ec rated by him in th e T emple of Libe ty r on

the Av entin e in B C . . 2 !3 ( Li vy xx v i . and t hi s w as p

ro bably b y a Gree k .

Fe gusson H ist A / ita t

r , ol i 1 88 . pa t I ; bk I I ch
rc z I t seems
c u re, v . . r . . . . v.

that th As yrian us ed the po inted arc h f

e s s tunnels aqu ed uc ts and generally for or , ,

u nd ground w o k w h re they feared great s p e i ncum be nt p e

er r e me n the apex u r r s u o ,

and th o nd arc h abo e g

e r u nd w h ere that w as not to be d ead ed
v rou and in th i the y
, r s

p bably showed m e sc ienc than we d o in uc h w ks H is ea lie t round

ro or e s or .

r s

arch es a e m a tomb near the Gee eh p yrami d a round rad iati ng vault of

ne f r o , ro z s,

f ur cour
o e a i ngular three s toned a c h
ses ov r and the city gates
s f Kh orsahad -
r o

( pp r5 8 1 8 7 ) p fect enou h t p ove that the arch was th

.
-
g er o ghly u nd erstood in
o r or u

the time of Sargon .

9 6 GREEK AN D GO THIC .

glad i atori al exhibit io ns w ere really the chie f means of destroy

ing all taste fo r true art an d its ge ntle pleasures in the R oma n
people . Some what more may be said o f this : but it is
evide nt at sigh t tha t th e exc i tement o f cruelt y must over
po wer any feeli ng fo r natural beauty except the most grossly ,

sensual ; and it is fou nd as a fact that cruelty is ge nerally

co nnected either w ith d ul ness o f feeli ng i n capable of art or ,

w ith that rage o f satiety male and female which has o nly
, ,

eyes for the evil side of art and has ceased to feel eve n that
,

as a stimulus T he charact er o f N ero is in fact the logical

.

development o f R oma n art and l uxury and he has his ,

sympathisers accordi ngl y in modern days But now and then .

faith ful and pow er ful w it ness is bor n e to the dread ful tra nsi
tion from se nsuality t o cruelty as in the follo wi ng li nes ,

from

There c om es a time
W hen the insatiate brute w ith in the man ,

W ea y wi th wall wing in the m ire leaps f th

r o , or

D vouri ng and the c l o en saty h oof

e ,
v r-

G ws to th e end ing c law and the so l sinks

ro t , u ,

A nd l ea es the man a d e il all his sin

v v ,

G wn sa ou l s and yet he longs to sin

ro v r es ,

A nd l ngs in ai n fo e e
o v r v r.

For a fe w easily accessible specimens of R oma n portrait

sculpture orig inal or in photograph see list at the e nd of
, ,

this book .
 C H A PT E R II .

G R E GG R - O M AN
P AI NT I NG T H E W ALL S or P OM P E II .

T H OU G H the pictures which o n ce adorned the w alls o f

Pom peii and H erculaneum are no t al wa ys agreeable obj ects
o f co ntemplatio n some co nsiderable atte ntio n should be paid
,

t h e m b y an atte ntive stude nt o f art or history ta k i ng them as ,

docume nts ill ustrative of the ti m es w hich preceded and suc

c ee d e d them as w ell as o f their o w n
, From the decoratio n o f
.

th es e l i tt le pleasure cities o f Mag na G ra cia w e may k no w

-

p rett y w ell w hat popular G reek art had come t o ; w hat w as

its standard and ai m if any ; w hat amou nt o f beau ty it

,

retai ne d w hat signs of failure are v isi b le in tech n ical po w er

u p to A D .
79 ;
. an d w hat o n the w hole R
, oma n patro n s a n d,

employers o f the rst c entury really paid their artists to do .

A nd further the system o f decoratio n the g eometrical borders

, ,

and brea k i n g u p o f w alls i n to pa nels should be compared ,

w it h those o f the earlier Catacombs as th ey w ill be fou nd ,

v al uable mea ns o f disti nctio n and e nable the trave l ler to ,

m ake some co njectures as t o the date o f the rst pai nti ng

o f m a ny cubicula G e ll s w ork an d D yer s P ompeii are

.

alway s access i ble : the larger Fre nch an d G erma n H erc u

la neu m ct P ompeii is at least easy to nd in libraries w ith ,

th e exceptio n o f the eighth vol ume which most private ,

p e rs o n s w ould be i n cli ned to subject t o cre m atio n Fi n al ly .

,

M r J W Park er s P hotog raphs of P ompeian Fres coes w ith

. . .
,

the earlier o nes from the to m b o f St at iliu s Taurus and ,

oth e rs o f the rst ce ntury fro m the Villa P am ph ili D oria

at R om e w ill give the best po s sible ide a o f t h e prese nt state
, ,

ll
9 8 GREEK AN D GO THIC .

and no t a bad o ne o f the origi nal appeara nce and tech nical
skill o f the w all pai nti ngs Fi nally a visit to the C rystal
,
.
,

P alace w i t h L ord L ytto n s L as t D ays of P ompeii in o ne s hand

w ill give a nybody w ith some slight k no wledge o f R oma n his

tory a fair e nough grou nd w ork to start from in study o f the -

progress or rather rapid decadence o f G ra ce R oma n pai nti ng

, ,
-
.

H e w ill see that ill do ne as they are the Christia n picture s

,
-
,

o f the cemeteries do fo r a time co n ti nue this style o f decora

tio n w ith their own subjects u ntil they fail altogether H e , .

w ill u ndersta nd from these w orks in a great de gree in a

still greater fro m third and fourt h ce ntury sculptures how -

virtually hopeless the decaden ce o f heathen art had beco m e

be fore Christ s comi ng and h ow completely its rui n w as ac

complished be fore the Christia n Church had any pow er over

,

P aga n temples or statues T h e very best works o f Pompeia n .

art are nugatory as co m pared w ith the great G reek schools ;

the less importa nt pai nti ngs are facile and o fte n pretty w ith ,

harmless play ful fan cies and i magery There is every c on .

c e ivable variety o f grace fully equivocal g u re pai nti ng and - -

,

some work o f which nothi ng n ee d be said except th at it goes .

far to bear o ut St Paul in R oma ns i and J uve nal in some

. .

o f his worst Satires

.

T he Christia n faith does no t sta nd o n its morality alo ne .

To plead that as tri umpha nt over all evil w ould be to assert

a success w hich is yet w ithheld T he ex i ste nce o f both .

i mmorality and i n delit y is yet a solem n and i nsupe rable fact

but we Christians have an equal r i ght to assert o u r o wn exist
e nce ; as well as o u r o wn si ncerity ; and to sa y that races o f
greater stre ngt h and w ilder passio ns tha n the R om ans o r
G ree ks have learn t sel f restra i n t from the Fai t h s i n ce t he rs t
-

ce ntu ry ge nerally by pai nful methods

, T he quotatio n at .

p I 7 from the Master of B alliol s E pistles of St P aul sums

.
,

.
,

up all that need be said o n this matter .

P ompeia n art is e ntirely decorati ve in the modern sense ; ,

pictures are parts o f the general e ffect o f a roo m ; th ere

is never any atte m pt at i nstructio n or any ideal better ,

tha n that o f prese nt beauty ; very skil ful ha nds hav e be e n

Some of the w ors t o f t ese h pi c tu res w ere found in pi
r vate roo ms of p alaces
and g eat
r houses , not in p bli
u c hau nts of s in .
I OO GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

well adapted to rou nd arch c onstructio n at th i s day Ma ny

-
.

examples o f the earliest Christia n w ork are truly classical ,

A u g u sta n an d w ell adapted to R o m a n R e naissa n ce b uildi ngs

,

o f that character ; so that our great metropolita n Cathedral

m ight be adorned w ith patte rn s used by the P rimiti ve Church

and its martyrs to the pe rfect satis facti o n both o f arc h a o log y
,

and tech nical rigorism .

It w ould be delight ful could w e produce ex amples o f deco ,

ration from the walls o f Christia n d welli ngs w here the brethren
met in quiet days N o w riter has ever ve n tured o n an attempt
.

to represe nt Christia n happi ness in primitive times yet it c an ,

hardly be beca use there was not any A ll their pai nti ng is so .

peace ful gentle and al most j oyous in subj ect that it leaves
, ,

no doubt that hope in their Master led H is se rva n ts through

fear and gh t ings no t u n cheer fully They too k their house .

decoratio n i n to t he cataco m bs ; and there too they learnt , ,

the sculpture o f sarcophagi in has relie f o nly The great ,

-
.

rarity o f detached statues or images may prov e to us that

ico n oclastic troubles hardly existed as such in the Pri miti ve , ,

Church ; and that i m ages were fo r 300 years too heartil y dis
liked by the people as co n ne cted w ith P agan is m to give their
, ,

t e ache rs m uc h u n easi ness a b out idolatry w ithi n the Church .

That arose w ith sai n t worship o r in other w ords w it h the -

, , ,

decay o f the popular faith w h ich could no longer c all directly ,

o n Christ the L ord as a heave n ly Frie nd and s o required ,

a sig n or mediators w ith the Mediator Merely i nstruct i ve

, .

sculpture and pai nti ng historical and symbolic existed from , ,

the rst ; and from the rst was take n as i t w as mea n t and ,

s o it has bee n eve n t o this day .

It is probable that the rst acquisitio n by the C hu rch of

gre at bas ilicas as places o f m eeti ng and the i mp ulse th us ,

give n to Christia n architecture in that form led to i mport a nt ,

quest io ns about decorat io n T h e basili cas w ere full o f statues .

o f great m e n o f ti m es past besides pai nti ng and bas relie f ,

-

and in m any c ases somethi n g w ould h e w a nted to ta k e the

il
See M m an, H ist . C it rirlian ity, vol . iii . book iv . , ch. iv . p .
378, 1 8 67 ,
w h ere th e ad orat i on p id t i m
a o ages o f sa nts i is trac ed to t hat w hich was allowed
to be ad d s SC d to s tatues o f Em p e rors . D amas cenu s j ustie the former by the
s

lat te r ; 8 . Je ro me s p ake s of l
th e atte r as rank id lat y
o r .
 THE WA L L S OF P OIPI P E I I . 101

p lace all this orname nt H e nce the great impulse g i ve n to

of .

p a i n ti n g a n d especially
, t o mosaic ; an d from this n eed arose the
grea t deco rative mov eme nt w hich is attached fo r the prese nt ,

to the scarcel y re m embered name of Pauli nus o f N ola D eities

-
.
,

or deied empero rs o r their favourites had bee n removed fro m , ,

the Christia n Ch u rches to the sca ndal o f L iban iu s and h is ,

modern c c religio nists The Church s aw no di ffere nce betw ee n

-
.

Seja nu s an d his master and no doubt tre ated both th eir ,

e ig ies as the mob o f R ome d id the dead favourite s

'

.

The spirited animal pai nti ngs o f the Villa P am ph ili D oria - -

have been already alluded to and w ill be fou nd in M r ,

.

Par k e r s C ollection of P /cotog rap/I s Vol xix N o s 2 69 6 2 7 0 5

,
. .
,
.
, ,

&c .T hey bear co nsiderable rese m bla n ce in style to t h e

w or k s fou nd in P ompeii and also to those in the e arli e st ,

C hri s tian tombs an d cataco m bs as the tomb o f D o m itilla ,

.

T he Pompe ia n la ndscape possesses great natu ralistic merit to ,

j udge by M R o u x s records o f it and th e existence o f small

.

la n dscapes in the D omitilla vaul t an d also in the C allix t ine ,

C atacomb are stro ng argu m e nts fo r the high a ntiq u ity o f

,

th os e cemeteries .

G ree k patter ns resemble each other in P ompeii as else

w here ; and there is marked rese m bla n ce bet w ee n the pave
m e n t or vault patter ns w hich are fou n d there and the Christ ia n
-

v ault orname nts o f the Church o f St Co nsta nti ne at R ome

-
. .

C o n nec ti ng pictures bet ween the pl e asure cities o f R ome and

- -

its caves o f Christia n i nter m e n t are no t likely t o be n u m erous

bu t D e R ossi states that in the crypt o f L uci na (no w j oi ned
t o t h e Catacomb o f St Sebastia n) the G ood Shepherd is .

rep e ated alter n ately w ith a w oma n s gure w hich stro n gly

rese mbles a H ercula nea n picture supposed to have b e e n ,

c o p i ed from a stat u e by C alam is T h e m ari ne mo nsters in .

,

t he C allix t in e Catacomb and el s e where w h o s w allow and dis ,

g orge J o nah are certa in ly remembra

,
n ces o f hippoca m pi an d

the l i k e grotesques exactly like t hose o f P omp e ii ; and the ,

e m ble m atic picture o f U lysses and the Sire n s remi nds us

eas il y o f the fa n ci ful allegories o f the buried city

2
.

See H e c et P m peii r l .il Ge e al M R o x ai ne l iii 5

,

i pl 3

rece u n r ,
. ou ,
vo . .
'

se r e , .
,

pp . 1 2 2 9 33 3 5
, an,d t e n
,d f l m ,al th F a moy a d in D y p 8
3 9 o vo u e so e r r er, . .

A lis t o f th ese bj ect and f xam p l suf ad p ted t eatm nt will be gi e n

s, o e es o o r e , v

at the end of the c h ap te o n th e C h i ti an C atac m l r rs o

1 02 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

This characteri stic of in trod uci ng apparently irreleva nt

d ec oratio n a cc ordi ng t o taste or play o f fa ncy as orn ame nt ,

fo r i ts own sake seems t o be derived fro m d omestic pai nt

,

ing such as t h at o n the w a lls o f Pompeii

,
It prevails more .

in G othic tha n in G ree k art o f the best age I n the .

P arthe non no doubt and in the greater temples the mi nor

, , ,

pai nti ngs all h ad re ference to the D eity ; but be fore G reek
art came i nto Christi an h a n ds it had passed through ma ny
frivolous and la u ghter lovi ng phases in its lo wer depart me nts
-

and in the C atacombs as in Pompeii j ust be fore them and in , ,

the G othic churches a fterw ards all ma nner of re presenta ,

tio ns are to be fou n d alo ng w ith the solem n sy mbols of

the Christia n Faith
E u no fatto c h e ho co nst an te m e nte
.

notato says D e R ossi ne i sott erane i cim i te ri

,

i magi ne
,

del cielo cosmico 0 sce ne di pasto ri zia di agricoltura di ca c ce

, , , ,

di giuochi Obvio e notissi mo e il senso parabolico & c
.
, .

A ll s ecular images in fact t o w hich sacred mea n i ng might

, ,

be attached or on w hich the light o f the G ospel w ould rest at

,

all were freely adopted by the Chu rch H eathe n w orkmen

, .

may have bee n employed ; and u ndoubtedl y the t race s of

heathen desig n are n umerous tho u gh perhaps less so tha n we ,

mi ght expect co nsideri ng that the artists o f the rst t wo

,

c e ntu ries could not w ell divest their mi nds o f their whol e

stock in t ra d e o f subject emblem and fa ncy A s we shal l

- -
, , .

see some o f the earlier pai nti ngs in St Consta nti ne in the
, .
,

C allixt ine C atacomb and those o f D omitilla and P ra te x t at u s

, ,

are exactl y w hat m ight be expected from P o mpei an pai n ters

o f ge n re la ndscape and gu res possessi ng no remark able s k i ll , ,

bu t rep rod u ci ng pat te rns they k new .

A few w ords o n the materials and tech n icalities o f G ra c o

R o ma n wall pai nti ng ma y be appropriate here
-
I n the g reat .

time s (if Greek art it se e m s to be concl usivel y m ade o u t by

,

M R aoul R o chette th at i mportan t pai nti ngs w ere d on e o n

.

pa nels let i nto w alls and no t o fte n or not till later on, , ,

the w all itsel f in either fresco or te mpe ra I t m ay be well to

, .

explai n that fresc o means w ater colours applied fresh t o a wet -

plaster o f lime and san d ; that tempera distemper o r dry , ,

fresco mea n pai n ti ng with water c olou rs on a d ry wa ll ; and -

R oma S tte anea ol i pp 343 4 o r , v . . .

, .
1 04 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

T he vault and cemete ry o f St D omitilla are certai nly o f .

the rst centu ry th e w alls o f the Catacomb o f St P ra t e x,

.

t atus and various remai n s in the C allix t ine are u nquestio nably
, ,

not later tha n the seco n d The grace ful and ow i ng orn a m e nt .
,

naturalistic in treatme nt yet severely arra nge d in patterns , ,

adapted t o the co nstructive form w ith a total absen ce o f ,

sti ffn ess rude handl i ng or asceticism of spirit characterise all

, , ,

these wo rk s and disti nguish them from later C hristia n pai nt

i ngs Some attempt at classicatio n m ust be made but will
.
,

have to be de ferred till the n ext chapter .

O n any vis i t to a large library the stude nt w ill do w ell to

loo k at t h e architectural decoratio ns in vol i o f the R em eil . .

General H ercu la neu m et P ompei by M R ou x ai ne P aris 1 8 40

'

, , .
, , ,

Fir m i n D idot Freres ; and compare plates 9 1 to 9 8 in that

,

book w i th A ri nghi R oma S u bterranea vol i i pages 63 9 7 , , . .

, ,

1 0 5 (at lib iv cap and pp 2 9 2 303 3 1 5 ( at lib xiv cap

. . . .
, ,
. . .

T he y all resemble each other in pri nciple that of ,

b reaki ng up a space o f w all i nto pa nels square o r oblo ng if ,

possible But as the C hristia n w o rk is all do ne o n vaults or

.
,

s o it s o f broad arches o r in spa ndrils or parts o f caver n o u s ,

structure and in di m light and by rude ha nds there is o f

, ,

course di ffere nce e nough betw ee n it and the correct squares

and o b lo ngs o f the Pompeia n exa m p les T h e last o f these is .

the elaborate and beauti ful pa n el picture o f L ed a ana T yn -

d arus w ith its surrou ndi ng decoratio n but it has clea n relatio n
, ,

in compositio n to the simpler w ork and through it t o the ,

Christia n which is in several cases pretty e nough D e R ossi s

'
.
,

coloured illustratio ns should be see n in his R oma Sotterranea ,

and re fere n ce has bee n m ade t o Parker s Photograph s

.

These compariso ns c an only help t o determi ne the great

a ntiquity o f these C atacomb ce m eteries as prepared fo r their
rst te nant s and ca nnot prove a nythi ng abou t their prese nt
,

decoratio n T h e vaulti ng pictures as a rule are o f greater

.

antiquity tha n pai nt ings o n the w alls w h i ch are o ften rudel y ,

retouched or altogether restored or re new ed by u nskil ful

,

ha nds ( Se e chapter o n Catacombs )

. .

Po m peia n colours are varied an d bri llia nt but more w ill be ,

i
V tru v i us on C olou rs , D e A rch it ectu ra, vii 7 4
-
1 . . He p
ex resses c o nte m pt
for the unmean ng i g ro te s q ues in u se , c h . v.
 THE WA L L S OF P OM P E I I . 19 5

learnt about them by a visit to the Crystal Palace tha n in

an y other way Various deep blues and violets w arm whites
.
, ,

rose golden yellow and green w ere probably the chie f colours
, ,

of dresse s T h e la ndscapes are very fa nci ful and as M

.
, , .

Barr remarks al m ost Chi nese and he humorously obse rves

,

that their perspective re m i nds him a good deal o f that cele

brat e d pri nt o f H ogarth which illustrates irregularities in tha t
m atter A l most all is fa ncy architecture and there see m s to
.

h ave bee n little study o f nature except perhaps in a fe w far m ,

yard subj ects and from childre n The A rts o f Greece have
,
.

ru n their course fro m A the ne to A phrod ite o f H eave n from ,

h er t o P h ryne o f E art h from her to C o t yt to u nder the E arth

, .

It is probably the greates t sca ndal in the history o f C hristen

d om or rather the chie f i nsta nce in w hich Christia n ity h as
,

bee n outraged by Paga ns w ithi n her pale that the sa m e ,

c ourse h as bee n ru n over and over agai n in the A rts o f the

R en aissa n ce But if w e go back t w o h u ndred ye ars from the

.

e nd o f Pompe i i to t h e last ge n ui n e sculpture o f the R epu b l ic

of R ome o ne odd coi ncide nce may strike the a ntiquaria n

, .

T hat latest sculpture is the Wol f ; the rst Christia n sculpt u re

i s the G ood Shepherd ; and the last w ildly barbarou s w ork o f -

decay the ivory D iptych o f R am bo na represents the Wol f

, ,

and T w i n s at the feet o f its s avage C rucix .

T wo topics remai n be fore we begi n our chapters o n the

C hurch s use o f A rt A s so m uch has bee n said w ith great cor

.
,

rec t ne s s a b out the sepulchral nature and origi n o f Christia n

,

art and eve n o f Ch ristia n religious se rvice and our o bj e ct is

,

to show h ow C hristia nity (ad apti ng itsel f to natio nal habit and ,

c ustom s no t heathe n but h u m a n) took posses s io n o f the r e lics

,

of classical art fo r the N orthern races it s ee m s neces s ary to

go back to G reece o n ce more and see w hat trac e s o f the ,

C hristia n tomb o f the P ri m itive Church or if no ne w h at , , ,

slight resemb la nces in sepulchral b uildi ngs or re m a ins c an

be produced to co nnect G othic and G re e k mo n u m e nts o f
,

buria l direct l y and not throu gh a R o m a n mediu m Mr Fergus

,
. .
.

son d iscusses the subj ect briey as far as architect u ral tombs ,

are c o ncern ed T h e G reeks he says like other A rya n races

.
, , ,

were never tomb bui ld e rs and built m o num e nts are rare
-
, .
1 06 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

T he Mausoleu m o f H alicarnas sus and the L ion T omb o f

C ni dus are his ch ose n examples But we are here interested .

in domestic buri al and in rock he w n tombs as w ell as built -

,

o nes . The p i ous a nxiet y o f all H ellen es for proper i nter

me nt their ow n and t h eir relatives in order t o adm iss ion
,

in to E lys i um o r eve n to just j udgme nt ma k es the relics o f

, ,

t h eir sepulture high ly i mporta nt But as t o large m on u .

mental tombs this statemen t is no doubt correct , But .

few G reek tombs remai n to be c onnected w ith G othic .

T h e a ncie nts o f both races must be co nten t w ith Pericles

great co nsolatio n that M pav m av6w an itbos A L ycia n .

t omb discovered by Sir C Fellow s and re ferred t o by D r . .

, .

Smith Fu n u s p consists o f a sto ne s ar , .

c e ph ag u s resti ng o n broad sto n e pli n ths and covered with ,

obtusely poi nted arches of absolutel y Gothic appeara nce

-
.

A ve ry i nteresti ng example is given in a w ood cut fro m A n ti

p h e llu s But at .X a n thus w here the tombs are still more
,

n u merous th e si m ilarit y t o w hat w e k no w o f t he C hristia n

,

burial o f the Catacom b s is more striki ng T hey are cut .

into the rock or are formed b y cutti ng it a w ay leavi ng the ,

t ombs sta n di n g li k e w orks o f sc u lpture ( Fellow s p , .

T h e same is the case at T elmessus w here th e y are h e wn o u t ,

o f the rock in form o f temples I n the chapter on the Cata .

combs in this book (as i ndeed in D A ginc ou rt by L ord

L i ndsay and else where) the format i on o f the C hr i stian

,

arcosolium or sepulchral apse and altar by cutting a w a y

, , ,

t he roc k beh i nd an d above t he t u fa c ut tomb is d ul y -

,

d escribed as exactl y the sa m e as in the L y cian tombs .

T he y have their parallels agai n lik e every other form o f , ,

roc k buria l on the n orthern and eastern s ides o f J er u s alem

-
, ,

where the h ill side is ho neycombed w ith th e graves o f sile nt

-

m ultitudes in th e Valley o f D ecision .

G ree k mo nu me nts are classied fourfold b y D r Smi th : as .

( )
1 m a a pillars o r u pright
, sto n e tablets ( )
2 ion s colu m ns ; ,

( 3) vatS o r i
jp j
c i
a
ui small b u ildi ngs in the
, form o f temples ; an d
( ) flat square sto es c lled me s also b y C icero

p c
r aa e u r t n, a n a ,
.

A n prov from Stachelberg pt i g iven also in D r ,

. .
,
.

Sm i th s artic le ( Fu n us) has s o start li ng a re s e mblance t o a

Fello ws E x rsions in Asia M ano p 2 1 9

cu r, . .
1 08 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

m uch o f the time o f an excelle nt desig ner and carver .

E ve n the rst tra nsitio n from th e loculus i nto the solid

sto ne chest m ust have b ee n made b y gradual progress .

T h e rudi m e nt the pri m itive Christia n grave w as al w ays t h e

, ,

loculus or niche cut length ways in the so ft gra n ular tu fa o f t he

catacombs w hich seems to have bee n o f an absorbe nt nature
, ,

and to have soo n dispersed the moisture o f decay w ithout ,

much smell or i nconve nie nce I t was a cell cut in the livi ng .

rock like the tomb at X a nthus in L ycia or the ma ny m an

, , ,

sio ns o f the vast ceme teries o f the Valley o f H i nnom w hich no ,

pilgri m to J erusalem c an ever forget I ts fro nt w as closed .

w ith large at tile bricks ; but if it co ntai ned a m artyr or

-

other perso n specially remembered o r regarded it had an ,

arcosoli um or s m all hal f apse hollow ed out above it so that

its upper sur face be came a at lid or ta b le o n w hich H oly ,

Co m m u nion m ight be celebrated I t thus became an altar .

tomb and w as o ften completed and le ft as a ch est by havi ng

, , ,

the rock cut aw ay all rou n d ; a fter w hich its sides m ight b e
carved or i nlaid or the i n mate might be tra nslated to a costly
,

marble sarcophagus w hich w ould take the place o f his

,

origi nal cell o f rest in the tu fa A certai n amou n t o f fresco or

.

mosaic orna m e nt in the hal f vault and sides o f the he w n o u t

- -

apse w ould complete the s m all cu b iculu m or chapel The .

di ffere nce betw ee n the eth nic G reek to m b and the Christia n
is that the former is ge nerally completed by a pedi ment and
fro nt cut in the solid (as very remarkably at P etra ) and ,

becomes a ha ndsome a d ic u la i nstead o f the h umbler ,

loculus .

T here i s w hat they call a

classic or great standard ex ,

ample o f the use o f locul i and tombs together in the natural

,

rock . I t is the great tomb o f the Sci pios so well described ,

and ill ustrated b y D A ginc o u rt I t is o f importa nce also as

'

the leadi ng i nsta nce o f heathe n burial rather tha n crematio n .

The Cornelia n race always buri ed their dead to the time o f ,

Sylla w hose hideous co nditio n at his death made burni ng

,

advisable Their cemete ry is near the A ppia n cells dedicated

.

an d occupied b y the fa m ilia

libe rtis liberta bus que ,
the ,

faith ful slav e s an d serva nts o f the house wh o rested w ith their
masters Several larger tombs were fou nd though only one
.
,
 TH E WA L L S OF P OM P E I I . 19 9

of hew n sto ne The vaults had bee n penetrated be fore b y

.

succes sive occupa nts o f the soil above and their hasty and ,

cla ndesti ne search fo r treasure had do ne much m ischie f ,

u psetti ng and breaki ng co ffi ns and car vi ngs and leavi ng ,

n othi n g in its proper place I ndeed the regularly co nd ucted .

,
-

search in 1 7 8 0 2 w he n the to m b was discovered see m s not

,
-
, ,

t o have b ee n methodical e n ough ; and D A g inc o u rt complai n s

like everybod y else w ho has the least regard for histo ry o f ,

the disorder and w a nt o f registry or care fo r the relics dis

,

covered They w ere certai nly o f di fferent ages and w ould

.
,

have be en valuable illustratio ns to the history o f the later

republic H e describes the popular i nterest and delight w hich
.

e nsued o n the rst discovery o n M ay 2 3 1 7 8 0 With his , ,

.

frie nd th e Chev d A z ara he o ffered to purchase and i nclose

.
, ,

the w hole sepulchre and rais e over it a portico or peristyle o f

,

the style o f the rst buildi ng or o f its pri ncipal to m b that o f , ,

L C Scipio Barbatus
. . This was rejected and the w hole .
,

sepulchre in fact ried , P ius V I like his predecessors

, . .
, ,

could no t res ist tra nsporti ng the great s arcophagus o f Scipio

Barbatus to the Papal collectio ns at the Vatica n w here it still ,

remai ns ; and nobody else resisted the cha nce o f appro

p r ia t ing w hat they could get This tomb is o f hard peperi n o .
,

and w ell ca rved in a ki nd o f D oric style w hich show s that a ,

good d eal o f G reek art was b ei ng brought i n to R ome at a far

earlier date tha n the M acedo nia n w ars or the tra ns fere nce ,

from Cori nth The Scipios w ere as has been said a fa m ily o f
.
, ,

ad va nced culture and a nxious to i ntrod uce all they could I n

, .

any case the baseme n t corn ice compositio n an d decoratio n , , ,

o f this sarcopha g us are o f h igh merit and give it very much ,

the appeara nce o f a sto n e A ltar I n deed as the o fferi ngs .

,

made t o the m a nes w ere o fte n poured over o r i nto the actual
chest it w as an A ltar t o all i nte nts A ll the i nscriptio ns in
, .

the vault but three w ere re m oved to the Vatican museum ,

an d copies su b stitut e d com m o nly in the w ro ng places , A ll .

that might have bee n rearra nged or restored as m atter o f ,

history van ished b e fore reli c hu n ters an d and a nti quaria ns

,
-
.

The skeleto n o f Scipio Barbatus or w hatever w as le ft o f it ,

si n c e b y M r H ema ns accou n t it w as still in e x iste nce
. w as ,

ca rri e d a way no t w ithout honour i ndeed b y a Ve netia n

, ,
1 10 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

s en ator who raise d a m od es t mon um ent for its nal resti ng

,

place at h is villa n ear Pad ua
, H e w ho had lived w i thi n
.

that decayi ng fram ework had bee n C onsul R omanus in

A U C
. .
45
. 6 B C 2,97 a
. n d
. co ntributed
, w ith o ld P,ap iriu s

C ursor t o the e nd o f the Sam nite Wa rs

, H e w as the great
.

g ra nd father o f the destroyer o f Carthage .

 P A R T L C ON S T R U C T I ON

C H A PT E R I .

T HE C A T AC O M B S AN D T H E I R PA I N TI NG S .

IN a book or essay o n historical archa ology and its

re mai ni ng monu ments it is no doubt desirable
,
if possible
, ,

to t reat t he three a rts properl y or in thei r a priori order

, .

A rc h i t ec ture c om es rst ; the n sculpture as more immediately

c onnec t ed w ith th e H ous e or Temple ; and p ai nti ng next ,

as esse ntiall y o rname ntal But we have to follo w the histo ry

.

of rac es w ho prese rved the art s for the use o f T euto n ic

C h ri st i anit y t hus far ; and at the e nd o f the rst centu ry w ith ,

the rs t Ch rist i a n cemet eries at R ome the earliest Christia n

,

work c laims our atte ntio n H i t herto architecture and sculpture

.

have preced ed ; but w e have no w to d o w i t h subterra nea n

habi tations in w hi c h one had no existe nce and the other was
s u bord i nat e
. H ere co nstructio n m ea nt excavatio n and ,

d eco rat i o n d epe nded o n colour ; s o that the history o f

C h ri s ti an art as Christia
,
n , n
b egi ns ith pai ti ng o f the
w
rud es t k ind ,
no doubt , but still i nherited as to its tech
,

n i q u e and meth od s from the earliest G reek ages

,
I t was
.

inheri ted in d e cade nce eve n in deg radatio n and seldom

, ,

p rac t i se d wit h much skill b y Christia n ha nds ; but it w as

mad e a med i um o f i nstructive symbolism and practical

t eac h i ng while it had this very great e ffect in favour o f the
,

arts t h at it lled t he peopl e

,
in fact the masses o f the R oma n

p po u la t i o n w ith ne w i nterest in t h e graphic l an g uage and ,

 GREEK AN D GO THIC .

taught them once m ore to look to A rt as re pres ent i ng great

spiritual facts in w hich they were d eepl y conc erned here and
h erea fter T he s epulchral nature o f this early C hristia n
.

w ork connected it wi t h all previ o u s thou ght about the

dead I n t he C hristi an cemetery as in those o f old E truria
.
,

so me acco u n t in e mblem and myste ry so m e ideas o f tru th ,

u nde ned and u ndetailed were given men o f the herea fter ,
.

T he new belie f or supe rst i tion had m any new w ords to say
t o a nx ious hea t hen and some it s ai d at the las t e nd o f li fe ,

am ou nt i ng t o pre m is es o f pard o n resto rat io n resurrectio n , ,

o f th e bo d y Our last ch apte r has brou ght us down to the

.

construction o f the catacom b by the e xample of the early ,

tomb o f the Scipios which exactly illust rates it We k now

, .

from Pompe i an and other Ge ntile paintings a g oo d deal o f

th e state of wal l pa i nt i ng and c olo u r orname nt down to the
- -

catacomb peri od and w e now come to deal wi t h the places

,

an d p i ctures themselves .

M uch has been said wi th great j ust i ce and to l i ttle e ffect on

the u nsat is fact ory results o f severi ng th e ideas o f construction
and decoration and setti ng a rchit e ct aga i nst artist
,
A rchi .

tecture pai nti ng or sculpture cannot be i nd epende nt or at

, ,

variance and the sure and o nly rem ed y is t o u ni te the k no w

,

led ge o f const ruc tion and orname nt in every thoroughly trai ned -

arc hitect But w ith regard to the Christian u s e of pai nti ng

.
,

its co nnection w i th architecture is very di fferent from the

relatio ns o f sculpture in the same d i rec tion For archit ec tu re .

determi nes ma ny co nd itions of sculpture but C hristian ,

pai nting bega n w here there was no arch itecture or where the ,

scie nce o f co nstruction w as not that o f b u ildi ng but of

burrowi ng z in fact in the earliest C atacombs o f R ome T he

, .

use o f sepulch ral pai nt i ng in Ital y i s E tru scan ; belongi ng to

that great compon e nt element o f the R oman nam e w hich
d erives from E truria ; and w hich if le ft to itsel f m ight have , ,

provided R ome a fter the secon d Pu ni c war w ith a grea t

s chool o f her o wn I t would h ave do ne s o but fo r the c on
.

quest o f G re ec e an d ge neral co nve yance
, collec tio n or , ,

pl u nder o f her g reat work s A ll we have here to d o w ith it .

is to reme m b er its existence For there i s no doubt that .

Christia n pai n ti ng in the C atacombs is co nnec ted w it h old

1 16 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

to the anti quity o f the cataco m bs as t o their ve ry

As
generally or almost e ntirely Christia n origi n ; as to the
import a nt and decisive di fferen ces betw ee n the catacomb and
the are naria o r sa nd pit ; as to the i nfreque nt i nstances and
,
-

di fficult expe nsive w orks by which an arenaria coul d be made

use ful as a cataco m b ; as to the peculiar strata o f s oil
adapted for these cemeteries called gra nular tu fa a dry , , ,

fria b le sto ne m id way bet wee n the pu z z u o lana sa ndsto ne ,

w hich was too so ft for the purpose and th e lithoid tu fa , ,

w hich was too hard as to the way o f begi nn i ng a catacomb

by excavati ng a passage all rou nd your lot of grou nd and
drivi ng gall e ries across and across ; as t o table tom b s -
,

arcosolia lumi naria ambulacra and cubicula all this is

, , , ,

accessible in o ne view and w ith eq u al fu l ness and accuracy , ,

in the late lamented M r Wh arto n Marriott s art icle o n

.

C ataco mbs in Smith s new D ic tionary of C hris t ian

A nt iq u ities w hich is very ge nerally accessible

, .

Mr Parker s photographs are the be st or nal authority

.

fo r the pres ent state o f ce m eteries They fully conrm th e .

accuracy o f Bosio th e pionee r o f all s u bterra nean i nquiry ,

in R ome though too ma ny pai n ti ngs have perishe d si nce

,
9

his time A s w e shall s ee an even more grievous d estru c

.
,

tion be gan at a far earlier date R e touchi ngs and re .

-

pai nti ngs have been various and lamentable there have bee n
ma ny removals or attempts to remove p ictures and ins c rip
t i ons to the destructio n o f precious records or the loss of
, ,

hal f their historical value Fo r example the most a n cient .

,

C hr is ti an i nscriptio n kno wn w h ich bears a co nsula r date is o f ,

T he word catac om b is , in the rst instance, the old loc al name of a s ngle i
well-k now n c eme ter y ad catac u mbas
( ) a ppli d e to all ot hers as a generi c term . It
was s ituated near th e Porto S Se bas tiano,
. li
and th e re c s of S P eter and S Pau
. . l
were su pp osed to ha e lai n th ere
v .
( Anastas ius, H ad rian I , .
9 343 also colaus I Ni .

5 ym T he
l g y see ms toet be n d an d n
o oun th e la tt be ing the G ree k er er

f m of a ery w id ely sp read oot oo n

or v n b from w hi ch
-
own w o d c m b r , c r , coor ,
our r o

is d i d m ani ng any h llow th i ng r place

er ve , e In wn language h ell is th u
o o . our o s

c on nec ted w i th h le or h ollo w o .

Bo io s p l ates pu blish ed in his R m Sottem nea 1 632 are r peated in

s , o , , e

A ingh i s Latin R ma S bt agai n ep d ced b y

r an a ( 1 65 1 and w
o u err e ere r ro u

B tta i in h i S lt
o r
pitt s ag &
c u u re e
c M arc h i and D e R o i w i th
u re s re, .
,
ss ,

t an l ati n f the l atte are s tand a d autho i ti es w ith P e re t

D N rt hc t
r. o o e s r s o o r, r r r s
,

splend id F n h w k re c or .
 THE C A T A C OM B S . 1 17

th e t hi rd y ear o f Vespas ia n A D 7 2 b ut its o rigi nal localit y

, . .
,

is u nk nown (N orth c ote R o ma Su bterraneo p , I ndeed , .

e ve n Seroux d A ginc o u rt is said to have i n curred some blame

for rash removals T he n some catacombs are forgotte n or

.

i naccessible and it is even thought that others still exist

,

u nknown and perhaps u ndespoiled w ith riches as we trust , , ,

reserved for a ge neratio n wh i ch wi ll prese rve them in s itu .

Betwee n the photographs B os io s plates and D e R ossi s , ,

coloured illustratio ns which fairly represe nt the usual greens

, ,

re d s, and bro w ns o f the origi nal w orks a fai r idea o f th e ,

catac omb pictures may b e obtai ned in any large library .

D A ginc ou rt may su f ce by h imsel f to care ful stude nts o f his

plate s an d t here i s an excelle nt abridged t ra nslatio n published

, ,

by Messrs L o ngma n about thirty yea rs ago O ne o f the

. .

mos t i n teresti ng obj ects I remembe r in the French E xhibitio n

of 1 8 67 was a full sized model o f an i nterior o f an ambula
-

cru m or gallery w ith a cubiculum or chapel and its arcosolia

, , ,

or vaulted tombs but what b ecame o f it I k now not .

D ean M il ma n s o b servatio n is o fte n q uoted that at leas t

the rs t two ce nturies o f the L ati n Church w ere e ntirely

Gree k as to langu age spoke n w ritte n and read in the H oly
, , ,

Sc ri pt u res ; as to orga nisatio n and ritual and in fact in all , , , ,

res p ec ts . I t has an importan t bea ri ng o n the catacomb

p a in t in g s a n d
, o n thos e i n o t her Christia n churches ; a nd it
is e mphas ised by the cu rio u s fact we lear n from So z o m en th e ,

h i storian that for the rst t wo centuries there was no public

,

p re a c hi n g in R ome N o r this o nly but

. as all n atio n s met ,

in R o me co nve rts o f all la ng uages would the n fre q ue ntly

,

m e e t in th e C hri stia n C hurches ; and this w ould certa i n l y sta n d

in the way o f any lo ng addresses But if these were rare .
,

there m ust h ave bee n catechi s i ng or expositio n at special ,

t imes and places in the cemeteries or above grou nd in times ,

of s afe ty . N ow no better aid to i nstructio n c an w ell be

im agined t h a n that Script u ral cycle o f illustratio ns o f the
Old and N ew T estame nt w hich as all agree occ u pied , , ,

C h ris ti an art for t h e rst three o r four ce nturies I t is p ro .

bable t hat th e earliest pictures represe nted the L ord s own

Fi g u re of H i msel f as the G ood Shep he rd and the True Vi ne

but next afte r th ese certa i nly come such p i ctures o f t ype and
1 18 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

an t itype , Old T es t a me nt and N e w , as are fo und wi th th em

in t he C atacomb of S D o mi t i ll a, . of N ereu s and A chilles ,
and of S C
llixt us. a .

Such pictures w i th com parati vel y few words in the lan

,

g ua ge of the aud ie nce would convey to I tal ian or barbarian ,

c o nve rts the re al mea n i ng o f the ir c o nne c tion w ith the Old

T estame nt and the Jew i sh c ove na nt ; and th i s t oo enable s , ,

one t o u n dersta nd h ow H ebre w obj e c tions t o th e use o f

pi ctures w ere eas ily wa ived w ith respect to these I n deed as .
,

has been said the J ewi sh C atacombs i de ntied by the seven

, ,

bra n ch candlestick s and other obvious t ok ens are il lus trat ed ,

w ith ow ers and leaves peacocks and ot her bird s , .

T he use o f pictu res to c o nvey i nformatio n or te ach do c t ri ne

m ade the church w alls as Pro fessor R usk in s ays o f S M ark s

, .

o f Ve nice l ite rally as the pa ges of an ill u mi nated M S

, T he .

q u ai nt bri ght pict ures in thes e latter w ere for us e q uite as

,

m u c h as for o rnament they mad e it mu c h eas i er to spell out

the mea ni ng o f a w ritte n t ext T hose who shudder at th e .

barbarity o f o ur fore fathers w ho could not read may u nder ,

stand that readi ng was a much m ore di f cult matter in earl y

times o f M SS w ith their various ha nds and multi form abbre
.

v iat io ns th an in o u r days o f u n i form p ri nti n g and u n i form

,

letteri ng H a nd c haracters and co ntractions vary quite

.
, ,

e ndlessly fro m gran d u ncials and R oma n capitals do wn to ,

G othic cursive or Merovi ngia n grotes q ue letters and the p ithy -

pictures w hich al wa ys tell thei r tale so strai ght forwardly were

,
-
,

use ful to b i shops and k i ngs I n presenc e o f the w all pai nt .

-

ings in earlie r days the pr oper passages o f H ol y Sc ripture

, ,

w ould be read t o the catechumens in G ree k and in th e ir own ,

la ngua ges : and some sho rt expo siti on would foll ow I t is .

v ery importa n t t o co nsider h ow th e spe ci al p as sa ges w h i ch

conne ct th e Old Testament w ith the N ew and to wh i ch S , .

Peter in his rst preachi ng appe a led (as indeed the L ord
H imsel f had done ) are set forth in sy mbo l in th e se wall
,

pictures as certai n mea ns of supply i ng th e dec ienc i es of

,

speakers in a foreig n to ngu e T hey are G reek like eve ry .

,

thi ng in the early or G ra ce R om an C hu rch Of cou rse we - .

A s M oses and th e roc k , D i

an el and the lions, i
D av d w t ih his sling, and

Jona h ,
ver y freq u ent ly and in th e N ew Testament the Miracles of Mercy .
[ 20 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

in no s li ght degree our own jealou s and ho stile E ngli sh

t raditions an d w ill probably inuen c e them s till more
,
T he .

e d u cation o f the w orld in th e principles o f a s ound juri s

pruden c e sa ys D c an M erivale was the most wonde rful

,

work o f the R oman c on q u erors .

We ll law o f so ciety is o f R ome and s h e got earl y

, ,

le s son s in it from A thens in th e twelve tabl es G rammar is

, .

law o f arti c ul ate s peech and we get it from G reece t hrough

,

R ome .A rchitec ture is the law o f t and beauti ful con s tru e
tion sc ul pt ure and pai nting the laws of form and colour ;
,

and all thi s w e get from G reece throu gh R ome We have .

the language of the N ew T e stament from G ree ce ; and the

P eace of R ome ( Pax R omana) the order whic h R ome k ept ,

in the w orld s e cured it a hearing in the w orld R ome he rsel f

,
.
,

in the earl y ages of decadence s peaks through law alone ; ,

for the la s t remnant s o f poe try and art belong to her earl y
Church wh i ch was Old G ree k and their rs t and faintes t
,
-
,

R enai ss an ce t o the B y zantine G ree k o f Con s tantinople -

.

N everthele ss w hether from the ea s tern or the w e s tern

,

capital o f the empire civili sation came to the north als o ;

,

and as far as art is con cerned the ineradi cable character o f ,

cla ss ical la w (or method or doctrine or teaching) is seen in

, ,

Scoto Iri s h N orthumbrian Saxon and Swedi s h M SS T hen

-
, , ,
.

at las t the full y prepare d R enai s san ce bas e d its el f on th e

s tudy of G ree k language an d art w ith pre eminent s ucces s ,
-

and glory in Florence ; an d the G reek T e s tament was

publi shed in German y and E ngland .

T he s ubterrane an archit ect u re so to call it o f the C ata , ,

combs w ould natu rall y have roun d arches an d vaults as th e ,

w ork of ex cavation proceeded in cavernous form s T hese .

vaults woul d be roughl y divi d e d out into geometri cal form s ,

and a d orned with s ubject s in compa rtme nt s ; an d the place

being one o f Chri s tian s epulture Chris tian ideas of deat h , ,

t he res urre ction an d the L ord o f L i fe and D eath w ould

,

necess aril y s uppl y the most fre q uent s ubjects H i storical .

p icture s o f event s in H ol y Scripture came perhap s s ome w hat

later ; the great rs t example of them being the Old T es ta
ment mo saics in the L iberian B a s ili ca or Sta Maria Maggiore , .

See also B ryc e H oly R oman E mpire, ch 2 64 , ed t 8 66

s . xv .
p . . .
 TH E C A T A C OJU B S . 12 !

at R o me I have never been able to unde rs tand why modern

.

arti s ts have tak en so little intere s t in s criptu ral motives or ,

have followed each o ther in repe ating the s ame s ubject s so

very o fte n People have copied each other in all ages or
.
,

been led b y t raditio nal meth od s and purpos e s It see m s .

poss ible that th e inten se interes t o f the Go s pel hi s tory s hould -

have ins pired an earl y Churc h A nge lic a or a primitive G iotto .

H owe ver it was not s o ; the fear o f idolatry s tood in the wa y

,

till the s ixth c entury and then i d olatry it s el f cared nothing

,

for his toric or in s tructive picture s al w ays wanting miraculou s ,

p ortrait s and fre s coe s attributable to angel s T h e decline .

and fall of the R oman E mpire w as to proceed and to ,

accomplis h its appointed de solation s which includ e d the loss ,

of all the a rts When the y reappe ared it was in modied

.

form s and thes e the moder n world is rather occu p ied in

,

di s tingu is hi ng than in tracing to any common s ource or

,

rudi m ent Gree k and Gothic A thenian and Florentine archi

.
,

tecture are not so much opposed to each other as our G ree k

or Gothic architect s ; m uch le s s s o than the phrenzied fol
lowers on either s i d e T he con s tructive principle is t he same
.

in both to build a hou se to one s mind and s uitable to one s
,

want s ; the deco rative stud y w as the s ame in both the ,

obs e rvation of beauti ful fe atures o f nature T he modern s .

have not yet learn t that you do not i mitate an original man
b y copy ing h is works so m uch as b y doing as he d id , ,

and learning as he learned T hen w hat y ou do w ill be in .

natu ral and true relation to your purpos e ; d iere nt perhaps

'

, ,

fro m h is in appearan ce but li k e h is in original adaptation or ,

i nve ntivenes s .

L et u s go bac k to the condit ion of a Christian Church or

c ongregation in R ome or N aple s w he re the large s t s ys tem s
, ,

of c ataco mb s are found T he y would mee t above groun d

.

in times of pe ace and w herever they could in tolerabl e s a fe ty ;

,

It s oul
h d be m entione that the d su b terranean ce mete ries o f S yracu se, c alle d
the G rott os of S J
oh n, and
. erh aps p connec ted w ith th e anc ient L atomi were ze ,

ted by
D Aginc ourt, wh o d c i bes th m a f i mm n e si th at the i
es r e s o e s ze re s

a Sarac en Catacomb near Tao m ina with ambulacra twel e f t w ide and
r ,
v ee ,

loc uli or graves at right angles, and no t parallel with them ; that th e re are
ot her pagan to mbs of th is c harac ter in E gy p t ; and that a s mall hristian C
catacomb has lately been d i covered at
s Al e xand ria. I remem ber see ng i traces
1 22 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

and certainl y in the ce meteries

acti ve pe rse cution was while
going on T hat some catacomb s were u s ed as places of re fuge
.

is a certaint y not onl y from the a rrangements for w ater

,

s uppl y & c & c but even from di s gui se d exits entrance s

, .
, , ,

galleries ending abruptl y bet ween d ierent oors (where

'

lad d ers were evi d entl y k ept be low and onl y produced on ,

s ome proper s ignal ) and other mean s o f e s cape

, H ere cate .

c h u m ens would receive in s truction and hear exhortation at ,

lei s ure and sy mbolic representations o f s ome kind would be

found if not nece s sary at le as t extremel y u s e ful
, T here
, .

w ere undoubtedl y both Jewi sh and heathen catacomb s ; and

w e o ften n d heathen or secular ornament in undoubtedl y
Chri s tian cemete rie s as heathen phras es appear in Chri s tian
,

in s cription s In d eed it s eem s certai n that heathen s were

.
,

occas ionall y laid to res t among Chri s tian brethren Separa .

tion i n the grave mu s t have been one and not the leas t , ,

o f the di s tre ss es of divided hou s es where s ome members ,

accepted the faith an d others continue d heathen or nu

convinced and the enormous s pac e occupie d b y the burial
,

vaults o f Chri stian R ome s ho w how s earching the di s tinctio n

became in man y families between non Chri s tians and
, ,
-
,

thos e who gave up Gentile modes o f burial or changed fro m ,

the us e of cremation to that of Chri s tian i nte rment T he .

total length of the ambulacra or galleries is vagu ely calculated

at from 300 to 900 miles D r Momm se n gives a better . .

notion o f extent by s a yi ng that they are not s urpa ss ed b y

the whole s ys tem of the C loaca of R epublican R om e while ,

he emphatically in si sts on their being the w ork o f that

communit y which S Paul addre ssed in his E pi st le to the

.

H eath en burial d i d take place ; but s t ill bu rning

R oman s .

was the heathen rule and burial the Chri st ian , A nd th e .

Church pres s ed the principle o f common burial also so that ,

all holders o f the faith might lie together and the eccles i a or ,

ass embl y o f the faithful be continued in death So that the .

c ultu s of deceas ed ancesto rs the hearth or hou seh old w orshi p ,

of d
loculi in the san stone there as long ago as 1 8 5 9 T he N a politan cata .

d
c ombs are cut in a hard b uil ing-stone, and are on a lar er scale, more like
g
d
u n ergroun d
c hurc hes and h alls A
beautifu l icture of the L atornic of yracu se,
. p S
by M r E L ear, is now, I believe, in the ossession of E arl Beaucham
. . p p .
:2 4 GR E E K AN D GO THIC .

enough has been s aid abo ut the increas ing di s t re sse s o f th e

d ying civili s ation of R ome and the w orld T he w illing .

ex pectation o f death and o f the L ord s coming w hether to

all s oul s or the individual soul continued to expre s s its el f ; ,

and chiey b y loving and admiring the memory of tho se w ho

had gone be fore T h e marty r s tomb had alread y taken the
.

form o f the cemetery A ltar in it s typ ical s hape o f a table ,

tomb w ith a hal f vault or arcos olium hollo wed out above it
,
.

T h e great Bas ilica perhaps occ upied b y the Churc h from

,

heathen purpos es was a s ig n o f her tri umph ; but the

,

marty rs graves represented her s trengt h the power w hich

had won the triumph N ow o f cours e the mos t impo rtant .

, ,

o f the change s made in a converted Bas ilica w ould be
tho s e connected w ith the A ltar T he aps e o f the Bas ilica .

w ould be a thoroughl y convenient place either for it or for ,

the bi s hop s throne behi nd it and the seat s o f the pre sb ytery ;

as in the D uomo o f T orcello ( Stone: of Venice vol Where ,

.

the old class ical or heathen arrangement was retained i a , . .

,

where the po s ition o f the heathen altar o f the Bas ilica was
k ept for the Chri s tian one which probabl y did not o ften

happen there would be a s pace and perhaps s eats behind
t he A ltar ; bu t generall y s pea k ing it w ould be at the farthes t
rece ss of the aps e its el f as i n its e arlies t arran gement o f ,

arco s olium and table tomb -

.

We have alread y s een ho w natural it was to excavate

a hal f dome i n th e tu fa above the gra v e o f an y s peciall y
-

v enerated pers on and to mak e the at s u rface over h is bod y

,

an A ltar of Celebration or to go a s tep farther and to cut a ,

pass age behind al so ; and the next thing was to ornament the
s urface s th u s formed w i t h painting o f s y mbolic or even ind if

ferent s ubjects A nd th u s began the round arch ornam e n

.
-

t at ion o f R oma nes q ue E arl y E ngli sh N orthern and other , , ,

s ty le s T he sarcophagu s would be ca rved or a marble tomb

.
,

s ub s tituted and the w all s and arch or vault over it w oul d be

,

painted in compartment s Illu stration and d ecoratio n were .

univers al and of invete rate habit in the E mpire and the

, ,

Church accepte d both q uite fran k l y N o ha rm followed for .

See art cle i C atac o mbs

"
in S mith s
D ictionary ef Anh qu ih er,
' '

or

D Agin
A rc/crlcclu rc, pl iii
'

c ou rt , . x .
 THE C A T A C OM B S . 1 25

c enturies at lea st : an d in the e vil days w hen Iconoclas m had ,

b ecome unavoidable an d a s ource of d ivi s ion and rui n the

, ,

real evil was not s o much in the pictures them s elves as in

the changed and fallen faith o f their worshippers I f there .

ha d been no painting or s culpture at all the relics o f s aints ,

would have been wors hipped all the s ame T h e evil was th at .

the Ch u rch had lo s t the sen s e of communion w i th God in

Chri st H e had no t rent H is heaven s an d come to her in
.

what s ee med and w as her g reat need

, , H e s eeme d not to .

hear prayer to be i nacce ss ible to re q uire to be me d iated

, ,

with rather than to be the ever pre s ent ever interce d ing
,
-
,
-

A d v ocate : and men began to s e t up images o f the brethren ,

w hom perhap s they had s een to ta k e the place of H im they ,

co ul d not s e e .

But in the A ugus tan and follow ing age s ( as an y book of

P om peian or other archae ology w ill s ho w) all G entile li fe was
a gallery of picture s and s cul p ture good bad ind ie re nt
'

, , , ,

and omnipre s ent from marble A p ollo s and tinted A p hrodites

,

down to the s ign cloth s or ins c ripta lintea of tavern s an d

-
, ,

ladiator s chool-
s A nd once more let u s get rid o f the idea
g .
,

t hat ea rl y Church paintings were di fferent from the s e or an y ,

thing li k e what we call B y zantine or Gothic R oughl y s pea k ing .

,

at this time there would be no By zantine for 5 00 years and

po inted Gothic certainl y was not d ue for a thou s an d I f .
,

w hich is impo ss ible any Chri s tia n o f the rs t ve centurie s

,

c oul d have imagined s uch object s as earl y m e d ize v al picture s ,

h e c ertainl y w ould not have w anted them in Church or el s e

w here : and if he had they would have given ground for
,

P agan acc us ation s o f s trange w itchcra ft an d abominable rite s .

T h e d i s tinction between Christian an d heathen w as the n

abs o l ute a matter o f heart and m ind : an d th e e x p re ss ion
, ,

pagan ornament as we use it no w s ince the R enai s s an ce

, ,

nev er could have been u s ed in those d ays It is the .

R enai ssan ce w hich has s omehow s e t clas s ical w ork agains t

G othic and correct dra wing again s t Chri s tianit y
,
We u s e d .

to have and have s till a great ma ny pers o ns who are

, ,

devoted to G othic grotes q ue and archai s m : but w ithout ,

den ying man y merits and great val ue to the s tyle t he y

love it is no us e s etting it up as exclu s ivel y the Chri s tian
,
1 26 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

K eble Chape l is excellent so is S D o m it illa s

s tyle .
, .

Cemetery so is the C hapel of Galla P lacidia ; but the t wo

,

latter are a goo d deal the ol d es t and their ornamentation ,

is class ical R eal earl y Church work is too ancient for

.

archai s m J u s t as in Gothic times m en live d in G othic

.

h ou ses ,so in class ic times they pra yed in clas s ically

adorned C hurche s ; and very we ll the latter mu st have
loo k ed T he notion th at all G othic building is Chri stian
.
,

and all Chri s tian building is Gothic is an error w hich may ,

yet cau s e a good deal o f prejudi c e and q ua rrel .

A very bri e f hi s tory of the C atacomb s is nece ss a ry and ,

that mean s for the mo st part an a cco unt o f their d e s poiling

and de fa ce ment While w e lament over the des truction s o f
.

the R e formation in G erman and E ngli sh Churche s let u s ,

take some o f the follow ing fa ct s to hea rt all perfectl y ,

u ndi s pute d and e q uall y matte r of reg ret to R oman Catholi c s

,

and A nglic ans .

It

First the Chri stia n Catacombs or the whole Catacomb

, ,

s y st em practicall y s pea k ing was an enlarged development

, ,

o f the s ubterranean tomb or v ault almo s t pec uliar to R ome

, ,

from the s oil w hich invited excavatio n

,
T here is e v idence o f .

rst century tomb s fo r thi s T he u s ual method o f con s tru e

.

t ion was to s ecure a piec e o f ground on the right s ort o f

g ran u lar tu fa s o man y f

,eet in front facing th e road s o man y
, ,

d eep in agro ; to excavate a pa ss age all roun d it bury ing ,

people in the w all s as you went on ; and then to drive

g allerie s acro ss a s y ou w anted more grave s B y the begin .

n ing o f the third centu ry the Chri s tian s o f R ome are found in

q uiet po ss e ss ion o f s u c h a c emeter y to thi s da y c alled the ,

c emetery of Callixtu s ; be s ide s the c rypt o f the V a tican th e ,

t omb s and catacomb s o f D omitilla P re tex tat u s and probabl y , ,

others T hen about hal f through the third century b egin s the
.

p eriod o f regul a r imperial pe rs ecution as di s tingui s hed fro m ,

former outb reak s o f popular violen c e and oc ca s ional s everitie s ,

s uch as w e kno w of in the celebrated corre s pon d en c e o f P lin y

and M r c u s A ureliu s N y be

a ero s in A D. 6 5 ma excepted . .
,

as a gene ral pe rsecu tion

but D eciu s s (A D 2 49 5 1 ) and the
. .

See
Catac ombs and Frescoes articles in S mith s D ictiona y of

,

r
1 28 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

li mited in all times to the Biblical c ycle o f th e Catacomb s .

T h e pri m itive Church onl y repre s ented or sy mboli s ed the

words and work o f God on her wall s H is saints were rep re
.

s en ted but as characters in hi s tori cal pictures as ves s el s o f

,

H is Spirit c ommi ss ioned by H im to act or s pea k as s aints ,

doi ng s omething not merely s tanding in glo ry to be adored

,

with or in s tead o f H im It is to be wi shed th at ou r own

, , .

Ch urch buildings s hould obs erve the primitive res triction .

It is mere non se ns e to s ay the Old and N e w T es tam e nt

w ould not s uppl y noble s ubjects to believing painters even ,

to all ti me ; and if Church painting is to be con s idered a

-

s eriou s matter and a part o f Chri s tian i n s tru ction (an d not
,

m ere art work in which cas e it has no bu s ines s in Church

-
,

at all ) it ought to be u sed under the regulation s o f oth er

,

in s truction We d o not read the legends of s aints from the

.

eagle ; we ought not to have legend s painted on w alls or

windows T he fact is our whole religiou s u se o f th e art s
.
,

req uires a good deal of regul ation ; for between s inging and
ceremonial mos aics and w indows o w ers and banners
, , ,

candles an d embroide ry the Chri s tian s oul s eem s to have

,

t oo man y prett y thi ngs to atte nd to ; and both the dee p

ab s traction o f prayer from the heart and true un animit y ,

o f s pirit in our commo n s ervi c e are a great deal more

,

interrupte d than the y used to be in l ess e sthetic days .

 C H A PT E R I I .

T HE S C R I P T U R A L CYC L E S OF T H E C ATAC OM B S .

T HE ob s ervation w as mad e at the end o f ou r las t chapter that

it might have bee n better if our s ubject s of Church decoratio n
and s y mboli s m had bee n limited to the Biblical C y cle o f the

C atacomb s or at all events to s ubject s ta k en from H ol y Scrip

,

t ure Between hi s torical paintings of events and s y mbolic illus

.

t rat io ns o f d octrine ; bet ween repre s entation s o f facts s ymbolic

in them s el ve s and imagination s o f the foretold things that

,

s hall be it seem s that s uch li mitation w ould not be too

n arrow for the invention o f the painter ; an d that the mind o f
the wors hi pper w ould not be led into d anger of w ande ring too
far from Chu rch s ervice or the theme o f h is meditation s ; in the
,

congregation or b y him sel f Such res triction s are I s uppos e

.
,

o ut o f the q ue s tion li k e all other control in the s e da ys

, bu t
it o ught to be al ways remembered th at they w ere the natural
and general ord er of the rst four centurie s A lmos t all the .

ru le s we kno w o f as the X X X V I Canon o f th e Council o f

.

E lvira were res trictive an d again s t picture s rather than in

, ,

their favour ; and b y E usebiu s s con scation o f the em

b roidered c urtain at A nablatha it s eem s that no d i s tinction

was made at rs t betw een coloured w or k on the at and
relieved s c ulpture T he C hurch b y no mean s invented d eco
.

ration o f an y kind but had to adopt it as a matter of cours e ,

bec aus e nine room s out of t en in a d welling hou se were -

d ec orated ; and every tomb in a cemetery had its device even ,

in the H ebre w Catacombs w here one would have though t

,

both povert y and re ligio n would interpos e prohibition T o .

K
1 3o GR E E K A N D GO THIC .

the Pauline or G entile s ch ool o f converts the grave n or painted

i mages w ere nothi ng at all ins ignic ant in the lite ral s en s e .

It was not wort h while to notice w hether w all s w ere p aint e d

or not when s uch grave things w ere heard and done w ithin
,

them I have been man y yea rs interes ted in Church d e cora

.

tion but it has al ways s ee med to me that tho s e have b e s t

,

learned to appreciate it who remember that it is a fter all a , ,

matter of no great importance b y compari s o n .

T h e trans ition from purel y orname ntal to s ign icant

decoration was eas ily made o f cours e ; but it s eem s to h ave ,

been made graduall y and i n some in stance s it s carce ly too k ,

place at all For example the chapel or cubiculum o f the

.
,

O cean in the C allix t ine Catacomb ta k e s its name from a

, ,

large head o f Oc ea n u s which is in the centre o f the vaulte d ,

roo f T he remainder of the roo f w ith the w all s is done in

.
, ,

rect ilinear panel s with s ubject s in their ce ntre s exactl y as

, ,

i n Pompeii and the date o f the w hole lie s s omewhere in the

,

third century ; but the s ubj ect s are all birds (the peacock
in particular) ow ers and ying genii A nd in another
, , .

chamber (D e R os s i vol i pl x ) O rpheu s occ upies the , . . . .

ce ntre above s urrounded b y di shevelled genii and s upp orted

, ,

b y eight oblong panel s t wo Shepherd s t wo female O rant es , ,

and four genii bearing croo k s T he wall s are covered w ith .

arabes q ue s combini ng dove s peacocks and other bird s w ith

, , , ,

dolphin s and s ea mon sters -

.

But one unmi stak abl y Chri s tia n emblem s eem s to decide
the cha racter o f all T h e L amb is there beari ng the Bread
.
,

and the whole ma y be an i ns tance o f highl y s y m boli c painting ,

w ith implied mea nings s acred to the brethre n though appa , ,

re nt ly trivial to the unbeliever It may have been done in .

dubio us or threatening ti m es when P agan work men had to ,

be emplo yed or had acces s to the cemete ry P erhaps the t wo

, .

best examples of very earl y ceilings w ith full Chri s tian orna ,

ment are in the tomb o f S D omitilla in her cemetery on the

, .
,

A ppia n Wa y and the chapel o f S Callixtu s in h is Catacomb

, .
,
.

Both have a s pecial characteri stic of the earlie s t ornament ,

in being partl y adorned w ith land s cape s and entirely s ubject ,

to decora t ive sys tem A nd as Canon Venable s ob s erve s .

, ,

Fm a
S mi th s D i ti n a y Of mama A n h g itic p 693
u
r ,
'
c o r

u r, . .
1 32 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

were almo st at Open w ar w ith each other if occa s ion too k ,

place ; and prelate s w ere falling foul o f prelates and p e opl e ,

all in factio n again s t people ; and u ns peak able h ypocri s y

an d di s gui s e of thought w ere dra w ing to ward s extrem e o f

w ickedness .

T he rs t and s econd centurie s were the s p ring s o w i ng o f

the word ; and for a time it grew w ith little m ole s tatio n be ,

fore the burning o f s um m e r and thick u ndergro wth o f thorns .

T he cemetery o f S D omitilla is P ro fe ss or Momm s e n s

chosen example of an ancient burial chamber and o f the ,

development of s uch a tomb into a regular Catacomb ;

either by exten s ion underground or b y other s ubterran ean ,

addition s till a Catacomb was es tabli s hed

,
I t s prim itive .

name is a fter its foundre s s or rst occupa nt and it h as s ince ,

bo rne the name s of SS P etronilla N ereu s and A chille s

. . ,
.

S D omitilla was in fact a grand daughter o f Ve spa s ian a

.
, ,
-

heathen i n s cription s ay s P ro fes s or Momm s en me ntion s

, ,

h e r as the donor o f the cry pt ; and dated tiles found in it

belong to the times of H adrian and A ntoninu s P iu s 1 1 7 1 6 1 ,
-
.

T he former date is j u s t tw ent y one years fro m the death o f -

D omitian in 9 6 ; and the y ear 9 5 is mark ed i n Chri s tian hi s tory

as the y ear o f the death o f a Chri s tian con s ul T hi s w as T . .

Flaviu s Clemen s D o m it illa s hu s band H e ma y have b e en

,

.

a m an of too retiring or indolent a character ; bu t I s hould

not thin k a fter J uvenal s Fourth Satire about the

, la s t
F lav iu s ( D omitian) that any k in s man o f h is w as far w rong
,

in k eeping out of the wa y while h e could A t all event s .

,

Flaviu s Clemen s undoubtedl y underwent d eath for athei s m

and Jew is h s upers tition as a Chri s tian mart yr ( Suetoniu s
, ,

D am it : 1 5 and D ion Cas s iu s lxvii I 4) and was co ntemp

, , .

t uo u s ly s po k en o f by H eathen dom in con s e q ue nce B y s ome .

he is thought to be Clemen s R omanu s him s el f Bi s hop o f R ome ,

at the end o f the rst century and it is q uite po ss ible H e , .

died an d D omitilla was s ent a fter h is death to the i s la nd o f

,

P onza w here s he probab ly e nded her day s in e x ile T he

, .

room s she occupied there s ays Momm sen were s till vi s ited , ,

by p iou s pers on s i n the fourth century N ereu s and A ch ille s .

are s aid to have been members o f her hou sehold H e r o w n .

tomb or the s pecial crypt o f her bes tow ing s till reta in s s ome
, ,
 S C R I P T U R AL C YC L E S OF C A T A C OM B S . 1 33

of original fre scoes o f which the Vine on the ceiling is the

its ,

m o s t beauti ful ; but N oah and D aniel the D ov e and the , ,

G ood Shepherd w ith an A gape are on the wall s and are , , ,

pronou nced by the P ro fes s or to be o f the s ame d ate T h e .

Chapel of Calli xtu s has D aniel (he s tand s bet ween the lion s
i n both ins tan c es ) w ith Mos e s and the R oc k L azaru s and
, , ,

D avid with h is s ling .

A proper li s t of the Old and N e w T e s tament C ycle s o f

pictures in the Cata comb s is given b y Canon Venab les

( S s D ictionar

mith y Fre s co p and he re fers to a , , .

m o s t learned and comprehen s ive boo k b y the D ani sh Bi shop , ,

D r Fred M iinte r called Sinnbzld er 2c K u ns tw rs tcllu ng c n

'

. . .
,

der alter: C k rzs ten A ltona 1 8 2 5 w hich I beg to com mend

'

, , ,

to all who can nd it in l ibraries .

O L D T as rau am x N EW TEST A M EN T .

1 . T he Fall . 1 . Ad orat on o f i the M agi .

2 . O fferi ng of Cain and A bel .

2 . M irac le C ans of .

3 . N h
oa and th e D ave . 3 . C hris t and th e oman of amaria W S .

4 . Sacrice of I saac , 4 . T h e P araly tic : gene rally carry ing

5 . M oses remo ving his S hoes .
his be d .

6 . M o ses and the R oc k , 5 . T he W oman with the I ss ue .

7 . v id wi th h i S li ng
Da s .
6 . H ealing th e Bli d n .

8 E lij ah T an lati on L a d Fi h M ultiplied

. s r s , 7 . o aves n s es .

9 . T h e C hild en in the Fu rnace r .

8 R ai s i ng 0 L aw 15

10 . D anie l in th e L i on s D en
. 9 . Zac cm us o

1 0. T he E ntry i nto Jerusalem .

n , 1 1 . C hris t before Pi late who , is wash

ing his hands .

12 Jo b on th e D un
gh i ll ( m h )
rarer 2 T he Appearanc e at the Sea Of

. uc .
'

3 . Tob ias with the F ish .

G i
al le e with b ead and sh r .

14 . S usanna and the E ld ers .

Add
1 3 . T he A nn unc iat on i . B ottar i , tav .

1 76 .

14 . Our Lord s
p
B a t ism . C at . of S .

Ponti anus .

1 5 . T h e F i ve W ise V i gin r s. C at . of

S Agnes
. .

N . B .
A D is p ute with the D oc tors, in the C allixtine Cata co m b .

M os t o f these are de s cribed in the catalogue rai s onn at

the end o f P rimitive C hurch A rt T here are s ome obs erva .

t ion s to be made on s everal o f them which are not in that

,
1 34 GR E E K A ND GO THIC .

pre s cr ibed as it were b y Ou r

, ,
t he Good
L ord o f the V i ne ,

She p herd the L amb o f God and the Sheep o f the C h urch :
, ,

the D ove as s y mboli s ing the H ol y Sp irit and the faith fu l ;

the a nagrammat ic I KO I E or Fi s h which repre s ent s Ou r L o rd

, ,

and the s maller P isc ic u li the Faith ful within the Ch urch s ne t
,

.

T hen w e may s ay s omething about mi s cellaneou s or rare , ,

painti ngs in the Catacomb s A lmos t all the above m entio ned .
-

are o f fre q uent and many o f con s tant occurrence th e y m ay

,

be con s id e red as current s y mboli s m s o f the earlie s t ti m e s ,

u s ed b y Chri s tian prie s t s and people from a time when t he ,

d is t inction betwee n lait y and cle rgy w as not s trictl y draw n or

re s olutel y formulated T hese i mage s conveyed the L ord s
'

hi s tory the chi e f part o f H is teaching concer ni ng H im s e l f

,

and the H ol y Spirit ; and w ere be s ides the k e y to t he , ,

T ypical P ers on s and E vent s o f the O ld T e s tament \Vit h .

proper explanatio s the y ma y have forme d ia R o m e at

n

le as t s ometh ing li k e a catech i s m o f i ns truction the th e n

i ns titutio n of a catechumen preparing for Ba pti s m or ,

u nder in s truction a fterw ard s T h ey ma y have been u s ed as .

a s e cre t langu age o f religiou s doct rine and hi story ; but ,

bes ides thi s the y appealed to the Chri s ti an u nders ta nding at

,

s ight b y a co m mon s peech ; as if men reall y heard in th e ir

,

ow n tongu e s the w onder fu l w or k s o f G od Bes ides the y .

,

conveye d ideas old and ne w to the mind w ith all the plea s ant ,

ne ss o f q uick l y und e rs tood s ymbol is m and the fres h s harp

-
, ,

outli ne o f graphic t e achi ng Colour and for m are al ways .

s om e thing and all the w orld over it is a plea s ure to l oo k at

a picture and see w hat it mean s .

T here were reas on s w h y the Good Shepherd w ith t h e ,

V ine s hould be the rs t decorative image s o f w hich the

,

Church made u s e T he e arlie s t me ntion of s uch an i mag e

.

is in T ertulli an D c P u d za tia c vii and x o f a relie f o n

, ,
. . .
,

an euchari s tic chalice T he s e tw o w ere the readie s t to hand

.

and leas t s u s pected as vine s and shepherd s were a favour

ite s ubject of ornament everyw here O u r ch apter on .

Sculpture may be s o far anticipated here b y re ference to

R aoul R ochette fo r the t wo type s o f the Good
Sh e pherd and the derivation o f one o f them ; in which
,

See note next page , .

1 36 GREEK A ND GO THIC .

fanci ful P latonic in connecting H im w i t h Gree k

and N eo -
,

s tory but there may have been a better rea so n w h y Chri s t ian
G reek s li k ed it as it mini s tered to id ea s o f charity and ho p e
,

fo r G entile fore fathers w ho might be thought to have l o o k ed , ,

tho u gh onl y in m ystic gure to the coming R edeemer and ,

Shepherd o f man k ind In fact the earlier habit o f Chri s tia n .

i s ing the m yth s s eem s al ways related to the habit o f ind ulg ing
Chri s tian hope o f the s alvation of the fathers .

T here is not much more to be s aid o f the numb e rle s s

ill us tration s of the Vine except that as it is con stantl y ,

repres ented from the rs t century to the R enai s sance it is ,

the bes t example b y whi ch the draughts man or anti q u ary ,

accu s tomed to j udge o f drawi ng can form an id ea o f s u c ,

c es s ive date s o f picture s We could ma k e out man y s tage s .

,

as the earl y natu rali s m o f S Clement s mo saics and S

.
, .

D o m it illa s V ine then the s light con ventionali s m o f P ra te x

tatu s 3 and the great C allix t ine then the s everer circul ar com

,

pos ition o f the beauti ful s econd centu ry s tuccoes of the L ati n -

Way w ith naturall y drawn grapes and bo ys ( B ottari ii T cm 9 3

, , . .
,

and al s o P Marchi ) T hen in the chapel o f Galla P lacidia w e

4
. .

come to c omplete conventionalit y and a beauti ful clos e pattern , ,

which would do admi rabl y for any modern chancel R oma n ,

e sq ue B yzantine or P ointed unl es s w e s tand in aw e 10 f the

, , ,
-

Phari s ai s m o f architectural puri s ts But then w e have the .

probabl y s ixth century V ine of T orc ello s and the blue and
-
,

whi te mos aic o f S Mark s I s uppos e about the tw el fth ; .

an d a s
the be uti ful coloured pandril all illu strated b y
P ro fe ssor R u s k in in Stones Of Venice vol ii D uring the ,
. .

R enai ss ance the V ine lo s t it s Chri stia n s ignication and was ,

treated art i sticall y till T itian trans ferre d the w hole s ubject
,

to the Bacchic orgie .

T he d esc ript i on in P h il stratus j unr c 6 of a pi c tu e of O pheus ans w

o , .
, .
, r r e rs

almost exac tly to th at d esc i bed abo e r v .

V ine of P m textatu Catac mb Parke N o 1 82 2 ( ol s

and book n th o , r, . v . o e

C atacomb Via A pp ia p lat i Const ruc tion of ent ance wall of time of N
s, , e . r -
ero .

W ood cut in D e R oss i s D nllctino d i A rche ologia C hrirtia na . P ra
etextatus is a
su rname , not a ge nt i le name ; no doubt a R oman family bore it, but there seems
no t to have been any Saint P raetextatus .

Sm i th p 69 5 ; B o ttari t i T an 74 ; an arcoso lium

, .
, . . . .

7 av xxii M on u ment i d ellc A rti C ristia ne

4
. .
, R ome 1 844 .
, .

5 T he c olumns m us t be long to the original ed i c e .

 SC R I P T U R A L C YCL E S 0F C A TA C OM E S . 1 37

T itian meant no harm he w as a goo d Chri s tian accord ing

to h is lights It is not ea sy eve n in H ol y Scri pture to s et the
.
, ,

contradicto ry as s ociation s o f the V ine over again s t each other .

T here are happy natural image s o f vine and g tree and the -
,

fatne ss o f the vine and the fruit that delights G od an d man

, ,

to oppos e to the vine yard o f I s rael cut do wn and rooted ,

up and to the j ud gment betw een the L ord and H is V ine

, .

A ll end s in the dread vi s ion o f the Apocal y p s e o f the angel ,

w ith h is s harp s ick le reaping the clu s ters o f the vine of the
,

eart h to ca s t them into the w inepre ss o f the w rath of God

, .

A nd it h as o ften been noticed in di fferent point s o f vie w and ,

w ith variou s application ho w O u r L ord s parable o f the ,

V ine united the idea s o f fertilit y natural beaut y and rich , ,

nes s w ith the fate o f barren branche s ta k en awa y from the

,

s toc k and fruit ful one s pruned an d purged b y s u e rin that

'

, g ,

they ma y bear y et more T h e fact is the se s i militudes as .

, ,

old as the world point out and b e ar w itne ss to t he wa y o f

,

G o d w ith man s ince the beginning o f the worl d T he .

R enai s s ance w ould onl y loo k at the p lea s ant s i d e as the ,

monas tic Church had onl y loo k ed at the s ide o f s u ffering ;

T itian h ad m an y excu s e s and m an y companion s an d w as ,

one o f the bes t among them But his time does u n q ues tion .

abl y in d icate the nal s everance o f the trad itional connection

between art and religion and man y s ince his ti me have done
their be st or wors t to ma k e s everanc e into repul s ion
, , .

T he D ove as a s y mbolic man ifes tation o f God the H ol y

,

Spirit occurs in all paintings o f our L ord s Bapti s m ; per

h a ps the earlie s t s till in exi s tence is the very well k no w n -

one in the Catacomb o f S Pontianu s T he A bb Martign y . .

a s s igns it to the s ixth century T he catacomb in q ue s tio n .

po ss es s es a s p ring which was properl y d rai ned and collected in

,

a ci s tern and chamber and thu s gave occas ion fo r one o f the ,

earlie st Bapti s terie s T here is another in the Catacomb of.

S A gne s and Pope D am as u s made a th ird in the V atican

.
,

cemete ry But the D ove is al s o u s ed as w as s ai d to re

.
, ,

pre s ent the Chri s tian wors hipper and appears in countle ss ,

in s tance s on the tombs i n the fun e real cubicula T here are .

A i nghi i
r , .
3 8 1 ; B o ttari, T ar . xl vi . ; M arch i , pp
.
32 , 2 2 02 2 4, ii
.

and xl ii .
1 38 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

beauti ful one s in S D omitilla in the C allix tine S P ra te x

.
, , .

tatu s and almo s t everywhere T he very numerou s b ird s

, .

fou nd on the in s cription s o f Southern G aul s eem o fte n

intended fo r dove s T h e train of thought is evidentl y that

.

o f P 5 lv 6 o f eeing a w a y to be at re s t ; and o f cours e in

. .
,

ma ny in s ta nce s w h e re the dove bears the palm the victory ,

o f Chri s tia n death by mart y rdom or ordinary s u ffering m ay

, ,

be intended Where the dove s repres ent the living believer

.
,

the i mage s eem s to re fer to Matt x 1 6 Be y e w is e as . .

s erpent s and harmle ss as dove s
,
.

But the com mone s t appearance o f the D ove is w ith N o a h .

T h e earlie s t o f the s e picture s are all li k e each other N oah .

is al w ays s tanding in the s q uare area or che s t done in a , ,

s ty le o f pers pective which m ak e s one fe el as if one had been

examining a s chool in that s ubject H e wears a long tunic .

w ith stripes or clavi and hold s out h is hand to the olive ,

bearing D ove T hu s he appears continuall y in variou s

.

Catacombs but the curiou s th ing is that thi s treatment and ,

gure s eem to be derive d from a coin of the city o f A pam e a

,

in P hrygia which was called KiBarrs arca ark or trea s ure , ,

che t from its being one o f the great emporia o f A s ia
s

M inor It is a curiou s adapta t ion naturall y s uited to the secret

.
,

s y mboli s m o f earlier d ay s ; and no doubt conve yed the s en s e o f

pre servation through the s torm s o f thi s world to man y anxiou s

s pirit s I t is not o ften s een in medi e val s culpture mo s aic
.
, ,

or M SS s o as to be recogni s able fo r the old q uas i A pam ze an

.
,
-

s y mbol But it is found on one memorable and well

.

kno w n relic s o w ell de s cribe d and gu re d latterly in A ratra

,

P entelici o n the bronze doors o f S Z enone at Verona and .

the di fference o f the w ork is remark able T he s q uare .

is changed into a k in d o f upright s tructure li k e a

area ,

tabl e altar w ith a rai sed bac k or reredo s N oah s hea d pro
-
.

trude s from a s q uare hole in the latter rather l ik e a bearded ,

L omb ard and the dove is dra wn in th e act o f alighting s o

well that I ca nnot but fancy the arti s t had s tretch ed out
,

h is s t to a ha w k prett y o ft e n in h is time O r if he w as a .
,

G ree k as L ord L ind s ay w ill have it and I cannot thin k ,

h e mu s t have been c rit ici s ed b y s ome northern tamer o f the

L e blau t 1 m m.
} . C /z rticnnc: dc la Gon/c, &c . Paris ,
1 8 56 .
l 4o GREEK A ND GO THIC

conditio ns w h at w e call real or common li fe in R om an ,

decad e nce had m uch i n common w ith our mo d e rn E ngli s h

,

exi s te nce T he s ame cro wde d s treet s tall teeming hou s e s

.
, , ,

ince ss ant din o f t raic love of exciteme nt at an y price ind if

, ,

ference i n all cla s s e s as to the q ualit y o f exc itement ; the

s ame general s ceptici s m and ab s ence o f creed w ith the s ame ,

reall y s incere ac k no w l e dgment that re li gion is good and de

s irable if o ne onl y could be religiou s ; the s ame n ucl e u s o f
,

believers w il full y mi s un d ers tood by the public ; th e same

,

s en s e o f political po w er and i mpatience o f taxation and that

burde n al w a ys i ncreas ing an d graduall y l e velling all men ,

down ward s into povert y ; the sa m e dail y anxi et y fo r ne ws

from the other end o f the w orld and inevitabl e endle s s wars ,

on every fronti e r all thi s m u s t have amounted b y the ti me ,

one w as fort y or s o to an i nexpre s s ible di s traction and wear i ,

ne ss o f heart about all one s hope s or pro s pects or past or
, , ,

future exi s tence P eople in thi s outworn s tate o f mind

.

re q ui re pretty s hort vie w s on all matters it s eem s an al mo s t

hopel e s s thing to i nsp ire s uch a race w ith ne w s piritual hopes ,

to t e ach th e m a ne w religion Y e t thi s the G o s pel did fo r .

the town population s o f R ome A ntioch and A lexa ndria ;

-
, ,

and it w as don e humanl y s pea k ing b y appl y ing to every , ,

heart and ma k ing every s oul p arta k e in s uch great broad

, ,

ideas in s tantl y appre hend e d and n e ver in thi s world com

,

preh e nded as are conveye d by the s e Catacomb pai ntings

, .

Chri s t is G od as w ell as Man and the Shepherd o f men H e , .

is the V ine and all men are part s o f H im Cai ns and Cai a
, ,

P uden s the Se nator and Claudia the fair Britone s s G laucu s ,

and Ione o f A the ns Volero the esh er and the strong s mith ,

,


M ure na even all the D av us e s o f the s lave mark et all w e -

are one in H im ; H e is the L amb and H e died as well as ,

l ived for all thes e H e died and ros e from the dead having .
,

foretold that H e would do s o li k e the H ebre w Jonah He , .

gave s ign of H is pow er over death b y recalling the shrouded

L azaru s to li fe H e may call upon H is follow ers to die by
.
:

re for H im and if H e doe s s o H e w ill be w ith the faith ful

, ,

as w ith the T hree Children an d w ith D aniel ; H e was

La a us is al most alway presented as not only bound hand and fo ot with
z r s re

grave cl
-
oth e b u t r lled in lins
en ba
,nd
ages lik e an E gy
o p t ian m um my .
 SC R I P T U R A L C YCL E S 0F C A TA C OM E S . 14 !

prepared for b y the fathers o f thi s s tran ge H ebre w race .

T hought s o f thi s k ind pre s ented b y rough art w ould pre s ent
, ,

them s elve s as realities to the mind o f the R oman m echanic ,

or trader or s oldier ; and each o f them s eparatel y would be

,

enough to thro w a ne w light on the darknes s o f h is s piritual

pros pects and the monoton y or bas e e x
, citement o f h is worldl y

li fe T he y w ould give him wh at man y o f us w ant s omething
.

to live fo r .

I believe s ome pro fe ss or or other has fulminated about

Chri stianity having d e stroyed G ree k or R oman civili s ation ;
and if civili s ation mean s l u xury s lav ery an d d egradation of , ,

women wh y it di d so
, But there is no doubt that Chri s
.

t ianity p re serve d a large part o f the R oman populatio n from

de s pai r fo r s everal centuries ; and there is no do ubt that
w ithout Chri s tianity there would have been no Con s ta nti
nop le no E a s tern E mpire no bul w ar k again s t O rien tal or
, ,

R u ss ian barbari s m no G regory to intercede w ith the L o m

bard s A ll civili s ation which s urvived the fall o f R ome was

.

either Chri s tian i n origin or pre s erved b y Chri s tian hand s ; ,

and the hold of Chri s tianity on mankind w as mad e fas t

through certain broad fact s about m an k in d ; which Chri s tian
teachers were empowered to tell them an d d id tell them , ,

through th es e paintings and by other mean s T h e Coli s eum , .

and its gladiators ma y to the agnos tic m ind conve y a greater

idea o f civili s ation than the C atacombs an d their marty rs but ,

th e latter prevailed a fter all .

T h e gure o f Jonah as a s y mbol o f the R e s urrection o f the

,

Bod y is certainl y the mo s t fre q uentl y repeated of all the

,

Catacomb picture s ; and there m ay have b een the other

reas on for its freq uenc y from the e arlies t time s that it m ight ,

be ev e ry where repre sent e d w ithout attracting an y particular

attention as pass ing fo r an illu s tration of class ical m ythology)
,

T here w as a P h oenician m yth o f H ercule s sw allo wed b y a

wh ale w hich R ochette q uotes fro m Bottari vol iii p 4 2
, , . . .

s heltering h im s el f w ith s ome caution un d er the elder an d

long deceas ed w riter s authorit y or impunit y

-
Jas on is said .

to be repre sented on an E tru s can vas e as going through the ,

s ame proce s s T he s tories o f H e s ione an d A ndromeda w ere

.

R R c h ette T alm x d : C M amma p 1 67 sq

. o ,
u c l s, . .
1 42 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

con stant s ubjects fo r R oman and G ree k ornament T h e re .

is a ca pital de s cription o f H ercule s and H es ione in Philo

s tratu s I m agi nes ch xii

which Charles K ings le y m ay h ave
, . .
,

made use of in h is A nd romed a and in T Ice H eroes : and it

is reall y intere s ting to s ee to what perfection the rhetoricia ns
.

had brought the art o f pictor ial i nventory and compo s ition in

word s th e me main fact s acce s s ories and by pla y H ow eve r
, , ,
- .
,

di s regarding P h ilos t rat u s w e ma y remark th at it is very curi

,

o us that s o man y tradition s s hould s u rround the port o f Jo p p a ,

or Jaa the Beauti ful as the y ma y w ell call it all remi nding
,

u s more or le s s o f Jona h S Jerome notice s thi s in h is 1 0 8 t h

. .

E pi s tle : Joppa too he s ays

, the harbour of Jonah when
, ,

he ed from G od an d if I ma y mak e s ome allu s ion to the
tales o f poet s the tow n which witnes s ed the bi nding o f
,

A ndromeda to her roc k A n d he s a ys in h is comment ary

.

on Jonah (c 1 ) that the bone s o f A ndromeda s se a mon s ter

.

-

w ere s till exhibited at Joppa in his time Jo sephu s had him .

s el f s een a lin k o f her chai n (B ell u d aic 1 I I I cviii R aoul

y . . . . .

R ochette is in s ome trouble becau s e P lin y s a ys that in h is

time th e se (cetaceo u s or other) remain s had be e n tran s ported
to R ome no doubt b y some anti q uarian o f the s chool o f
,

M u m m ius and M ac C ribb H e cheerfu ll y s urmount s thi s .

apparent di s crepancy betwee n P lin y and S Jerome (on thi s .

s ubject no doubt o f almo s t e q ual authorit y b y uppo ing

) s s

th at another s et o f bone s h ad been s ub s tituted ; w hich is

q uite po s s ible as there are proverbiall y al ways as good s h
, , ,

i n the s ea as ever came out o f it It w ill be obs erved th at .

clas s ical relics or curio s itie s w ere no m ore authentic than

medi e val ; and it is grati fying to nd arch ae ology enriched
w ith one more dragon M rs Ja m e s o n s remark that the . .

vas t bone s o f s uppose d dragon s exhibited at A ix and el s e ,

where were probabl y Saurian

,
D ragon s o f the prime w ill .

apply to thes e remai n s as w ell as oth e rs .

It is evident o f cours e that all thi s has nothing to d o

, ,

with the Old T e s tament record w hatever con s tructio n we ,

ought to put upon it ; but it is curiou s ly connected w ith the

Catacomb picture s A lmo st all o f them repre se nt the w hale as
.

a v as t lacerti ne or se rpentine creature greatl y re se mbling the ,

me d i e val and modern ideals of the sea s erpent T radition s - .

 1 44 GREEK A ND GO THIC .

of colour and pro portion L etters ma y be made be auti ful

.

enough as orna m ent : a very little trouble in selectio n from

P ro f Wes twood s P ale og rap/I ia Sac ra or Count Bas tard
.

would s oon show ho w and s uppl y coun tle ss exampl e s onl y

, ,

for th e copy ing T h e s cale o f the illu minated wall b e ing

.

so m uch larger than the illumi nated page it would re q u ire ,

m ore s ubdued hue s but common rules or w hat is th e s am e , ,

thing a tolerable ey e fo r colour and a little practice w ould

, ,

s oon s ettle that T h e i nitial letter o f each text s hould b y

.
-

rights contain an illu s tration or s y mbol o f its meaning ; an d

the re s ult would be bett e r than the mere d regs o f Morri s and
Faul k ner ; which are now too freq uentl y s ub s titu t e d fo r th at
decent old whi te wa s h w hich we have o ften good reas on to regre t .

It w ill be s een on loo k ing to ou r li s t at page 1 3 3 th at t he

, ,

primitive choice of s ubjects from the Old T es t am e nt w as

determined b y the N ew T h e las t three grou ps on our li s t
.
,

Job T ob ias and Su s anna are very rare ; T obi as I thin k

, , ,

altogether uncertain as I onl y k now of one dubiou s exam p le

,

in the C allix t ine Cataco m b T he N e w T e s tament c ycl e

.

d well s al mo s t entirel y on the L ord s li fe and miracl e s o f

'

mercy T here is one fres coe d crucixio n in the Cat aco m bs

. ,

a ss igned to P ope A drian I I I A D 8 8 4 : the one P ass i o n .

, . .

s ubject in the s ar cophagi be s id e s P ilate is the Cro w ni ng

w ith T ho m s the c irclet brea k ing into ro se s P ilate Wa s h ing
h is H and s is found in one or t w o s culpture s and paint ing s .

T o the E arl y Church the Cro ss w as pri mari ly a s y mbol o f

the L ord s P e rs on rather tha n o f H is D e ath up to the time

, ,

o f Con s tantine T h e u s e o f the X or decu ss ated s y mbol o r

.
,

letter is the initial o f H is N ame and it w as not till the

, ,

Chri s tian E mpire that it graduall y changed to the u p right

and penal s ign o f H is D eath i n the u s ual L atin and G ree k ,

crosses Perhaps it was the hope o f H is s peed y return to

.

j udge the earth : perhap s it w as the do m i nating and s u p

port ing idea o f H is I ncarn ation and D ivi ne P re s e nce o n
earth ; but the Chri s tian congregat ion s eem s to have b e e n
fo r 2 00 y ears directed to thin k o f H is Sacrice in m ys te ry ,

u n d er the w ell unde rs tood i mage of the L amb H e w as .

to be thought of as the Me s s iah and ful ller o f the L aw , ,

the P roph et s and the Ps al m s ; as the V ine o f Soul s t he

, ,
 SC R I P T U R AL C YC L E S OF C A T A C OM B S . 1 45

Shepherd people ; as the Work er o f all miracles

of all H is ,

and chie y o f th e conclu s ive wond e r of H is R es u rrection from

the D ead H e was L ord o f L i fe and D eat h but in primitive
.

days people s eem ho nes tl y to have looked over and be yond

D eath and to have con s idered it as a brie f pa ss age between
,

t wo lives rather th an the nal co n s ummation of a s u ffering

,

T hey d w elt on the L ord s

and dubious exi s tence here .

victory rather than on H is s u e rings

'

.
,

T h e A doration o f the Magi claim s s ome s pecial attention

h ere b e cau s e it connect s the Chri s tian paintings w ith the
,

E as t or w ith O riental imagery ; and becau se it is u nque s

,

t ionably i n it that the Ble ss ed V irgin ma k e s her e arlie s t

appearance in the cemeteries I t is clearl y felt to co nvey .

an a s sertion o f the D ivi nit y o f the L ord an d of H is I nc ar

nation ; an d that mo st probably be fore pronoun ced here s ie s
, , ,

or s trict denition s o f doctrine It mu s t have claimed atten .

tion too as the E piphan y or mani fe s tation o f Chri s t to the

, ,

Gentile Ch urch T h e picture s are all ve ry li k e each other

. .

T he three almos t al wa y s wear the P hrygian cap and an axy

rides or leggings or R oman c aligae and the y are generall y
, ,

o f y outh fu l appearance Sometime s the y lead their hors e s ; .

and in Bottari ( T av lxxxii ) the y wear boots and ro w elled . .

s pu rs w hich i nd i cates either a very late re s toration or s ome

, ,

con s i d erable mi s ta k e on the part o f the d raughts ma n or

engraver I n a fre s co in S A gnes the y appear be fore H erod
. .

and o n the gates o f S Z enone in V erona the y are obs erving .

, ,

the Star T he great P roce s s ion o f H ol y Women in S A pol

. .

linare N uova at R avenna e nd s near the altar w ith their

, ,

A doration ; evi d entl y intend e d to intro d uce the V irgin as

Mother o f the L ord and ble s s ed among wome n I n the .

original s tate o f the fth century mosaic o f the A doration in -

Sta Maria Maggiore at R ome s h e occupied a s mall e r throne

.
, ,

b y the s i d e o f her Son w ho was receiving the A doratio n ,

attended by angel s .

T he Miracle of Cana is more fre q uent in carvings than in

fre s co but o c curs in the cemetery o f L ucina in the C allix t ine
,

See S mith s
D ictionary o f C l

m stian A n tion ities, s 22
'

. . A ngels and A rc h
angels also C iampiui s Vetera M on u menta, vol i

2 00, tab . . p
. . xlix . C iampani
is the old au th ority for ev erything o u t of th e atacombs C .
1 46 GREEK A ND GO THI C .

( Bottari T c w 1,9 3 5
1 1 1 8 . T,
here is a ,b e,
auti fu l ivo ry
,

pla q ue or tablet i n the D uomo at R avenna w hich is s aid to ,

be part o f the covering o f the E xarch s throne and whic h ,

is gured under Cana M iracle o f in Smith s D ictionary , ,

.

O u r L ord s ometi me s touche s the h yd ri e or w ater p o ts w ith -

a wand ; and one is place d in H is han d in the R ai s ing o f

L azaru s T here are not al w ays s ix pots repre s ented as in
.
,

the R avenna ivo ry ; four or ve are enough to ll the s pace

in man y picture s and Bottari ma ke s th e s en s ible remark that
,

the arti s ts ma y have been hampered b y k no wing that the s e

ve s sel s were large containing as m uch as a Metretes
, T hi s .

miracle h as pass ed into the cy cle o f mode rn sacre d art ,

s o called
-
What has been sai d on the Vi ne may partl y appl y
.

to it as to the R afae les q u e or modern treatment o f the Fall

, ,

Mos es D avid an d E lij ah where D aniel is painted so obvious ly

, , ,

for the s a k e of the lion s that I s in c erel y w i s h ( in Mr Bretton .

R ivi ere s otherwi s e excellent pi cture fo r example) that he

could be le ft o ut altogether and s uppos ed at the s ide , .

T hi s is done and I thin k rightl y done in an A doration

, ,

o f Shepherd s b y Ba s sano w ith nothing to a d ore ; the y and ,

their h e rd s forming the whole s ubject T he V enetian was .

a s traight forward fellow at all events or he had enough ,

reverence le ft in him to s h rin k from painting a N ativity

deliberately express ive o f i ndi fference to the birth o f the
Son of Go d .

A ll our N e w T e s tament li s t are al so treated as modern

s ubject s arti s ticall y
, an d for th e s ake o f the picture ; and
,

there ma y be no harm i n that But it m us t be re m embered .

that now there is no conve ntional method or xed sy mbol o f

,

repres entat ion as in primitive days the e ffect o f the sacred ,

picture fo r good or evil depend s o n the s pirit o f the man

, ,

who paint s it I f he believes what he pain ts h is pi cture w ill

.
,

s ho w it as H ol man H unt s ; if he doe s not it w ill s ho w that

, ,

al s o as D or s ; if he thi nks the Scriptural event grave matter

,

o f thought and faith ful record under the light of h is imagina

ti on that too w ill be s een in h is work as in P oynte r s I once

, ,

.

he ard an eminent paint e r s pea k with not unreas onable con ,

te m pt and d i s li k e o f the piou s d od ge s o f incompetent

,

person s who chos e sacred s ubjects in the hope o f s elling their

,
1 48 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

T he evangeli c sy mbol s the Fi s h and others are in thi s

, ,

partl y Scriptu ral category an d the Sea son s D olia Ch ariot

, , , ,

an d other exampl es come from entirel y s ecular s ources .

T here is and mu s t al wa ys be a certain re s e rve or s ome ,

amount o f actual s parri ng between ours elve s and the R o m an

,

Catholic authorities o f modern days about the Catacomb s ,

and their illu s t ration s It is better to ta k e that as it come s

.
,

on s uch s ubject s o f di s pute as we nd Y e t they ought not .

to be m an y for there is no doubt that the s e picture s furni s h

,

s omething li k e a bod y o f E arl y Church doctrine as h e ld b y ,

the people with a va st deal o f hi s torical and arch e olog ical

,

in formation s c arcely to be had el s e where A s D A ginco u rt

s aid (an d it w as literally tru e in h is time) the Cat acomb s and

their tomb s furni s h the onl y authoritie s for the earl y decadence
of p ainting an d the meaning o f the s e p icture s b e ing evi d e nt
and un m i sta kable the y certainl y s e t fort h the practical and
,

popular Cree d o f the rs t ce nturie s in a mar k edl y i ns tructive

way T hes e w ere the practical religiou s thought o f the time
.

they gave us at lea s t an approximative idea of the ho pe s

and expectation s in death o f whole generation s o f faith ful
men and women T here is no doubt a tendency to piou s
.

anachroni s m in s o m e o f the account s o f the Catacomb s b y ,

which ever y s ubterranean picture is referred to the s econd or

third century and the more eagerl y if it contain s an ything
,

li k e medi ae val ves tment or ton s ure or di stinctivel y R oman ,

characteri s tics of any k in d .

But it is q uite eas y to d is tingui sh betw een later and earlier

w ork to thos e w ho care to do so It was not till the s ixth .

century that the sti ffer and more eccles ia s tical gures s een in
S Pontianu s Catacomb fo r exa m ple made their appearan ce

. .
, ,

Y o u have o nl y to s ee the un q ue s tionably earl y w or k s w ith

the contempo rar y Gentile decoration to unders tand that t he
ruder and more barbaric picture s m us t be of later date .

Some o f the s e w ork s are un q ues tionabl y o f the P ri mitive

Church and it w ill never do to neg lect them becau s e they are
,

found in R ome an d not el s ewhere M uch o f what h as gone .

be fore about architecture has s how n how much we hav e

T he n nti h centur
-
y fresc oes of S C lemente are d escribed sim ply as I magine
. s

V etus tis simae, el w th S D mitilla

and l
i

p u t o n a ev . o s.
 S C R I P T U R AL C YCLE S OF C A TA C OM E S . 1 49

inherite d li k e the re s t o f the T eutonic worl d from the vas t

, ,

p o w er org ani,s ation an d accumulated , k no w le d ge w hich t h e

g reat I mperi um brought to bear on all it s s ubject s even on the ,

far aw a y Briton s
-
T he s e were not our ance s tors but our
.
,

ance s tors victim s for the mo s t part ; an d very man y of us

are de s cended from fres h waves o f N orthmen who dealt b y ,

Saxon s an d A ngle s as the y had dealt b y the race o f Claudi a

and P uden s But it is d ue to the teaching of R ome i e of
.
, . .

the C h ri s tian Faith received through G reece and R ome that ,

our whole hi s to ry is not one continuou s gathering of raven s

an d wolves to the fea st A ny s tu d ent of the d read ful hi s tory
.

o f the D ecline Fall and R eco ns truction o f C ivili s atio n among

, ,

the T eutonic races will s e e that the rs t s tep was to bring

them to conceive the action of merc y to utte r the w ord ,

A lboin j u st lear nt it and died in L ombardy

s pare . In , .

E nglan d C oeur de L ion as great a s avage as he even under

, , ,

S H ugh o f L incoln s teaching w as able to pronou nce i t in

.
,

h is las t moments T hat w ord the Chri s tian Faith alone could
.

teach But when the barbarian had once m astered it he could

.
,

ta k e ve ry eas ily to all the great O rd er an d L aw of ancient

R ome T o forget all w e have received thro ugh R ome is to
.

ignore or q u arrel with hi s tory ; and it is in hi sto ry that the

s trength o f our cas e lie s again s t the R oman Curia w henev er ,

that case h as to be gravel y as s ert ed A s to Church decora .

tion it s eem s that the limit s o f repres entation an d s ymboli s m

,

w ithin which the Church o f the rs t four centuries abode and

prevailed ought to content u s in our o wn da y ; and there is
plenty o f room for the highes t ight o f artis tic imagination ,

i n the record s o f the H i s tory o f Man s Creation and R ed e m p

tion A ll our arti s t s have to do is to believe it and if they

.
,

w ill not i t is not m y immediate dut y to give an y opinion as

,

to what w ill happen to them in the next world but as fo r the

pres ent one into the Bathos o f emptines s and frigidity the y
,

w ill go w ithout redemption and that appears to be the

pre s ent direction o f their e fforts With tho se of the .

Sen s uali s ts I am not now concerned .

 C H A PT E R I I I .

C H R I STI A N SY M B O L I SM .

T O w rite about the extra Scriptural cy cle o f the catacom b

-

pictures is to enter on the s ubject o f Chri stian sy mboli s m in

gen e ral T he neares t approach to xed rule about the u se o f
.

i magery which can be made for modern time s is to allo w ,

Scriptural s ubject s onl y and that term may be very w id el y

and variou s l y interp reted and s eem s to have b een s o fro m
,

t h e rs t I t s ee m s to have been hel d from the rst t hat t h e

.

mention o f an y name o f man or a ngel in H ol y Scri p ture

made him at leas t admi s s ibl e i nto iconograph y ; perhaps onl y
as a hi s to rical pers onage in s ome s cene o f action as P ilat e ,

or H e rod ; perhaps as deserving o f commemoration in h is

ow n p ers o n li ke the A pos tle s and E vangeli s ts T hi s d is tinc
,
.

tion o f Chri s tian s y mboli s m (or imagery or icon ography) ,

into hi s torical an d commemorative is of s ome im port ance ,

and s e em s to have be e n fe lt from the earlie s t time s It w as .

c ertainl y earl y und e rs tood that hi s to rical delineatio n o f ev e nt s

is as harm le s s as pictorial de s c ription in w ord s ; s ince both

ali k e are i ntended for in stru ction and do not appea l to the
,

feel ings pri maril y or chie y But it w as probabl y not long

.
,

a fter picture s o f non apos tolic s ai n ts rst appeared on ch urch

-

wall s that thin k ing m en began to s ee d anger i n them

, ,

whether o f exciti ng undue emotion w id e o f the s cope o f

,

Ch ri s tian wors h ip or i ndeed an d in con s e q uen ce o f m is

, , ,

directing popular devotion altogether Saintl y person s in a.

hi s torical p icture are engaged in its action and part o f its ,

com p o s ition ; the y are acting as s aint s doing s omethi ng to ,

God s glory ; to w hich the picture is at leas t i n theory

'

, ,
1 5 2 GR EEK AN D GO THIC .

they never knew ; an d which are not in fact as sert e d to be , ,

like s aint s long s ince out of the bod y T hes e picture s cannot .

be con s i d ered as P ro fe ss or Max M illle r s ingeniou s Brahmin

put it as portraits o f deceas ed friend s We never s aw their

,
.

s ubject s in the e s h We k now what it is to s e e the li k ene s s

.

o f the brother w e have seen and w ho as w e tru s t is w ith G od

, , ,

and among the saint s it may be that w e pray w ith him and
them be fore the throne o f God and to H im who s itteth ,

thereon T rue portraits o f the loved and lo s t might rai s e

.

gen uine emotion i n pray er though of cours e familie s cann ot

have their L ares and P enate s i n church But as to fanc y .

picture s o f the greate s t s aint s they s eem to u s to be ind e fe n

,

s ible on the ground o f their mini s teri ng to pa s t human

ae c t io n an d unde s irable as an aid to pres ent devoti o n

'

.
,

A nthropomorphi s m is natural but in thi s cas e it is again s t ,

the Second Commandment P ray i ng be fore a face or form .

mu st practicall y come to praying to it T h e dark ey ed .

-

V irgi n meets the gaze o f the w ors hipper ; in theory s he is

in all her portrait s as omnipres e nt ; she w ill hear as o m nipo
tent ; s urely s he will hear s he is hearing the pra yer of faith
, ,

an d need and terror She loo k s as if s he heard : did not her

.

ey es change i n the gaze which is s traine d on them through

,

tear s ?
It m u s t be s o it was s o s he moved or w in k ed , ,

or s omething and there is y our miracle and all its train o f ,

d ubiou s glories and moc k eries .

E ngli s h clergy fo r man y y ears be fore the Ox ford move

,

ment are now describe d as either Methodi s ts holding w rong

, ,

tenets s incerel y or w orldl y plurali s ts who believed nothing

,

and preached again s t enth us ias m which is now held to be the ,

one thing need ful Ou r age is a fas t o ne and expects th at

.
,

q ualit y in all clergy T he y are to strive for pace in s tead o f

.

peace an d show w ell in front o f every movement ; if pos s ible

, ,

the y are neither them selve s to s ee nor s ugge s t to others , ,

which w a y it ought to move or w here it ought to s top I t , .

is there fore an unpopular thing to have to as s ert that common

s e ns e or j udgment is a j udicial faculty and the gi ft o f G o d
,

intended to be us ed and to guide u s in s pi ritual things ; j u st

as enthu s ias m or partial abandonme nt o f ordinary rule s o f
,

mental j udgment is the gi ft o f God on certain rare occas io ns

, .
 C H R I S TI AN S YM B OL I SIY
I . 1 53

I t is more a wkward s till to re q uire deliberate judgment ,

moderation or decenc y it sel f in congregational act s of

, ,

devotion or to have to den y that the excitement whi c h

,

pas s e s fo r devotion is a thing to be had at any price It w as .

probabl y found that G ree k or Italian ass emblies in the s ixth

or s eventh centurie s were rai s ed to a higher pitch o f emotion
b y praying be fore s aint s w hom they could s e e ; and that
carried the w hole iconolatry q ues tion w ith their clergy T hi s
-
.

is one o f the commone s t form s o f s ee k ing a fter a s ign ; and

a fter a due amount o f devotion the s ign w ill a ss uredly ta k e
the place o f the thing s ignied and the i mage having long ,

excited pas s ionate feeling will be s uppo sed to have s how n

,

li fe or miraculou s po wer T hen God or the s aint is in it

.
,

an d it can help the wor s hipper .

T he s aving di s tinction bet w een s y mboli s m and idolatry

'

s e e m s to con s i s t in thi s that the true s y mbol is not like that

,

which it call s to the mind and doe s not represent it to the eye
, .

I t is properl y a vi s ible s ign o f the Invi s ible pointi ng toward s
H im teaching tru th concerni ng H im proclaiming its el f not
, ,

to be H im It was on thi s principle or so it s eem s that the

.
, ,

Cherub form s w ere u sed in H e bre w wors hip T he people .

w ere protecte d from temptation to w ors hip them b y their

being repre s ented in pairs and as mini s ters attendant on
,

the s pec ial P re s enc e o f Go d I t is s uppo s ed indeed that

.

'

th e form s o f the Cherub s o f G lo ry on the A rk w ere k now n

o nl y to the prie s t s ; th e people being allow ed to see
another conve ntional form on the doors o f the T emple .

But Cherubs were k now n as m in istering s pirits and were not ,

wors hipped N o r doe s it s eem e ver to have entered the mind

.

o f an y P rimitive Chri s tian to w ors hip the V ine or Fi s h or , ,

G ood Shepherd E ven t he la s t is not repre s e nted as s tand

.

ing to receive the wors hip o f H is people th at is for the
portrait i mage T h e Shepherd is engaged in care of H is
-
.

charge lay ing the m on h is s houlders or h e aring them in H is

,

arm s T he gure is onl y a graphic repetition o f the L ord s o wn

.

p arable about H im s el f as,K i n g and Shepherd o f m an k ind .

It is s y mbolic o f H is o f ce not o f H is Person T he image

, .

h as been u s ed b e fore and in oth e r land s being H omeri c and ,

univers al probabl y from the earlie s t days of A ryan herdsmen .
1 54 GREEK AN D GO THI C .

T hedi fference be t w een the portrait image and the g u re s -

in a hi s torical picture h as alread y been not e d ; it was lo ng

felt and unders tood and appears in the i mportant an s we r ,

o f Charlemag ne s bi s hop s to the Second Cou n cil o f N ice

,

called the L ibri C arolini Ou r own A ngl ican view s eem s t o .

s tand on it but it has never be en m uch regarded in South e r n

E urope or b y the mass o f man k ind
, Simple or thoughtle s s .

people onl y thin k that an imag e is an image ; they do not

s ee much di fference bet ween a s y mbol w hich re mi nd s o f Go d ,

and a gure which as they are told repres ents and is li k e , ,

H im T he di s tinction bet ween hi s torical picture s o f s aints

.

doing s o m ething and portrait images o f s aints s tandi ng

,

fo r ado ration was nev e r s u s tained nobod y s aw it or cared

,

fo r it Compromi se s were foun d ed on it fo r a time ; bu t

.

then as always happen s th e more numerou s d ull and

, , , ,

pow erful part y interpre ted all co mpromi se its ow n w ay T h e .

s ecret force o f image w ors hip and indelit y as well h as -

, ,

alw ays been expres s ed in the unavaili ng exc us e o f A aron

that the people w ere s et on mi s chie f and that he was unabl e ,

to control them but determined at lea st to appear to lead

, , ,

them T hat is al way s the hi s tory o f I c ond u lis m

. .

I thin k it is bes t to give a li s t o f Chri s tian s y mbol s here ,

generall y o f s uch as are derived from o ther s ource s tha n

H ol y Scripture When (as in the v ery rst ins tance) they
.

are derived from it or when they are u s ed in the B ible as ,

ordina ry form s o f expre ss ion the exception may be excu sed , .

A and a ( the O m ega is al way s given in the minu s cular or

form in earl y Church art) T he s e s y mbolic letter s

s mall .

are generall y attached to the monogram o f Chri s t or ,

s u s pended from the arm s o f the cross w hether d ecu ss ate d ,

or upright ( D e R oss i In s cription N o 7 7 6 ; Bottari T ai

.
, .
,
'
.

x liv ) . T he y are found on cup s rings s igil s coin s and , , , ,

p a s s im f rom the,dea t h o f Con s tantine A ft er the Council .

o f N ice the y had a peculiar bearing and were ta k en as ,

proper as s ertion o f the D ivinity o f O u r L ord fro m R evela ,

tion xxii 1 3 but the y seem to have been u sed be fo re

.
, .

( B o ld e t t i from C allix t,ine Catacomb T av iii 4 p 1 9 4 and , . .

, .
,

A ringhi i , .
1 5 6 GR EEK A ND GO THIC .

A post olic times d own ward s ) A t all e vent s the ge nera l ,

pre sence o f bread and sh in t he s e picture s in s tead o f bre ad ,

and w ine point to a di stinct ion be tween the E uchari s t and

,

th e A gape w hi c h cannot bu t be maintained .

T h e d if culty of regulating the A gap e reall y s e e m s to hav e

turned on their conne c tion w ith famil y and domes tic w ors hi p
and priesthood T hey ma y have been held as nuptial bap .
,

t is mal or votive as w ell as fune real (connu biales ded icatorie

, , , ,

na talitie f l ) al hough R aoul R oc h ette Belgia

u ne rea es t, s n ,

editors ob s erve that the natalitie of a mart y r are not the

day o f h is birth into the world but of h is d eath i nto eterna l ,

li fe ( T ableaux aes C p
. N everthele ss their prope r

. .

connection w ith Chri stian ritual was as funereal commemora

tion s T hey could not be held as private or famil y feas ts :
.

th eir relation to the Gos pel was either as s uppe rs preparatory

to s ol e m n Communion or pos s ibl y in comm e moration o f t h e ,

las t repas t with the D i s ciples at the Sea of G alilee T he .

s ubject ca nnot be rightly unders t oo d w ithout comparing t he

account o f that e vent in the las t chapter of S John an d als o .

,

the L o rd s di scou rse in chapter vi o f that Gospel 3

. .

T wo A gapes are repres e n ted in the C ataco m b o f SS .

Marcellinus an d P eter (k no w n otherw is e as that In ter d uas

L auros on the Via L abicana) R aou l R o chette s elects them .
,

w ith thos e from the C allix t ine as the mos t ancient with w hich ,

he is acq uainted and h as no doubt whatever o f their relatio n

,

to pictures in H erculaneum and Po m peii T he s tudent s hould .

compare Bottari t ii T av cviii an d cxxv i i w ith P itture , . . . . .

d E rc olane o t i T av xiv R M useo B orbonico t i T av

. .
, . .
, .
, . . .

xxiii Z ahn Ornament ans P ompeii fol 90 T he onl y d if

.
, , .
, . .

ference is that the horn or rhy ton drun k from at the s mal l
end is u s ed in the Gentile w ork wh ereas the Chri s tian copy ,

( T a t) cviii ) s ub.s titute s a round. bo w l P o m peian rep re .

sc u tation s o f dome s tic repas t s are ea s il y found i n Smith s

C or. xi. 2 0 ; A ugus tine d e M oribu s E c c lesie , xxxiv. S . Am brose d e E lie J .

ii S Paulinus of Nola P oem s ix d e N atal et Felic P xxv i or xxxv

c xxv . .
, . . . . . .

Both S . A mb rose and S A ug usti ne peak

. s of drunk enness as not u ncommon o n

th ese o c cas ons . i

3
A l ways the pan is cla u ssatn s , o r c ross- rea b d , in bask ets . See last c h . o f S .

J o hn s
G os
p .
e l d
I t has li ngere to o ur o wn d ay .

3
See M r Sa . d ler s E ssay in the C l mrc/i and Me Age,

Fi t S
rs er es i .
 C HR IS TIA N S YM B OL I S M . :5 7

D ic tionaries el sew h e re and the reader may unders tand

and ,

that except fo r i nferior painting and the decent dre s s o f their ,

cha racte rs Chri stian pict ure s o f the s ame s ubject greatl y
,

re semble them I n both o f the V ia L ab ic ana A gape s men

.
,

and w omen are pre s ent together in both the prov i s ion s and ,

w ine are not placed on the table but appear to have been ,

ha nded b y s ervants and in one the re q ue s ts o f t wo o f the

,

g u es ts are s trangely pai nted above their h e ad s

I rene ( la .

Ag ape m is ce m i (J uv Sat v T he names
, . . .
,

as R ochette ob se rve s are probabl y s ign icant , .

One o f the three s i ngul ar p ai n t ings engraved in Bott ari ,

vol iii p 2 08 repre se nt s a re p as t and as the pe nis deacs satu s

. . .
,

is on the table it mu s t be s uppo s ed to be a Chri s t ian A g ape

,
!
.

Y e t the gue s ts are evidentl y me ant to be reclining at table ,

not s itting ; and s ome are cro w ned w ith H oratian wreath s o f
ow ers T he names S E B I E and VI N C E N T I U are w ritten above
.

t wo o f them T hi s picture w ould o f its el f be a perfect lin k

.

be t ween the class ical and Chri stian w or k B ut there are t w o .

others o f apparentl y a Gnos tic or Mit h raic character which ,

are u n doubtedl y o f great ant iq uit y but di ffer so greatly fro m ,

Chri s tian s ubject s o f the s ame apparent date that th e y m u s t

be entirel y s eparat ed from them One is th e celebrated .

I nd uctio Vibier : V ivia a maiden or matron is pre s ented b y , ,

a Mercury (w ith w and and petas u s ) to tw o gures on a throne

o f s q uared bloc k s one bearded and w ith a nimbu s the oth er
, ,

female Mercuriu s M in u tiu s is w ritten above the Mercury

.

.

Still m ore s ingular is the s e cond w h e re a youth ful g ure ,

it is h ard to s ay w hether male or fe m ale is being rapt a w a y

in the arm s o f D eath or H ad e s in a chariot w ith four hors e s ,

abreast led or prece d ed by Mercury w ith h is caduceu s and

, , ,

w ith the addition o f the D olium or empt y cas k k now n as an ,

ancient s y mbol o f death and the d e part u re of the s pirit from ,

the bod y T hes e are part o f the G nos tic or M ithraic Cata
.

comb ; they may be works o f the imagi nation o f s ome eclectic

or hal f converted person perhaps o f the s tamp o f A lexander
-

Severu s but further in structed in the faith

,
T he y s eem to .

am ount to an e ffort to inves t m ythological s y mboli s m w ith

See als o T cw clxiii for an . . Agap ptu ed on a sarcophagu
e scu l r s .

3
01 N
untiu s Park er Vo l . . . on C atac ombs pp 1 74 1 9 7 p lates, .
, , xv . xvi .
1 5 8 GRE E K A ND GO THI C .

Chri s tian meaning and doubtle ss s uch att e m pt s at re concilia ,

tio n m ay have occupi e d man y mind s who e m braced t he

N e w T ruth y et could not dive s t them s elve s o f the h abit s
,

o f ancient fancy A t all eve nt s thes e pictures ill u s trate t h e

.

s tra nge contact and conte s t in habit s o f thought an d tre at ,

ment bet wee n G ree k and Chri s tian

,
.

T h e now ce lebrated and cu rio s it y provo k i ng M ithraic -

Cat acomb has al s o it s A gape o f s even pries t s o f Mithras ,

the Su n G od I ts painting li k e that o f the other pic

-
.
,

tures in thi s catacomb is s o coars e and indi fferent that ,

it m u s t be con s idered either late work a fter the tim e o f

Co ns tantine or the ve ry rudes t o f an e arlier date
, It .

is not the lea s t archaic or B y zantine it is o nl y a ve ry ,

incom pet en t att e mpt at clas s ica l g u ring as in ferior to t he ,

C allix t ine paintings as the y are to ne P ompei an w ork T he .

catacomb its el f is con s ide red ancient that is to s ay rs t or , ,

s econd centur
y b y Mr Wharton Marriott and other
,
s I f it . .

be s o it m ay po s s ibl y have been re painted in the t ime o f

,
-

Julia n w ho as is we ll k now n con sidered him s el f the chos en

, ,
-
,

wors hipper o f the Su n Go d and s teadil y endeavoured to s e t -

,

up or re store a Mithraic w orship I t al so s ugge s t s that s ubtl e .

imitation o f parts and detail s of Chri stianit y which that ,

emperor adopte d by way o f tak ing hints from h is enem y .

T h e s ubject o f the A gape is d elic at e bec au s e it bring s ,

the central rite o f Chri s ti anity in contact w ith ethnic or

human obs ervance q uite apart from the faith But the , .

fact th at all earl y pictures o f thi s k ind repre s ent the repas t
onl y and in no cas e an ything reall y li ke an act o f Cel e bra
,

tion enable s us from our picture d ata to do w hat we thi nk

,
-

may be done i n a mo re general way and s eparate the A gape ,

from the Celebration ; at leas t s o far as to say that funeral

and other feas ts may have bee n ce lebrat ed in the cata
combs el s ewhere w ith prayer an d s olemnit y yet w ithout the ,

E uchari s t T he num e rou s cubicula fo r familie s w ere n o

.

doubt as M r Wharton Marriott points out inten d ed fo r

, .
,

See M d e B roglie
.

s L E glise ct l E mpire R omain , v ol iv c h a ters vi v ii ,

. . p . .

and R evi ew

by D r . L ake , C ont R eview . I f it be o f his ate, the c atac om b
. d
is a m ost i nteres ting recor d : not lik e the ot ers of
h the victor y of the C ross of

s u ffer ng,
i but of th e las t stru ggles of Paganism d uring its nal gleam of triump h .
I 6O GREEK AN D GOT H I C .

bei ng one o f S Clement o f A lexa ndria s co m m e nded sym bols

'

(P e d a g iii . .

A ag e] : are sel d om represe nted as the A bb Ma rtign y ,

admits be fore the fou rth ce ntury The ge nii and w i nge d
,
.

boys o f S P raat e x tat us s cataco m b and the to m b s o f t h e

.

A rdeati n e Way ( A ri nghi I I p 2 9 I 67 ; Bott ari I I T at , . .

,
.
,
"
.

lxxiv xciii & c ) ca nnot b e thought to have sto o d fo r

. .
, .

a ngelic bei ngs in the mi nd o f their pai n ters or rst spe ctators .

( S e e i n dex in P rim itive 67 e ] : A rt ) .

B irds n ot disti nguished b y their species as dove pea cock

, , , ,

or eagle & c are o fte n fou nd in early fres coes

,
.
, With the .

pal m b ra nch they may be taken as symbols o f the rel e a s e d

-
,

soul ( A ri nghi I I p a passage of some beauty : h e

, . .

takes the light ness and beauty o f the bird as symbolic o f t he

aspiratio n o f faith ful spirits : as Bede says V o lu cre s su n t ,

qui s u rs u m cor habent et c ae les t ia c onc u pis cant C aged .

birds are sometimes fou nd in pai nti ngs ( Bo ld e tt i T ar) vi p , . . .

and m ay sta nd for the soul imprison ed in the esh .

The sy m bolism o f the cross by a bird s outspread w i ngs is

'
S Jerome s
. and H erzog also re fers it to T e rtullia n .

B read is repre s en ted in the A gapes and in the Miracle o f ,

the L oves on Sarcophagi ( Se e s upra and for the M iracle , ,

Bottari T aw lxiii and lxxxix) Fo r the sh be ari ng bread

,
. . .

and w i n e see D e R ossi I T av viii ,

T he bread is ge nerall y , . . .

m d a crossed bread
'

p a s ec u s s a t us , .

C al/I N o t in catacombs ; but see P rim itive C l mrc/t A rt ,

p 31 5
. .

C a m e l A mo ng the a ni mals w h i ch s urrou nd the mystic

O rpheus ( S ee Bottari. T au lxiii a nd lxxi ) ,
. .

C ar or C /za riot H erzog (R eal E nq clopad ie f irr p rotes .

-

tantzlrc/ze T lzeolog ze & c s v Si nnbilder) me ntio ns a sculptur e

'

, . . .

in S Callixtus o f a chariot w ithout driver w ith pole turned

.
,

backw ards and whip le ft at rest on it : a symbol o f the ac

,

complished course T wo q uad rigze in the seco nd cubiculu m .

o f S Prisc i lla cat acomb on the Salaria n Way Bottari

.
, (
I n S P raate x t at u s ( Perrot C atacom bes vol i pl
.
, ,
. . .

occurs the representatio n mentioned above of the C hariot o f ,

D eath who is ta k i ng a departed w o ma n in beside h im

, .

C omm ent in M am m . .
 C HR IS T IAN S YAI B OL I SAI . 161

Sy mbolisms the C / mrelz (setti ng

and p e rs o n i c at io ns of

aside th at o f lambs o r sheep atte ndant on the G ood Shepherd )

are v ery n umerous T h e Shepherd sometimes has goats w ith
.

H im as well as sheep an d fre q ue n tly the sheep issue in tw o ,

ba nds from separate buildi ng s or folds o ne called H ie ru s ale m , ,

t h e other Bethleem represe nti ng the H ebre w and G e ntile s i des

,

o f the C hurch Sometimes as in the baptism o f S Po nt i a n us s

.
, .

Catacomb the L ord sta nds by the mystic Jorda nes and
, ,

the n th e stag represe nts the G ent i le Church w ith the lamb , .

D oves as well as la m bs are take n to represe nt the faith ful ;

, ,

and the female O r anti in the catacombs no dou bt o fte n

sta nd for the C hurch (Bottari T av Susa nn a and , .

the E lders in a few yet exist i ng examples (see Sm i th s or

,

M art ign y s D ic tionaries ) seem t o sta nd fo r the Ch urch u nder

persecutio n ; and the w oma n w ith the issue o f blood s o fre ,

quently represe nted has be e n thought to be the same ( Bottari

, .
,

T aw xix xxi & c & c

. . S A mbrose l i b ii in L u c vii i )
.
, .
, . .
, . . . .

For pure symbolis m the A rk of N oah and the Sh ip of ,

Souls are earlier or later forms o f the same id ea T he ship .

covered w ith the w aves is represented in M art igny s ,

D ictio nary (Eg lise) and Smith ( p 3 8 8 v ol , from a C allix .

, .

ti ne fresco I t is a yet more i nteresti ng gure w he n i nstead

.
,

o f a ship be i ng pai nted as like the C hurc h an actual C hurch ,

is built with re ference to the form o f a ship T his is c erta i nly .

the case w ith the D uo m o o f T orcello ; and a passag e in the

A postolical Constitutio ns (lib ii aga i n re ferred to inf ra . .

and q uoted at le ngth is to the same e ffect : L et the build

,

ing be tu rned le ngth ways to the east it is like a ship

and let the b i shop s thro ne be set in the midst ; and o n each

side o f him let the presb ytery b e seated and let the deacons
"
s ta n d beside fo r th ey are like to sa ilors and petty o f c ers
,

roi a
( x px oc boats w,
ai n w h o gave orders to the w all or
,

ran k o f oars ) O u r L ord holds the steeri ng oar in a galley

.
-

o f six oars o n a side o n a jasper gu red by C ardi nal Borgia ,

in t h e fro ntisp i ece and at p 2 1 3 o f his book o n the, .

C ross o f Ve lit re .

C ock Fre q ue ntly on tombs either w ith S P eter ( Bot , .

tari T av
, . or placed o n a pil lar (xxii i x xxiv .
, .
,

w he n i t se em s to poi n t to the resurrect i o n ; our L ord bei ng

M
1 62 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C

s upposed b y the early C hurch to have spru ng from the tomb

, ,

at the earl y co c k crow i ng Prude nt i us s h y m n A d G alli

-

.

C ant u m adopts cock cro w i n g as a gu re o f the gen eral call

,
-

t o j ud g ment N os tri fig ura es t ?u d ieis ( see 4 5 sqq and .

,

agai n at li ne 6 5 )
I nd e es t quod o mnes cred imus
, ,

I llo qu ietis tem pore ,

Q i t uo gallm: e xultans cau

,

C hri tum red mse ab i nferi s

'

s .

C om appears chiey in represe ntat i o ns o f the Fall o f M an

( Bottari v o l i T av
,
. R eape .rs in S Po ntia nus Bottari i
. .
, , .

T av xlvii i
. I n C allix t ine vol ii T av lv
.
, . . . .

D eat/t is s ig ni ed b y bird s de noti ng the ight o f the soul ,

a way to rest by t h e ship w i th furled sails ; the u nyoked

,

chariot &c T here are no te rrors of death in pri mitive art

, . .

With the skulls and worms in the L ast J udgme nt o f Torcello ,

the hells o f t he U trech t P salter and ot h er early M SS a w hole , .

,

pictorial course o f asceti c com m i nat i on beg i ns ; adopted b y

G iotto in the cro wned skeleto n at A ss i s i and b y O rgag na ,

in the T riu mplz of D eath at Pisa I t reappears w ith H olbe i n .

in Tra nsalp ine Protesta ntism .

C ask: or D alia ( B old et t i pp 1 64 368 Bottari T a v l x xx i v ) , .

, , . .

Seven me n w ith a D olium and t wo othe rs P erhaps th e , .

e mpty cask o r bo dy at r est w he n the sou l is departed ;

,

perhaps a pla y o n the w ord d olere ; Mart i g ny (in D ic tionnaire

des A ntiqu iti s C ar/h en na ) q uotes an inscr i ption S V I VL I O

, . .

F I L I O P A TE R B OL I E N S w hich seems a c o nclusive example , .

T h e expressio n o f great feeli ngs o fte n w a nde rs i n to small

play o n w ords li k e H otspur C old Spur , , .

D olphin I d o no t see that th i s c an mea n a nyth i ng ; but

there are certa i nly dolphi ns o n the tomb of B ale ria or Valeria
L atobia ( Bottari T av and they are sai d t o indi cate
, .

co nj ugal love the A bb Martig ny alo ne k no ws w hy .

D ave or D oves T he si ngle dove in represe n tation s o f the ,

L ord s Baptism as in S Po ntia nus s C atacomb at R ome at

, .
,

R ave nna and pass im sta nds fo r the prese nce o f G od the
, ,

H oly Sp i ri t Other wise the t welve doves occur fre q ue ntl y in

.
,

mosaic and t h ey are fou nd in pa i rs on i nscriptions as repre

, ,

s enti ng the faith ful S ee P rim it ive C hu rch A rt p 3 2 7

( . Bot , .

tari i p 1 1 8 G ori s T lies azm is D ipole/ter m vol iii p

, . .
'

, . . .
1 64 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

A rt, elsewhere
and T here are gra n d examples in the .

s p and r i ls o f th e dome o f G alla Placidia s C hapel at R avenna

in S A pol linare in C las s e and S V it ale in the E va ngeliar ies

. ,
.

o f D rogon and L ou i s le D ebo nnaire rst hal f o f n i nth c e ntu ry , ,

and pass im in C hurc h pai nt i ng fu rni tu re and books ; not , , ,

however on the glass vessels g ured by B uonarotti and

,

Father Garruc c i .

Fir mament T h e male gure raisi ng a veil above his head

.
,

wh o is o fte n placed be neath the L ord s feet o n the sarco
pha gi is taken t o represe nt U ra nus or the F irm am ent (Se e
,
.

Bottari T avv xv xxx ) T he idea seems to be that o f

, . . .

( P s . xvii i 9 a n d civ
. 2 ) dark
,
n ess u n der H is feet a n d .the ,

H eave ns as a curtai n .

T he Fir or P ine sa y s Bott ari p as se s w ith the cy press and

, ,

m y rtl e for an emblem o f D ea th (vo l ii p 63 2 q uia semel . . .

e xc isa n u nq uam rev iv is c it e t re p u llu lasc it
, So C roesus .

threate ned the peo ple o f L ampsacus to cut them dow n like
a pi ne tree (
-
H d t v i
T h e f act i s the use
. o f ideas.

draw n from the vegetabl e creation is j ust like the use o f the
fru it ow ers o r trees themselves u n iversal and i rregular
, , , ,

e th nic as well as Christia n N o Church serv ice c an now be .

c o mplete w ithout oral display in our ow n days ; and let us

be tha nk ful if our busy i dlen ess takes no worse d irection t ha n

t he labo u r o f arranging bou q uets or harmless pla y o f fa ncy , .

T h e Fir acco mpani es the Go od Shepherd (A ri nghi ii 2 0 3) , .

in the C emetery o f St Priscilla (and at pp 7 5 and . .

h F
T e is k One o f the earliest o r really p ri mitive emble m s ;
u s ed like the D ove or the L amb in more than o ne sense A s .

an anagram IXG T E mea ns O u r L ord I na o s X m bs @ eo
, p ,

T his E arn j p A s o ne o. f H is parabolic emblems the Believer ,

or sh of the C hurch s N et like a lamb o f t he fold or a dove

about H is T emple The classical passage o n this seems .

t o be T ert u llian s w ords near the begi n ni ng o f D e B aptis mo

N os p is c ic u li secu ndu m ixdv nostrum in a q u a nas c im u r .

S C leme nt o f A lexa ndria in P a d ag i ii 1 06 (th e other locus

.
,

. .

clas s ic us about p ermitted emble m s

) c om m e nds the use o f the ,

symbol o n seals and ri ngs w ith a D ove Ship A nchor and , , , ,

L y re It is commo n on lamps and in fu nereal i nscr i ptio ns

.
,

and t he tessere or toke ns o f baptismal privileges which the

 C H R I S T I AN S YM B OL I SM . 1 65

ne l y bapt i sed
w -
received w ere o fte n in this form T he sup .

posed prOphe tic co nnectio n betw een Tobias s sh this

e m blem the sh o f the last repast o f the Sea o f Galilee and

, ,

through them w ith the E ucharist ; S A ugu st i ne s observa .

tion s in Tract cxxii o n Joh n xvi and Bede s on th e sam e

. .
,

passage Piscis as sus Christus passus must all go for w hat

,

T h e habit o f allegorical
'

t hey are worth to d ie re nt readers .

i nterpretatio n has o fte n deprived both i nd i vid ual i nterpreters

and whole C hurches o f true se nse and st raight forw ard mea n

ing . T he L ord and A postles are o fte n represe nted as s he r

m e n in a ncie nt art S C leme nt allow i ng that emblem as w ell
, .

as the sh itsel f The ne t is much rarer tha n the l i ne I n

. .

i
the C all x t ne Cataco m b (D e R ossi I XCDT E tab ii p
i - the , , . . .

sherma n is dra w i ng forth a large s h from the w aters which ,

ow from the R ock in H oreb So St Ze n on e at Vero na . .

, ,

about 7 00 years a fter o n the bro n ze doo rs ; this is highly ,

i mport a nt as co nnecti ng the earlier L ombard ornamentation

,

w ith the most a ncie nt and scriptural subjects o f pri mit i ve

church work A gure in Smith s D ic tionary s v Fish
- .

, . .
,

taken fro m Martigny wh o got it from an article by C ostad oni

, ,

represe nts a m an w eari ng the ski n o f a sh and carry i ng a

spo rta or bas k et Sig nor P olidor i claims i t as the D ivi ne or
.

A postolic Fish or Fisherman but it is I fear a D ago n cor , , ,

respo nd i ng to those in L ayard from K hors abad and N imro ud

( S mith s B ib

lical D ic tionary s v D ago n , . .

T h e Fou r R ivers occur very freque ntly u nder the gure o f

Ou r L ord w hether H e is represe n ted in the H uma n Form o r
,

as a L amb T hey represent the R ivers of E den and the Four

.

Gospe ls in th eir rst m ea n i ng T hen S A mbrose (D e P ara . .

d is o v
,
. takes them for the four cardi nal vi rtu es and J esse ,

Bishop of A miens in the eighth cen tury for the fou r rst ,

C o u n cils o f the Church They freque ntl y u nite in the m ys ti c

.

Jorda n from which the lam b and stag are dri nk i ng Thi s
,
.

symbol occurs in fres co v ery fre q ue ntly o n sarc opha g i and , ,

on gems cups an d in mosai cs

,
See Ciampi ni Vetera M ome
,
.
,

menta ii tab xxxvi i x lvi xlix lii &c & c T h e Fou nta i n
,
.
, .
,
.
, .
, .
, .
, .
,

or Well o r Fo ns P ietat is ge nerally prese n ts itsel f in this form

,
.

T h e H and (in the act o f be ned ictio n or issui ng from a ,

cl o ud ) is the most a ncie nt s y mbol of sp ecial man i fes tat i on

1 66 GREEK AN D GOT H I C .

of th e pres enc e o f G o d the Father Martig ny quotes S . .

A ugust i ne E pis t cx lv iii 4

, Q u u m au d.im u s Ma n um opera .
, ,

t ione m int ellige re d ebe m us H is H and means H is w orki ng . .

T his is an instanc e o f th e di fferen ce betw ee n a nalogy and

si m ilitude th e neg lect o f w hich leads to so m u ch e rror an d
,

d is pute Bodily parts and human feeli ngs as ha nd ey e ear

.
, , , ,

ang er repe ntance & c

, may be attri b u ted to the I ncorporeal
, .
,

and I n nite Bei ng w ithout i mproper a nthropomo rphism if ,

we spea k b y analogy and u n der c autio n and protest ,

T he .

H an d appears in most represen tatio ns o f A braham s sacri c e

,

and even ts in th e li fe o f Moses ( Bottari i T av xxvii and , . . .

to A brah am alone ( Bottari ii T av lix and , . . .

from th e C allix t ine C a t acomb I n mosaic at S A polli n aris . .

in C l ass e at R ave nna and at S Vi tale in the Sacrice o f , .

I saa c (C iampi ni Vet M om T ab ii pp 8 1 8 2 ; also T ab

.
, .
, . . .
, .

xx i v and T ab xvi i D )
. T he H a nd occurs in the Sac ra
. . .

me ntary o f D rogon son o f C harlem agne and Bishop of M etz , ,

abov e the C a no n o f the Mass .

T h e H are is o fte n pla c ed in t h e ha nd o f th e boy w ho

re prese nts spri ng amo ng the four se asons The H orse ap .

pears ia the rep rese ntations o f P haraoh and the R e d Sea in ,

t rans latio ns o f E lijah and w ith the Mag i Both horse and , .

h are may have th e idea o f s w i ft ness in the C hristian race

assoc i ated w ith them T he H ous es of Jerusalem and Beth .

l eh em h ave bee n m ent i o ned T here are woo dcu ts in A ri nghi .

w hi ch see m t o allude t o th e H ouse o f the G rave or to the ,

bu ri ed body as th e
D ese rt ed H ouse o f th e s oul (vol i . .

p 5
. 2 2 ; v o l ii p . . .

T h e ?ordan is o fte n p erson i ed as a R i ver God in ,

t rans lations o f E lias (B ottari i T av xxvii ) and in th e , . . .

B apt i sms o f Ou r L ord as in the B aptisteries at R av enna , ,

o n the Bo rghese s arco phag us at the L ouvre and in t he ,

e arly M S o f S Mark s L ibrary at Ve n ic e & c

. . I ts v iole nt , .

w i nd i ngs are m uch d w elt o n and two s ources give no ne ,

c alled Jo r ( A rab i c and the other D an meani n g the

cave rn spri ng at C e sarea Philippi M uch h as bee n said o f
-
.

the L am b elsewhere I have o nly t o remark that about the .

rst hal f o f t he sixth century H e is placed at the i ntersect i o n

o f C ross es as V ictim slai n for m an be fore the H uma n Figure
, ,
1 68 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

Theodora in S Vi tale at R ave nna I t was made an o m a

. .

me ntal appe ndage to i mperial statues and generally adopte d ,

by the E as tern emperors and so became a token o f sai nthood ,

in the Mosaics Someth in g has bee n said o f h ow ic o nd u lis m

.

and the w orship o f created s ai nts ori g i nated in th e service s

per formed be fore statues of emperors ; and the use o f the
nim b us spri ng i ng up so late as it did w o u ld s eem t o be
, ,

derived from these rites T he s ecular or i mperial n imbu s .

eve n passed on to so me g ures o f the Merovi ngi a n ki ng s

which o nce existed at S G erma i n de P res ( See M a b.illon .
,

A nnal B ened ict ann

. T he co ns ta nt use of the ni mbu s
. .

seems to be g i n w ith the fth century mosaics The P h oeni x .

h as it on a c u p in the Vatican ( N orth c o te s R Su bterranea

.
,

p.

The Olive B ranch is borne by N oah s d ove and us ed o n

m a ny t ombs perhaps as a sign o f victory or eve n o f martyr

, ,

d om . N o atten tion seems t o have bee n paid directly t o

S Paul s alle gory o f the tree ( R o m xi 1 7

. no r ye t . .

t o Zechar i ah s vision o f the t wo olive s and ca ndlestick which

I never saw noticed in C hristia n art or a nyw here el s e ,

( Zech . T rees in B o tta ri lxi cxviii cxxv an d else , .

, .
, .
,

w here seem to have bee n i nte nded fo r the olive R ead .

Pro fessor R uski n o n the B yza nti ne Olive Stones of Venice iii , ,
.
,

p late iv p 1 79 . . .

Oranti are male o r fem ale g ures in the E as tern attitud e

o f pray er sta ndi ng w ith ou ts tretched arms
, T he y ma y be .

t ak en as represe nti ng the C h urch o f bel i evers ; more fre

q uen t ly they seem to be portrai ts or memorial pictures o f the , ,

d ead . The celebrated o ne in the Cataco mb o f SS Sat u rrn inu s .

and T h raso n gra nd in form and co nc eptio n thou g h ill d ra w n

,
-

( S ee Bottari T av is
, represe n te d in
. its prese n t stat e

in Parker s Photo g raphs 469 and 1 4 7 0

Female Oranti are

, .

often draw n as richly ado rned w ith j ewels &c ( Park er 467 , .
, ,

47 5 6 1 75 1
,
2 1 775 1 777 -
& c ) It , seems to, have bee n , .

meant o nl y as sy mbolisi ng the i r glo ry in H eave n perhaps ,

w ith a thou g ht o f th e w eddi ng g arme n t Compare R uski n .

,

M odern P ainte rs vol iii p 49 fo r similar treat me nt o f t h e

, . . .
,

Blessed Virgi n b y Fra ncia and Perugi no .

T h e P alm brand : occurs eve ryw here in sepulchral ins c rip

-
 CH R IS TIA N S YM B OL I SM . 1 69

tio ns o ften w i th th e dove or ph e n ix T h e latter on the

, .
,

Peter and Pa u l Cro ss ( N orth c ote s R oma S u bterranea p

, .

3 )
t 6 ,
an d u n der t h e L atera n C ross T h e tree i s com mo n .

o n sarcophagi and in mosaics Se e Bottari T av x ix xx i i .

, .
,
.
,

lxxvii i I n xx ii it is beauti fully used as a pi llar to d i vide

.
,

compartme nts Ph oenix bei ng G ree k for palm there ma y

.
,

be some su gg ested play on w ords The Ph oen ix is c e rt a i nl y .

repres e nted in mosaics placed o n the palm tree or b ra nch ,

-

and be ari ng the n imbus ; as in those of S C ecilia at R om e .

,

and in SS Cosmas and . D am ian us I t is co nnected w i th .

Baptism as a type o f deat h and resurrectio n

, .

P eacocks are favourite subjects in G e ntile wor k fo r t h e ,

sake o f their colours and grace ful form li k e d uck s and oth e r ,

b i rds T hey are fou nd in the J ew ish catacombs and in

.
,

n early all the o ther s I n S Callixtus peacocks are ve ry . .

e auti fu ll y arra nged as or name nt fo r a rou n d va u lt hristia

b C n .

d ecorators took it as a sy mbol o f the resurrectio n fro m the ,

a nnual loss and re ne wal of its beauti ful feat hers A ri nghi .
,

ii book vi c 36 p 6 1 2 I n SS M a rc elli nus and Peter

.
,
.
, .
, . . .
,

Bottari ii T av xcvii and in St A g nes ii clxxiv W i th

,
. . .
,
.
, . .

O rpheu s in T av lxiii . .

T h e R ock as represe nti ng Ou r L ord appears in pict u res o f

, ,

M oses ( Bottari T av xlix) I t is part o f the scenery o f

, . .

bapti sms and raisi n gs o f L azarus &c but I d o not rem embe r , .
,

any i nst ance o f its appeara n ce b y itsel f as a type o f Christ .

T he Fou r Seas ons are an adopted heathe n image addi ng to ,

n atural thoughts o f g ro w th and cha nge the C hr i stia n hope o f ,

the resurrect io n (T ertu llian D e R es u rrect T o t us his , .

ordo re volubilis reru m t estat io est re s u rrec t ionis m ortuoru m .

A ccordi ngl y as Marti g ny sa y s th e gu re o f the G ood Shep

, ,

herd co nsta ntl y accompa ni es the seaso ns Y ouths o r boys .

,

or geni i in s uch for ms are the usual personi c at ions T he , .

Se aso ns o f the D omitilla C atacomb are photographed in

t heir pres e nt co nditio n in Mr Parker s collect i o n and g ure d

.
,

in w ood cut in Sm ith s D ic tionary of C lz ris tia n A ntiqu ities s v

, . .

Fres co p 69 3 They may have bee n roughl y restored but

, . .
,

the re c e ntly discovered frescoes o f S P ra t ex tatus C ataco mb .

are mo re beauti ful and al most to a certa i nty in the i r pri m i t i ve

,

conditio n ( Parker s vol on C ataco mbs pl i Via A ppi a) T he

. . .
, .
:7 0 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

Seaso ns are represented on the small e nds o f the Sarcophagus

o f J u n i us Bassus ( Bottar i vol i T av , . . .

T he Serpent in C h ristia n sy m bolism as in the imagery o f

, ,

other reli g ions represe nts good and ev i l , A s the braze n .

serpe n t standi ng for Our L ord in the act o f sacrice fo r m an

, ,

it may possibl y be i nte nded by the g em w hich G ori has

gured in the T liesanrns D iptyc/zom m (vol iii p I t is . . .

of a serpe n t t w i ned about the C ross and co ntemplated b y ,

t wo doves I t is m ore likely to be mea nt as a sy m bol o f

.

Our L o rd ( N umbers xxi 9 ; S Joh n i ii 1 4) tha n fo r th e . . .

tempter as some suppo se I t is very rare in earl y Christia n

, .

art
. For the actual i mage made by Moses A ri nghi and ,

oth er R oma n C athol i c au thorities s eem to have forgotte n

t hat i t was destroyed b y H eze kiah ( 2 K i ngs xviii In .

t h e reign s o f former k i n gs w e do not k no w from w hat dis ,

t anc e o f t i m e Israel h ad gon e t hrough the regu lar pa ga n s

progress in i ts hono ur the y had reverenced it bur n t i ncen se ,

be fore it and made it an obj ect o f worship ; whether they

,

w ere or w ere not a ware o f later d i sti nctio ns bet w ee n d ulia

and lat re ia It was destroyed ; but the fac t o f its havi ng
.

bee n a pres cribed and perm itted i con fo r so lo ng u nder

the a ncient di spe nsatio n w as co nfusi ng to T e rtullia n w he n ,

he w rote in D e I dolatria agai nst all g raph i c represe ntatio n by ,

i m ages pictures or any likeness w hatever I t reappeared in

, , .

E urope and on t h is w ise : T he pass i o n fo r relics has

,

prevailed eve n agai nst the history o f the Bible says M r ,

.

P lu mp t re ( Sm i th s D iet of tire B ible i i i p

T he .
, . .

C hurch o f St A mb rose at Mila n h as bo asted fo r ve c en

.
, ,

tu t ies o f po ss essi ng the brazen serpen t which Moses set up

in the w i lderness T h e earlier histo ry o f t he relic (so called )
.

is matte r fo r c o nj ecture ( It doe s no t add much to our .

k no w led ge t o call i t a Gnostic emblem )

But our k no w .

le d ge o f it be gi ns in the y ear 9 7 1 A D w he n an e nvo y w as se nt . .

,

by t he M ila nese to the court o f the E mperor Joh n Z im is c es.

at C o nsta nt i nople H e was ta k e n th rough th e imperial

.

cabi net o f t reasures and i nvited to ma k e h i s choice and h e ,

chose t his w hich the G reeks assured him was made o f the
,

same m etal as the origi nal serpe nt ( Sigoniu s H is t R eg /I i , .

I talic i bk
, O n his return it was placed in the C hurch o f
.
 17 2 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

saw th e t hree h e ads e ntire in 1 67 5 (w hich is u nc ert ai n) so ,

m u ch th e w orse for th e O piu m E ate r who is ge nerally mos t -

,

acc u rate in bo t h sc holars hip and hist o ry .

T hi s g rea t c onse c rate d tali s man venerated eq ually b y ,

C h ris tia n by P ag an and by Mo hammed an was st ru c k o n

, , ,

t he h ead b y Moham me d I I on t hat sam e day M ay 2 9 th .

, , ,

1 4 5 3 in wh ic h he m ast ere d th is glorio us c ity th e b u l w ark o f

, ,

E aste rn C hri s ten do m and t he imm e d iat e rival o f h is o wn

,

E uropean th rone at A d ria no ple T h e ho u r was a sad one fo r

.

C h ris t ianit y j ust 7 2 0 years be fore the west ern ho rn o f Islam ,

had be en reb u tted in F rance not by F re nch men but chie y, ,

by Germ ans und er C harl es M arte l

,
N ow it see med as if .
,

anot her horn ev en m ore vigo ro us was p re pari n g t o ass a ult

, ,

C h ri s te nd om from t h e eas tern q uart er A t th i s epo c h in th e .

,

v e ry h o ur o f t riu m ph w he n th e las t o f t he C z s ars had gloried

,

h is st ati o n and sealed h is t est im on y by m a rt yrdo m th e

, ,

fanatical Su lta u n rid i ng to the st irrups in blood and beari n g

, ,

t h at i ron m ac e w hi c h h ad be e n h is so l e w eapo n as w ell as ,

co g ni z ance t hrou g h t he battl e advance d to th e c ol um n rou nd

, , ,

wh ich t he t ripl e se rpe nt so ared s pi rall y u pw a rds H e smote .

t he braz e n talism an ; he shatt e re d o ne head ; h e le ft it

m utilated as th e rec ord o f th i s great rev ol u tio n ; but cru sh i t ,

d es troy it he did no t
,
A s a symbol p re gu ring the fortu ne s
.

o f Mo ham m ed anism h is p eople noti ce d th at in th e crit ical

, ,

h o ur of Fate which s tamp ed th e Su ltau n s acts with e f c a cy

t hrou gh ag e s he h ad been pro m pted b y his sec ret g e ni u s t o

,

sco tch t h e s n a k e and not c rus h it

,
A fte rwards t he fa t al .

h o ur was go ne b y ; and t h is i mpe rfect au g ury has s i nc e

c o ncurred traditio nall y w i t h th e M oham m ed an p ro p h ec ie s

abo u t t he A d ri ano pl e g a te of C o ns tantino p l e to d ep res s ,

t he u lt i m ate h opes o f I s l am in th e m i ds t o f all h e r

ins ole nce .

Strang e i ro ny of events and r ev enges o f t i m e late b rou g ht ,

abo u t that a T oo rk a sava ge o f the E as t e rn st e pp e s houl d

, , ,

at le ngt h sh atter the H elle n ic tro ph y fro m th e s po ils o f th e ,

a nc i ent Mede ! H ow E ast meets We st age a fter age ! T h e

tal e o f M arath on fol lows the tale o f Troy ; and I ss us and
A rbela , A s ca lo n and H atti n all take t he i r t
,
u rn C h arles the .

Ha mmer ,
R ichard the L io n heart Barbarossa B-aya z e e d , , ,
 C H R I S T IAN S YM B OL I SM . 1 73

M o u rad M uhammad m a ny

, draw sw ords and die T he n , .

L epa nto sta y s th e E a s tern o nset b ut her noblest v i ctors ,

m ust pe ri sh w ith th e A rmada cru sadi ng aga i nst E ngla nd , .

T he n Vie nna ; and w he re is the ki ng dom o f Sobieski ?

N apoleo n h as to miss h i s E aster n dest i ny at A cre E n gla nd ,

be i ng t here havi n g h e rsel f wasted li fe and valou r t here w ith

,

C at ur de L io n and no w she is couched and w atch i n g at the

gates o f Syria w ithi n si ght o f the C ilicia n mou ntai ns that loo k
, ,

H er lo ng arms are

o n I ss is as Iss u s sel f
, loo k s o n the sea .

folded rou nd I nd i a protecti ng it from the northern sw arms o f ,

de solators and in ti me she ma y tear A sia M i nor from Islam

and t h e rule o f destru ctio n A ll I h ave to say is that an .
,

extra t wopence o f i ncome ta x is not an overpo weri ng c o n -

side ration u nde r th e ci rcumstances in th e eye o f th e his ,

t oria n t h e soldier th e political e co nomist or the C hristia n

, , ,

M i ssio nary .

T o retu rn t o o ur l i st o f symbols it is pretty w ell a e com ,

p lis h e d as t
, h e Sh j
z o th e S tag & c have bee n already n oti ced , , .
, .

T h e T hree C h ild ren have bee n co nsi d ered as a Scr i ptura l

e mb lem ; the re fere nces in Bott ari are T avola clxix here
(w .

an atte nda nt i s bri ng i n g lo g s and perishi ng in the ames) , ,

T av cl x xxi ( in a Phryg ia n dress l i ke the M a gi ) clxxxvi 6

. .
, .

( in a regularly built smelti n g fur n ace w i th-

striped pallia ) , .

A lso cxcv cxliii and pass im .

, Origi nal state o f pict u re in
.
, .

Park er s Photographs S Priscilla plate iii 1 8 7 7 T h e T riang le , .
, .
, .

i s an infre q ue nt s ymbol more commo nly used a fter the fourth ,

centu ry like th e A m w ith w hich it i s o ften combi ned ; as in

,

A ri nghi R S i p 60 5 , . D e R ossi has co llected six or seve n

.
, . . .

e xamples tw o from L y o ns o ne from A frica s e e M art i n s

(

, g y ,

D ic tionary) T his emblem is co nsta ntly combi n ed w ith the

.

m o no gram o f our L ord as may be supposed likel y ; an d has , ,

o f course s pe cial relatio n to t h e doctri n e o f the H oly T ri nity

, .

T h e vari ous represe ntatio ns o f the A ppearance o f the T hree

t o A bra h am have bee n co nside red as illustratio ns o f it (see
C iampi ni V M tab li 1 from Sta M aria Maggiore at
, . . . .
, , .

R o me and Park er s Pho t ographs o f t he actual state o f that

p i cture an d
, the more beaut i fu l o ne in S Vitale at R ave n n a ) . .

I n all B aptisma l pi ctures (as in the Fo rm o f Baptism ) the

H oly T ri nity is represented by the H and the C ro s s o r , ,
1 74 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

P ort rait g u re o f the Saviour, and the D

~
ove . S
. Pauli nus of

N ola thus des cribes all thes e pai nting s

Plen o coru scat Trinitas mysten o

Stat C hri s tus amni vox Patri s czelo tonat ,

E t per c olumbam p
S iritus Sanc tus uit .

T here is a curious fragme nt o f bas relie f in D e R ossi -

( R. vol i T a v x.x x . p represe

. n ti n g U ly
.sse.s esc a pi ng
from the Sire ns w ith his cre w emblematic o f T emptatio n ; ,

an d as so much has bee n alread y said o f the Vine this m ay ,

close our accou nt o f C hri stia n symbo lism in the Catacombs ,

and for that period o f time over w hich they co nti n ued to be

used as pla c es of C hristia n w orship .

O ne ceremo nial o f the seve ntee nth ce ntury remai n s and

ourishes in our own w hich seems to coll e ct w i t hi n it sel f
,

n early all Scriptural i mages o f the Christia n Faith I t is the .

a ncient Passio ns Vorstellu ng o f Ober A mm ergau

-
I t is -
.

properly a series o f pictures representi ng e ve nts rather tha n ,

deli neati ng cha racter I t is hi ghl y dramatic w ith out bei ng

.

in th e least theatrical For the prese n t at leas t the devout

.
, ,

si mplicity o f th e actors g ives them the rarest pow er o f

imagi native s el f surre nder : s o that all seem alike to forget
-

their ow n perso nality and to thro w themselves e ntirely i nto

,

their parts as represe ntatives o f Scriptu ral record an d that

, ,

o nly E ach promi ne nt cha racter even that o f J udas which

.
, ,

is acted w ith vehement in tensity and power is co nceived ,

accordi ng to the text o f Scripture or the accepted int erpre ,

tat io n o f it It m ay be said that literally no attempt t o

.

de ne draw out or gi ve an i nterpretatio n o f the character

, ,

o f o u r L ord i s made by the thou ght fu l e n thus i as t wh o re p re

se nts H im th at th e realisms o f the scene and obligato t ouch es

o f homel y cha racter are g i ve n pri n cipall y t o the in fe rior

p arts ; an d that fam i l i arity an d realisa t io n are g raduated so ,

to s peak from the soldiery and bu ye rs and sellers of th e

,

Temple who are not o n ly vivid but vulga r and everyda y

, ,

characters through C aiaphas Pilate and J udas who are

, , , ,

historicall y w ork ed o ut to the cen tra l gu re w hi ch re peats
, ,

abstract edly and w ith g randeur spru ng o f awe and s el f

,

forget ful nes s the heavy lade n words o f H im who s pa k e as

,
-

never m an spa k e .
1 76 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

and N ew T estame nt t h u s , by pi ctures in the abse nce o f

boo k s then all those a mo ng them who w ould learn w ere
,

ri ght we ll and w idely taught The rich and great w ould

.

have their psalte rs and eva ngeliaries glow i ng w ith colour

and viv i d w i th mi niature ; bu t these acted pictures w ere
t he illumi natio ns o f the poor ; and th e poor require aid and
teachi ng in ou r own times also But w hat ma y be called .

radation is app lied at A m m er au as care fu lly t o the re p re

g g
s e ntat io n o f the bodil y su fferi ngs as it is to th e acted
reali z ation o f the cha racters J udas an d Caiaph as w ork out
.

their parts vigorously accordi ng to the received i n terpretatio n

,

o f t heir characters while the represe ntative o f C hrist uses

,

no actio n and s carcel y any w o rds bu t th o s e recorded in the

, ,

G ospels So as to the bodil y s u e rings th e s courg i ng w as

'

.
, ,

o nly suggested ceasi ng th e m o me nt a fter the curtai n rose

,

o n it . T here were no repe ated fal ls u n der the C ross as in ,

t he N ure mberg and other bas re l i e fs I n the scene o f the

-
.

C ru ci x io n all the fa c ts and actio n we re s impl y Script u ral .

T h e bodil y pa i n was s uppos ed not acted o r i nsisted o n ,

.

With w hat seem e d to us a great felic i ty of good taste derived ,

from reverential awe the a ncie nt hal f sy mbo lic treat me nt o f

,
-

early mi niatures was revived in this sce ne Sharp ham mer .

s trokes w ere heard j ust be fore t h e curtai n rose and the Cross ,

w as raised i mmed i ately a ft e r ; but the groupi ng the n greatly

resem bled that o f the L au re ntine M S and o f some very .

e arl y C ruc i x io ns execut ed in Germa ny appare ntl y by

, ,

E as te rn w ork me n The appar entl y crucied Form was

.

th i ckl y c lad in wh i te e sh ings and th e body slightl y and ,

co nvent i o nall y mark ed w ith blood so as to gi ve the idea ,

of one o f the waysid e c ru c i x es o f Tyrol o r Bavaria T he .

s old i e rs c as t d ice as in a M S j ust e nough d ia lo gu e was

.

as s i g ne d th e m t o sho w u nc on scious i ndi ffere n ce T h e thieves .

we re bou nd u np i erced t o E gyptia n or tau crosses accordi ng , , ,

t o t he treatme nt o f most earl y M SS T he blood from th e .

L o rd s ha nds and feet was d w elt on as i t al ways is both

,

with s acramental re fere nc e and t o recall the prophecy o f

Psalm xxi i 1 6 T he Form uttered th e seven w ords fro m
. .

and t hose w ords o nly ; the o n ly added deta i l

t h e C ross ,

was the e ntreaty o f t h e Virgi n mother that a bo ne o f H im -

,
 CHR IS TIA N S YM B OL I SM . 1 77

sh ou ld not be broken O f the horror and a natom i cal ag o ni es

.

of modern qu as i reli g ious art there w e re no ne Perhaps .

,

t hou g h the mi nd be xed ever so atte ntivel y o n t he sce ne ,

t he eyes c a nnot q u i te shut out the b lue pi nes and g ree n

pastures o f the A mmerthal and the thou ghts w a nder to the ,

act ors and the seclusio n w hich has preserved for us a scarcel y
,

ad ulte rated fragme nt o f middle age piet y Bu t both the -

.

realistic illusion and po wer o f impre ssion o f th e A m m ergau

C ru cixio n are ce rtai nl y less tha n those o f a g reat picture .

I n the C rucixio n o f T into re t fo r i nsta nce the u nit y o f the . ,

m ighty master s co nceptio n prevai ls over all scen ic reali zatio n

were t hat ever s o startli ng and the u nk no w n po wer o f com

positio n g ivi ng i nterest or beauty to every g ure o n the
,

c a n vas thro ws all the actio n and passio n o f the sce ne backed
, ,

b y d im feeli ng o f its greatness o n the spectator s m i nd at ,

a g lan ce I t seems to us t hat the Passio n spiel may have

.
-

lost as w ell as gai ned b y its rece nt i m proveme nts and ampli
c at ions T he ha nd o f modern M u nich is rather visible in
.

t he prese n t m is e en scene : and though t h e ve nerable P farrer

o f the village is we believe the w hole sole and admirab le
, , , ,

d irector and ma na ger we questio n the exped ie ncy o f givi ng,

i mitatio ns o f modern pictures a ny where in the play The .

group o f the leadi ng home o f the Virgi n pa rt o f the sce ne ,

o f G ethsema ne the crow ni ng w ith thorns and the d esc ent

, ,

from the Cross carr i ed the mi nd back to well k now n w ork s

,
-

o f t oo late date E ve n the E cce H omo o f C orregg io seem e d

.

a st ra ng e associatio n w ith a mystery o f a ncie nt days T he .

u ncha ngi ng hil ls and the sole m n presence o f thei r r woods

,
-
,

se emed a t e nou g h bac k grou nd They were all as o f old .

but w e almost w ished for the anc i ent co nd uct o f the s c e ne ,

as if that too had been as solem n and as u ncha ngi ng .

H avi ng eyes and notio n s m uch accustomed and attached to

mosaic and M SS and the a ncie nt docume nts o f Christia n
.
,

art we w ould gladly have bee n remi nded o f the m by the

,

represe ntations o f the fall of N oah o f A braham and Isaac , ,

t
T he l
c o ours used in so me of the d ress es a pp a d t
e re o us pai f lly
n u raw and

ill-match ed , though in some ( as St J h g at p i t i y

o n s) re c ures had bee n anx ous l
.

follow ed ih
I t was r g t, d oubtles s, t at St
. h
ar M agd alene sh ould wear a saffron
. M y
robe ; bu t th e v o e nt i l
el ow need no t y l h
ave been o posed to d ark green or b lue p .

N
1 7 8 GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

of an iel and Jo nah Y e t the represe ntatio ns w ere there

D .
,

and the law and histo ry o f I srael w ere set forth o n ce more

t o the people as foreshow i ng th e G ospel E ach sce ne o f the .

Passio n w as preceded by its typical sce ne from H ebrew

history ex pou nded in recitative or choric hym n w ith noble
, ,

voices and modest gesture ; and the arg ume nt w as still the
huma n ity o f God fo r m a n s sake to ato ne fo r and do aw a y

w ith evil Its logical gist so to spea k w as exactly that o f

.
, ,

Bishop Wilson s rst chapter o n the H oly Com m u nio n

,

reaso n i ng from the fall to sacrice for s in and from that to ,

the co nclusive sacrice A nd though their medi ae val quai nt

.

n ess w as go n e ( probably to most people s satis factio n) the

sile nt ta b leaux o f the Old Testame nt had a vigour and

origi nality o f their ow n Some o f the more cro wded sce n es
.
,

as the t wo o f the braze n serpent remi nded us o f the m ulti ,

t u d ino u s pictures o f a ncie nt G erma n art ( to be seen in the

galleries o f Mu nich and N uremberg) w here the ca nvas is ,

heaped w ith faces and expressio ns They must have em .

ployed a ve ry large part o f the i nfa nt populatio n o f Ober

A m m e rgau and the per fect success o f all o f the m sho w ed
a combi natio n o f high trai n i ng discipli ne and e nthusiasm, ,

which w e m ust take leave t o attribute ( alo ng w ith the ge neral

ho nesty and high character o f these mou ntai neers) to ge n ui ne
religious feeli ng I f no t tak en out o f th e w orld they seem
.
,

,

as far as m an c an see to be k ept from much o f its evil

, .

N o repetitio n o r imitatio n o f the play c an ever be e nd ured

in our o wn time or cou nt ry no r i ndeed c an it or ought it
,

to b e attempted o r i nsi n uated I ts great i nterest is as a relic

.

o f the belie f and picturesque teachi ng o f the middle ages

;
which used acted symboli s m as w ell as pai nted or carved
i magery to impress history and doctri ne on the peo ple whe n
, ,

book s and illumi nation s were o n ly for the few But w e shall .

go to the middle ages and they ca nnot return to us Y e t

, .

if w e c an never agai n make use o f sce nic illusio n in th e

service o f religio n a great opportu nity is now o ffered us o f
,

natio nally recog ni si ng art as the ha ndmaid o f religio n an d

;
de ni ng b y example the righ t use o f mosaic and sculpture
, ,

in the i nstructi ve decoratio n o f St Paul s Cathedral These .

w ord s were rst w ritte n very shortly a fter the ne w s

( to
 C H A PT E R IV .

T HE B ASI LI C A .

I H AV E aga i n to advert t o the reaso ns fo r p laci ng an

accou nt o f C hristia n art in the catacombs be fore u ndertaki ng ,

t h e subject o f the C hri stia n Basilica K i ng s H ouse Do

, ,

mi nica L ord s H o u se or Church : all w hich w ords con ve y

,

the sa m e idea I t is true that in theory architecture the

.
,

p lai n buildi ng or maki ng o f a nythi ng comes rst ; sc ulpture ,

o r the orna me ntal modication ( in the rst i nstan ce) o f

co nstru ctive forms next ; and pai nti ng or additio n o f colour
,

last : it is true that they all ru n i nto each other and amo ng ,

them form a constructive d ecorative and g raphic scie nce , , .

But chronologically speaki ng the rst d w elli ngs the Ch ristia n

, ,

C hurch could call her own we re not b ui ldi ngs and could ,

on ly be decorated in colour Or it might be said that the .

sarcophagus and altar tomb as hew n in the so ft rock are

-
, ,

t he Church s architecture and sculpture ; and if it be so , ,

an accou n t o f the form er has bee n already give n .

A s in the P he id ian age w e had to deal not o nly w ith a ,

sto ne but ge nerally speaki ng a marble architecture its sculpt ure

, , ,

took the lead o f its pai nti ng and was fou nd i nseparable as a , ,

su bject from its buildi ng T h e colour w ork o f the cemeteries

, .
-

is i nseparable fro m their co nstructio n because its compositio n ,

and pattern depe nds o n their vaulti ngs T he cavernous o r .

b urrow ed arch and vault an ticipate the R oma n rou nd o r , ,

built arch We now begi n agai n however w ith Grmc o R oma n

.
, ,
-

T h e u se f p i ate B as i li c as w i ll be not ic ed i mm ed i ately ; th y we e secu lar

o r v e r

bu il d ing l t t th e Ch h n t f he ow n co ns truct i on
s en o urc , o o r .
 TH E B A SI L I C A . 181

colum s n e tablatures and the well k no wn facts that

and n ,
-

h eathe n tem ples w ere in th e rst place i n tolerable as w ell , ,

as u nattai na b le as places o f C h ristia n w orship fo r the rst

three c e nturies and more ; in the seco nd p lace that they w ere ,

no t tted to accommodate sometimes not a b le to co n tai n the

, ,

large numbers o f a Christia n co ngregatio n in a great ci ty like

R ome A ntioch or A lexa ndria
, , C o nseque ntly the great .

public basil i cas w ere sought fo r w he n the C hurch becam e an

i mpe ri al i nstitutio n and the vari ous mean i ngs o f the word
,

Basilica now claim ou r atte ntio n T his is o ne o f those terms .

which are recogni sed as la ndmarks o f history They are in .

some respect like those w orks o f art w hich are ev ident ly

co nnected w ith the circu mstances or character o f a period .

Both are o ften o f u ncertai n dates like the L aocoo n and ,

other great sculptures We k now a G reek m ust h ave carved

.

them ; but w hether he lived in R hodes be fore Virgil s

time or in R ome u nder T itus is not s o ce rtai n We really

, , .

ca nnot sa y if that great group was carved a fter the description

in the Seco n d Book o f the IE ne id or if Virgil s imagi nation

was i nspired by the mar b le T h e sculpture is a k i nd o f

.

do u bt ful ma n uscript record t here is w ri ti ng upon it w hich
migh t belo ng to an e arlier or later age But the word .

Basilica reall y is a palimpsest M S in its el f ; fo r successive .

periods and races have w ritte n d ierent mea ni ngs on i t I t

'

mean s o ne ki nd o f buildi ng in A the ns that is to say in the , ,

A the ns of Socrates and Plato It is in still more freq ue nt

.

and importa nt use in the R ome o f A ugustus an d mea ns the ,

s ame ki nd o f buildi ng applied o n the w hole

, to the same
, ,

pu rposes w ith cha nges o f detail The n a fter Co nstanti ne

, .
, ,

t h e i mporta n ce o f t he word is greatest o f all : but the

buildi ng it de notes has go ne through a startli ng cha nge in
p urpose a n d dedic a tio n ; w hile as to its actual structure as
, ,

an edice it is literally tur n ed outside in as M r Fe rg us s o n s

, , .

H istory of A rch itectu re admira bly poi nts out Still it is .

c alled Basilica B as ilike Stoa the porch or Colo nnade the

, ,

Vestibule o f t h e K i ng A s represe nti ng the C hristia n C hurch
.
,

the w ord at le ngth correspo nds to its deri vatio n and reaches ,

its highest glory .

1 82 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

L et us try to follo w it from its oldest A thenia n mean i ng (in

Plato s C ha rmid es and elsewhere) o f the colonnade or C loister
'

particularly belo nging to the K i ng A rcho n the seco nd ,

m agistrate o f A the ns First how ever I w ish my readers

.

, ,

wo uld agai n co nsider ( w i th th e help o f A rchbishop Tre nch

and P ro fessor M ax M uller) how stra ngely w ords and ex
pressions bear w it ness to history by their cha nge o f mea n i ng .

A part from H oly Scriptu re our chie f i nherita n ce o f thought,

and art co mes through the dead or classical la nguages ; and

that is why these historica l w ords are chiey G reek and

L ati n .T hey have had more t ime tha n our ow n T euto n ic
de rivatives a greater n umbe r o f literary ages has used the m ,

and they are still repeated all o ver E urope G eometry .

,

A stro nomy Physics E th i cs L ogic Theology

, , What have
, , .

not these w ords mea nt si n ce Thales or Socrates or P lato o r , , ,

E uclid ? But they are in use all over the w orld and w ill be ,

t o the e nd o f time .

N oth i ng can give better practice to any st u de nt o f history

t han to follo w some wayw orn substa ntive through all his
t oric al cha nges for good or evil and trace it back to its
, ,

o rig i nal purity ; or perhaps to its comparative ins ign i c anc e

, , ,

w he n A the ns or A rgos rst coi n ed it M uch m ore whe n the .

,

s aid s u bsta ntive is the n ame o f someth i n g the w orld still

possesses and values and m akes u se o f every day w ith m ore

, ,

o r less co n scio u s ness o f i ts historical a n cestry o f the ho nour ,

o f age w hich belo ngs to the thi ng and its name The ve ry .

n ame Basilica is ve nera b le to those w ho are capa b le o f

,

veneratio n and who w ill be care ful in historical selectio n o f

,

w hat the y ought to ve nerate I t is easy t o compare this .

architectural term w ith brick and sto ne b asilicas o f our o wn

d ay . O ne c an hardly e nter a church w ithout bei ng re m i nded
o f the w ord and it is through t his w ord that the pillars and

aisles o f every w ell built church c arry us back to temples o f

-

a ncie nt days and creeds out w orn I t leads us to see w hat .

skill o f architecture and sculpture w e have i nherited fro m

Plato , C harm ides , i c . .

I went into the palmstra of T aureas , w c is o v e r hi h
agains t the t e m ple adj oi ni ng the porch of h
"
'

t e It ing A rc hon xar ar ru

.rpir r ev

Bam lt mr lepo .
1 84 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

inc li ne C h ri s ti ans t o b u ild fo r t hem se lves b y pre fere n ce ,

rathe r th an e nter i nto t h e arc hit ec tu ral labo u rs o f heath e n

who h ad not he ard th e n ame o f C hris t or o f Paga n s who ,

had heard and hat ed .

B y the begi nning o f t h e fou rth centu ry as w e k now from ,

T ert u l lian in partic ul ar t he earli er C h ris ti an d re a d and

,

d e tes tation o f e very i do l and grave n imag e w as about at

its height . T ertullia n we nt b ack to anci e nt days o f R ome
( w hi c h , in al l p rob a bilit y w ere n,o t in his day be y o nd reach
o f re co rd ) , w he n

t h e idol did n o t e x i st the court s w ere

empty and the shri nes u nd w elt in u ntil t h e d evil b rought

in m ake rs o f s t atu es and imag es and all k i nds o f like nesses , ,

o n m ank i nd and all the r u di m e nts o f ma n s misery and t h e

nam e o f I dols follo w ed , ( D e I

. d

o la t r ia c iii ) Th i s is
, . .

s po k e n a g ai nst t h e Pagan i s m o f th e p ast w i th out the fai n test ,

s u s p i c i o n o f any i nternal i dolat ry o f the future Perhaps no .

C hristi an representat ive i mag e ex i sted in h is d ay But his .

wo rds sho w the pure icono c lasm o f the earl y C hurch fou nded ,

o n the Seco nd C o mma nd me n t I n all C h ristia n ch u rches o f the

.

rs t two centuries perhaps most o f all in R ome t he H e b ra i c

, ,

ele m e nt of the Church rememberi ng th eir T emple w herei n

,

was no imag e or similitude must have d i ffered in feeli ng ,

fro m G ree ks w ho had perhaps w orshipped A t he ne at A the ns

, ,

D ia na at E phesus or eve n A phrodite at C ori nth T h e Seco nd

, .

C o mm a n dm ent bou n d all Christia ns .

But w hat was m ore they had actu all y had to combat t o
,

d ea th w ith the Paga n E mp ire o n th at po i nt and the sce ne o f ,

such battle had g enerall y been the B as ilicas T here the .

p rzn t o r sat in h is d ut y to d eal

, w i th the N azare n e D o no t .

let us imagi ne him acc ordi ng to the descri pt i o ns o f medi aeval

lege nd as a gri nni ng ogre or horn less d e mo n ; let us thi nk
,

o f him as o f t he school o f G allic and Se neca o f P li ny ,

or A u reli us . H e w ould be there i nd i ffere nt and vexed w i th

,
'

the day s w ork o r sad and stern mea ni ng to stri k e down

, ,

w hatever presumed t o sta n d agai nst the will o f C e sar N or .

on the other ha nd c an I quite adm i t the commo n places o f

modern l iterature about the s u e rers T hey w ere o f all

'

s orts and ma ny at times fell a w ay

; but t h e y ca nn ot be got
rid o f w ith the word s fanaticism and hysterics We will put .
 THE B A SIL ICA . 1 85

rst the sad suc c e ss io n l ong or short o f the pdor L apsi

, , ,

s ca ndal to the brethre n mocke ry to the delator and the per

,

s ecutor T here w ere rich Ch ristia ns de nou nced by their ow n

.
,

slaves ; maide ns who had no t bee n plia nt to Paga n lovers ;

every one w hose death or misery a P agan co uld desire some
stood in the trial some reeled some fell T he fallen had t o
, , .

separate from the e nd uri ng Ma ny or nearly all wo u ld go .

, ,

so far as t o sa y A wa y with the A theists li k e S Polycarp

, .
,

w h o said it w ith a groa n and avo wedly in his o wn se nse ; but

,

the next comma nd w as to swear by the l i fe o f C aesar to ,

revile Christ and to do sacrice T he altar o f the ce ntral

, .

apse was be fore them a spri nkli ng o f i nce nse m ight be held
e nough ; and now who would call o n Christ in that hour and
, ,

o n no n e else ? I f some failed and sacriced to C aesar o r

his gods so m e did not ; and their faith proved somethi ng
, ,

w hile the frailty o f their brethre n proved nothi ng But .

pitia b le as the L apsi the falle n brethren w ere they did no t

, , ,

supply any ridiculous eleme nt to relieve the sce ne o f blood ,

and mag nice n ce and i mpost u re and horror

, T hat w as sup , .

plied si nce it seems that such sce nes m ust al w ays have such
,

features b y the false gods in perso n T heir images w ere borne in

,
.

state i nto the Basili cas to be adored once m ore by falle n Chris
tia ns and to see the ve ngea nce R ome i nicted in the i r cause
,

o n re c us ant s There is a pleasi ng passage b y M r T hackera y

.
x
.

about the Christia n mo b s m ashi ng the fair calm fa c es of th e ,

G reek gods in Co nstanti ne s day I do not suppose the paga n

.

'

m ob o f D iocletia n s or N ero s time cared very m u ch about the

helpless m arble si gna as they w ere carried be fore the

pra tor noddi ng and s wayi ng and stari ng w ith bla nk eye s
, ,

o n their frie nds and foes alike They w ere to be prese nt and . .

s e e the m selves asserted and ave nged o n t h e new supe rstitio n

and w hat c an w e suppose that the philosophic pr e fects and

j udges thought o f them Their positio n w as no t that o f

zealots or e nthusiasts I t may be said o f Christia n persec u
.

tions in a fter days that th ey were ge nerally co nducted by m en

w h o e arnestly believed doctri nes o f their o wn fo r which they ,

themselves w ould have su ffered and so m e times did s ner , , ,

whereas we ca nnot thi n k that P li ny believed much in A pollo

See P l i y J ni n 97 tuh E p i tl
or s

R e t at ion 4 B li /j pp 69 7 o
s e . s or i e .
, .
1 86 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C

and A phio d it e he ce rtai nl y we nt through nothi ng in

and

t h eir n ames except the doubt and shame o f persecuti ng on

,

the i r behal f .

A ccordi ngl y Ch ri stia ns who remembered persecutio n m ust

,

have had distressi ng associatio ns w ith the large legal basilicas ,

and would be l i k ely to pre fer bu ildi ng fo r themselves w he n

they could A nybod y who w ill w alk through the R oyal

.

E xchange w ill easily u ndersta nd w hat the open or public

part o f an early G reek basilica w as li ke There is no apse .

there the whole available space beside the n ave bei ng e m

,

ployed for small rooms and shops the colo nnade or w alled in ,
-

peristyle is the mai n thi ng A nd this may b ri ng us to the

, .

real begi nn i ng o f our subj ect w hich seems to b ra n ch out i n to ,

th e follo w i ng questio n s the rst for L o ndoners is partly , ,

ans w ered

First What w as th e earlier Greek or R oma n busi ness
basilica like ?
S eco n dly Were t here any rooms o r buildi ngs called b y
t his name in the ha nds o f Ch ristia ns fro m the rst to the
fourth c e ntu ry ?

Thirdl y What was o ne o f those places like in Co nsta n
t i ne s time ? and h ow did it change architecturally in or
'

about J usti n ia n s ?

Fou rth ly W as there any other type o f C hristia n churche s ,

and w hat w as that like

I t is the hard co nditio n o f this book to have to do w ithout

plans o r pictures Thi nk o f a colonnade o r stoa or porch or
.
, , ,

G reek cloister gen erally in the oblo ng s q uare form

, ( T here -
.

w ere rou nd o nes but we m ust delay descriptio n o f rou nd

,

t e m ples or churches ) I n P ro fessor P o yn te r s picture o f

.

A talanta the race fo r her ha nd is comi ng o ff u nder o ne o f

,

t hem .

I n R om an days at all eve nts people did have lo ng col o n

, ,

n ades paved or u npaved fo r sheltered w al k s or rides and

, , ,

all I talia n travellers w ill remember the arcaded streets o f so

ma ny cities on b oth sides o f the A lps and the picturesque ,

cro wds w hich cluster and buzz like hived bees be neath their
shade A basilica w as part o f a foru m or ope n space fo r
.

public b usi ness and Vitruvius gives direct io ns about o ne

, .
d o ne t hes e u a s fo r t h e g od A v e n s z nal m os . o ft e n

s u faoed so met im e s on ly a h ollo w t ree an d t h e re w as

. . v e ry

e arlier t exn ples . T his sp e ci ally h oly place w o uld ge t sur

ro un d e d w it h w alls t hen it h ad it s p orc h an d p ed m e nt

i
su p

po rt e d by c olu m n s , and a n te o r s id e -w alls T hen as th e fam e

of t he god waxed gre at, t here w o u ld be s ac ri ces to he done ,

and larger num be rs o f p p

e o le w o u ld c om e t o app ear be fo re
him . He reall
y w o ld he ar what o ne said ole t h ere so th e w h

bu il ding wo uld be inc l o sed in a perist yle

and th at t o o hav e , , .

it s fro nt and ped im ent and perhaps be part ly w alle d in a lso,

- .

So we ge t the ty pe o f t he P art h enon th e m ost fam o u s o f all ,

c las s ic bu i ld ings i nd eed of all bu ildi ngs o f m erely

or , , ,

h u man d es i gn I n sayi ng th is I d o no t say t hat G re ek is

. ,

hat te r t han G o th i c but th at G ree k came b e fore Go t hic

. I do .

no t s ay t h at l h irlias was a be t t er m an tha n N icho las o f Pi s a

,

bu t that I hid ias c ame rs t an d N icco la w as glad t o learn o f

,

h im and h is G o t hi c is far b etter fo r the N o rth ; but o n the

.
,

who l e t he N o rt h has l ear nt fro m the South no t v ice vers d

, , .

llu t this se e ms a d i s ti nctio n worth remembe ri ng : that the

he athe n asse rte d a lo cal and material prese nce for his god ,

whi l e t he C hr i s ti an is guid e d by be lie f in u niversal spiri tual ,

re se nc e wi t h the wors hipper a n where H eave n is My

p y .

t hrone and e arth is M y footstool ; w hat is the place o f M y

,

re s t T h at is the answe r to all thoughts o f bi ndi ng the

D e ity t o l o c al pre se nce but o n the other ha nd H e is , ,

as s u re d l y pre s e nt wit h ever y t w o or three brethre n that are

g at h e re d t o ge th e r and w it h all who pray to H im

. O n ce it .
,

is t rue and fo r a t i me t h ere w as a local Prese nce o n the H ill

, ,

o f Slo n wh ic h lle l o ve d B u t t h at was for a special purpose

.

and an appo i nt e d t i me and t h e H oly Place w as fo r o ne N ame .

ly N ev e rt h e l e ss in t h at God di d make choice by revela

. ,

of a s pe c i al pl ac e and g ive th at place in charge t o a .

r n f
s p u g r m o ne anc estor a fa m ily or race
o there is .
 THE B A SI L I C A . 13
9

a nalogy bet w een the T emple o f th e true God in Sion and the
idea or pri nciple o f G reek local w o rs hip .

T h e P arthe no n th e n w hatever else it w as w as a p eristyle

, , ,

w hich i nclosed a larger and a s maller cha m b er wi th t wo ,

great fro nts east an d w est Others had an annexe o r treasu ry

, .

at the b ack and in these three divisio ns o f temple space w e -

have the rudi m ents o f nave choir and cha n ce l T here was , , .

no preachi ng no r any lo ng se rvice o f co ngregatio nal prayer

,

so that the temple provided little shel ter fo r the peo ple and
i nd eed in th e cli m ate o f A tti ca they m ight ge nerally be c o n
te nt if it shaded th em from the s u n and be tolerabl y i nde ,

pe nde nt o f walls in all their public b uild i ngs But th e .

climate of R ome is very di ffere nt and the bus i ness o f the ,

R oma n Forum came to be i n cessa n t m ul t itudi nous and full , ,

o f lo ng debates A lso th e noise o f the Foru m w as t re m en

.

dous at times H orace says the fu nerals were the w o rst ;

.

J uve nal complai ns o f the rolli ng o f w heels : at all eve nts ,

thick w al ls w ere necessa ry if m uch w ork w as to be got

through A nd s o the Greek temple o r peristyle basilica got
.
,
-
,

w alled in Somet i mes a w all w as carried from pillar to pillar ;

.

b ut w here there w as space e no ugh or w here ne w basilicas ,

h ad to be built it w o u ld be natural t o build a lo w er w all gi ve

, ,

it a side roo f lea ni ng agai nst the outer cornice and i nclose
-
,

the pi llars T his at all events was do ne in later ti m es w i th

.
, , ,

so m e o f the churches which appear to have been co nverted

from secular or hea t he n use T w o excellen t examples o f an .
,

o b long square and also o f a ro un d ch urch thus made w ill be

-
,

fou nd in Seroux d A ginc o u rt s H is toire de l A rt par les M onu

'

m ents ; and they are reproduced in Smith s D ict ionary of

C h ris tia n A nt iqu ities u nder the word Ch urch But any .

body wh o w ill thi nk o i an oblong square colo nnade rou nd an -

,

ope n quad ra ngle covered in w ill get an idea o f the rst

, ,

formatio n o f the R o m a n basilica proper fo r secular w or k - .

T w o side roo fed aisles each li k e the older colo nnade and a
-
,

w ider ope n space bet w ee n roo f that in w ith a great barrel

vault and you ha ve the pla c e o f busi ness T hen you add
,
.

ii
B as l ca of R eparatus,

p .
37 2 , and
S Stefano R otond o, R om e,
.

p .
3 73 .

For h
c ange of round p
tem les i nto baptisteries, see

D Agincourt, A rt /t in,
plate lxiii .
, and Lo d Lind ay
r s

s Hut . o f A rt, vol . i and next c a ter h p .
19 0 g m
galle rie s ab n e th e
' '

; i llars , an d i
s de -ru m a! as v ou

b uild and reb u ild . an d as m ore spac e is re qu re d i

.

2 . T hi s
,
is th e t yp e of t h e A ug u st a: ag e : t h at is t o
say. of th e P rim it iv e C hu rch . M ean w hile th e n am e bas ilica
had c om e int o c o m mo n use for any E nd of large oblo n g ha ll
su m m ed b/
yI/ IILars , or an v h ow d iv id e d in t o ais la Su ch
ha lls th e re w ere in t h e g reat h o u ses o f c on su lar an d se n ato
rial fam ilie s ; and w e o w e a m os t in t ere st in g m e m orial o f
s uc h a
p lac e to M r J H P ark er M a n y w h.o re ad t h is
. . .

will have se en o r ha e o f h is let t e rs pam phlet s

rd o f so m , ,

and p h o t o r
g p a h s o n t h e H o us e o f P u d en s T h e g re at .

valu e o f s uc h w r iti n s is t hat ha v e th e pho t ogr a ph s

g yo u

t o re fer t o at e ve ry st e p and the y are o riginal d oc u ments ; it

,

is li ke be i ng th e re and be i ng told w h ere to l oo k see ing th e ,

act ual bri c k s and s t o ne s in t hei r pl ace s T here d o as s u re dly .

re mai n th o se wall s o f r s t and se co nd c e ntury brick w ork ,

whi c h o nce i n clo se d a large hall o n the base men t oor ; and
I c anno t se e why we s h o uld dispute or w ish to dispute th e , ,

p ro b a b il i t y o f it s hav i n g be e n o n ce the pr in cipal churc h o f

R o man C h r i s tia ns in t he h o u se o f Pude ns I f so it i s o u r .
,

ty p e o f the privat e or d omestic ch urch of the rst days ,

and s h o ws us at o nce h o w the w ord basilica came to have

e x actl y t he s am e mea ni n g as the w ord domi n ica L ati n fo r ,

c h u rch .

It is to the cu bicula o f the catacombs that we must loo k

to u nd e rs t and w h at the earl iest pla c es o f p rayer and
'
lu c haris tic C e l e bratio n w ere li k e A ll questio ns about walls .

and wi nd o ws whether ou r chie f orn ame ntal colour is to be

,

b e s t o we d o n o ur gl ass or o n o u r sol i d w alls really depe nd o n

, ,

wh e th e r the p articular church in q uestio n i s arch i tec tu rally

d e r i ve d from the u ndergrou n d ch apel o r the ope n air basilica - .

O ur present po i nt is th at there was a church basil i ca or la rge , ,

p riv a t e h all d i v i d e d , i n to aisles b y pillars in the palace o f ,

l ud e ns so met i m e s enator o f R ome ; that 8 Paul probably

, .

m i ni s te re d t here ; at all eve nts that he me ntio ned the ,

D o mu s o r rath e r T i tul u s P u d ent is as his R oma n co nverts

, ,

would h ave c all e d i t ; and that part o f that very palace now
mai ns in the e ast e rn walls o f the church o f S P u d e nz iana . .

See m p al . p . 88 .
192 GREEK AN D GOT H I C .

"
the e nd o f the name o f R ome or o f E ngla nd Its spirit .
,

sa ys Mr Mo rga n remi nded C laudius o f the old republica n

.
,

t i mes o f the C amilli the Ci nci nnati the C ato nes a spi rit lo ng
, ,

s i nce exti nct .

So it was at all eve nts that Claudi us did , ,
'

spare C aradoc s li fe and his famil y s q uite a gai nst the rule

o f a R oma n tri u mph w h i ch al w ays implied a butchery o f ,

captive ki ngs and ge nerals at t he e nd .

C laudius seems to have bee n capable o f act s o f j ustice

and mercy ; and it is probable that i ntercessio n s may have

bee n made by the family and i nterest o f A ulus P lauti us ,

late R oma n G ove rnor o f B ri tai n M r Morga n iden ties his . .

w i fe Pompo n ia G ra c ina w it h anoth er Glad ys s is t e r o f Caradoc

, , , ,

w ho was a fterwards accused of foreig n s u perstitio ns A D 5 7 ,
. .
,

and ac q uitted ( T ac A n n xiii though she li ved lon g

. . .

a fterwards in austere melancholy T he fa m ily o f R u fus w ere .

certai nl y a bra nch o f her house and they w ere represented ,

amo ng the R oma n Ch ristia ns A D 5 8 by f R u fus chose n in , . .

,

,

t he L ord and his moth er and m i ne

,
R o m xvi 1 3 , . . .

Be this as it may C aradoc s li fe w as spared and he was ,

o nly compelled to remai n s even years in R ome in free ,

c ustody o f su rveilla n ce like S Paul G ladys his daughter ,

. .
, ,

w as adopted b y Claudi us and easily assumed his family

'

name ; the n ce forth she was C laudia

Caradoc says M r .
, .

M orga n took up his reside nce in the Palatiu m B rit annic u m
, ,

o n the other side o f the M o ns Sacer ; co nve rted a fte rw ards by

his gra nd daughter Claudia P u d e nt iana i nto the rst Ch ristia n

-
, ,

church at R ome k now n rst as the T itu l us P ud e ntis and now

, ,

as S P u d enz iana H ere the n uptials o f Claud i a and R u fus

. .

Pude ns P ud e ntin u s w ere celebrated A D 5 3 A s far as w e , . . .

can collect C laudia at her marriage w ith R u fus w as in her

, , ,

seve ntee nth year .

N ow this marr i a ge o f C la u dia the stra nger peregri na and , , ,

R u fus Pudens is beyo nd doubt celebrated by Ma rtial in

, ,

the thirtee nth ep igram o f his fou rth book o f ep igrams It .

ends in t wo most charmi ng li nes w ish i ng that she may love ,

him lo ng he nce w he n he is o ld but that he may never be

, ,

able to see that she has grown o ld with him A nd he w rites .

a nother epigram (xi 5 3) in pra i se of her sayi ng the daughter .

, ,

o f the fair hai red Brito ns has the heart o f the L atia n race
-
,
 THE B A SI L I C A . :9 3

on the b irth o f her daughter P u d e nt iana abo ut fo u r yea rs ,

after .T here is no reaso n to do ubt th e happy marriag e o f

this pair or that they lived in the great house o f Pude ns

, .

O f course the poss ible co nnectio n bet wee n S Paul and .

Bri tai n w hich may have existed through the i r means is

, ,

deeply i nterest i ng and may be studied in M r Morga n s , .

book T he house i tsel f or w hat is le ft o f its basil i ca or hal l

.
, ,

o f m eeti ng is all that w e c an deal w it h here

, T h e R oma n .

martyrology says the ordi nary household co nsisted o f 2 00

m ale and 2 00 female se rva nts all bred o n t h e estates o f ,

Pude ns in U mbria L e t us hope they soo n fou nd that .

heredita ry servitu de under Christia n masters in R ome was a

ve ry d i ffere nt positio n fro m that o f a fettered f am ilia rus t ica .

But the story o f so me such establishmen t is consiste nt w ith

th e great exte nt o f the traditio nal rui ns .

T he brethren met in the vaulted cellars d uri ng persecutio n ,

and in the basilica above at ordi nary times ; and w e have ,

in the subterra nea n church o f re fuge as in t he catacomb ,

chapels the type o f our lo ng massive rou n d arched and

, , ,
-

vaulted early E nglish buildi ngs So agai n the fair Basilica .

, ,

above develops i nto o u r later G othic .

Pictures w e have no ne but those w hom th e world has no t

al together deprived o f the use o f their i magi natio n s may

consider the earlier and the later meeti ngs o f the ch urch o f
the house o f Pude ns We c an really perhaps w ith a littl e .
, ,

help from P ilo ty s or Gerome s or A lma Tadema s pictures

, ,

set some fai nt i m age o f the scen e be fore us T here w ere .

earlier and happier times soo n over be fore P ompon ia , ,

G raec ina had stood trial fo r the faith and escaped death ,

perhaps b y some lo ng repe nted lapse There were t h e -

.

se nators in w hite robes and p urple stripes and the orderly ,

I t i ha d to get o er th e co i nc i d enc e that S Ti mothy and M arti al both had

s r v ,
.

th ee f i end of th e same nam e in the same p l ace and o nea the same ti me
r r s It , s r .

m t be bse ed furt her th at Li nu ( menti ned 2 T im iv

u~ o rv .
betw een Pud en and
,
s o . . s

C la d ia is al m ntioned by M a t ial in va i epigram i 76 ii 54 i 1 3 &c

u , so e r ,
r ou s s, .
, .
, v. , .
,

see Sm i th s D i ti na y f th B ibl )

M M gan says he is L yn an ther son of
c o r o e e . r. or , o

C a d oc
r I t wil l ha d ly d t s ay that bec au e th e w o d Sanc tu is appli ed by
. r o o s r s

M a tial to th e h u band of C laud ia h e w as th n a Ch i ti an

r s H e m ight have ,
e r s .

be c me s bef e A D 5 7 w h en S P aul ment i ons him From Mart ial his

o o or . .
, . .
,

m ral and i nd ed l i nus eem to ha e bee n ath er R oman th an C hri tian at

o s, e . s, s v r s

o n t i me
e .

0
:9 4 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

h ouse h o ld o f U m b ri an sl aves e veryw he re w hite t u nics and
s w arthy li mb s and face s ; the stro ng b od y o f yet darker
H ebre ws and Orie n tal G reeks ; the golde n heads o f the
be auti fu l Brito ness and her t wo or three ki ndred yet
, ,

robe d in the sple ndour o f a se n ato rial house but prepari ng

,

fo r the trial u nto death w hich they must have eve n the n
,

apprehe nded I m agi ne all these heads rude or erce lo fty

.
, ,

or lovel y bo wed lo w to hear t h e good ne w s o f G o d ; an d

,

that fro m one o f w ea k bod ily prese nc e and co n te m pti b le

,

orato ry w ho may have seemed t o th em a Sy ria n ready to

,

p e rish like
, his great a n ce stor
, an d w h o yet bore w ith h im
th at w ord which should not o n l y subvert all the E mpire and
its order but subdu e the future c o n q uerors o f R ome
, . Such
sc e nes u ndoubtedly did ta k e p lace in ma ny a Bas ilica o f the

rst three ce nturies .

1 96 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

e ffect A ll G reek w ork i s horizo ntal : that i s to say it

. ,

calls atte n tio n ch i ey to horizontal li n es .

T he n R oma n art as O pposed t o Greek mea ns the great

, , ,

co nstructive system o f cupola vaulti ngs ; the rou nd arch and

it s great suppo rti ng piers It is the art o f the Pa ntheo n I n . .

all its decorative detail it makes use o f G reek o rn ame n t ; ,

m i sapplied and spoiled for the most part I n and a fter the .

time o f Co nsta nti ne it means art as practised at C o nsta nti

n O p le in precisel y the s ame degree as it does art practised at
,

R ome A fter its great masters o f the I talia n R e naissa nce

.
,

from Bru nell e schi to Bra m a nte it mea ns I talia n or a nythi n g , ,

y o u please from the Procuratie

,
Vecchie to G o w er Street N W , . .

I t is as horizo ntal as it c an ma nage ho nestly pili ng story o n ,

s to ry and flat o n flat ; but the arches and vaults and their

great perspectives begi n to soar and sw eep the eye up wards ,

and mou nt it must and w ill N eve rtheless the R oma n .

remembers his Greek perspectives and puts a gra nd e ntabla ,

ture o n his colu m n s and an attic o n the top o f an order o f

,

them w henever he can as pa rticularly in our o w n basilica o f

St Paul s
. Fourthly and nall y R o m e and R oma n m ea n
.
, ,

C o nstan ti nople and its adjective in the E ast and in R ussia ; ,

w hile in the W e st the y re fer t o the C ity o f the Seve n

H ills .

Then for the other t wo w ords : Byza nti ne mea ns G re co

R oma n art as practised in By za nti um from the fou ndatio n o f ,

the city till 1 463 ; and as taught by By za ntium through the ,

Schola Grae ca o f the seve nth and eighth ce n turies to Old ,

R ome and the whole E mpi re north south east and w est It , , , , .

is fou nd at M ou n t Si nai in the Conven t of the T rans g u ra ,

t io n w here I hav e see n mosaics o f J usti nia n s ti m e w ith his

, ,

port rait and T heodora s ; it is all through the E gyptia n and

Sy ria n churches ; it is at R ave nna Torcello and Ve nice ; it , ,

i s o n the R hi ne and in E ngla nd I ts o rna m ent is al ways .

m ore o r less easily traced back to a n cie nt A thens and may ,

be called Graac o Byza nt i ne C o nstructio n is R oma n or

-
.

G rae c o R oman w herever the cupola and rou nd arch are used
-
, .

The work o f a n ci e n t Greece and o f modern Byza nti n e ,

G reece alike takes the n ame o f R ome wheth er it be the

, ,

R ome o f C o nsta nti ne or o f R omulus .

 THE B A SIL IC A . 1 97

L astl y whe n G raa , art fou nd barbari a n pupils o f

co - R oma n
vi g orous m i nd k ee n se nses and g ood natural appreciatio n of
, ,

beauty as the Italians L ombards and ultramo ntan e Franks

, , , ,

they bega n to imitate it with a fertility o f i nventio n w hich

has asto n ished the w orld from their day to ours T he I talia ns .

had the immeasurable ad va nta ge o f bei ng led bac k by N iccol a ,

Pisa no to the study o f a ncient or A ttic Gree k sculpture and

,
-

the supre m acy o f Pisan and Flore nti ne draw i ng rests un

q uestio nably on that di s cipli ne o f theirs It is at Pisa and .

Flore nce also that we have the rarest examples o f Christia n

adaptatio n o f the G reek rou n d te m ple or circular Basilica , ,

as it is someti m es called L o m bard or Fran k R o m a nes q ue .

( the rst for choice ) mea ns G ra c o R oma n art as pursued b y -

the noblest barbarian or T euto nic races They bega n soo n .

2

f
a ter A lbo in s fol lo wers had settled in Ital y from 5 68 to t he

e nd o f the sixth ce n tury Seventh century churches ; or .

-

parts o f them are still sta n di ng which give us an idea o f t he

, ,

rst i nve ntive e fforts of the L ombard builders in the way

o f sculpture T here is a capital n ote about them in the
.

A ppe ndix to T he Stone: of Venice vol i w here I thi nk t he , . .

,

L o m bard carver is like ned t o

a ti ger in a state of active
i ndigestion w alki ng about in a sto ne d e n w i th a hammer and
,

chisel recordi ng his n ightmares and s triki ng out a fresh

, ,

A nd three and twe nt y

fancy on the w all at every step .
- -

years ago I remember one o f the foremost po ets and art i s ts

o f our time bei ng comp ared in O x ford to t h is descriptio n o f

the typical L ombard It o is e put him out and it was

n w .

very li ke .

T h e Basilica the n w as adopted an d adapted by all ch urch

builders E ast and West T h e E astern Ch urch made its own
, .

magn ice nt addition o f the fourfold hall and the ce nt ra l

dome whe reo f in d ue time T heir pri nciple of arra ngement .

w as the sa m e as o f o ld T he altar o f the Basilica was at t he

.

e nd w here the heathe n altar had bee n o nly w i t h the co nfess i o

, ,

D iotisalvi w as the arc h i tec t of p

the B a tis ter y of P isa . I ts form seems to
connec t the M onu ment of L ysicrates and the T em pl e of the Wi nd s at At hens
ih
w t the R oman Te m ples of V es ta : and so on to the C h i ti r s an Ba pt i i
s ter es of

R avenna, Florence ,
and P i sa .

Fo r excelle nt i
s tud es on the N thern or R omanes q u e, see Mr . Freeman s
1 98 GR E E K A N D GO THIC .

c ontai ni ng th e relics o f sai nt or ma rtyr either beneath o r ,

be fore it T h e ideas o f H oly Com m u nio n o n th e tomb o f

.

the departed and o f the fai th ful dead u nder the altar pre
, ,

v ail th rou g hout While the naves and aisles of o ur churches

.
,

in their wide exte nt and dece nt mag ni ce n ce bear w it ness to ,

t he pow er the e ndura n ce the u n iversality o f the C h urch o f

, ,

C h rist the east e nd and altar remi n d us al w ays o f the Sacri

,

ce o f the L ord for all m e n an d in a measure o f H is sai nts , ,

en dura nce fo r H im A ll th rough the ages o f p ersecutio n the

.
,

m i nds o f the faith ful w ere draw n m ore and more to the
A pocalyp se t o the comi ng o f their L ord
,
A t i ntervals .
,

greater or s m aller spirits departed by sw ord re and lio ns , , , , ,

t o joi n t h e compa ny of those u n der the altar ( R e v vi the . .

s ouls o f them that w ere slai n fo r the w ord o f God and fo r ,

the testimo ny which they held I t was hu ma n and most .

nat tiral to sy mbolise their rest and expectation either ,

by rais i ng the catacomb altar over the martyr s bod y or -

by p laci ng his tra nslated reli c s u nder statelier va ulti ngs

belo w the ap s e or the arch o f tri u m ph of the Basili ca
, , .

I ndeed in the earlier middle a g es the presence of some

, ,

relic or other was n ecessary to the co nsecratio n o f an

altar .

A very i nteresti ng i nsta n ce o f modern vericat i o n o f such

burial as this too k pl ace a few years ago in the Church o f S .

A mbrogio at M ilan My u ncle the late Father A mbrose .

,

St J oh n o f th e O ratory at Birmi ngham o ne o f D r N e wma n s

.
, , .

neare s t friends w as presen t at the temporary ex h u m ation

, ,

from u nder the altar o f a sk eleto n whi ch had been that o f ,

S A mbrose almost beyo n d doubt or q ues tio n

.
, But besides .

those remai ns w ith their i nte n se i nteres t there w ere fou n d

, ,

be neath them two other s k eletons of large stature ; in both

o f w hi c h the skull appeared to have bee n cut or hac k ed fro m

the spi ne T hey w ere and are in all huma n probability the
.
, , ,

bones of SS Gervas iu s and P rotas iu s ; o r w hether t hese

.
,

n ames be correct or not o f the mar ty rs over w hom the ,

origi nal Basilica was dedicated J u ne 1 9 3 8 7 M ilan is , , .

,

i
pp yl far e n,ough from R ome to have escaped the
e m at ic plu nder and relic removi ng w hich has depri ved -

See D N ewman I I i t n al Sk t h n te p 433 ed B h n

'

r. s s o c ec es , o , . . . o .
2 00 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

Basilica I n its ce ntre stood the altar u nder a canopy a fter

.
,

w ards called a bald ac c h ino T he arch bet w ee n this and th e

l
.

c hoir w as called t h e A rch o f T riu m ph It typied the .

p assa g e fro m earth t o heave n in deat h an d w a s ge nerally ,

adorned w ith mosaics o f apocalyptic subject as in S Prassede ,

.

at R ome w here the t we nty four elders are represe nted in

,
-

wh ite raime nt agai nst a g olde n grou n d o f light casti ng their ,

crow ns be fore the L ord in glo ry R ou nd the altar w ere seats .

for the clergy and a thro ne for the bishop : at T orcello it is

p laced at the ce n tre behi n d the altar a n d the bishop sits as ,

pilot o f the na ve navis or temple ship , L ord L i ndsay ,

-
.

calls this sa nctuary t h e tra nsept but the u s e o f the w ord is ,

rather co nfusi ng to those wh o are accustomed to markedl y

cruci form churches T he Chalcidice or tra nsept proper i s .

the horizo ntal e nd of the Basilica between the body and ,

t he apse .

V T he n the crypt beneath t h e sa nctuary w ith the c on

.
,

fes s io the tomb or shri ne co ntai ni ng reli c s of the patro n sai nt

,

an d others T his w as be neath the altar as in the A pocalypse

.
,
.

I n m a ny i nsta nces w here a large Basilica was b u ilt over a

,

smaller subterra nean ch u rch t h e latter became the crypt or ,

co nfessio o f the former ( Se e S Marti n ad Mo ntes at R ome . .

D A g inc o u rt A rch pl xiv ) I t w ill be see n h ow the feeli ngs

.
, . .

and associatio ns both o f the triumph o f th e Church and her

,

M aster and of H is Passio n and the su fferi ng s o f the sai nts

, ,

w e re thus u n ited in co nstru ctive symbolism It is si mpler .

t o divide their edices i nto abo v egrou n d and u ndergrou nd ,

though L ord L i ndsay s three fold classicatio n is very useful

.

C hristia n bui ldi ngs he says w e re rst baptisteries ge nerally

, , , , ,

altered from public baths or rou nd te m ples as the Pa ntheon ,

and S Ste fa no R oto n do

. seco ndly churches fo r w orship and ,

commu nio n o n the type o f the Basili ca ; thirdl y sepulch ra l

, ,

chapels fo r comme m orative prayer or service on the catacomb ,

type T hough w e bega n w ith the G ree k Basilica the c on

.
,

struction certai nly origi nated in the E ast si nce the rui ns o f ,

Thebes co ntai n its earliest exa m ples But as eve n t o the .

,

present day the E astern as w ell as the Western capital o f

,

A s in S . J h n Late an at R om
o r e, w he re the us e w as for the pr es t to i c ele brat e
i
w t h his fac e t wa d t h p
o r s
p l
e eo e .
 TH E B A SI L I C A . 20 1

the old R oma n E mpire has bee n called R ome the Basil i ca ,

form has bee n called and co nsidered the R oma n fashion

mos R oma n us) fro m the days o f Charles the G reat O
( ne .

o f the best examples o f the simp lest form of Basilica is

that E mperor s restoratio n o f the Church o f the Vicu s

Sax o n u m in R ome .

Beyon d the A lps the G erma n and N orma n builders were

the n prepari ng to reproduce the e ffects they h ad learnt t o
delight in in their w ooden churches and to imitate their ,

grouped and clustered tree tru nk s in sto ne ; t o raise the i r -

vaulti ngs tow ards heave n li k e their re m e m bered forest roo fs ,

-

to desire t o loo k up t o vertical li nes and crossed ri bs of

mouldi ng as their fathers had loo ked up al ways to gree n
,

i ntersecti ng arches o f the w oodla nd N evertheless they re .

t aine d their delight in horizon tal perspecti v es as all seei ng ,

people m ust ; and e nj oyed a lo ng and level su ccessio n o f

vert ical pil lars For good G othic w ith its true c apitals and
.
,

cor nices still retai ns the s weepi ng li n es o f G reece and i s

, ,

true t o t he P entelic rock from w hich it w as hew n s o many

ages ago ne .

I t is u nfortu nate that E usebius o f C at sare a s description o f

the cathedral o f Ty re (boo k x chapter iv H is tory of the . .

,

C hu rch) is vague in the extreme I t cannot appear to us .

,

th o ugh he says it did t o hi m superuous t o describe the ,

dime nsio ns the le ngth and the breadth the sk il ful arc h itec
, ,

tural arra ngeme nt and the exceedi ng beauty o f each o f the

,

part s o f the b uildi ng Beyo nd e nthusiasm at its m agnicence

.
,

all w e gather from him spea k i ng in prese nce of its builder , ,

P auli nus Bishop o f T yre is that ( as may be supposed ) it

, ,

rese m bled a G re ek temple in its lo fty propylo n outer pre ,

ci nct and fourfold colonnades rou nd a q uadra ngular i nclosure

, ,
.

T his co ntai ned tw o fou ntai n s and w as latticed w ithi n betw ee n ,

its colu m ns T here seems to have bee n an atri um and

.

n arthex ; as he spea k s o f ma ny i nner vestibules and
n umerous cha m bers o n
each side the cathedral perhaps
rather irregu larly attached to it T he brazen gates at the .

eastern e nd may have belo nged to a sa nctuary ; but w e h ave

Se e pl a n,

Se rou x D A ginc ourt

s H istoire de I A rt par les M onu ments, Arch itec

t ure, pl hanc e xxv 9 and r3

. .
2 02 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

no real descriptio n E use bius describes what he h ad s een as

.
,

ma ny e nthusiastic perso ns do as if all th e w orld had see n it ,

as w ell H e did not in fa c t see the architecture or the

.
, ,

arra ngeme n ts o f the buildi ng so much as the tri u mph o f the ,

C hurch w hich it symbolised .

A rchitecturally spea k i ng the outsi de o f a C hristia n Basili c a ,

m ust have bee n co nsiderably i nferior to its i nside ; and eve n

w ith a heathe n o r secular o ne the q uestio n o f decorati ng the ,

outer w all (u n less it were utilise d by shops or arcades) m ust

have b ee n di f cult L i fe size stat u es in nich es all rou nd are
.
-

o ften used but they ge nerally seem to impress the spectator

w it h the idea o f th eir havi ng bee n tur ned out o f the b uildi n g
fo r some misbehaviour A nd as they are com m on ly in
.

oratorical attitudes they freq ue ntly appear to be ma k i ng a

,

no i se outside a fter their expulsio n U sed outside a church .

,

they wo u ld i n fallib ly be take n fo r portraits or pe rso ni c at ions

of aggrieved parishioners .

The natural w ish t o have an outside of eq ual beauty or

interest to the i nside led in a ft er days both to the system o f
, , ,

t he P isa n Cathedral and Campa nile o f small o rname ntal ,

n
colo nnades ra ge a bove ra nge and to that glorious study o f ,

i ncrustati on w hich may be said t o begi n w ith the horizo ntal

,

or b a rred structure o f Pisa ( beauti fully exemplied in modern

Cairo and D amascus) and to culmi nate in the Campa nile o f
,

G iotto .I t is probable that from the time o f S Pauli nus o f .

N ola the great promoter o f symboli cal and hi s toric orna

,

ment th e fro nts at least o f city churches bega n to be

'

, , ,

adorned w i th i nstructive sculpture or mosaic H e himsel f .

,

about the e nd o f th e fourth ce ntury thus orn amented his ,

ch u rch of S Felix ; and pai nted a cataco m b w ith Scri ptural

.

histories and pictures symbo lic o f the H oly T ri nity .

The little Church of S Cleme nte at R ome still re m ai ns an

.

almost pe rfectly preserved example of the i nner arra ngemen ts

o f a pri m itive church Its pla n and a picture o f its i nterior
.
, ,

is give n in D A g inc o u rt A rchitectu re pl xxiv and it is

, , . .
,

represented in G ally K night s I talian C hu rches and many

other boo k s I ts anc i e nt w ooden roo f is go n e and a s m all

.
,

chapel of S Catheri ne has bee n added b ut the latter i nnova

.

t io n is ato ned fo r by the frescoes o f M a s accio A nd we are .

2 04 GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

t h e N ew ovenant too k th e place o f the ar k wh i ch co nta i ned

C , ,

t h e L aw th at was the grou nd w ork o f th e old H e also .

notices that t h e p roto c at he d ria or high places at the upper

-

e nd o f the s yn ago g ue so g reatly desired b y the Pha risees

, ,

w ere represe nted as earl y as t h e time o f S James ( E p ii . . .

2 3) in the C h ristia n ch u rches

,
.

The follo wi ng d irectio ns for the c o nduct of D iv i ne Service

retai n decided traces o f the Sy nago g ue ritual T hey are .

fro m the Apos tolieal C ons titu t ions (b oo k ii c w hich are . .

supposed to have bee n compiled about the fourth ce ntury ,

and w hich probabl y co ntai n the hond ae se nti m e n ts o f the

-

th e n Churches as t o apostolica l order of service That is t o

,
.

s ay they describe t h e service as it seemed to the fourth

, ,

c e ntury that S Peter and S Paul would h ave ordered it t o

. .
,

s uit the needs of that time .

D o t h ou the bishop (or prelate as L ati mer would h av e
, ,

s a i d ) w he n thou gatherest together the Church o f Go d li k e

, ,

the pilot o f a g reat ship w ith all k now ledge bid the m ,

as s emble d irecti ng th y deaco ns as sailors t o appoi nt their , ,

proper places t o the brethre n w ith all c are and respect as ,

t o passe ngers (e p ibatm) A nd rs t let the b uildi ng be

.
,

oblo ng turned to the E ast havi ng its stalls (pas topho ria
, , ,

small cells) o n each side ; for that it i s li k e to a ship A nd .

let the bishop s thro ne be set in the midst ; and alo ng on

either side let the p resbytery sit and let the deaco ns stan d ,

b y clad in proper rai m e nt for they are li k e sailors and chie f

,

rowers A nd ordered b y their care let the lay m e n sit on

.
,

o ne side in all q uiet and good order and the w ome n sepa
, ,

rat e ly and by themselves k eepi ng sile nce A nd in the midst

, .

let the reader standi n g on some elevatio n read the Books

, ,

o f M oses and Joshu a the s on o f N u n o f the J ud g es and t he

, ,

K i ngs o f the Paralipo me na and the R etu rn ; and besides

, ,

t h ose o f Job and Solomo n and the E leven Prophets A nd , .

a fter two readi ngs let a n othe r s ing th e psalms o f D avid and
, ,

t h e people si ng t h e e nds o f t h e verses a fter hi m A fter that .

let our A cts be read and the E pistles of Paul our fello w
,

worker which he se nt the Chur ch es b y d irectio n of the H ol y

,

Spirit ; and a fter that let a deacon or presbyter re ad the

G ospels which w e Matt h ew and Joh n d e livered to yo u and
, ,
 THE B A SIL IC A . 205

which the fellow wor ke rs o f Pau l L u k e and M ark h ave

-
, , ,

received and be q ueath ed u nto you A nd while t h e Gospel .

is in readi ng let all the priests and deacons and all th e

,

people sta nd up in great q uiet for it i s w ritten K ee p , ,

silen ce and hear 0 Israel and agai n D o thou stand

, , ,

there and h ear ( D eut xxvii 9 v

A nd next let th e
. .
, .
,

presbyters exhort the people one b y o ne and not all at ,

o nce and last o f all the bishop as is tti ng for the pi lot
, , .

A nd let the doorkeepers be placed at the me n s e ntra nce

,

guardi ng them ; and the deaco nesses at the w ome n s li k e ,

those wh o ta k e the fare on sh i pboard (nau s tologis perhaps ,

they collected the alms) A nd if any be fou n d sitti ng .

out o f his place let him b e reproved b y the deaco n as by

,

a boatsw ai n proreus (w e trust not in respect o f veheme nce

,

o f la nguage) and be led to his proper place

,
For the Church .

is like ned no t only to a ship but also to a fold For th us

, , .

the shepherds range every o ne o f their dumb creatures

accordi ng t o ki ndred and age and like w ith like So in , .

the ecclesia let the you nger o nes sit apart if there be room
, ,

and if no t let them sta nd up

, the boys who have got on in
age let them sit in order and t h e little boys let t heir fathers , ,

or mothers k eep them sta ndi ng by them and the you ng g i rls ,

apart ,&c .

T he n strict directio ns about k eep i ng order ; t h en agai n as

t o ritual
A fter this let o ne and all w ith o ne voice stan di ng up and ,

loo k i ng to the E ast (a fter the catechumen s and the pe n ite n ts

have g o ne forth ) pra y to God Who asce nded i nto t he heaven o f
heavens in th e E ast rememberi ng also the A ncie nt Garden (a
,

d welli ng) o f P aradise in the E ast A nd the deaco ns : a fter .

the prayer let some o f the m atten d to t h e preparatio n for the

o fferi ng o f the E ucharist mi nisteri ng about the Body of th e ,

L ord w ith fear and let the others look thro u g h the multitude
,

and k eep sile n ce amo ng them A nd let the deaco n that .

sta n ds next t o the chie f priest say Be here no ne in e nmity , ,

n o ne in falsehood

T hen let the m e n salute each other
.

and the w ome n eac h other w ith a k iss in the L ord ; but ,

no ne in de ce i t as J udas betrayed t h e L ord w it h a k i ss

, .

T he M ou nt of O li ves is d ue east from Jerusalem .

2 06 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

A nd a fter that let the deaco n p ray for the o ne whole Church
in all the world and its pa rt s and its prod uce and fo r p ries t s
, , ,

and ru lers and fo r the high priest ( or celebra n t

, and th e

k i ng and the pe a c e of the w hole Ch urch A nd then let the

, .

c hie f p riest p ra y i ng fo r the peo ple bl e ss it

, as M oses co m , ,

m and ed in the s e wo rds The L o rd bless thee and kee p

,

t hee ; t he L o rd ma k e H is Face t o shi ne upo n thee and g iv e ,

'
th ee peace ( N u mbers vi 2 4 The n let also the bis lw p
.

pray for them and say Save T h y peo ple 0 L ord and
, ,

, ,

bless Thi ne i nhe ri ta n ce which Tho u hast saved w ith T hy

,

p reciou s Blo o d o f T hi n e A noi nted an d has t ca lled a ro y al,

i tho d d p re atio a fter this let the o eri

p r es o a n u n n A n d . ff n g
be made : all t h e people st a ndi ng up and prayi ng in sile n c e .

A nd when it shall have bee n o ffered let each order by itsel f ,

p ar t a k e o the L ord s Body a n d the precious Blood w i t h ,

modesty and ca u tio n as m e n dra w i ng near to the body o f

,

a k i ng . A nd let th e w ome n approach havi ng their head s

veiled as is t for the order o f w omen A nd let the doors
, .

be k ept that no u nbeliever or person not properly i nstructed

,

( y
a m e t u s u n i n
, it i ate ) e n ter in .

M any o f us may thi nk that we have already see n an

order o f s ervi ce not ve ry u nli k e this ; and co nsideri ng the
lapse o f about ftee n e v e nt ful centuries and the cha nges fo r ,

good and ev i l o f all races of m e n in them it may b e thought ,

that our own l i turgy does m uch to perpetuate this most ancie nt
and co ngregat i onal order o f pu b l i c worship D eaco ns seem .

t o have retai ned th eir mi nisterial position from the rst ages .

and to h ave acted as church warde ns or i ndeed as the deaco n s ,

o f a moder n I ndepe n de nt co ngregatio n T he latter portio n .

,

h owever i s one chie fly of social i mporta nce as the prope rty
, ,

and build i ng s of th e co ngregatio n vest in t h em and there i s ,

no cou nterbala nc i ng i n depe nden ce possessed by the m i nister .

N evertheless th e orga nisatio n o f these co ngregatio ns held

, ,

tog ether in a ntago nism t o the preva i li ng nat i o nal or i m perial

s y stem ma y s o far resemble the discipli ne o f a primitive c o n
,

g g
r e a t io n o f R oma n G ree k, or S y ria n brethre n b ou
, n d in ,

m utual regard by pressure from w i th out Moreover the .

,

C hurch had the n authority if not power in ma ny o f the , ,

a airs o f li fe ; and the deaco ns act i ng in the te m poral as

'

,
 C H A PT E R VI .

T HE C R O SS AN D D OM E .

I T was me nt i o ned that th e w ord Basilica was used in the

s ame se nse as D omi nica fo r an y k i nd o f church be fore and
, ,

after the ti m e o f Charles the G reat A nd we also arra nged .

all a n cient churches by a pithy and co nvenie nt classicatio n ,

as Basilicas abovegrou nd and catacomb or cemetery chapels

,

be lo w There is no particular obj ectio n to this pri nciple ;

.

but a few further expla nations if not exceptio ns seem , ,

necess ary A rra ngi ng examples is said in O x ford to be

.

nearly as bad as drivi ng pigs especially as a pro fessor o f
, ,

th e latter art feeli ngly observed whe n there s ma ny o f em

,

and D A gin c o u rt and L ord L i ndsay supply us w ith a quite

inco nve n ie n t n um b er o f excelle nt pla ns and descriptio ns ,

w hich ou g ht t o be noticed here and assigned either to the ,

aboveg rou n d or u ndergrou nd catego ry But what i s to be .

do ne o r said whe n one of the rst i nsta nces we meet w ith

, ,

S Marti n ad Mo ntes at R o m e is o f three churches excavated

.
,

or built o ne over t h e other ?

A gai n it certai nl y i s awk ward for our rst classicatio n

, ,

that as th e level o f the g rou nd alters and eve n by their

, ,

origi nal b uildi ng some churches (as the lo wer hall in the
h o use of Pude ns) look out i nto hollo w areas and are hal f ,

u n dergrou nd hal f above i t The n there are ma ny excavated

, .

c hurches chapels or oratories which are q uite u nlike the

, , ,

reg ular cubiculu m o f th e catacombs T hese as has bee n .

,

s aid have for the most part become the c ry pts or co nfessio nes
,

D A gincourt A ch p l xi

, r . . v.
 THE C R OSS A ND DOM E . 2 09

of larger churches built above them Onl y here i t must be .

repeated that in thi nk i ng o f an u nde rg rou n d c h urch wheth er ,

it possesses any mural ornament or not we thi nk o f a church ,

w hose natural and right colour orna m en tatio n is m u ral mosa i c -

.

Where all li ght is articial and from w ithi n the proper de ,

co rat io n must certai n l y be by the ashi ng reect i o ns an d vary

ing h ues o f glass and g olde n i n layi ngs fo r the most part in ,

such churches they rank eve n be fore fresco fro m their bril ,

lian cy as o f a mi nutely broke n mirror

, A nd we may .

perhaps consider th at all o ur m assive E arly E nglish and

N orman s tyles wi th rou n d arches and stre ngth far bey ond
, ,

arc h itectural necessities seem t o symbolise or possess th e , ,

solid i ty of a cavern h ewn in the roc ky fou ndatio ns o f th e

earth and there fore that the i r colour orname nt is best be
,
-

stow ed on t he i r w alls rather tha n on their w i ndo ws That , .

is to say both m ay be orname nted but one or the other

, ,

must take the lead Walls and w i n dows cannot both go .

rst as vehicles o f colour ; and of cours e in all sepulch ral , ,

or quasi sepul c h ral architecture even in the Ve netian and

-
,

R av ennese Byzanti ne the w i ndo w s are very small compared ,

w ith the exte nt o f the w alls so that the large spaces o f ,

opaq ue w all colour w ill predomi nate over the s m all o nes of
-

tra nsparent w i ndo w colour - .

A gai n in Southern churches it is an obj ect to ex c l ude

,

light and h eat and in the cold N orth they al ways wan t to,

shut out storm and tempest So that th e Byza nti n e and the .

( F rom Smi th
s D iet . C hrirt A ntiq . .
, G lass p , . G lass wind ow s have
been found in Pom peii , and even in our ow n co u ntr y am ong R man remains o .

There is a pa s sage in P rud entius , p ki

s ea ng of the B asili ca f S Paul built by o .
,

C ons tant n e, i to th e follo w ng i eect

'

T um cam uros b yalo i n igni s i

var e cucurrit arcu s

Sic p rata ve m is oribus re nid ent .

P erist eph . xii. 5 3, 5 4 .

He su rrou nd ed the ben d i ng arc hes in man y c ol ours ( var e i ) wt i h b illiant gla s
r s

it sh one like a mead ow d ec k ed with sp i ng wers r o .

I f thi s translation be c ec t ( and I am per onally nable t c ns true the Lati n

o rr s u o o ,

unles s cucu rrit i to be mad e tran i ti e as th e R oman d i t

s f P d enti ( e d s v , e or o ru us .

I 7 8 S) ay it i )
s sit p e the exi tenc e
s ,
f stained glas in th e f
ro v s th entury It s o s ou r c .

i
s su b tantially th at of E me i c D a id and Labat te and seems mu h p eferable
s r v , , c r

th at w hi c h mak e by al m ean m ai ( Labane H and b k 4 A ts f

'

t
o s o os c: , oo r o

M id dl Age c ii p 66 E ng
es , . . .
, .

I t seem ag eed th at th e e was no g

s r d glas til l the ele enth century
r u re s v .

P
z ro GREEK AN D G OTH I C .

N o rth ma n had plenty o f objects and tastes in co m m on and ,

both built w i th solid ro u nd arches sturdy pillars and m assive , ,

w alls regardless o f co nstruct iv e i nge nuity and heed ful o f that

, ,

quiet dim ness and secl usion which is as it w ere the ideal o f , ,

bod ily com fort in church to many w ea ry worshippe rs I t is .

almost a fa ntastic co mpariso n ; b ut a fter all com parisons , ,

bet ween South and N orth are al ways co ntrasts ; and those
wh o have no t bee n scolded out of the use o f their imagi na
n
tio ns b y moder matter o fact w hich i gnores so ma ny fact s
f - -

may nd it worth while to thi n k o n the li k en esses and the

di ffere nces bet ween se rvices in limesto ne crypts o f A sia and
pi new ood chapels of N orway ; and in fact b et w ee n the , ,

devotio ns the lives and death s o f N ort hern and o f Southe rn

, ,

Christian s We k now too little o f th e fo rmer ; and our

.

th oughts o f sai ntl y li fe may perhaps be formed too m uch o n

Italian models T he w hole force o f art and poetry im
.

presses the ideal o f Fra A ngelico o n ou r mi n ds ; and we

cannot thi nk o f S Bo ni face or S Ola f as at all rese m b li ng
. .

it .
x
Compare the latter for example w ith S P olycarp , , . .

Both sai nts are co nfessedly historical characters as much s o
as modern soldiers o r J ar/an ts One had to deal with and to .
,

d ie b y the ha nds of R oma n lictors and statio naries The , .

other was ma ngled with axe and dagg er by the erce Bo nders
of T h ro ndhj em who w ere m ore si ncerely zealous for Thor
,

and O di n tha n R oma ns for J ove or A the ne But it is pro .

bable that the wo rldly result o f b oth lives wi ll be felt as lo ng

as that o f a modern career o f sc i entic study It is allo w .

able t o compare them ; fo r had the li fe and death of the

Sm yrnze an bishop bee n other tha n it w as the Faith might ,

have sustai ned i ncalculable loss in A sia at the ti m e o f its

sharpest trial : it could not in fact have e ndured without , ,

v icto ry or wo n victo ry w ithout such lead i ng

, The K i ng o f .

N orway was bey o nd all question by his li fe and the remorse

, , ,

felt for h i s death a chie f means o f establis h i ng C hristia nity

,

in the N orth o f E urope ; and there fore an u nspea kable relie f

to the Ch u rch in th e South by check i ng the wasti ng fu ry ,

and b li nd ravages o f V arangir and V ik ingir E ither sai nt .

Mr . Green
s H iring f
o Me E ng /ri
c k P ro t d oes valua ble se rv ce i to N o t hern
r

read ers , in i i
re m nd ng h
t em of a h ag iology of their own race .
2 12 GREEK AN D GO T H I C .

cont ras t to it , t he c ent ral d o me is em pl oyed as an em blem

of k ingdo m in H a ve n and o f
H is , the nal v ict o ry and sta te

o f th e C h urc h t ri umphan t

Fo r o u r e xam ple s th e i r desc ripti o ns are to be fo u n d in ,

'

L o rd L ind say w ho re fers in m ost case s t o D A ginco u rt s

'

p la n s a n d d raw i ngs ; and m ost o f t he m are d es c ribed or

re fe rred t o in Free man s or Fe rg u ss o n s A rc/u tectu re

the
'

latt e r a well ill ustrat ed bo ok ; and o n e o r m o re o f t hese

-

boo k s m u s t be w ith i n eve ry stude nt s reach L e t the reader

'

re call o r re fer to Smit h s D ic tionary fo r our t wo type s :

, ,

th e re gu larl y b u ilt Basili ca aisl e s c olum ns and apse and , , , ,

t he e x cava ted cubicul u m an oblo ng chamber w ith lo w ,

bro wed arches and a table t omb and arcos oli u m or ro u n d

, ,

hal f vault at the e n d

-
, .

F i rst for c o nverted temples adapted to C hristian servi c e

,
.

It is probable that S A gnes w ithout the walls o f R ome w as .

, ,

b u i lt b y C o nstant i ne at the i nsta nce and u nder the guida n ce

o f S Sylvester the the n Bishop o f R ome
. But the rou n d
, .

ch urch o f S C onsta ntia at no great distan ce is supposed to

.
, ,

be or rather to co ntai n large remai ns o f an a ncie nt te m ple

, ,

o f Bacc hus So at least its a ncie nt vi n tage mosaics and

.
-
,

the mag nice nt porphyry sarcophagus w ith vi ne orname nt 2 -

,

whi ch it o n ce c ontai ned m ight lead us to bel ieve ; though ,

t here are great doubts as to the structure si n ce the col um n s ,

are no t o nl y o f di ffere nt pro portio n s and sizes as if collected ,

T he most anc e nt i C h i tia

rs ilica of n B as l cas ii are su pp osed to be the B as
R eparatu near O lean i lle A lgi e whi h i in th t e
d om ical bl ng

s, r sv ,o rs , c s e ru r ro o

form pos i bly f the thi d c ntu y ; those o f S Si m e n Styli tes al o A f i can
,
s o r e r . o ,
s r ,

and p r bably the al m

o t sq a e c ath ed al f Tri e os The e are q i te en gh to
u r r o r .
s u ou

sh w th at C nstant i ne bu il t S P e ter and S So ph ia in th e B as ili a f

'
o o m b ca e
. s . c or , e us

he found it al read y th ad p ted and ac us t med p lan of l arge C h i ti an c h

e o hes c o r s u rc .

T he c hange t the fou fol d o c ruc i fo m B a ili ca wi th it g eat sym b li m

o r r r s , s r o s s,

e xtend s fro m C on tant i ne to J u ti ni an and iss ignalis ed by the se ond c h c h f s , s c ur o

8 S p hi a n w stand i ng
. o , o .

I d n t thi nk m y ead ers want a catal gue of all k n wn c h c h es f t he most

o o r o o ur o

anc i e nt date mu c h a a few exampl e in eac h age w i th e f enc e to a tho ita

, so s s , r er s u r

ti e b
v k whi c h ha e g d p l ans and p i c t e in th e m
oo s v N bod y can t ll h w
oo ur s . o e o

d e ligh tfu l it i in t ra elli ng to ente a hi to i al b il d i ng w h n

s v kn w it r s rc u e o ne o s s

hi t ry and to l o k at it c nstruc ti n and nam nt when ne i p par d t

s o , o s o o or e o s re e o

und tand th em ; and this bo k w ill be of

ers al t t a ll e if it can t ac h
o re u se o r ve rs e

t h em t ead p a
o rf w anc i en t and ac c essible c h u h
u e be f e th y ta t rc es or e s r .

N ow in the V ati can M useu m P h t g aph

S e Pa k N o 2 10 a d . e r er s o o r s, . , n

A i ngh i R ama S ft a m
r , vol i p 1 56
o err u, . . . .
 TH E C R OSS A N D D OM E . 21 3

from other buildi ngs but are coupled together on the radi us
,

o f the circular church and n ot parallel w ith its circum fere nce
x
, ,

as w ould have been the case at any very early date A t all .

eve nts it has the characteristics above po i nted out the

,

circular peristy le rst w alled in and made a cloister then ,

roo fed w it h a domical vault and clerestory wi n do ws above .

But the C hurch o f S Ste fan o R oton do on the C ( e lian H ill.

, ,

in R ome is the b est example o f a rou n d peristy le w ith its

,

central shri ne co nverted to C hristian uses I t seems u n

, .

certai n if it w ere o rigi nally a temple a bath or a market , ,

buildi ng The third idea o f it seems the most probable

. .

D A ginc ou rt gives t wo most i nteresti ng pla ns o ne o f the

'

church in its present state a nother from a very a ncie nt ,

g ro u n d s k etch
- sho w i n g its o rigi
, n al co n ditio n very clearl y .

I t m ust have bee n built bet w een A D 467 and 4 8 3 and is o f . .

,

great size no t less tha n 2 1 0 feet diameter I f the reader wi ll

, .

i magi n e a circular i nterior w ith tw o mag nicent ce ntral ,

colum ns close together supporti ng rou n d arches and a ,

central cupola tw en ty one lower but still ne o nes fo rmi ng -

, ,

a rotu nda arou n d t hem and not arched but w ith horizontal , ,

en tablature and fo rty four o thers connected by a lower w all -

.

and formi ng a gra n d circular aisle w ith ra ftered and tiled ,

roo f and double clerestory w i n do ws over : the w hole covered

,

by a very obtusely co ni cal roo f : he w ill easily u ndersta nd

D A g inc o u rt s view o f the place T he ce n tral cellar was

.

pro bably a small temple dedicated t o some god o f markets

or o f cou ntry prod uce Fau n us or Sylva nus L iber or A lma , ,

Ceres perhaps w ith an empero r a nnexed The name o f

, .

C laudius is co nnected w ith this bui ldi ng and a coi n o f N ero ,

i s in existenc e which bears a similar temple on its reverse .

The anc i e nt pla n seen o r possessed by D A g inc o u rt show s

'

, ,

h o w the space be yo nd th e prese nt w all and colum n s w as

roo fed in four eighths leavi ng alternate equal spaces ope n
-
, ,

whic h would a nsw er the n eeds o f a m arket and pro ba b l y ,

w i t n essed sce nes o f R oma n domestic and cou ntry li fe w hich , ,

like most o f t h e happier scenes o f li fe are all u nnoticed by ,

h istory .

D Aginc ourt, vol

16 . i p
. . .

Pl
i
an in Sm th s D it tionm y qf C hris an A nt igrat ia , S V
'

. . Ch urch .
 GREEK AN D GO T H I C .

S . P eter ad Vi ncula at R ome is a remark able example o f , ,

a c hurch c onstruct ed with th e help o f colum ns procured from

far more a ncie nt b uildi n gs I ts marble co l um n s o f the R oma n .

D oric taller and more slen der tha n th e po we rful ideal o f the
,

A t he nia n order may h a v e o rname nted the T herm a: o f Traj a n

,

o r o f Titus Where t hey came from ori gi nally is still u n

.

ce rtai n as temples and fo ra w e re alw a y s c han gi ng and o ne

, ,
'
consul s o r em pe ror s archite ct u ral pl un der was o fte n to rn
'

away from his buildi ngs by his su c c ess ors A s R o me had .

d o ne to other cities so she did to herse l f lo ng be fore the age

, ,

of barbaria n d e s olatio n .

T here are s om e e x c elle nt ob s e rva ti o n s in D r Freema n s

'
.

s k etches as t o t he di fcul t y o f employ i ng the vast colum n s

u s ed in hea th e n porti coes o r hyp ae thral temples o f o ne story ,

in C hri stia n Bas ilicas w here lo ng i nner ra nges o f col um n s o f , ,

moderate he i ght were employed Y o u cou ld not get great

, .

m o no liths w hich had o nly an en tablature to bear and w i th ,

that reached th e full height o f a temple w all i nside any -

,

Basilica ex c ept th ose on the vastest sc ale as the L atera n , ,

or the great L i berian Basilica b es t k no wn as Sta Maria , .

Maggiore T he consequen ce is ( see p 2 09 H is torical

. .
,

Skate/res ) that in S Ma ry in C os med in ve . statel y , ,

co lum n s o f the o rigi nal temple are bu i lt up in the weste rn

and no rth ern w alls and th e curiou s sight follow s o f ,

churches built o n the sites o f a ncie nt temples and out of

the spoils o f a n cien t temples but where th e colum ns o f the ,

temples on whose site t hey sta nd rema i n u n used and em

bedded in the w all A ll visitors t o R ome and every one in
.
,

fact wh o has see n a good large photograph o f the Forum ,

m ust have noticed h ow u tterl y the chu rch of S L o re n zo in .

Mi ra nda is d warfed b y the hal f buried colum ns o f the

,
t

T emple o f A nto ni n us and Fausti na and ho w the tow eri ng ,

pillars in the centre seem as if they w e nt on in co nti nual

, ,

exhortatio n on o ne monoto nou s te x t T here w ere gia nts in ,

those days .

T he fact is that the great colum ns o f G reece as far as the ,

constructive or scie ntic part o f Got hic architecture we nt ,

were prett y m uch w hat gia n ts w ould be now in an army no t ,

Parke r , For u m R oman u m , p . 65 , plate 3 2 .

2 16 GR EEK A N D G OT H I C .

I t m ay be fa nci fu l, but there seems to be a relat io n bet w ee n

the N orma n and E arl y E nglish and its G othic developme nt ,
a allel w ith tha t bet w ee n the u n dergrou nd ca t a c omb an d the
p r

o pen air B as i li ca
- The low ro u n d arc hes as I said are like
.
, , ,

c aves o f t he earth in eith er case and are still associated w ith ,

the idea o f refuge T h e persecuted co nfessor o f the third

.

ce ntury fled to h is su nless cry pts amo ng th e dead witnesses ,

t o w ho se compa ny h e migh t so o n be add ed ; th e harried

mo nk might hope h is sol id maso n ry would k ee p o u t H u n
here or Viki ng there the repe nta nt o r out wo rn warrior might
nd a sa fe cloister fo r i nstruction and rest be fore the gra ve
s o o ne feels u nder ma ny N orthe rn and Sou th ern vaulti ngs .

T he Southern Bas il i ca is full of power and sple ndour and the ,

later Go thic is all li fe and gro wt h and fresh study o f nature , ,

and tells not o nly o f th e free air but of forest glades o f ,
o ak ,

and ash and thorn ,
that pard onable woodland adj uratio n
,
.

T he architectural t ra nsition to it from the N orman as well ,

as the earlier i s from endu ra nc e i nto rejoici ng and from sup

, ,

pres sio n to development T he text is the same b ut the huma n

.

ima gi n at io n is le t loose and at wo rk o n it fo r good or evil

,
.

T w o more ch urche s w e must not ice be fo re goi ng i nto the

g re a t B y za n ti n e modicatio n o f quad ruple nave and ce n tr al
,

d ome . T h e Basilica itsel f seems earl y to have bee n take n as

t y pi fyi ng the cross at the i ntersectio n o f its t ra n sept or
, ,

C halcidice w ith the n ave the apse or head piece exte ndi ng
, ,
-

above it But one o f the rst and m ost remarkable i nsta nces
.

o f trans fo rma tio n fro m he athe n t o Christi an uses was the

t e mpl e o f Ve n us at A phrod isi as in C aria I n this case the .

w hole origi nal pe ri sty le seems t o have bee n i n closed by a

w all the cella was demolished the colum ns o f the post i cum , ,

o r rear fro nt w ere removed and placed in a li ne w ith the

-
,

l ate ral colum ns ; and nally a cleres tory wall and wi ndo ws ,

w ere placed on the whole lateral colo nnade A nd so they .

m ade the h ouse of A phrodite i nto a ch urch about 2 00 feet

l o ng b y 1 00 feet w ide ; and Messrs T e x ie r and P ulla n .

B
( y z a nt in e A r c/z itec t n re p 8 9) ,thi n k.it was do n e bet w ee n the
t ime o f C o n sta nti ne and tha t o f Theodosius It is i nter .

e sti ng as w e have bee n co ns i deri ng the R oma n Basilica as

,

a s t e p o f tra n si tio n bet w ee n G reek temp les and C hristia n

 TH E C R OSS A N D D OM E . 2 :7

churches to note all i nstan ces in which th e C hurch laid

,

ha nds o n the temples themselves but gen erally speaki ng as ,

D r Freema n says the process w as to destro y the temples

.
, ,

and consecrate the secular Basi licas But the co nverted .

church which s h ould have stood rst in po i nt o f a n ti q uity is

the church o f R ome dedicated to S U rba n and called th e , .

C affare lla from the hill o n w hich it sta nds

,
I t is literally a .

paga n temple re arra nged and res e m b les ( except fo r th e -

,

i ndom itable stre ngth o f its brick w alls) tha t ideal o f a pro
p r ie t ary chapel w hich b ega n to prevail I suppose a b out , ,

1 8 2 0 in L o n do n an d else w here and w hich surviv e s in the ,

col um ned porches and ped i m e n ts o f so ma ny well i nte ntion ed -

but a fflicti ng edices It is e ntirely o f brickw ork excepti ng .

,

the four C ori nthia n colum ns o f ne m arble which support the

portico and their architrave There are remai ns o r there .

w ere in D A g inc o u rt s ti m e o f a nother brick w all w hich

i n closed the s m all te m ple or c ella i nstead o f the G ree k ,

peristyle ; and if that w all w as o f the same date as the

o rigi nal bu ildi ng i t wo uld prove that the climate or city l ife ,
-

of R ome made an outer w all n ecessary both fo r com fort ,

w ithi n an d secure possessio n o f o n e s grou nd space w ithout

-
.

The C affare lla is outside J uve n al s C apene Gate southw ards

,

and n ear the Circus o f C aracalla and the trad itional Fou n tai n ,

o f E ger i a I t may have bee n a temple o f Bacchus ; as an

.

altar wreathed b y a rather gra ndly cut serpent in a natural

,

is t ic s tyle and beari ng a dedicato ry i nscriptio n to t h e god

,

from his priest A p ron iu s remai n s u nder the portico Its , .

remai ni ng bas relie fs o f trophies of arms and armour ma y -

have bee n those o f a temple o f victory A nyho w it is a small .

,

lo fty chapel abo ut fort y feet by thirty i nside and an excelle nt

, ,

ideal for let us say a P ositivi st cathedral of the future on the

, , ,

oe cume nical scale .

B u t w e have no w come to the rst ach i eveme nt o f C hr i st i an

architectu re which for o n ce and fo r ever i mpressed th e cross
,

o n the builder s im a in at io n It must h co fe sed sa y s
a
g e n s .
,

Sat . III . Ad v eteres A rcu s m ad id aque C apen u

For t hese pa sage s s see C h r istia n A rt , 9 app

nd 62 . . Letters 1 and 2 ,

i F r p lan Fergusso n s H istory and

v ol . . o f s o S SOphia,
. see f
o A rch itcctu rc,

S D Agincourt
. s A rchitcctnrc .
2 18 GREEK AN D GO T H I C .

L o rd L i ndsay that R ome left the gra nder ight th e glory

, ,

o f creati ng a n e w and peculiarly origi n al Christia n arc h it e c

t ure t o Byza n tium

, It spra ng at o nce to per fection at the
.

c omma n d o f C o nsta n ti ne H is churches dedicated to the .

A postles and to the D ivi n e Wisdo m ( S Sophia ) displayed

, .
,

its disti n ctive form o f features precisely as they appear in

the latest productions o f Byza nti ne architects I nstead o f .

th e le ngthe ned n ave and tra nsverse presbytery o f the R oman

Basilica w ith all its mi nute though i nteresti ng details four
, ,

naves o r pillared ave n ues ( I have use d the w ord Basili cas
hitherto accordi ng to o u r origi nal de nition) of equal le ngth
,

and breadth were disposed at right a ngles to each o ther so

, ,

as to form the gure o f a cross w hile in t he ce ntre beyo n d ,

the poi nts where each na v e term i nated a dome o r cupola , ,

spri ngi ng fro m four arches resti ng ultimately on e nor m ous

p ie rs so ared
, up w ards ; expa n d in g as it w ere i n to i n n i t y
li k e the vault o f heaven Such i ndeed w as its symbolic .
, ,

mea n i ng taken in co nnection with the cross the emblem o f

, ,

the o bedie nce w here by that heave n was purchased fo r

si nners .

T his most importa nt passage leads us to several co nsidera

tio ns wort h pursui ng I n the rst place as to the idea o f the .

cross the n as to those co nn ected w ith the cupola H ow did .

the architects co me by them Was the great cruci form ideal

conceived i ns ide a Bas ilica or outs ide ? There are I thi n k , , ,

t w o chie f a ns w ers or li nes o f a ns wer .

We may j udge h ow the thought o f the cross or tra nsverse

s ymbol had pe netrated an d do m i n ated the C hristia n mi nd ,

be fore C onstan ti ne and the peace o f the C hu rch by its u ni ,

v ersal d isplay as a sym bol as soon as it could be borne and ,

proclai med in sa fety One or t wo classic or well k no wn

.
-

passages o n this may be added here as to the mental or ,

external use o f the thought and the sign o f the cross ; and
Te tullian r , D c C or l il
. . c . iii . Ad om ne m progres s u m e t p ro mo tu m ,

&c .

W herever w e go , or w ate ver we beg n ; e nte r ng or d e h u tt ng on i i p art ing ; in p i

h
o f s oe s ; at th e bat , at tab e , at ca d e
n -
g t hng, in g o ng t o res t o r s il
t t ng l li h i i i
d o w n -w j li
hatever c o n u nc ture of fe em o s us , w e mark the s ign of the c ro ss pl y
on ou r fo re ead h .

So a sol 8 . Ch y r s os to m of the i
u n ve rsa l re p resentat on o fi th e
c im s in his d ay . r ap d dpxoum , p d
ra d px

op eyot s , ra t
p ! w rargl, r ap d drpam , ( v
M rs Jr r an do m J r ou t a
l
w d p yvpois, Gr '
'
'
ro fxm ' 7 pa ais .
2 20 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

may have occurred to some architect who se m i nd was already

full o f the s y mbol like ot her C h ristia n me n s : an d that he
'

w orked it accord i ngl y and probabl y as he w orked and felt his

success the sy mbolism expa nded in beaut y and glory w i t h
,

the buildi ng and extended and var i ed its appli catio ns in

,

all me n s mi nds

.

A gai n the c ruc i form idea must have occurred t o everybod y ,

s cie ntic arch i tects or not o n the ins ide o f any Basilica du ri ng
,

se rvice . For at such times as the y are described in the

,

A postolic C o nstitutio ns ( see p the C hurches m ust have

.

been lled w ith ranges o f seats which must have at once de ,

ned the cross form most decidedl y by t h eir central ga ng

w ays and by t h e tra nsept passage fo r crossi ng the church
betwee n nav e and cho i r or cho ir and sa nctua ry E verybod y
, .

w ill see th i s in a mome n t in any E nglish church In .

s impler cruci form plan s li k e that o f the beauti ful chapel o f

,

Placidia at R avenna we shall see st i ll more easily that the

, , ,

i dea o f the memor i al chapel derived fro m the catacombs , ,

may have had its share in the cruc i form transitio n A s yet .
,

we are th i nk i ng o f this cha nge as the g reat E as tern or

Byzanti ne e ffo rt o f C hri stian art proclai mi ng as i t did a new
,

p o w er o f arc h itectural i n ve n tio n a n d gi v i ng promise to t he

,

fast decayi ng empire that somet h i ng o f her scie n ce and

ac h ieveme nt should be preserved through wreck in C h ristia n ,

h a nds . I have no objectio n to the term R e naissance ; bu t the

th ing bega n w ith the By za nti ne art which the R e naissa nce s o ,

m uch despises ; at least w hich a large clas s o f scholars and

,

du nces poets and poetasters pai nters and d i letta ntes all
, , ,

conscien tiousl y th i nk they have a right to despise A rt .

bega n to draw new li fe from C hristia ni t y in the E astern

m etropolis of the C hristia n C hurch with the great c on ,

s tructive ideas wh i ch it pleased the D i v i ne Wisdom t o grant

th e rst C hr i sti an emperor and t he still m ight y m en he

,

g a th e red ro u nd h im .T h e R e n ai ss a n c e is reall y C h ris t ian ,

and bega n w i th C onsta nti ne whe n the Fa i th began its o f ci al

,

w ork fo r the w orld .

Whether i ts m ental rudi m ent came fro m the i nside or ou t

s ide o f the church there c an be no doubt of th e i nterior
,

impress i o n o f the dom e and cross plan - -

Once bu i lt t h e
.
,
 THE C R OS S A N D D OM E . 22 1

s weepi ng horizo n and grad ually soari ng e ffect must have told
o n w orshippers and spectators alike ; and the four perspectives

o f the n aves in al most an equal degree Perhaps th ere ma y .

not be m uch i nterest in a nal ysi ng the idea o f height or ,

co nsideri ng why places look very lo fty and why they some ,

times do not produce the e ffect they really ought I believe .

,

if they are to receive a great impressio n o f height o ne s c o n

c ept io ns m ust be added either by guidi ng li nes o n w hich o ne

soars or b y sta ndards of size with w hich o ne compares

, , .

Pro fessor R uski n told us t we nty years ago that the onl y , ,

way t o approach th e no tio n o f the si z e of a Sw iss mou nta i n

is to cou nt th e blue fri nge o f pi nes o n some upw ard slope ,

follow them down to th ose o n the nearer foreg rou nd be neath ,

co nsider their multitude and appare nt small ness and then , ,

sta ndi ng u nder the nearest to co nsider that each o f the most ,

di s tan t is a great forest tree also That is calculati ng height .

b y a sta ndard and it certai nly as sists the eye and the mi nd
,

very much T he n for leadi ng li nes E very la ndscape pai nter

. .

k nows especially all stude nts of Tur ner k now that to give
the n ot i on o f height in a mou ntai n the curves o f its dra wi ng ,

must be kept gentle and gradual and that t o exaggerate its

steep ness really d warfs it The art ful or rather natural u se .
, ,

o f easy slopes and so ft curves leads the e y e up w ards s o that ,

the mi nd feels an d pursues the lo ng ascent i nstead o f sh ut ,

ti ng up as th e body w ould have to do at the foot of an

,

,

impossible perpe ndicular E xaggerat i o n is bathos eve ry

'

w here particularly in mou ntai n steep ness

, It m u st be some .

parallel cause w hich gives the dome that upward sw eep in our
visio n w hich perpe ndicular li nes never attai n One seldo m .

looks directly up w ard s and w he n one does the perpendicular ,

falls i nto perspective and h eight va n ishes at a va n ishi ng

,

poi nt .

It does no t seem that the idea o f the cupola was ta ke n

direct from the circular temple s o much as fro m the great ,

vaulti ngs o f R oma n baths They must have bee n the w ork .

See also th e remark s on th e S p i h Ch p

an s a e l, Sta M . . M orni ngs in
N o vel a, l
Flo enc e N o I V a c ompa ed wi th the D u om
r , . .
, s r o. E xce l lent observations also
in F ee man Sk e tc h ; as to p pe p i ng of a ch es from c ol u mns, and pers pec

r s es ro r s r r

ti e g and
v r as p efe able t the gi gant ic
eu r r r o .
222 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

ing examples and the Pa nt heo n w hatever it was o rigi nally

, ,

mean t to be is their central t y pe T h e arch i tectural transi

, .

sitio u from G reek throu g h o ld R oma n and ne w R oma n to

,

G othic is through the rou nd arch to the poi nted arch or as

, , ,

b uilders say from horizo ntal t o vertical pri nciples

,
T here .

s eems no doubt abo u t th i s part o f the progress o f o ne sty le

i nto the other The adoptio n o f the dome led to the verti cal
.

s tyle because it made the eye mou n t spirall y up w ards i nstead ,

o f ru nn i ng alo ng friezes and col um ns i nto horizo n tal per

s p e c t iv e s .Steep ness o f a ngle in itsel f gives no greater im

pressio n o f h eight or subli mity tha n is prod uced by the actual
o verha ngi ng terror o f a sheer do w n w all or precipice -
That is .

great but its e ffect depe nds o n terror : the mi nd does no t rise
,

w ith it you are rather crushed b y it and get from u n der it

, , ,

or from its bri nk or copi ng But as far as li ne c an raise the

.

eye and the feeli ngs it does so b y the soari ng e ffect o f great
,

spirals T h i s term soari ng is used so o fte n about the dome

.

because i t is si mply and accuratel y descriptive o f its e ffect .

A nybod y wh o happe ns ever to have w atched the ight o f

so me larg e and po wer ful bird s o f the ha wk or eagle ki nd

may best u ndersta nd the e ffect prod uced by the spirals o f

s aili ng w ith supreme domi n io n t hrough the

their asce nt ,

a z ure elds of air T h e great whi te N orw ay falco n obtai n s
.

its name o f gy re falcon from its vast circular s weeps in risi ng

-

above its prey N o w th is is exactly the e ffect prod uced o n

.

th e ey e by th e i nterior o f a grea t dome risi ng in perspective ,

li ne bey o n d li ne and ri ng beyo nd ri ng It will be see n h ow .

th e horizontal parallelism o f circles s o far above the ey e at

di ff ere nt h ei gh ts passes i nto vert i cal sweeps of as ce nt One .

s ees all the i nner rings o f a dome in pe rspective as a great

s piral
. A nd it is thus that the By z a nti n e sty le p reservi ng its ,

stro ngly marked corn ices and eve n h ori zo ntal li nes o f e ntab
laturo (which it sometimes bends up i nto arches) nevertheless ,

prepares the way fo r the uprushi ng Gothic wh ich N orth ern ,

woodme n o f the woods brought from their pi ne and beech

forests . For the G oth i c temple li k e a greater b uildi ng w as
, ,

fou nd in the w oo d and though it co ntai n the lesso ns o f

Greece and R ome has nevertheless its o w n i ndel ible character

, ,

See p
. 8 5, su
p ra.
 2 24 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

all the three a rts ali k e B ut fo r the one great w o rk whi c h

.

trul y may be c alled G othic becau se it was do ne b y O stro ,

gothic mandate it can best be des cri bed h ere and m y ow n

, ,

memory ca nnot let it pas s it is u nli k e all other buildi ngs o n

t h is earth and L o rd L i nds ay s accou nt o f i t is better tha n

,

most descript i o ns I have m e t w ith in the course o f about ,

forty ve years readi n g

-

T h e sepulchre o f T heodo ric the Got h was raised t o h is

m emo ry at R aven na b y h is dau g hter A malasu ntha I k no w .

few mon ume nts so i nteres ti ng and it is highl y pictures q ue ,

e xternall y an at t ra c t i o n whi ch that o f Placidia w a nts

, T he .

bod y o f the structure i s rou nd and elevated high in t h e ,

air o n a dec a g o nal basem e nt support ed b y circu lar arches , ,

no w lled nearly t o th e so f t w ith w ater ; the i nterior is

lighted by small Im p holes on l y ; the sarcop h agus is gon e ;
-

the roo f is of one sol i d stone o r rather roc k h ollow ed i nto the
, ,

s hape o f a cupola and dropped as if fro m heave n

, three feet
th ick more t h a n th i rty in diameter and weighi ng t wo hu ndred
, ,

to ns the b road r i ngs or loops by w hich i t w as lo wered j utti ng

,

o u t externall y li k e ragg ed battleme nts h avi ng never been

, ,

c h i s elled a way T he w hole b u ildi ng t hough not large h as a

.
, ,

ru gged crag gy etern al cha racter about it ; w eeds tu ft them

, ,

s elves amo ng the maso nry an d the breeze dallies w i th them

, ,

as o n the mou nta i n side ; and the sce n e is nearly as lo nely .

T his monume nt t h ough u nquestio nabl y o f R oma n maso nry

, ,

is the sole relic o f what alone c an pretend to the title o f

Gothic arch itect u re A nd most em i ne ntly characteristic it
.

is o f th e i ndomitable races of the N orth ; o ne w ould thi nk

m e n feared t hat neither A laric no r T heod oric could be hel d
dow n in their graves except b y a r i ver rolli ng over o ne
, ,

and a m ou nta in oppressi ng the other

"
.

T hose who buried A laric in th e bed of the B u s e nt inu s

ma y i ndeed have felt some such fear ; but he w as a far
w ilder and less reclaimed G oth than T h eodoric and more ,

tha n a ce ntu ry i nterve nes betw een them N e v e rt h e .

less the fear lest some gri m k i ng should rouse agai n

,

see m s to have bee n felt very w idely A ntar the A rab was .
, ,

covered b y a mi ghty cairn o f s to nes l est he sho u ld brea k

,

Th eod ric d i ed 5 2 6 Alari c the year after the sack of R ome in 4 1 0

o , .
 THE C R OSS A N D D OM E . 225

through and this was c ertai n l y the obj ect o f th e C eltic

C an the Pyramids
"
and N orth ern barrows . sa ys L ord
,

L i ndsa y
, and th e mi ghty mou nds o f A sia M i nor origi nate ,

thus in fear of Vampirism

,

O u r next must be a chapter o f tra nsitio ns N orthe rn and

,

Southern exte rn al and i nternal from th e g reat e ntablature

, ,

t o R oma nes q ue arcades ; from lo w pitched roo fs to high and

-
,
.

co nse que ntly from rou nd to poi nted ; from masonry in th e

han ds of masons to masonry in the hands o f woodme n and
,

smiths ; from E ast R oma n or We st R oma n to L ombard o r

,

U ltramo ntane .
 C HA PT E R VI I .

T R A N SI T I O N S .

WE have seen the rudime nt of the cruci form church in the

C h alcidice or tra nsept o f th e origi nal Basilica with its ce ntral ,

ap s e beyo nd and have not i ce d ho w the cruci form idea o nc e ,

sta rted was glo riousl y realised

,
b y the co nstructive c once p ,

tio ns of architects employed by Co nsta nti ne himsel f i nto the ,

fou rfold nave w h i ch has bee n roughl y no t quite i ncorrectly

, , ,

c alled t h e fourfold Basilica and its ce ntral dome It w ill be ,

.

s ee n and ma y bear repetitio n th at as L ord L i nds ay poi nts

, , ,

o ut the cross form is rea ll y the i nve ntion o f the E astern or

,
-

By zanti ne C hurch though not in what we c all an advanced

,

B yz anti ne age The deca y o f construct ive art had not set
.

in and th e R o mans were nearl y as g ood engi neers as ever ;

,

but they or their Gree k carvers w ere at this time losi ng al l

, ,

sc ulptures q u e pow er and the deco rative part o f architecture

,

was c o nse q uentl y getti ng q uite barbarous T his g reat mod i .

cation and i mprovemen t in church buildi ng w as made w ith -

the last strength of Imperi al R ome and th e rst strength o f

th e Ch ri st ian E mp i re It is the rst achieveme nt o f the }

T he Chu h rc of th e H ol y A p
ostles at C ons tantino pl e is stated to have been
the rst example of a c urc h h built in form of a C ro ss, w t ih d ome over inter
sec ting transe t p .
T exier and P ullan, Byz antine A rch itectu re, p . 1 2. Eu se b ius

h
t us speak s of it T he E m peror erec ted a c urc h h in C ons tantino pl e to th e
memory of the Twelve A ostles p
T he walls were covered wi th marb le from .

pavement to roof ; th e nave was ceiled ; and the d om e, as well as th e roof,

was covered wt i h plates brass Constantine
of . h is tomb to be erec ted
caused
in the centre
f the church (und er the d ome)
o , in th e m ds t of twd ve ot eri h
monuments , which he had erected in the l
form of c o umns , ia honour of th e
'
'

A po tl s es .

This is p i ly
s ec al i
interes t ng, and we must return to it for it no t
2 28 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

anoth er nearly e q ual to th eir own hei ght and havi ng a very ,

lo ng e ntabl at u re which in co nse q ue nce req uired to be su p

,

port ed in the c entre b y an a rch spri nging fro m pie rs T his .

was in fact merel y a sc ree n o f G re e k arch i tect ure colum ns ,

and ho riz on tal arc hi trave stuck in fron t of E tru ria n rou n d
,

arch es I t was very use ful l o ok ed rich and po werful and

.
, ,

made arch i tects begin to calculate the strength o f their

supports for the mass es they meant to rest o n arcades B ut .

it poi nted to a di mi n ution o f th e spi rit o f red u nda nt stre ngt h ,

o f sacri c e to the idea of endless perma ne nce and such ,

feeli ng as has be e n described as co nveyed b y th e Parthe no n

and the co l u m ns i n stead o f doi ng their work easily and as if
,

they mea nt to d o it for ever rather prete nded to do w or k ,

they did not do T hen they had to be as tall as the top o f

.

the arches and p i ers behi nd which did th e real w ork or the
, ,

entablature w ould have c ut ac ross in front o f th e said arches

s o the pillars had to be set o n pedestals ; w hich was quite

u n H elle nic and made them too evide ntly or na m e ntal q u ite
-
, ,

putti ng colum ns in the place o f statues and a nticipati ng the ,

mode rn mad ness o f de corati ng architecture w ith imitatio ns

o f other architecture A better step w as t o have projecti ng
.

k e ysto nes in the arches But the R oma ns never could.

h armo nize w hat w as in fact tw o constructio ns i nto a c o n

structio n and its ornamentatio n ; and it was quite clear the
discorda nc e bet wee n the decorative entablature in fro nt and
the co nstructive or w orki ng arches behi nd would have to be
got rid o f Which was to g o
. T h e piers held up the arches ,

the colum ns held up the e ntablature ; there w ere these four

parts Could not the col um ns be put in the place o f the
. .

piers if the entablature were got rid of or acco m modated

, ,

to the arches ? T he n there w ould no t be all the w eight on

the lo ng cornice between each pair o f pillars So a fter ma ny .
,

trials and expedie nts the y took the pillars dow n from thei r
,

pedestals i ncreased their relative strengt h and put them

, ,

u nder the arches i nstead o f piers ma k i ng the arches spri ng

d irect from thei r capitals The e ntablature w as reduced and
.

ran alo n
g the top o f the w all above th e arc h es like a project
ing cornice So it is in D iocletia n s palace hall at Spalato
.

-

and there too at o ne e nd o f the build i ng the e ntablature is

, , ,
 T R A N SI T I ON S . 2 29

itsel f ben t i nto the form of an arch and springs from o ne ,

g reat colum n to a n ot h er over the door o f the hall .

T his co nstructio n ought to be u nderstood and traced to its

origi n ; because we see it eve ry day in church and secular
buildi ng alike and because of the ma ny noble and beauti ful
exa mples o f all its tech nical variatio ns at all d at es and t o ,

suit all needs It will be scarcel y too much to ask my readers

.

to thi nk of a se ries o f rou nd arches on piers i nclosed by ,

sq uare li n tels resti ng o n pillars in fro nt in any order they ,

like G reek or R oma n Ionic D oric Cori nthia n C omposite or

, , , , , ,

Baro q ue and they w ill all be able to see in their m i nd s ey e

the adva ntage of getti ng rid ei ther o f the arch piers or the
l i ntel colum ns so as to have a good stro ng ra nge o f arches
,

w ith a co rn ice or stri ng course above w het her suppo rted o n -

,

m assive piers or st u rdy pillars .

I t reall y is a great adva ntage and it reall y c an be gai ned b y ,

practice in the study o f all or any o f the three art s to be able ,

to see thi ngs for o nesel f w ithout illustratio ns I k no w the y , .

are very n ice and ge nerally necessary b ut mu ch may be

,

do ne without them by e ffort o f the mi nd Fe rgu s so n s A rc/t i .

tectu re co ntai ns all that c an h e w a nted and re fere nce to it is ,

very eas y ; w ith D A g inc o u rt and Parker he is su fcient But

, .

those w ho w ish to see the typical varieties o f the arcade best

illustrated o n co nstructive pri nciple had better loo k at the
Stones of Venice vol i chap xii pp I 39 I 4O,
. I k no w no
. . . .
, .

better or brie fer view o f the di fferent pri nciples C lass ical , ,

Byza nti ne R oma nesque and Gothic o f put t i ng a heavy load

, , ,

o n piers or pillars I t is the co nverse acco u nt t o Mr

. .

F e rg us son s w hich begi ns histo ricall y from the class ical

,

arcades pillars e ntablature piers and arches together and

, , , , ,

shows how the co nstru ctio n w as simplie d down to pillars

and arch es . Pro fessor R uski n begi ns as the b u ilder w ould
begi n his w ork b y setti ng up the pi llars rst and the n
, ,

i llustrati ng the di fferent me t hods o f su perimpositio n or ,

putti ng on the weight in the stro ngest and most compact

m anner . Both agree as to the mai n fact that pillars and ,

arch pi e rs togeth er are u nsatis factory becau se o ne of the two

-
,

must evide ntly be stro ng e nough to carry the w all and roo f ,

and the n the othe r m ust i nfallibl y look in the way T o pu t .

2 3o GR E E K A N D G O T H I C .

Pro fessor R uski n s d isti nction o f forms and pri n cipl es as

shortly as possible it seems to am o u n t t o this

,

I n the C lassical form or the Palladia n w hi ch is R ena i ssan ce

, ,

Classical the c e ntral pillar is bold and s trong and pretty w ell
, ,

able to c arry th e w all witho u t t h e arc h es It puts in a claim .

t o do the whole w ork and doe s not d o it ; w h i ch is in fa c t

, , ,

the fault poi nted o u t by ou r o ther au tho ri ty .

I n the pu re B y za nti ne co ns truct ion and in t h e Itali an ,

R o m an es q ue you have s trong p illa rs and arch es and a w all

, ,

u po n them . T his is best you see j u st h ow t hi ngs are do ne ,

and the re is no mistake abo ut the wo rk .

But you may thi nk th at the p re ss u re of the wall above if ,

heavy w ill be t oo m uch for the arc hes I n that c ase yo u will
, .

rest a s mall pillar on each c apit al and have an upper ra nge ,

o f c ol u m ns in the w all s o as to c arry the w ei g ht o f t he roo f

,

d irect to the m ai n s hafts

T his form strong pilla rs be low
.

and lighte r p i lla rs o n t he ir heads w ith a c o rni ce strengthe n

, ,

ing the wall up t o the roo f is the p u res t N orth e rn Go t h ic ,

fou nd chiey in E arly E ngl i sh and als o in L o m ba rd ic , .

O r yo u may carry y ou r s mal l u pper pillar d own to the

g rou n d in fro n t o f the m a i n sha ft div i di n g th at in t wo
, Y o u .

may i nc re ase its real o r appare nt s ize so as to m ake it a ,

s ol id co lum n in fro nt o f the arch p i e rs and so return to the -

,

Classical C o mpo site arcade O r yo u may c arry it down in a

-
.

slighter fo rm and gro up it w ith the two sides o f the m ai n

,

sha ft in w hich case you exempli fy the general Fre nch Gothic
and Fre nch R om an esq ue p ri nc i p le as s ho wn in g reat p u rity ,

at Va le nc e . A nd as these s mal l s h afts are ge ne rall y

N orthern and c o nnected w ith stee p v a u lted roo fs they are ,

c alled vault ing s haf ts .

L et us see h ow far we have got in o u r t rans iti o n histor y -

fro m th e Gre e k ho ri z ont al arc hitec t u re to wards the Go t hic

vertical li nes I n the rst place we have had a goo d de a l
.
,

abou t the soari ng gyre s and spirals and th e up wa rd te ndenc y ,

o f the pe rspec tives o f the dom e I n t he n ext p lace away

.
,

from the d ome and all alo ng ou r na v es we h ave so far b ro ke n ,

u p cornices and e ntablatu res th at o u r c hie f ho ri z ontal

p e r

s pe c t ive is now the lo ng order o f co l u m ns drilled l i k e t h e

,

l egion s o rder ed li ne and c onve yi ng t he st ro ngest ideas o f
,
2 32 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

n orth wards and Saxons beg an to b u ild more

,
and

at h ome became fourfold o r cruci form Mea nwhile th e higher .

latit u de s also involved highe r roo fs T h ere was so much more .

N orth ern rai n or s now to th ro w off t h at th e ou ts ide o f the ,

c hurch h ad to be put in t he most weath er proo f shape th e -

builders co uld thi nk of H en ce th e lo fty roo fs and th e

.
,

sq uare or pol ygon al

,
or c y li nd rical to wer r o o fs
, ru nni ng up -
,

t o higher ridges o r poi nts in a word th e Sp ires H en ce a lso ,

.

the b uttress es without resisti ng the th rust o f the high roo f ,

and le a ding the eye u pwards without allowi ng it to escape ;

and he nce all the varieties o f dripsto ne co rnice ; hen ce p in

nac le s to peg the roo f th r ust do w n t o the w all and all the
-
,

complications o f roo f d rai nage w hich fou nd space fo r all th e

-
,

Goth ic l aughter A nd

o f q uai nt gutters and gu rgoyles .

people whose hearts did as pire towards heaven and who had , ,

as I hope we all have unscientic notio ns and hopes o f a ,

d welli ng in or beyond th e heavens naturally invested the u p ,

rushi ng li nc s outside and i nside with the idea o f gazi ng up

, ,

i nto he ave n and desiri ng to asc en d thither w here the L ord

, ,

asce nded . E xa c tl y in th e sa m e way c enturies be fore those , ,

w hose mi nds were fu ll o f assoc i atio ns o f th e C ross had see n

the cru ci form desig n in th e tra nsept o f the Bas ili ca So also .
,

no doubt R ol f and R eg ner or G urth and Wamba may have

, , ,

thought of their forest glades in m i nster aisles remembered

h ow they had o fte n bou nd poles together for gables of wo od
la nd shelter ; or noticed the i ntersectio n o f rou nded arch es ,

and so hit o ff t he poi nted form in sto ne ; especiall y as it was

s o w ell ad apted to high p i tched roo ng A vast system o f

-
.

sy mbolism grew in a natural w ay out of vertical architecture

, ,

but the buildi ng preceded and c aused the sy mbolism though ,

o f course that reacted on it in its turn We c an hardl y sup .

pose that the Germa n Got hi c mi nd had any qualities o f-

relig i ou s aspiration which G i otto s and A ngelic o s d id not

possess or that as Mr R usk i n puts it The early C hristia n s

, .
,

were not q uite as h eave nly m i nded whe n they built basilica s -
, ,

or cut co nchas out o f the catacomb as were ever the N orma n ,

barons or mo nks .

T hese the n w ere the steps architecturally speaki ng o f the , ,

Fo th ese and the

r d i menta y f ms ee D Aginco rt A h ol i pl xl i
o r ru r or , s
'
u ,
rc . v . v. . v .
 T R A N SI T I ON S . 2 33

G rac co Goth i c
-
progress from horizontal to vertical Withi n .

the church the e ntab lature was bro k e n up and th e Wi ll sup ,

ported on the capitals of th e pillars (This i nvolved the use .

o f the horseshoe arch the stilted arch an d other m eats o f ad , ,

d it io n al height ) The e ntablature van ished and the au lt ing

.
,
r

sha fts bega n to lead th e eye to the roo f or to high vind ows ,

and th e light be neath it Ou t of doors the roo f iself was .

consta ntl y brought to a lo ftier ridge and buttress es c d right ,

.

up to it Both withi n and without the horiz onta separat ion

'

o f stories w as less and less m ar k ed ; and eve rwhere th e

poi nted arch took the place of the rou nd .

A s fo r examples I thi nk only a few great h is tric al o nes

, ,

w hich co nnect st yles or mark the tra ns fere nce o f style from
,

one cou n tr y to a nother need be mentio ned hre such as , ,

those alread y described or S Vitale at R avenn and Galla , .

, ,

Placidia s Chapel w hich are our next step ; th rone as the

, ,

connecti ng limb betw ee n the Catacom b Chapel ad the C ru

e i form Church ; the oth er St Vitale as in al robability ,
.
,

co nnecti ng E astern w ith Western architecture Sh arle s and ,

Otho w ith C o nsta nti nople A ache n w ith R ave nr For the ,
.

rest Park er s Glos sary of A rchitectu re co ntai ns sh t essays on

,

c

all the sty les and their transitio ns w ith ample lis o f E nglish ,
'

examples Onl y let all w ho go to Fra nce be Pro fessor

.

R uski n s words in mi nd fo r stud y of the rou nd ch and its

, ,

transitio n i nto poi nted .

The w hole great Fre nch school o f rou nded c hitec tu re ,

he says has origi n in the rich co nditio ns of s c u lu re which

, , ,

risi ng rst out o f i m itatio ns o f the R oma n bas re fs covered -

,

all the fa cades o f the Fre nch early ch urches win one c o n
t in u o u s arabesque o f floral or a n imal li fe I f D u w a nt to .

stud y rou nd arched buildi ngs do not go to D u am but go

-
, ,

t o Poitiers T he n trace this architecture fo rwarin C e ntral

.

F ra n ce u ntil j ust at the mome nt o f t ra nsitio n i nt he Poi nted

, ,

style you have the co nsummate type of the sc uzu re o f the

,

school gi ve n you in the w est front of the th ed ral o f .

Chartres Fi nally he re fers to A miens in pac u lar to i ts

.

, ,

south tra nsept door and to the transepts o f R o n Cathedral

,
:
,

as c u lmi nati ng examples of the perfected Got A ll are .

T he T wo P aths , L ec t . I . pp .

33 4 1 .
234 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

ac c es s ilie b y photog raph and s o i ndeed are all thos e I h ave

,

re fe rred t o . I n the pu re Go thic the Gre co R o man t ype s are

,
-

absorbel and va ni sh ; th e re re ma i ns o nl y t he vital pr i nciple

vi ng nature for s u bj
o f o b s er ect and g u i da nc e in all o rnamen t .

It is s td y by di fferent m i nds and eyes and heart s and tastes ,

but Gretlts or G oth s ali k e l ooked with o u t and aroun d them

for t he le sutifu l Got hi c s c ul pt u re howe ve r i s q u ite bey o n d
.
, ,

ou r rangc and we h ave not c o me yet to suc h as may have

,

appe ared n the earl i er B as ilicas and m ore frequently in ,

se p u lc h ralzh urc h es .

G alla P lc id ia, A ug u sta,

as wi fe of C onstant i us I I I ( made
'

A u g u stus y H o nori us) pr is o ne r o f A la ri c and his successor ,

A t au lph u shad h ad her fu ll share of trouble s in this w orld I t .

might be iteres ting to compa re h er di s tresses with thos e o f

Claudia o rP u d entiana H er m is fo rtu nes terrors and temp
.
, ,

t at ions mu:h ave bee n a cu rio us co nvers e or reverse o f thei rs .

T he em pi : was C h ris tian in h er d ay ; but it was h ard t o

k now wha a C hri stian e mpire me ant ; and h arder yet to
k now wh aC hris tianity was She was long Vic e E mpres s o f
.
-

the Wes t ad s he was mo re likel y to be te mpted t o o p press

,

o thers on att e rs o f fa i th th an t o su ffe r for i t he rsel f L ike .

the c ert a h onourable matron to wh o m S Joh n wri tes

.
,

she and h fo rt unes ma y almost be t aken as s y mbol i c o f the

Western ( u rc h o f he r time A new form o f te rror press ed
.

o n the Ch c h ; not fro m th e E mp i re but t hrough t he E mp i re , ,

fo r the C h c h was now hersel f I mpe ri al and s hare d wit h all

'

, ,

its soc i al rd er the terro rs o f the G ot h ic ons et Pl acid ia s

, .

li fe c ove rt he i nterval betw ee n A lari c and A ttila ; and no

ru ler o f I ty and probabl y bu t few p rivate pe rsons o f th at
,

day can ill have li ved otherwis e t h an in te rror and distress

, .

I t is possle th at s he did p ay to o e xclu s i v e atte ntio n to

C h urch ti ters fo r a s ec u lar E mpress Sh e m ust hav e .

been like iany ot hers at t hat t i m e incli ned to des pai r o f ,

the v is iblvorld and th e way of it t o leave th e combat o f ,

a ffairs at pass away i nto the silent l i fe

, I n th ose d ays .

people c aes tly and lo ngi ngly believed in and contemplat e d

the L o rd Co ming th e ea rth havi ng so g reat n eed o f H im

, .

But there no doubt that her as cetic or mo nastic vie w of life

did mak eh e E mpres s i ntolera nt in matters o f faith ; and
 2 36 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

re gu lar c a nals and is now fairly stra nded fo r ever A glan ce

, .

at the map w ill sh o w how the t wo c iti es R ave nna and Ve n ice , ,

lie no rth and south o f th e river Po in t racts o f marsh w hich ,

are still bei ng gradually raised and added to b y the depo sits

o f streams less po w er ful tha n the great ce nt ral river A ll the .

w ate rs o f L ombardy co nvey to the A driatic v ast masses o f the

ner sediment w ashed from the sides o f the Souther n A lps ,

and to th is co nti nual buildi ng fo rward o f the coast are due the

peculiar sce ne ry and phe nome na o f the L agu nes

I t is .

enough for us to k now as Pro fessor R uski n says , that ,

from the mouths o f the A dige to those o f the Piave there

s tretches at a va riable dista n ce o f from three to ve miles
,

from the act ual shore a ba n k o f sa nd di v ided i nto lo ng

, ,

isla nds by narrow ch a nnels o f sea The space bet ween this .

bank and the true shore co nsists o f the sedime nta ry deposits
from these and other rivers a great plai n o f cal careous mud
,

sometimes co nsolidated by art and sometimes by time , ,

i nto grou nd rm e nough to be built upo n or fruit ful e nough ,

t o be cu lt ivat T h e ri s e o f the soil is best u nde rstood by

the appeara nce o f th e other great sepulchral mo n ume nt o f
R ave nna th e tomb o f Theo doric a b ove described w here the
, ,

g r eat ra ng e o f arches a nd piers w hich form the lo

, w er story ,

are now lled up to the so f ts o f the arches w ith the spo ngy
earth or at leas t w ere so in 1 8 7 1 The a ncie nt har bour o f
, .

l ag u nes o f R ave nna w here they are not occupied by the

,

Pi neta are no w w avi ng w ith vi nes and I ndia n corn and in

, ,

the hot May ni ghts all the earth and air are starred with
glow worm s or re ies rich w ith the full night sce nt o f the
- -
,
-

grape ow e r and vocal w ith po wer ful frogs

-
, .

T h e tomb o f Plac i dia is almost a G reek cross and must

,

h ave bee n b uilt b e fore 4 5 0 It is in fact a R oma n cella .

, ,

m e morize ; but the circular form is aba ndo ned fo r the cruci
form w hich gives it its great ar c hitectural i n terest
, It re .

sembles in some poi nts a cubiculum o f subterranea n R ome

, , ,

at the i ntersect i o n o f t wo am b ulacra or galleries Three .

limbs o f the c ross make room for three sarcophagi They .

are those o f the E mpress and her brother and so n the E m

?

p e ro rs H o n orius an d Vale n ti n ia n an d remai n in their, places .

T h e b ody o f P lacidia could be seen w ithi n her tomb till some

 T R A N S I T I ON S . 2 37

years s i nce whe n a n umber o f idle choir boys were allowed

,
-

to i ntroduce a lighted candle to sho w it which soo n caugh t ,

and co nsumed the dust o f the daughter o f T heodosius H ow .

edi fyi ng is the revere nt care o f th e C hurch o f R ome for

antiqu i ty ! The rest of the little temple only thirty ve by ,
-

thi rt y i nternall y is take n up by its ce nt ral altar and choirs

, .

There is a plan in Fe rgu s s on s A rchitectu re vol i p 4 38 (as

, . . .

also o f the tomb o f Theodoric and S Vitale) and all these , .

,

are descri b ed and illustrated more fully by D A ginc o urt I t

seems as if the cruci fo rm idea in Placidia s church had been

derived from the catacom bs and this may be conrmed by ,

the church s co ntai ni ng o ne o f the fe w Go od Shepherds to be

'

fou nd in mosai c or above grou nd It has bee n observe d

, .

h ow strangely and sudde nly the use o f this ch ie f and earli es t

o f all forms o f s y m bo lic C hristia ni t y w as d i sco nti nued in

the basilicas though still repeated or retai ned in th e cata

,

comb s But in this small sepulchral church not a bas ilica at

.
,

all but a roo f on solid walls and as stro ng as a catacomb

, , ,

the Good Shepherd appears in bright mosaic w ith disti nct ,

resembla nce t o earlier pictures o f the same subject and of the ,

m ystic O rpheus fou n d in the C allix t ine ce metery}

G reat i nterest attaches to J usti nia n s rou nd church o f S

Vitale at R ave nna

It was the rst Byza nti ne dome built in
.

I tal y and the light ness and elega nce o f its design with the
, ,

i mpo rt a nt subjects and extraordi nary beauty o f its decora

tio n made it u nrivalled in the Western world among churches
,

o f its class Builders in earlier times seem ge nerall y to have

.

felt this particularly in the time o f Charles the G reat

, He .

certai n l y copied it for his ow n tomb at A achen and ma ny ,

architects adopt its ideas in co nstructi ng circular b uildi ngs .

M r Fergusso n calls it rather R oma n tha n Byza n ti ne and

.
,

says that it is built on the pla n of the T emple o f Mi nerva

Medica at R ome L ike that and the Pa ntheo n its pla n d is
.
, ,

plays the i nco nven i e nce (as far as appeara nces go) o f a portico

Good Shephe d i u pposed t be n f th tw l fth centu y

T he lates t r s sin o o e o e e r

th C am po Sant f Pi a R ha lt d Fl e y L E a g il P lanch e 7 2 ol ii

e o o s . o u e ur , v n c, , v . .

3
T h be st and fulle t ac co nt gl o i ously illust rated
e s f th anc i nt b ild ings
u , r , o e e u

and mosai cs of R a e nna i th at by A vF n Quas t D ie A lt C ha tlic hen

s . . vo ,
~

B a w h in R avenna B erli n f l :8 42 See also F eman Sket h s

u er e , ,
o . . re s c e .
 2 38 GR E E K A N D G OTHIC .

or atri u m st uck on to a circ u lar bu i ldi ng and deprivi ng its ,

c u rves o f t he i r s weep and aplom b I t s dome is but small .

c o mpared wi th the grand exte nt o f t h e ot h ers and d oes not ,

d i splay the beau ti fu l sc i enc e of the bu i lder of M i nerva Medi ca ,

in p utt i ng h is b u tt resse s e x actl y where t h e y ought to be and ,

in such ad mi rable proport io ns o f strength S Vitale is no t . .

sc ientically do med but the excelle n ce o f its material has ,

caused i t t o s tand th e we ar and tear o f thi rtee n ce nturies ,

with the prot ectio n o f a w oode n roo f .

The vault is built ent i rel y w i th ba k ed w i ne jars or amphorae -

,

the poi nt or ta i l of one tt i ng i nto th e ope n mouth o f the

oth er I n the u pri gh t walls o f th e dome t he y are si mpl y
.

amphora e ; in the vault o f the c upol a a spec i al k i nd o f vess el ,

l i ke a chim ney pot wi th the tail of a s q u i rt has b ee n re sort e d

-
,

t o and the whole t h i ng has stood li k e a ro c k ever si nce it w as

,

ni s hed Th i s i s a commo n expedient in th e E ast t o t he

.

present day I well remembe r how th e l i ght battlements

'

to t he house ro o fs of T ibe r i as and elsewh ere (c omm an ded

-

D e ut x xii 8 ) were bu i lt w i th hollow cy li nders li k e drai n

. .
3

t iles or with actu al croc k eryw are ; and how pl e asi ng t h e

,

e ffe c t al ways was ! A s an employme nt of special mater i al

i t is ad mi rabl e but the aons tructive sk i ll of th e ear li er bu ilde rs
,

had left the work me n o f N e w R ome N everthel ess in .

,

b u ildi ng S Vi tale the By z anti nes or N eo R omans hal f

.
,
-
,

E astern as th ey w ere gave an i mpo rta nt less o n to all ,

E u rop e A nd noth i ng c an be m ore p i q ua nt and i nteresti n g

.
,

m ore subtl e and teas i ng better calculated to mak e w riters ,

q uarrel horr i bl y and readers wonder for wh at reason tha n

, ,

th e proc e ss of dist i ng uish i ng bet wee n th e E as te m clas si c al -

i nue nce and t he Wes te rn classical i nue nce in N orth er n -

E urope It is the same in pai nt i ng mos ai c sculpture and

.
, , ,

architect u re What and h ow much i ns truction did N iccol a

.

Pisa no get from th e cert a i n G reeks whom Vasari men

tions be fore he saw t h e C has e o f Meleager ? D id Cimabu e

,

learn a ny thi ng from B y za nt i nes ? or T a or T orrita or the ,

D iameter of external c ircle (or octagon) ne hundred feet that 0 intern o .

only ft y .

Wh en th ou build es t a n w hou e then thou shalt make a battlement
e s ,

f r thy o f th at th ou b i ng not blood pon thine house if any man fall fr m

o r o , r u , o
h
t ence .

2 4o GR E E K A N D GO THIC
had Gree k art follow ed the C hristian E mperor t o th e grave !
Over his empty t omb there y et ha ngs a huge chandelier th e ,

gi ft o f Freder i ck Barbarossa ; there are some re m nants of t he

mosaics and the colum ns he pro cu red from R avenna by gift
,

of H ad ria n I appear to be y et in s it zr H e had the idea o f a x

. c .

seco nd N ew R ome in his ow n land T o the w es t th e origi na l .

structure had a bold to wer li k e adj u n ct w i th twi n tow ers -

,

c ontai ni ng staircases I t is probable that Otho I I I built a

. .

lo ng tomb house for himsel f behi nd the altar and that th e

-
,

restorer or rebuilder in I 3 5 3 sk il fu lly connected bo t h , ,

buildi ngs Otho s grave remai n i ng in the ce ntre o f the n ew

,

eastern e nd .

T his church then co nnects C o nsta nti ne w i th C harles th e

, ,

G reat A nd D A gincou rt gi ves the grou nd pla ns o f tw o

.

drom i cal or oblong Bas i licas o f C harles s co nstructio n w hich

he j ustly admires from th eir gra nd classical simplici ty o f

desig n T h ey are in fact r eg ular ty pes o f the old three
.
, ,

aisled buildi ng with its circular apse T h e one is t he anc i e nt .

Basilica o f the H oly A postles in Florence me ntio ned by ,

Vasa ri in the P roem ia delle Vite ; th e o th er h as an i nte res t

for us as the church o f th e Vicus Sax on u m o r Saxo n q uarte r ,

at R ome and was situated o n the le ft o f t he C olon nade o f

,

S Peter s

. .

The age o f Charles th e G reat w as a momentous one fo r

E urope and is perhaps a fter all th e most co nvenie nt pe ri od
, , ,

at which to divide the classical age from the med ie val o r

rath er it closes the age of complete tra ns i tion By th e time
, .

o f h is death the bou ndaries o f the E astern and West er n

E mpire were determi ned ; and w ith far worse res ult eve n t o ,

our own days the Western hal f o f the C hurch was absolutel y
,

allied with the Pope agai nst th e E astern T he F ilioq u e c on .

t ro v e rsy was opened to complete the divisio n o f C hriste ndom

and the pol i c y o f the Italia n R ome eternal e n mity to th e

R ome o f C onst anti ne was full y establish ed A nother an d .
,

that the most formidable and ab i di ng o f all the waves o f ,

N orther n invasio n was brea k i ng over E urope to w ards the en d

o f the great E mperor s da y s T he N o rthme n were ha rry i ng

.

Saxo n and French coas ts ali k e ; they h ad perhaps already

D Aginc ol i p 4 ! A h p l xx

t our t 2 ; and 9 and I 3
,
v . . . rc . . v. .
 T R A N SI T I ON S . 2 41

reached o nsta nt i nople on the east as s tranger au x il i aries

C ,
-
,

Varinger or V arangians M ic k le garth they called it t h e

, , , ,

G reat City as T urk s and T artars in oth er day s and to thi s ,

u Bal m

day call it Stamboul
, , r iy t o the C ity H ow
, .

ever they entered the Mediterra nean I t is sa i d t o have

, .

distressed Charles in h i s latter day s to see their sea dragons -

there ; to kn ow in all probability that the labour o f his great

, ,

li fe would all pas s a way w ith his li fe to s ee o nl y or chiey , ,

the swords o f the N orthme n and the Sarace ns o nce more

shake n over such reco nstruction o f peace and law as he had
e ffected for E urope H e might partl y be a ware that t h e
.

Sarace ns w ere preservi ng secrets o f k no wledge for E u rope in

a fter time A man s o little capa b le o f selsh or m ea n motive
.
,

and so w idely des i rous o f the good o f all w hom he served

and ruled w ould have sh own less sorrow at the s i ght o f th e

,

D a nish rave ns in his R oman la k e if he h ad k nown that they,

w ere p recursors of the N orma n rule o f discipl i ne and thei r

grammatical orderi ng o f li fe in peace and war in m utual
, ,

fealty in law thought and la nguage

, , , H e m ight h ave fel t.

a certai n remorse for the destructio n of D esiderius and the

L ombard ki ngdom in th e quarrel o f the Popes had he k nown ,

ho w H adria n s s uccessors leagued w ith bot h N ormans and

'

Sarace ns w ould break th e yoke o f his emp i re on t h e eld of

,

Civitella A nd if i t has been permitted h i m to see (as it ma y

.

be to the redeemed and forgive n) what has followed from the

fatal divis i o n o f the C h urches ; how pap al I tal y has t wi ce
give n up C o n sta nt i nople t o ru i n ; and h ow all E urope has to
su ffer in our own days from the results o f the T urkish occ u
a t i n o f t h e E a s tern E mpire if Charles o n c the G reat
p o e , ,

is allowed t o be consc i ous o f all this in the rst p lace he is ,

assuredly com fort ed b y faith in the great e nd to God s glory

in th e next he may further rejoice in that i t was give n h im

,

w hile he lived to preve nt miseries and ev i ls w hi c h modern

civilisatio n cannot mitigate and in fact o nl y i ncreases , ,

by means of h er var i ous and i nfe rnal devices o f m utual

destruction .

T h e arts o f wall pa i nti ng and sculpture may be said to

-

h ave exp i red in C harlemag n e s days or rat h er sculpture was

alread y dead and t he last traces o f t h e old work in mosaic

,

R
24 2
GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

w ere vanis h i ng for the t i m e A rc h i tect ure was m aki ng the

,
.

r at t ran i t io n from R o m a n t o Germ an v au lti ng w h ic h t h e

g e s

c ath e d ral at A ac h e n s o admirab ly i ll u st rates The re m na nts

.

o f m osaic t h e re w ere p robably e xecuted b y G ree ks and ,

m osai c o rnam en t se em s to have bee n u se d not o nl y in ,

.

re m e m brance o f S Vitale but bec ause t h e an cie n t glories o f

.
,

C i h r sti a n h as relie f w e re utterly depart ed and no c l as si cal

-
,

s c u lptor w as le ft w ho could co ver a c o rni ce w ith h isto rica l

d es ign as no Goth had ye t ri s e n no rt h o f t h e A l ps to c arve

t he thou ghts o f his race u pon ch urch w alls O the rw is e if -
.
,

any m o nk art i st had bee n at th e E m pero r s c o u rt wh o in

-

he rite d any o f t h e scie nce o f t h e fo u rth ce nt u ry such as ,

produce d the sarc ophagi o f J u ni us Bassu s and o f Probus and

Proba the C hurch w o u ld hardly h ave allowed h er K aise r t o
,

be b u ri ed in marble ado rned w ith th e R ape o f Proserpi ne .

O n the other side the Alps the L o mbard sculpto rs had almo s t ,

t o a c ertai nt y b eg u n their w ork ; very di ffere n t i ndeed as w e ,

have so o ften said from the E astern or as c eti c Byzan ti ne

, .

T hey taught sculpture t o the N o rth in a fter days for th ey ,

chose the subjects all N orthmen u ndersto od T hey were .

e ssen tiall y smiths foresters and wood w orke rs ; and ac c o r

, ,
-

di ngly w oodcra ft came next after war and th at very clos ely ,

on th e heels o f religio n o n their great church fro n ts ,

-
.

Perhaps most o f us associate o ne feature in particular w i t h

I talia n L o mbard arch itectu re the great lions or griins w hi c h
-
,

s upport c olum ns in porches and fa cades T hese are no t .

,

ho wever simple combi natio ns o f woodcra ft w ith rel igi o n

, .

T he gri fn form had bee n k nown to c i vilisat i o n si nce N i neve h ,

s i nce earl y E yptia n d y nasties si nce Moses

g an d t h e for m s , ,

o r patterns s h o wn h i m in the Mou nt of God Whether it be .

tru e or not that the w ord Cherub or M ight y One is t h e , ,

s ame w ord at G r gri ffi or i magi ed compou d f lio s

yp s n n , n o n ,

might and eagle s w i ngs the L ombard arch itect sculpto rs

,
-

re created the s y mbol in their o wn w a

-
an d out o f their ow n
y
hu nter heads ; i nvest i ng i t all the t i m e wi th a sol e m n and
-

On th e c over of M r B ry ce s E hich all

. ssay on the H oly R oman E mpire, W
s tud e nts o f h istory well know , is the m age i p ip i
and su ersc r t on o f th e rst G rman
e

i
Ka ser or Ca aes r . I ts reverse is th e towers of Aac h en , wi th th e tOp of th e cu
pola
i ly ind ic ated beh ind
fa nt .
 P ART ll D E C OR A .

C H A PT E R VI I I .

L
M AT E R IA S A N D M OSAI C O R N AM E N T .

T HE w ord Basili ca is probab ly the bes t w hi c h co u ld h av e

be e n u se d t o head a sket c h o f the t ra n si t io ns o f C h risti an
archit e c t ure p ro pe r ly s o called
,
I t expres ses the fo rm o f t h e
.

e arlie s t Christia n churche s N othi ng has yet been said abo u t

.

t heir mat erials and as the Church Catholic h as be e n and is ,

:

desti ned t o rai s e her temple s all over the w orld and all ,

nati o nal and l oca l m ethods o f buildi ng dep en d o n w hat is t o

be had t o buil d w ith she w il l va ry t heir fo rm and a rra ng e

,

m e nt accordi ngly . T heir deco ratio n agai n w il l d e pe nd o n

, ,

th e ir archi tecture ; and it m ay perhaps be as well there fo re , ,

t hat be fore w e go o n t o the mosaics and the sculptu re w h i ch

ad o rned G ree k R oma n L o mbard and N orther n buildi ngs w e
, , , ,

m ay fo rm s o me idea o f pri n ciples o f natural t ness and u nde r ,

s t and h o w decoratio n an d decorative taste also m ust v a ry

, ,

ac co rdi ng t o the mea ns w ith w hic h builde rs and art ists are

s upphe d .

Fo r example , mosaics are m ore properly used in a bric k

buildi ng tha n a sto ne o ne ; in a crave n or catacomb or a , ,

church o f co gnate architecture tha n in a G othi c cathedral o f

,

ne sto ne ; in a hot bright eastern climate tha n in Fra n ce ,

E ng la nd o r Germa ny
, M aterials a ffect orname nt nat u rally
.
,

b e cau s e they i n ue nce co nstructio n I n E gypt the rectili near

.
,

and h ori z o n t al character o f the archit e cture sa y M e s s rs ,

 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 245

T e x ie r Pulla n and the employme nt o f i nnumerable

and ,

colum ns suited a cou ntry w hich furn ished sha fts and blocks
,

o f u nlimited size as did the quarries o f porphyry and grey or

,

red gra nite The builders had o nly to cut block s from the
.

mou ntai n s side o f the di me nsio ns required fo r the erectio n

and coveri ng o f their temples A nd o f course whe n yo u r .

,

co nstructio n is marble or ne sto ne your orname nt is sculp ,

tural The n agai n the E gyptia n su rface orname nt its ex

.
,

c e lle nce s o f sharp and shallo w cutti ng relia nce o n accurate ,

outli ne the great sense o f character w hich follow ed as a

,

matter o f course its b readth solidity and dig nity o f

, , ,

e ndura nce like the everlasti ng hills all th i s depe nds on the
hard ness o f gra nite Marble is comparatively so ft ple n ty o f
.
,

it is cream white you can modi fy li ne or form in i t w it h a

-
,

light touch o f chisel or rasp its texture expresses light shade , ,

and projectio n as w ell as paper and chalk and better ; it is ,

made for sculpture o f beauty G ra nite is i ntensely hard ; if .

y ou are to carve a nythi n g in it it must be by heavy blo w s ,

you canno t cut the ngers o f a ha nd in high separate relie f

in it b ecause you w ould k nock them all o ff b e fore you had
,

m arked the j oi nts in o ne G ra nite is made for sculpture o f .

awe and po w er fo r temples o f etern al record fo r mo n ume ntal

, ,

histo ry H ad the G reeks tried to work in gra nite and the

.
,

E gyptia ns in marble the records o f A bou Si m b el would have,

perished lo ng ago and the Ven us de M edici as R uski n sa ys

, , ,

w ould look like some exquisitely grace ful descriptio n o f

frog .

I n E gy pt the n where the best l i mestone and sa ndsto ne

,

fo r b uildi ng and the best gra nite and p ro p hyry for orn ame nt
,

w ere ready to ha nd in u nli mited qua n tity the arc hitecture ,

w as e ntirely and in all respects a sto n e architecture the ,

decoratio n in its more st riki ng features sculptural both in ,

h as relie f and in detached statuary and the w hole powers o f

-
,

t he builder w ere directed to the use o f u nlimited mea ns

w ith u n limited po wer H e nce the colossal character o f their
.

buildi ngs and their eternal e ndura nce T he Pyramids are

, .

I here i ind ni te e f col ; b t it begi ns a an add i tion t

k now t s e us o ou r u s o has .

re li f and i c nt i n ed f
e ,
s o
rec d and hi to i cal o d e c i pti e purposes ;
u or or s r r s r v it is
su bord inate both to arch i tec tural n t tion and gly pti c da m tion co s ru c .
2 46 GR E E K A GOT H I C
'

. D .

lik e natu ral featu res in a land scape . All t rave ll e rs will te ll
yo u t he sa me st or y of ho w th ey im press t h e m w t h th e i id e a
of a h u man w o rk tak ing rank in ac t ual greatnes s w it h a
m ino r h ill o r a c li o r so m e marked d eta il o f t he w ork o f

God \Vh eth er one sees t h em ( as one ge ne rally d oes fo r t he

.

rst t im e) to wards even i ng fro m th e t rai n ru nn i ng in to C airo

fro m A lexa ndria p u rp le aga i n st th e u n namea ble hues o f th e
,

a fterglow or ( as one o ft enes t tak es leave of th em in start i ng

,

for Si nai ) gre y or ros e ti nted sh ado w s on th e pi nk A frican -

d es ert they t ake t h e s u nrise o r s u nset l ike m ou n tai n s and n o
less \Vell as we have s aid t he Pa rthe non t hough not s o
.
, , ,

vast is built on the same p ri nciple o f u nli mited l iability

, ,

de fyi ng time and c rim e the great enemies and so are ma n y ,

Sicilia n temple s and the c olo nn ades o f Pae stum A ll thi s .

is sto ne or m arble architecture ; horizo ntal and o f the li ntel :

not i ncrusted o r plated w ith any richer material bu t sho w i n g ,

what it is ; ador ned w ith d evi ces cut in its ow n substan ce o r ,

j ewelled with yet richer stones as the ra rer marbles gra nites , , ,

and po rphyries I ts c o nstructio n should be o f su pe r uous

.

stre ngt h and it is regardless o f expe nse s ometimes in t h e

, ,

sternest se nse .

G ree c e the n so far resembled E gypt in her gre at early

, ,

b u ildi ngs But the con st ru ctio n o f R ome w as all b rick and
.
,

there fore much nearer aki n to the earl y w orks o f A ssyria and
Babylo nia T hese earlier arc hitects had neither w oo d no r
.

buildi ng sto ne ; and they adopted a style o f constr u ctio n

q u i te u nli k e their co ntempo raries in the valley o f the N ile .

T hey had t o use bricks so metime s o nly su nb urn t C o u se ,

.

q ue ntly they had t o build i mmensel y t h ic k and massive w all s ,

in the rst place and to use arcades i nstead o f architraves in

, , ,

the second T h e re is no doubt that the vault appeared in

.

A ssyria in times o f the most remote a ntiquit y Furth er as .

,

to decoratio n N i neveh w as built on a stratum o f alabaster ,

an d that material was employed fo r the d ec oratio n o f her

public b uildi ngs T here the colum n the most elega nt and
.
, ,

varied feature o f architecture is entirely wa nti ng ; i t is to be ,

fou nd o nly in Persepolis a tow n situated at the foot o f a ,

high l imesto ne mou ntai n which furnished blocks o f every ,

lh e B abylonian b i c k were baked in k il ns H i :79

' '

d ot r s ero u s, . .
 GR E E K A GOT H I C
'

2 48 D .

A ll v is itors to R o m e re m em ber th e o pen i ng of th e C lo aca

M axima int o t he T ibe r near th e T e m ple of Vest a . I t m ay
w ell t d t o t hi s d ay fo r it is fo rm e d o f t h re e tiers
s an ,
o f arc h es

o ne w i t h i n the o t h er b u ilt o f g reat h ewn bl oc ks w e dged in t o

. ,

a mas s w ith o u t ce m e nt T h e i nte rior is a se m c irc ular v a ult

.
i

o f a bout fo u rt een fee t in di am ete r N ev ert heles s t h e t e tra .

d o ro n o r th e pe ntad o ro n o f ft een inch es sq u are an d an in c h ,

and q u art er thick o r s m alle r s izes in s malle r e d i ce s w e re

, ,

t he chie f m at e rials o f R o man b uildi ngs u p t o t he ti m e o f

A u g us t us and w h en he sa id h e had fo u nd R o m e o f bric k
( la te rit ia m
) b u t le ft h er m arbl e m a n norca m h e m e a n t no t , , ,

tha t he had rec o n st ructed t he c i ty b u t int rod u c ed t h e p rac ,

ti ce o f i ncrustation and c o ve ring brick wo rk w i t h marble T h e .

relievi ng arch in la rge w alls w h e re b ri c k s are arrayed in so li d ,

arch form so as to han g toge t her and s ave down ward dead

w eight pres s u re is sai d t o be an inve ntio n o f his time

,
.

T he B yza n ti ne builders o f cours e use d much the s am e

m aterial as the R oma n s T h e P u z z uolana san d i ndeed was
.
,
2
,

se n t in large q ua ntities to C o ns ta n tin ople in t he rst i n sta nce ,

for buildi ng purp oses w ith other mate ri als and decoratio ns ,

use t ird it thir li e d one third b rickd ust

( d o n e h w -
h o n e d ,
m an -
) -
.

But the pri nciple of i ncrustation (and mosaic is only o ne for m

o f i ncrustatio n out o f ma ny ) seems t o be deri ve d altogether

from the bric k architecture o f G reece and R o m e and fro m ,

t he great cha ng e w hich took place in the latter in A ugustus s

time .

R oma n bric k s are o fte n historical docume nts o n w hich dates

and quest i o ns o n other issues may depe nd E ve ry te t rad o ro n .

o r pe ntad oron had its date and the mark o f its maker do wn ,

to the time o f J usti nia n at earliest T he mo nog ra m o f ou r .

L ord is o fte n fou nd on bricks used in church buildi ng ; fo r -

secular arch i tecture the names of the co nsuls or emperors ,

w ere used We have see n at pp 8 2 and I 3 2 h ow this settles a

. .

really i nterest i ng q uestio n o f date in the c ataco m bs 3 T he .

Utglojriatu s, marmoream se rel n uere ,

ure s it u am late itiam ac cepisset i q q

r .

Su z r o m us, Octav 2 8 . .

l
Sec T e xier and P ul an, Byz a n tine A ralitertu re, I ntrod .

3 I
'

lav us
. F i Cl
e mens, the h u s band , o r o ss bl t he b ro ther, o f S D om t lla. p i y . ii
was ac c us ed w t ih her of C h i tia i ty
r s n , as a Je wish p
su ers tit on, i in the reign o f
D om i tian , A. O .
95 .
 M A T E R I A L S A N D M O SA IC OR N A M E N T . 2 49

to mb vault o f S D om itilla i s the most a nc i e nt part o f th e

or .

catacomb or ce m etery which bears her n ame and in part that ,

o f her atte nda nts SS N ereus and A chilles

. I f the origi nal .

tomb really was made t o receive her body w e are sure that ,

w e p osses s the grave of a gra nd da u g hter o f Vespasia n a c o n -

,

fess or and the w i fe o f a martyr

, The case as people say is .
, ,

strong and clear in favou r o f the name C mmete riu m D omi

t illae havi n g belo nged to the tomb (which is disti n ct from the
later catacomb) fro m the earl i est times and a stro ng feature
o f collateral evide n ce is that dated tiles fou n d there go bac k

to th e times of H adria n and A nto n i nus Pius I 1 7 1 6 1 scarcely , ,

more than t we nty y ears from the death o f D omitia n the last

Flav i a n emperor in 96 .

A Germa n scholar M r P E Wie ner has traced the 2 2 nd

, . . .
,

L e gio n in i ts moveme nts thro ugh a great part o f Germa ny b y

the bricks which bear its name and R oma n b rick s h ave bee n ,

fou nd amo ng the Silures our frie nds of Shropshire and the
,

Welsh marches (see Part w ith the inscriptio n L E G I I , . .

A V G stamped u po n them
.
, .

Buildi ngs may b e sheeted or i ncr us ted w ith a stro nger or ,

m ore val uable material over o ne less d urable or precious ,

either o n the i nside or the outsi d e We have nothi ng to d o .

here w ith external i ncrustation the D uomo o f Flore nce and ,

more especi ally the Campa nile o f G iotto are its great ,

m e d iaav al q ~
e rn examples I t is not quite easy to u nder
.

sta nd the objectio n to all exter nal ve neeri ng as d is
guis i ng the actual material There is no falseh ood or
.

i mpositio n on the spectator in such orname nt because it at ,

o nce proclaims itsel f fo r w hat it is and no b od y either supposes ,

or is i nte nded to suppose that the Campa nile is b uilt o f solid

blocks o f ne marb le A nd as the great Flore nti ne i ncrusta
.

tio ns have lasted so w ell from G iotto s ti me to the prese nt

'

that w o rk ma y b e co nsidered d ura ble e nough when ho nestl y

and ably executed if no t in a norther n cli mate still in Italy ; ,

or if not on the outside o f a b uildi ng still in its i nterior , .

St i ll whe n our buildi ng (as S Paul s in L o ndo n) i s o f ne

.

sto ne it m ust be co nsidered a waste o f good material and

, ,

u nnec essa ry sacrice o f its bea u ty to sheet it e nt i rel y w ith ,

Smi th s D i ti na y q/ A nt iq iti s v Later

r o r u es, . . .
2 59 GR E E K v .9 G O T H I C .

marb le bo wever pre d m s

, I a d m it se em s m ns th e .
n

marb le sh rn ld h e nse d in dis b an d pan els e n c y lik e

j lery
l
e we o n a v ery large sa le an d he plw ed in th e w alls

results in th e later m e dia val b u ild in gs of Ven ic e .

"Se e S to rm:
f
O Va ria , P late I Vo l i . . .
,
Th en t he re is t h e nal q ue s tio n of

arc hite c t u ral c as u ist ry, how far are we bo un d t o sh o w o u r

mate rial in a build ing o f ne bric k w h en we have m arb l e

.

e no ugh t o in c rus t it ? M r R u s k in
. I t hin k im p lie s in h is
c hapt ers S M ark t hat we m ay it
'

on . s at V en ic e ,
c ov e r up

e n t ire ly if w e lik e, be caus e th e re s u lt is in d e n it elv beau tifu l

with o ut any ins in c erity at all, as no bo dy th in ks w e are b u i ld
ing in so lid mas ses o f pre c io us m ate rial ; any mo re th a n it
w as s u pp ose d th at t h e gate s o f Ghibert i in t heir fres h gild in g , ,

were ca s t in p u re go ld T h is see ms t ru e and reas o nab le an d

.
,

I th in k t h e res u lt o f t he d et ermine d c an do u r o f t h e arc h it ec t

o f K e ble Co lle g e O x fo rd is u n fort u n ate as t o e ffec t
,
as t h e
,

stron g brig ht re d o f h is i n t e rio r b ric k w o rk s ad l y o v erpo w e rs

t h e rus s et m arbl e It s hould hav e b ee n op pose d ev eryw h ere

.
,

as in the na v e w ith gree n s e rpe n ti n es : or w i t h gre e n or grey

,

m arble j e w e lled aga i n w ith po rp hy ry red as bl ood t hat

s h et h from a vei n
g u .

So m uch fo r outer i n crust atio n I su ppo se if we w e re .

as k ed fo r a d is t in ction be tw e e n th e te rm s Mo s aic and I n

c ru s tati on w e sho u ld have to say t hat it d e p e nd s chie y o n

t h e si z e o f the plates o f marble A su rface o f w all co v ered .

w i th large plates o f marble w as called a Flato n ia in R oma n

work . I t might have a desi gn ; fo r the vei n i ng o f t wo slabs
o f alaba s ter w ill dete rmi n e h ow they should b e set relatively

t o e ach other the marble havi ng a pattern o f its o wn But .

whe n we co me to usi ng black w hite and red or an y t wo o f , , ,

th e m in geomet rical or other pla nn ed forms so as to co n vey

, ,

i dea s of our o wn w e may say that the n mosaic begi n s A s

, .

t o wh e n it bega n to b e used that carries us b ack to the pomps ,

o f a ncie nt Persia and the palace o f A hasuerus at Shu s ha n ,

Where were w hite green and blue ha ngi ngs fas te ned w it h
, ,

c ord s o f fine li ne n and purple to s ilver ri ngs and pillars o f ,

m arble upo n a paveme nt o f red and blue and w hite , , ,

D ante, P u rgatorio, ix .
2 52 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

h e ads j ust laudia dressed hersel f in her day and in
as C ,

rev i val o f A ugusta n fash io n May it o n the whole be their .

, ,

only reproduct i o n o f the fe m i n i ne c lassical m a nners o f that -

time ! T h e great truly he wn sto nes and i m m o rtal clay o f -

,

well bur nt R oma n bricks are as great memorials o f the c o n

-
,

s tructive art o f R ome as beauti ful legs and torsos o f the ,

decorative sk i ll o f G reeks ; and those w h o may not be abl e

t o go abroad may be able to e njoy so m e o f the best tho ughts
o f reective travel by i ndu lgi ng in a little reverie over o n e o r
,

t wo good photographs The golde n or pur ple light o f I tal y

.

may be wa nti ng in the picture but L iddell or Mom m sen w ill

d isplay it in the i nner su nset glo w o f histo ry -
.

N o w as to all the names o f various ki nds o f w ork in

,

m os aic I shall put them do w n w ith examples from photo

,

raph r ferri either to Parker s ist f Photographs or

'

g s e , n g L o t o ,

the latel y published vol ume o n Mosaic P ictures in the A rch

ze o logy o f R ome fo r w hich I had the ho nour o f w riti n g
,

M os aic u m
"
s ome A ppe n dices ; or to both w he n possible . ,

m u s iv u m m u s aic u m
,
rn o s ibu m and ,
museum are

, ,

"
all adjective s ag re e i ng w ith opus u nderstood and they ,

all m e a n t e s s el at e d picture s in small cube s o f marble glass ,

g ilt or b a c k e d w ith g old a n d silver o f clay or vitreous pastes , , ,

and so o n .

Opus t e s s e llat u m m u s t mea n wh at w e still call tesselated

a ve me nt s w h ich al s o fo rm pictur e s eith r i black an d w hite
p n - -
e

o nl y or in colours
, Thi s work is ge ne rall y used fo r oo rs ;
.

and the w ord lit hos tro t u m G reek fo r paveme nt seems t o , ,

ans we r in the s am e way as a ge neral term Pli ny applies the .

name to the c el eb rated picture o f the D oves whi c h b ea rs h is

name (.S e e P ark e r Ph o t 1 6 95 P late
, I V o l i o.n M osaics ) , . . . .

I t m ay ha ve b e e n part o f t he flo ori ng in the Palace o f A ttal us

o f Pe rgamu s wh e nc e it mo s t pro bab ly c ame ; thou g h w e
,

k no w fro m P o m pe i i th at mo s aic pictu re s we re i ns erted in

wall s or ce ili ngs as w e ll as o ors at a ver y e arly date T here .

is an early s co nd ce ntury pav e me n t A D 1 2 0 ( P ark er P h ot

e
-
, . .
,
.

I 7 OO 1 7 3 7 1 7 3 8 and M o s aics P late

, , , w hich is all black ,

'
-
white o f p att e rn pl anne d to t he room in H adri an s

N at . H is t . xxi . . :6 6 0 .
 M A TE R IAL 5 A ND M O SA IC ORNA M E N 1 . 2 53

private palace to which it belo nged I t represe nts birds .

and vegetatio n w ith large vases at the co m ers an d a black

, ,

b order o f guilloche or i ntertw i ned patter n,

.

There is a curious detai l in the G ospels con nected w ith

this ki nd o f tesselatio n The w ord paveme nt remi nds every .

Christia n reader o f the Gabbatha the room hall or place , , ,

s o called in the p rie to riu m or palace of Pilate at J erusalem

-
, , , .

T h e name poi nts to the existe n ce o f some mosaic paveme nt

there ; and it appears that a m ark o f the special i m porta nc e
o f the Be rn a or j udg m e nt se at a rostrum fo r the j udic i al
,

-
,

se nte nces or other solem n commu nicatio ns o f a R o m an

,

pre fect or ge n eral in com m a nd w as to place it on such a ,

oori ng I t see m s even that a tesselated pavemen t was

.
, ,

so m etimes ceme nted to a sur face o f felt or ca nvas t o be rolled

u p or carried w ith an e m peror or ge neral as a carpet o f o f ce

for his Be rna o r tri b u nal o n special occasio ns Suetoni us

,

,
.

says J uli us C ze s ar did so ( C e s ar and no comma nder ,

was less likely tha n he to i nd ulge in perso n al pomp or

'
superuous ceremo ny I t is curious that M G ustave D or s . .

e normous picture o f O u r L ord in the Praetori um should om i t

the o nly detail o f the scene or b uildi ng o f w hich the G ospels
tell us a nythi ng Th ere is a ru der ki nd o f tesselated pave
.

me nt in larger squares o f b lack and w hite o nly in black li nes - -

o n w hite grou nd commo n in the houses o f the early E mpire

,
.

Work in very small dies o f plai n patter n or w hite o nl y of , ,

di m i n u tive size is called opus vermiculatum
,
there is
some in both the upper and u nder church o f S P ud e nt iana .

and the grou nd o f the great Barberi n i Mosaic ( Cia m pi n i i , .

p 8 1 ) is vermiculatum also T he n opus sectile work
. .
, ,

in slices o f m ar b le care fully cut to form and acce nted by ,

outli nes lled w ith colour is exe m plied ( Parker Phot , , .

N o 1 460 and Mosaics P late

.
,
especially in the wo nder
,

fu l w orks now in S A nto n io A bbate at R ome . The T igress , .

and Cal f is really a great w ork o f art sho w i ng the highes t ,

po w er o f representi ng a ni m al character cruel as the subj ect ,

is This ki nd o f work has bee n revived by M Salviati w ith

. .

excelle nt results in the chapel at Wi ndsor now called t he

, ,

M emorial Chapel o f the late P ri nce Co nsort It is hard to .

l i ata I la l ia a in th R egionary C atal gu e

'
r z
'
r r lt , e o .
s s h e a s an d

p an erm -
. 3: we h av e '

z zz m lv in h erit e d

d ec o r at ion . It o u ght to be u se in s o
li d s h ee t s or

t
'

lat e s, and se t in st on e s o as t o e : rid c t t ae z ac a o f frag ili y

r

p .
,

in p ict u res of k in an d all ra zs a i h are m : re p res en ting

ac t ua l ev en t s or sc en es , the p re sa t t as t e fo r h i d-t in t and

s u bd u ed c lou r
o see m s h u rch
far t o : st ro ng : t h e m osaic s of a c

s h o u l d be lik e t h e illu m i nat on s o f a rich Se rv ic e bo ok an d

i -
,

t e ll in rich rej o icing h u es as in all th e an c ie n t w ork o f R o m e .

and R a venn a w h ich I hav e soo n t o s pea k o f

, H o w e v er .
,

o p u s se ct ile is w o rk in co m parat i v e ly larg e p iec es o f m arble

c ut t o fo rm and i n cise d w here emph as is in fo rm is n eed e d .

o p u s A le x and rin u m is m osa i c pav e m en t in geo

T he
m e trical fo rm s for th e m ost p art I t w as p rod uced l arg ely .

by t he C o s mati famil y in a ft er d ays in t h e tw el fth and ,

thirt een th c e ntu ries and is co n nec t ed wi t h t he name o f ,

B e c c afu m i (d ie d 1 5 49 ) in t h e later R en ai ss an ce T he name .

,

ho we ve r goe s back t o the u se o f p re cious marbles from

,

E gy pt D id A lexa nd ri a in A u g usta n R ome

, O pus alba , .

riu m se e m s to mean an small w hite tesselatio n
, y .

T he D oves the S A nto nio A bb ate T igre ss and the pave

, .
,

me nt from H a d ria n s private pala c e w ill g ive a s u f cient i dea

o f various ki n ds o f ne m osaic o f t h e b est age u t A D

p o , . .

1 20 ; though M r Parker places the seco nd o f these as late as

.

C o nsta nti ne The two other examples are u n questio nable

.
,

and th e re is o ne m ore probabl y a Christia n o ne from the , ,

c ataco mb o f S Calixtus no w in the sac risty o f the Churc h

.
,

o f S M ar i a in T rans te ve re w hereo f later

.
, T his last example , .

is o f two s m all tombsto nes o ne represe nti ng birds th e othe r , ,

a h arbour with the M i raculous D raught o f Fishes T he rst .

Ph t Col nna P a emen t in Lateran

o . o v , .
2 56 GR E E K A ND GO THIC .

C hri stian art as frescoe s and sculptures prove t o a d e mo n

,

s t rat ion w ork w as produced w hich w as classica l and pretty

,
,

and I talia n G reek in its style ; and it sy mbolized the Pa rables

-

o f our L ord and the miracles o f H is mercy B u t n o m irac u .

lous gi ft o f drawi ng or colour could b e expected ; and w he n

the a rts degenerated in heath e n ha nds they fell o ff in ,

Christia n hands also That process w e n t o n till h eat h en

.

art utterl y died out and w as prese rv ed in a fai nt w ay by

,

Christians A ll w e have to sho w a fter the seco nd ce ntury is

.

Christia n ; no P aga n w ork survives G reece and her arts .

remai n but they are tra ns formed i nto N eo G reek o r B yz an

,
-

ti ne These lea n forms and brillia nt colours are all th at is

.

le ft o f the schools o f P he id ias and Praxiteles and th e grea t ,

academies o f the A ugusta n age The C h urch in R ome w as

.

an ab solutely G reek body fo r three hu ndred y ears I n .

services literature daily li fe and de ath all dow n to the very

, , ,

n a m es o f Bishops o f R ome i nscribed in G reek upo n th ei r

s arcophagi the w ritte n or the c arved an d pai n ted la ngu age

, ,

o f G reece prevailed A n d G reece hersel f all that was le ft o f

.
,

her havi ng do ne w ith beauty did u nq uestio nably take up

, ,

w ith Christia n asceticis m and sho w ed it at o n ce in her lo ng

ago cha nged and rui ned arts w hich through good o r e vi l ,

she never w ould or could reli nquish A fter all R e naissa n ce .

criticism about st arveli ng sai nts it remai ns to be said that ,

the artists o f these horrors w ere the li neal scholars and re p re

s e n tat iv es o f P he id ias and Myro n P olycletus and P raxiteles , ,

A ristides and A pelles P arrh as iu s and all the sculptors

, B ut .

w hat w as it had m ade the N e o G reek art sad and ascetic -

, ,

and archaic and starveli ng ? Was it that a certai n n umber

,

o f G reeks had turned Christia ns by A D 3 1 2 ? or that be for e .

the Christia n era they had all turned i nto a race of clever ,

supple si nful slaves and now s aw a ne w and pai nful w ay to

, ,

some better state tha n that They say art b ecame sti ff w ith
her new religious sta ndard ; I dare say she did she had got
a backbo ne o n ce more a fter many accid ages A nd s h e h ad .

to be sad enough fo r ma ny ages m ore b ut at all eve nts ,

she had acqui red a soul to be sad w ith .

I t seems as if classicalists n ever co nsider the i na n i ty

and tediousness o f seco nd rate classical w ork M r Parker s

-
. .
 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 2 57

be auti ful rs t
seco nd century decoratio n in stucco
and -
, ,

m yt hologies and monsters w as never mea nt t o be look ed,

at atte n tivel y ; the student experien ces a se nse of w eary ,

fretful i mpatience and tedi u m in looki ng at hippocampi

ou nderi ng on ceili ngs and ny mphs ou nderi ng on hippo
,

camp i ; and th ei r w ant o f mea ni ng is as tedious to som e

as th e grave import o f th e early mosa i cs i s u nwelcom e

to others D oes it very much matter t o the history of art

.

whether these pretty thi ngs went on or e n ded A t all eve nts ,

th ey came t o an end ; w ithout Christian i nue nce and lo ng ,

be fore Constanti ne and q uite o f themselves ; and G reece did

,

n o more w ork in that sty le but betoo k he rsel f to sai nts and
,

a ngels I daresay the Ch ristia n mobs broke up a great

.

deal o f third rate sculpture but they never had the c hance
-
,

o f murderi ng P h e id ias T hat h ad bee n do ne lo ng ago by

.
,

h is grace ful and grate ful fel low cou nt ry men N o doubt as -
.
,

G reek artists and their patro ns b y the fth cen t u ry A D were .

c hie y peop le of e c clesiastical as w ell as reli gious i nterests

and opi n io ns G ree k art reected t h eir stre ngth and w ea k ness
,
.

They w ere not ha ndsome ; they did not care about thei r
bodies enough Their fa th ers had le ft them an i nheritance
.

o f natio nal shame and distress and evil h abits and broke n ,

nerves and shattered voluptuous tastes w h i ch made them

, ,

despise and hate their esh ; u nnatu rally and w rongl y no ,

doubt But the i r w eary co ntempt for the body e nabled the m
.

t o ma k e such a protest o n the part o f the soul as all m e n

m ust hear to this day The purity and si ngle ness of thei r
.

faith las ted at all events much lo nger t han the purity o f the
, ,

A the ni a n sculpture and pai nti ng .

N evertheless w i th the sixth and seve nth ce ntu ri es b egi ns

,

the period o f I c onod u lis m to be bro k e n in on too ro u ghly

,

in the eighth ce ntury by L e o the Isauria n so ldie r T he , .

E mpire had to be de fe nded agai nst bo th the N o rth and

t h e E as t and he w a nted m en t o ght rathe r tha n fast
, ,

to m an his q u i nq uere m es and clo se up in phala nx rathe r ,

t ha n call o n the K alendar in ge n e ral H e s aw that the .

u nity o f the H oly Tri nit y the o ne Go dhead of Thre e ,

Persons was no longer the lead i ng tenet o f p opular

,

C hri stia nity and h e saw the force M o h ammed i s m had

,

8
2 53 GR E E K A ND G O THIC .

gai ned from its stro ng monothe i sm T here fore he fe ll w i th a .

heavy ha nd on all the revived pol yt heism of the peo ple and ,

ope ned w ou nds by which the E astern E m pi re bled to death .

N o w i t is in the histo ry o f the mosaics more partic u larl y

,

that the development o r dege neracy o f Chri stian be li ef m ay

be traced w ith co nsiderable accuracy and they t hrow a ,

specially important light o n popular thoughts about the

spiritual world For as S J oh n D amas c enus ob s erve d in
. .

the eigh t h ce ntury little aware of the various appli ca tio ns

,

w hich might be made o f his w ords Pict ures are po or m en s ,

books ; and the bas relie fs o f the Gospel history and the

-
,

brillia nt apses lled w ith image ry of the C hurch Tri umpha n t

in H eaven and Militant or w a nderi ng in the symboli c
,

wilderness w ere great part o f the Church s teachi ng fo r

,

s u e ring people A nd the me ntal s u e rings o f all thi n k i n g

.

me n and w o m e n w ithi n the bou nd s o f civil i sation must h av e

bee n to say the least fearfully great from the e nd o f th e
, ,

fourth century T hey k ne w and felt th e approachi ng d es tru c

.

tio n ; in R o m e most of all si nce R ome hersel f was t o be ,

made the rst example o f co ndig n pu nishment and A la ric ,

w as to ave nge the w orld upo n her rst in A D 4 1 0 I t is t o . . .

be remembered too that the mo nasteries and ecclesi as tical

, ,
.

bodies in ge neral by or through whom this m ystic pai nti n g

,

was do ne had al wa y s the rst new s an d the best prescie nc e

,

o f mis fortu n e There are fe w more striki ng pieces o f pic

.

t u re s q u e history tha n the forebodi ngs o f A rs eniu s the mo n k ,

statesma n in Hypatia H e is telli ng P h ilam mon what t h e

, .

w orld is like w hich he so lo ngs to e nter .

T hese are the last days spo k e n o f b y the prophe t s th e ,

begi nni ng of woes such as never have bee n o n t h e earth befo re .

O n earth distress o f natio ns w ith perplexit y me n s hea rt s

faili ng them fo r fear and fo r the dread o f those thi ngs w hic h
,

are comi ng o n the earth I have see n it lo ng Y ear aft e r . .

y ear I have watched them comi ng nearer and ever n eare r

in their course like the w hirli ng sa ndstorms o f the dese rt
, ,

w hich s w ee p past the carava n and past agai n and yet over , ,

w h e lm it a fter all that bl ack ood o f the northern barbaria n s .

I foretold it I prayed agai nst it ; but like Cassa n dra o f o ld

, , ,

my prophecies and m y prayers were ali ke u nheard I c e as e d

 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 2 61

i nterrupted sacri c e Isaac to the R ock of Mo se s from that

of ,

to th e history o f Jo nah b y which o u r L ord foretold the

resurrectio n the picture writi ng o n the w all spoke in th e
,
-

u n ive rsal la nguage o f the e e and the cat echumens looke d

y ,

and liste ned A nd it was p re tty m u c h the s am e thi ng one

.
,

may thi nk m u tatis m u tand is whe n L ati n became the p re

, ,

vaili ng or c osmopolitan l anguage and the Gothic or N orthern ,

p ilgr i ms cro w ded i nto R ome : certai nl y it must h ave bee n

so whe n th e rst barbaria n co nverts e ntered th e C h ristia n

c hurches . T h e clergy taught them in great part by p ictures

repres e nti ng the c hie f doctri nes o f th e Fai th ; and acco rdi ng
t o the faith o f the clergy fo r the time acco rdi ng to thei r ,

v ie w s o f t h e doctri nes vitall y n ecessa ry fo r the people and

,
'

their o wn spi ritual hopes and fears woul d be the subjects ,

they pai nted or i nlaid upo n their walls .

T he H ellenic te nde ncy t o rep res e nt eve ry thi ng in graphi c

form the lo nging to see w ith ey es and t o make an ico n or
, ,

image or symbol o f the t h i ngs u nseen be c ame a s nare to the ,

C hurch in d ue ti me Probabl y the dow nfall of paganism

.
,

and the vast numbers o f h al f c o nve rted pol ytheists who made ,

t heir u ntaught and partial submi ssio n to the C hurch a fter 4 1 0 ,

because the gods o f R ome had fai led her and them so utterl y ,

forced idolatrous te nde ncies on her co mmu nities ; the new

c o n verts bei ng t oo ma ny and t oo rude t o lear n the pu rity o f

the Faith But in any case th e progress o f doct ri ne and in

.
,

p art the developme n t o f error i s clearl y traceable in the ,

mosaic pictures of the rst eight or ni ne centu ries .

A short list o f the earliest mo saics still in existence or o n ,

late record se ems advisable here though it m ay not be very

, ,

livel y readi ng and a few rem arks may follow as to the

,

advanc e of I c ono d u lis m be y o nd the limits o f t h e anci e nt

picture teach i ng T he d isti nction holds good all alo ng be
-
.

t wee n pictures mea nt to be i nstru ctive and pictures mea nt to

excite emot i on The former al way s conti nue the same they
.

are poo r me n s books of symbolic teachi ng in history or d oc

t ri ne the latter amo n g u ntaught or u nrestrained people

, ,

al way s beco m e objects as w ell as sou rces o f devout feeli ng

, ,

and ma y come to be w orshipped them se lves besides o r , ,

instead of as si s ting the so u l to r everence God or H is sai nts

,
.
2 62 C R E E K A N D G OT H I C .

As ief e xa m ples are at R o m e or R av e nna it m ay

all o u r ch ,

be m ost c o n v e n ie n t t o arra n g e t h e m in t w o paralle l lis t s ,

c en tu ry by c en tu ry T h is lis t and order are d ue t o M r J H . . . .

Parke r but so m e o f th e pic t ures hav e c ease d t o exist .

R OM E .
R A VE N N A .

s t e ar IV .
C u rran IV .

C om tantn

. V i ne mosaics
'

and

o rname nts o f vau tings l . ( w hith e r it is su pposed to have been

A pse o r tr ibune o f the ancien t Bas ica il a r ed ) a mosaic o f the ln rd in

of the Vatican lost , bu h presen ed in G lor , wit y h two Angels, from S .

re cord by C iamp ini . Agat ha s

Churc h , an) 3 7 8. .

s r c av V C ax ru av V
'
. .

M osaics of S . Sabina . C hurch bu ilt Chap l f G ll Pla idia

e o a : c .

4 2 4, restored 79 5 ; pi t c ures c om Bapti t y f S J h

s er o . o n.

Ancient mosaic in Sta H aris u C os . i

i
m ed n, re resent ng ( inta alia ) th e p i '

Sta . Maria M aggiore, 432 440 . In app h of Theod o i c

ro ac r the Great t o

correc t

res to rat o n i in on e i n tance ;
s C on tan t i no ple in 48 7
s . P erha p
s a

th e gure of th e B V . . su stitu tedb for pavem e nt transpos ed , sw ee ly mo

o ne o f the Magi . i
sa c , a composit on i in inc ised lines ,

O at y
r or of S J oh n E vangelist, 46 1
. extrem e ly g aphic and absu d
r r .

467
C anr u av V I . C s m u av VI .

M osai cs of SS os mas and D am ianus C S A p lli o nare in C la sse , 5 67

. . . .

S Lorenz o F le M ara. 5 7 7 5 90
. . S A
. p lli
o nare N uova (nella C itta) , 570 .

pi
Ba t s ter y , afterwards Sta . M aria in

S. Michae l , 54 5 . Ch i t with jew ll d

rs e e

C ros s .

S V tale
. iH istor ca , s mbol c, and
. i l y i
i i
natural s t c sub ects in mosa c j i .

Of th s centur is the i y Transguration at M

ou nt S na , and what remains of i i
the mosa c s of S So hia i . p .

C anr u av VI L R oms .

S Agnese, rebu lt b P o e S m mac us ( bu lt b

. i y
ons tant ne) A d o rned with p y h i y C i .

m osa cs b P o e H onor us , 62 66 38
i y p
(T h e P atron Saint for th e rst t me i . i

tak es the ord s pl
ace in the a se ; th e P o es th e m se ves in th e mosa c )
L p p l i .

S Ste hen
. p
ewel ed cross J l
S Venantius, 642 ; man busts of our ord and
. . . y L
Angels S P eter ad V ncula
. S Sebas t an
. i . . i .

C anr u av V III R ou n
. .

5 . Mary in C osmed in : S . Th eod ore : the H and of Go d hold ing a c rown over
the H ead of Ch i t rs , Who is seated on a t rone, h hold i ng a j ewelled c ross . SS ,

P eter , P aul, and Th e d ore o

.

S P ud entiana,
.
77 1 79 1 Chri . h
s t ent roned , C ross and i
Sa nts, muc h res tored .
2 64 GREEK AN D G OT H I C .

as the sepulchral chapel o f h is daughter and for a bapti s te ry ,

to the Church of St A gnes Ciampini and others think that

. .

he puri fied an d co ns ecrated the heathen building as it s too d

b ut it is o f cours e i m poss ible to determine ho w far it w as
altere d and how far des troye d and rebuilt T he s e picture s
, .

are to be s een in facs imile at South Ken s ington ; and in their

time an d place in the original church the y ill u strate a well
, ,

kno w n habit o f the earl y decorators who gla d ly adop te d ,

gentile work an d pattern s wherever the y could In the days .

o f persecution t he y had naturall y w i s he d to attract as little

notice as po ss ible an d it s eems probable that as congrega

tion s so o ften met in large hall s li ke that in the hou s e of ,

P ud en s they had grown u sed to gentile ornamentation which

, ,

w as often harmle ss as w ell as grace ful Sce ne s o f cou ntry .

li fe es peciall y o f s hepherd s and vintagers s eem to have been

, ,

very popular in R ome an d to have appeared over and over,

again in variou s hou s e s as w e are now s ubject to freq uent

,

v i s itation of the s ame favourite wall paper pattern s -

.

T hes e s ubj ects s oon acq uired a Chri s tian meaning an d as ,

the y coul d be held sy mbolic of the L ord s own parable s of

H im s el f Chri s tian s s oon began formall y to adopt them

, It .

cannot be s urpri s ing then t hat the Good Shepherd and the
, ,

V ine were the earlies t of the sy mbolic paintings of the

Catacombs For what reason it is di f cult to explain but
.
,

p robabl y from the gene ral turn o f men s thought s to t h e

A pocal y p s e a fter the ta k ing o f R ome b y A laric in 4 1 0 bot h

, ,

t he s e s ubject s los t their pre e minen c e be fore the great age o f -

Ch ri stian mo saic .

It is probable that the di s appearance o f the Goo d

Shepherd the s ub s titution either o f the imaged portrait o f
, ,

the L ord or of H is Form s een m ys ticall y and the prevailing

, ,

c ultus an d repres entation of the Bles s ed Virgin and the

Saint s w ere all s y mptom s t raceable to the s ame caus e ; to
,

deep an d w ide di s tress of nation s an d perplexity and to ,

m ingle d des ire and drea d o f H is coming to Judgment Men .

s aw s uch w ic k e d ne ss and mi s ery around t hem that the y coul d

onl y thin k o f puni s hment and yet more mi sery for the greater
,

part o f the world ; and the days were in d ee d come w hen , ,

be caus e ini q uity abo un d ed the love of man y had waxe d cold , .
 M A T E R I A L S A N D M O SA IC OR N A M EN T . 2 65

T hey de s ired to s ee a s ign o f the So n o f Man ; an d not ,

s eeing one they made to them s elve s s igna s tatue s or ikon s or

, , , ,

vi s ible i mages of H im and then of H is Saints For as the , .

thought o f H is P res ence among them to rule an d s ave receded ,

as in fact H e s eeme d more d i s tant from them the y began to ,

s ee k fo r interces s io n w ith the Interce s s or and fo r ai d and love ,

more near than H is T h e s te ps made in the cultu s o f the

.

Bles sed V irgin as Chie f of Saint s and o f all the ho st o f

, ,

heaven w ith her are pretty well in d icated b y the mo s aics

, .

She had all along appeared in A d oration s of Magi and as ,

Mother o f the L ord I n the seventh ce ntury in S A gnese .

, .

at R ome the P atron Sai nt appears i n the L ord s place of

,

honour ; in the eighth in S N e reu s an d A chilles the , .

,

Madon na is ad d ress ed by angel s ; in the ninth in S Maria , .

i n N avicella she is enthrone d in S Maria i n T rans te v e re she

, .

s its b y the L ord in J udgment But long be fore that an d

.
,

almos t throughout the great a s s imilation o f P agan races

into Chri s tianit y in the fth an d s ixth centu ries there ,

had gro w n up a pol ythei s tic wors hip o f s aint s or mart yrs
gone be fore which greatl y res embled the adoration o f G reek
,

heroe s or E trus can ancestors T h e di s tinction o f [ at ria .

as d ue to G od onl y d u lia an d hyperd ulza to created object s of

'

wors hip was never unders too d b y the people perhaps it was
,

an a fterthought of S John D am as c e nus s a formulate d d is .

t in ction made in s el f de fen c e again s t iconoclas tic argument and

-
,

never intended for the people at all I t ma y avail in p ri vate .

,

and mos t of u s practicall y ack now ledge it all at leas t , ,

wh o maintain proper reverence for the L ord s Mother and

the w hole communion of H is s aint s T o des ire earnestl y to .

be one with the Chu rch o f Chri st and to s hare the benet ,

o f all it s bod y o f pray er made on earth an d p erhap s by thos e ,

gone be fore is right for all But the res ult of the wors hip of
, .

Sai nts from the s ixth ce ntu ry was ab s olute pol y thei s m an d ,

t he us e o f image s e nded i n feti shi s m .

It is P ro fes s or Wes twood s opinion that a connection exi s ts

betw een R oman and R avennese mosaic or E ngli sh or Iri sh

M r Pa k er is certainly righ t in cons id ering the enthroned figure by the side
. r

o f Our L rd in S M a ia in T anstevere a sym bolism of H i S pouse the

'
o , . r r , s
C hurc h as quotation from the S ong of S olomon are in the book in H is hand
s .

( Cant iv 8 and ii
. .
, .
2 66 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

illumination becau se the earl y N orthern or Celtic pilgri m s

,

learnt to enjo y the beau ty of rich colour from the glo w ing
interiors of the s ixth century churche s then in their rs t -
,

beauty I t is probabl y true Such a les son would be ea s il y

. .

learned becau se th e pilgrim s or mi ss ionarie s would under

,

s tand the po wer w hich graphic repre sentation w ould add t o

their preaching .

A ll picture art is a mean s o f express ing s ome idea b y

coloured or carven or outlined form and primaril y the value
, , , ,

o f the production d epend s on the value o f the idea If a .

man has thought about a great and noble thing and conve ye d ,

h is thought he has so far done more than if he told h is mind

,

about an ordinary thing and d f ortiorz than if he told it o f a

'

base or evil thing N ow earl y period s o f the great race s.

have generall y been arti s tic T he L ombard s Ca rlovingian s .

, ,

Fran k s and N orman s are th e chie f modern examples ; the

,

E gyptian s and A ssyrian s are the ancients o f pictorial record

and the G ree ks the central race o f uneq ualled po wer and
glory therein Well earl y period s are arti s tic becau s e the y
.
,

put their hea rt s into art or repres entative expres s ion and ,

paint or carve the things the y love or hope or rejoice in , , ,

or are proud o f w ith national pride or humanl y recogni sed ,

right to be proud For it is not pride o f w il ful arrogance

.
,

in non Chri stian races to exult in that in which others exult

-
,

w ith you
R ome ma y bear the pri d e o f him of w hom
.

hers el f is prou d I n the childhood of A rt s h e is li k e other

.

,

well bred an d highl y nu rtured chil d ren and sh e mu s e s o f

-
,

great deed s for them s he thin k s she was born ; to live and
die in gran d e ffo rt and toil and danger it may be and to tell ,

o f the work s o f the mighty and their hope s and their , ,

thoughts o f the world o f s pirits most of all that is her work .

T hu s it is that the w orks o f earl y painters are o ften as R u s k i n ,

h as s aid the burning me s s age o f prophec y delivered b y the

,

s tammering lips o f in fant s ; and thi s involves all the great

ne s s and d ignity of earl y mos aic and illu mination A nd .

j u st in the s ame wa y did the wi fe o f the Con q ueror give her

years to th e Bayeux tapestry She had a great s ubject ; .

T he Bay eux p
ta estr y , and ear ly m i niatu re in general, whe n c om pare w i th d
the mo re correct wor k of mo de nr p
ti mes , o ens a cu rious quest ion a o ut the b
2 68 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

p reserved it is impo ss ible to say how it woul d have s urv ived

,

at all I do not thin k there is an y rival in s tance o f regular

.

barbarian s o f an y race N ort he rn or Southern who have s een , ,

G ree k model s o f sc ulpture felt their beaut y and naturalness , ,

and so proceede d as N icola P i sano d i d to cop y nature a:

, ,

Greek: [ rad worked f rom natu re T he P i s ani and the other .

fathers of the great R enai ss ance were pupil s of By zantium ,

or el s e o f the earl y conventual s chool s o f Ital y Va s ari s a ys .

th e former but it doe s not matter w hich to our purpo s e

, .

Mess rs Crow e an d C avalc as e lle s H i s tory tell s u s much on

.

this point T here mu s t i n an y ca s e have been a great d eal o f

.
, ,

By zantine work d one in E a s tern Ital y d uring the E xarchate ,

an d by exile d I conod u lis ts N evert heless the Bene d ictine .

rule was one o f s tead fa s t labour as well as o f pra y er and

d i s cipline an d as all the other arts of li fe were pres erved or

,

revive d in its con vent s in Ital y and be y ond the A lp s , they ,

ma y have handed d ow n to the P i s an an d Florentine R evival

a fair modi c um o f Italo R oman art w ithout appl y ing for -
,

G ree k in struction at B yzantium O f cours e that I talo R oman .

-

art was derived from A then s at it s roo t an d N icola P isano s

,

g reate s t w or k w as to go bac k to A tti c mo d el s fo r him s el f an d

h is pupil s .

Mess rs Crowe and C avalcaselle s ay (chap ii v ol i ) that

. . . . .

the G ree k s chool i n R ome ( founded from R avenna) came to

an end with the seventh centu ry or early in the eighth and , ,

that R oman art tro d the p ath o f d ecline in dependent in its

w ea k ne s s H owever the y agree t hat the G ree k s chool pre
.
,

vailed at M ilan in the ninth century and it mu s t have done ,

s o at V eni ce from the beginning T heir conclu s ive admi ss io n .

is ( p 63 chap ii vol i ) that D es ideri u s abbot o f Monte

.
, . . . .
,

Ca s ino s ent in 8 7 0 fo r G ree k mo sai ci sts to adorn h is aps e

,

and altar and ordere d h is novices to learn the art o f in

,

lay ing from them So s ays L eo o f Ostia in M uratori R em :

.
,

I talzcaru m Scriptore: ( vol iv p and he ad ds the

'

. . .

ass ertion a good d eal controverted that mo saic had bee n los t
, ,

to Ital y (scarcel y to R ome) s ince the L ombard invas ion in

5 6 8
. A gain the G ree k w or k s ,in S icil y are mo s t important ,

and they w e re certainly imitated at Salerno and el se where o n

the main P enin sula in the tw el fth century , .
 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 2 69

A s for th eir value as monuments thes e works are land ,

m ark s o f time an d by them w e j udge o f the men who did

,

them ; the y are original s and have the value o f original

,

M SS w hatever amount o f technical s k ill or beauty the y

.
,

ma y pos ses s over and above N othing remain s o f races or .

con q uerors except the s e frag ments o f their attempts to

recon struct and to ma ke s omethin g a fter having de stroy ed
,

s o ve ry m uch R oma n bric k s are li k e the bri ck s o f Jac k

.

Cade s chi mne y s u rviving and authentic w i tnes ses o f facts ;

they bri ng home the pers onal reali ty o f veritable event ,

and conten d agai ns t that frame o f min d in the s tudent of

contradicto ry narratives w hich P ro fes sor A rnol d express es
,

b y calling hi s tory a M i ss i ss ippi o f fal sehood It is not onl y .

the record o f H ol y Scripture men d isbeliet heir mind s

are not e q ual to reali s ing the tru th o f an y hi s tory at all I t .

is in fact a natural reaction from determinedl y impertinent

, ,

in q uiry into thi ngs too hard for u s when the intellect is ,

w earied out w ith vai n e ffort an d can accept no reality exce pt

,

i n the d ail y papers T he bes t res torati ve and antidote is

.

s ome k no w ledge o f the actual and origina l work s w hich are

le ft us from mas ter w ork men dead and gone T h e hand o f

-
.

Phi d i as is phos phate o f lime s omewhere ; but that h and was

bus y on the T he s eu s years ago an d T heseu s may be ,

s een in the Briti s h M u s eum w here I never heard o f a stu d ent

o f hi s tory vi s iting him .

T he period o f the D ecline and Fall is certainl y not a good

one for educational s tud y of hi s tory it is comparativel y pain
fu l an d unintere s ting being about decline and fall
, Still the .

continui t y o f hi story mu s t be pre s erve d ; and we who are ,

Goth s or T euton s or N orthmen m us t learn ho w much civili s a

, , ,

tion we o w e to the R oman E mpire and the s chool s of A then s ,

unles s we mean to res ig n that cul t ure T h e D ark A ges m u s t .

be bridged over someho w ; the y cannot be con s i d ered as a

D eluge be yond w hi ch nothing is k no w n an d a fter w hich t he ,

h uman tale h as to be ta ken up a fres h w ithout practical con ,

nec tio n w i t h the pa s t H i s toric connection is s trong betw ee n

.

the R oman an d Gothic s ys tem s an d thes e documents are its ,

evidence s It is complained and not u n reasonabl y that w e

.
, ,

have no notion of the virtue s or the value of Greec e and d o ,

2 7o GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

not k no w ho w much w e are i ndebted to her T hi s is in great .

meas ure t ru e ; though it is not q uite tru e o f tho s e who have

been brought up in the o ld fa shion on G ree k or R oman ,

s cholars hi p philoso ph y and poetry T h e fact is a great

, , .
,

man y o f u s o f the older s ty le k new our G ree k texts very w ell

that is to say thos e o f the authors be s t worth k no wing
, .

In thi s sen se man y count ry gentlemen might be named who ,

are q uite as good H elleni s t s as the modern s uppo rters o f

G re e k moral s agai ns t Chri s tian But s cholars hip is not all .
,

nor even philos oph y nor yet the dry bones and chronicle o f
,

his to ry People w ill not give enough attention to hi s to ry to

.

believe it unles s the y s e e that it has s omething to do with

,

them We do not thin k the moral sys tem s o f G reece and

.

R ome s o good as the s ys tem w e have ; but it is w ort h an y

thi ng to u s to k now that the law o f right and w rong was
co nfessed b y the heathen according to h is lights A nd th e .

fruit of h is imagi nation and invention th e very s tone s he ,

laid the actual marble and colours he carved and blazoned

, ,

are our model s to thi s day and have much to do w ith our
'

li fe
. T h e R oman la w directed all our ow n middle age s ;
.

and the R oman la w o f t he T en T ables f an: om n i: pu blza
' '

i j i ( L i iii certainl y

de ferred to and
'

p r v a t zq ue u r r v . w a
.s ,

ba s ed on G ree k in s titutio ns
, .

T he fact is that in the A rt s more pa rticularl y our popular

, ,

in formation is i n that s tage which has mas tered the leading

di s ti nctio ns and not yet unders tood the great connection s of
,

the clas s ical and Gothic s ys tem s so called under protes t ,

and w ith re ference to the di s tinction s in our seco nd chapter .

People are s o afraid of bei ng caught i n s ome con fu s ion betwe en

G re e k an d G othic that t h e y cannot reali s e t h e truth s th at
,

G oth s learnt much from G re ek s and that both G ree k and ,

Goth w ere taught eve rything o f G od through H is Boo k o f ,

V i s ible N ature A pedime nt is clas s ical and a gable is

.
,

G othic and w e are s o proud o f k no w i ng it that w e q uite

,

forget that a p e di ment is a lo w gable a fter all T he s ame .

principl e s adapted to di fferent need s and e nd s govern all

good A rt to all time ; a natural l e a f curve is good and a -
,

circular one not s o good in A th e ns R ome and R ou e n I n , , , .

the A rt s as in all things con fu s io n o f terminology is the

, ,
 27 2 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

it has at all times an d to the pre sent d ay been treated ex cep t ,

i n religiou s work ) as a mean s o f rudel y ingeniou s im itation

hal f deceptive hal f conventional as in the U n sw ept H all
, ,

o f A ttalu s s palace

where the tessellate d pavement re pre
,

s ented the reli cs and me ss o f an un remove d ban q uet T he .

most pleas ing example o f thi s k in d which is now in exi s t

ence is al s o one of the bes t k no wn w orks of art in the
-

w orld . It is the
Capitoline or P lin y s
D ove s so

calle d be cau se it was a s tandard w ork in h is da ys and is ,

dul y mentioned b y him : (N at H is t xxx v i . I t is the

. .

earlie st of M r P arker s examples of cla ss i cal mosai c in

.

photograph ; an d an y one wh o w i ll examine it in h is boo k

w ith a good magnier w ill s ee w ith what breadth and s k ill
the irregularl y s haped pieces o f marble are compos ed Cor .

re c t ly s peaking w e s uppos e it w ould be called opu s s ectile

, ,

the fragments being cut to form a d es igned shape and no t ,

merel y sq uare tes s ellaa But it is a reall y beauti ful work

.
,

s uperior eve n to the T igre s s o f S A ntonio A bbate

. Dr . .

N ort hcote tell s a capital story about it to the e ffect that s ome
,

z ealou s A nglican t hought it w as a Chri s tian work s y mbolica l ,

o f L ay parti c ipation in the E uchari s tic Cup T hi s certainl y .

was as great a mi s ta k e as is generall y ma d e b y the mo s t

enthus iastic s tu d ent ; an d is rather a caution again st the habit ,

so prevalent j u s t no w in religiou s arti s tic an d s emi religiou s

, ,
-

s ubj ect s ,
o f w riting earne stl y perhaps polemicall y on a
, ,

matter be fore you have rea d enough about it But there .

can be no d oubt that the doves an d chalice on R aven

ne se and afterward s on earl y Venetian s arcophagi do
, ,

occur times out o f number : that the d oves s ymbolize th e

faith ful generall y or that the chalice is the chalice o f H ol y
,

Communion .

M o s t o f u s will s ee then that ( 1 ) mo s ai c is incapable o f

being made an expo nent o f ve ry high art though it ma y ,

express the lo fties t ideas I t is highl y sy mbolic h aving little

.
,

po wer o f i mitati ng nature ; and it gives no notion either o f , ,

the hand of a great mas ter ; though it m ay follo w h is de s ign

i n a rough w ay an d h is geni u s may ad apt his des ign to the
,

method o f execution as a ce rtain conventionalit y is given to

s ome o f the corre c tl y d ra w n an d mo s t be 3 uti ful gure s in
 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 27 3

Bur ne Jones s w in d ows

( )
2 G reat part o f th e .archai

s m
an d s ti ffnes s o f B y zantine art w as i mpress ed on it as a ,

characteri s tic b y the practice o f mosaic ; and the s ame

,

i nuence was contin ued into Gothic ( 3 ) Mos aic h as cer .

tain relation s in its decorative function with the u s e of ,

ainte d w i ndo w w hich hav been c on idered

p s e s
(4) Bot h .

s tained gla ss and mo s aic have s pecial relation s al s o w ith

miniature or illumination ( 5 ) A s to s ubject the doctrinal

.
,

expres s ion o f a s uccess ion o f dated mos aics in churche s built

or re stored in s ucces s ive centurie s is an i mportant adj unct to
hi story T hi s is obviou s l y s o in the rst i ns tance becau s e
.
,

earl y in the eighth centu ry the Iconoclas tic movement begin s ,

and the icon s or form s painted carved or inlaid are s een to , , , ,

have had lamentable e ffect on popular belie f and practice .

T hen as w e go bac k from that time to earlier day s better

, ,

or not s o bad w e shall see that the mo s aic paintings re p re

,

s ent popular teachi ng b y clergy or mon k s more par ,

t ic u larly in it s d evelopment and corollaries ; s how ing not

exactl y the form s of word s i n which they expounded and ex
p an d e d their ancient creed but ho w the y expecte d the peo p le,

to ta k e them It indi cate s that curiou s and di s tre s s ing w ant

.

o f s a feguard or prote s t again s t idolatry in popular teachi ng

w hich le ft it s w ay open ; and made it a natural th ing to a ,

people alread y accu s tomed b y inveterate as sociation to a , ,

w hole pantheon o f i n ferior deitie s A n d it s eem s to p oint .

out that a clergy and mini s try tak en from the people an d ,

appealing to the people w ill nd them selve s grievou s l y ,

tempte d to fall in w ith p o p ular tendency and even to adopt ,

popular error Finall y it will s ho w us that popular error

.

or even propen s ity once endorsed w ith the authori ty and ,

T he s k ilful use lami nae of coloure glass in some of th ese work s ,

of suc cessive d
Jd d
as in th e u gment Win o w at E as tham s tea ( B rac k nell, p
erks ) , is an im ortan t d B p
d i i i
a d tion to the tec n qu e o f sta ne
h -
g l ass , givi ng it mu c h of th e dalue o f trans v
parent pai nti ng J
Sir oshua R eynol s sai , in reference to th e w in ows of the
. d d d
V i rt ues in N ew C ollege Oxfo d , r , wh i c h h e designed that
h e had h ad great h o es
, p
of th e effec t of li gh t th rough his colou r, and not reec te onl from canvas d y .

These ,
he y
sa s, were utterl y and c om pletely d isappointed . B ut the use of ne
p
trans arent la in e e , ans w ering to the tou ch es or coati ngs of a
ss ive lamina
g ss suc c

p
w ater-c olour ainting, might have enable him, and has enable Mr B urne ones, d d . J
p
to rod uc e so me new and very strik ing results, as it were, in transpare nt mosaic .

See l
a so his works in C hrist Church C athed ral , Oxford .
274 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C .

proclaime d with the v oice o f a Church is al mo s t i rrev o c abl e , ,

and w ithout remed y save by one o f those great i nterpo s ition s

which mark perio d s of huma n hi s tory w ith the D ivine brand
o f grievou s alic tion

I have nothing to say again s t popular
.

preaching ; but every preacher who doe s h is duty w ill s o m e

times n d it necessary to oppos e him sel f to popular religiou s
feeling an d that in th es e da ys nobo d y d are s do
, , .

A Scriptorium of ancient days ma y o ften have been m u s t

generall y have been rather a happ y k ind o f pla ce wh ere ,

s have n an d s ilent cop y i s ts w or k ed awa y in w ell founded hope ,

-

that they were labouring to the glory of God ; and enjo yed
the pure s t of earthl y pleas ures as well as the dainties t ; wh ich
,

I ta k e to be the manipulation o f rich bright colours w ith ,

clear temperate ey es N o s uch place exi sts no w i n the

,
.

Wes tern Ch u rch s trictl y s pea k ing ; though at R u s sia and at

,

Mount A thos an d el se where in the E as t the old s ys tem is in

, ,

full force . It is worth re ferring to I ns titu tions L itu rg ique: to

read th e learned and excellent D o m G urange r s racy lamen

t at ions ov er the degeneracy or di s appearance o f caligraph y

and illumi nation from the G allican Church ; and I do not s e e
that he looks to German y or Ital y to s uppl y the deciency .

I n C u rz on s M onas teries there is a d elight ful acco u nt o f the

A by s s inian s cribe as blac k as a cro w clad in raiment o f

, ,

antelope washleather and anointed w ith oil o f ca s tor not of

, ,

gladne ss T here is al s o a mos t right an d s en s ible reminder

.

as to the pri mitive zeal and labour an d in s ome degree th e ,

learning o f thes e wild a s cetics s ome of whom I remember

, , , ,

w ere in Jeru salem in 1 8 59 I thin k that the R ev H F

. . . .

T ozer h as publi s hed A Vis it to M ou nt A t/zor or that an ,

account of the monasteries there (an d I k no w o f no other

except in Curzon ) w ill be found in h is T ravels T he fort h .

coming A rmenian T ravel s will certainl y be o f great intere s t

in th i s connection But the mos aic s tudio of a convent m u s t
.

have re q uire d a certain amount o f conversation and involve d ,

a certain amount o f w ork manli k e di s ord er T here mu s t have .

been a n umber o f men emplo yed on one d es ign and they ,

mus t have ha d l eav e to tal k about it there mu s t have bee n

a livel y clatter of marble s lab s and glass te ss ell a : the ma ster
Murray , 1 8 70.
2 76 GR E E K A ND GOT H I C .

j u d gment thou s halt con d emn T hi s is the he ritage o f the .

s ervant s o f the L or d and their righteou s ness is of Me s aith ,

the L or
s s s s s it

T hese w ord s w ere w ritten s everal wee ks ago and I have ,

s ince seen an illu s tration o f them s o delight ful in it s cha ,

ract e r an d s o entirel y unexpected that I have as k ed leave

, ,

to mention it here Several years have pa ss ed s ince I .

ve ntured to as k in A rt teac/t ing of tire P rim itive C /t u rek

,
-
,

if an y ladies could be found who w oul d emplo y them s elve s

in Ch u rch mos aic work in s tea d o f or as an alternative to-
, , ,

embroidery ; chie y becau s e m e n c an u nders tand the on e ,

and cannot unders tand the o ther T h e s ugges tion was re .

p e a t e d el s e w here an d I need ,hardl y s a y produced

, no re s ult ,

whatever Moreover all the unemplo yed lad ies o f high arti s tic
.
,

feeli ng w ith whom I tal k ed to pe rs onall y about it prod uced

the mos t excellent reas on s for ma k ing no attempt o f th e k ind .

H appil y the s ame id ea h as occurred to o thers and been ,

executed b y other hand s under the inuence o f the D ean ,

and Chapter o f S P aul s and Colonel D u Cane T hos e who .

.

v i s it S P aul s Ca thedral ma y not all be a w are o f th e rapidl y

.

advancing res toration o f the cry pt s or s ubterranean churche s

below its pave ment s T he e ffect o f th eir mas s ive piers and .

low bro w ed arche s and the endle ss pers pe ctives o f th eir di m

-
,

ai s le s is not o nl y in its el f mo s t po w er ful but full of as socia

, ,

tion carrying on e s min d bac k not onl y to ancient no rthern

,

v aultings o f Scan d inavia n ori gin but to the cat acomb s t h em ,

s elve s B u t it is more to th e i mmediate purpose that the

.

w hole choir o f the long c ry pt is no w oored with mos aic ,

m ade b y women impri s oned fo r variou s term s and o e nc e s

'

T he work is not

under Co lon el D u Cane s in s pectio n .

s ectile but all in s mall cubes o n white groun d an d w ould

,

,

an swer to the R oman rs t ce ntu ry lithost rot u m called ,

vermiculatum or albarium
It is in black red an d .

, ,

w hite : and it s beauti ful patt ern remind s o ne o f the mo s aics

o f H a d ria n s V i lla It is due to the class ical tas te and ripe

.

learning o f Mr P enro s e . It i nvolve s no s pecial s y mboli s m :

.

the thing its el f h as it s own train o f imagery T he long .

T his ad d i tio n is retained as rst writtenR S J T . . . .

 M A T E R I A L S A N D M OSA I C OR N A M E N T . 277

and care ful manipulations re q uired in arranging th e tess era

are said to give much interes t and relie f to the women
employe d ; an d th eir chie f d irectress and s uperinten d ent ,

the s oul o f the whole w ork is th e re m embered Con

,

s tance K e nt .T h e w ork of man y trouble d s pirits and han ds

,

on ce deepl y s tained is the oori ng o f God s sanctuary

,

.

T he se are not pillars or poli shed corner s to ne s ; that w hich

-

t h e y have the y have given and t heir work w ill fo llow

, ,

the m for centurie s and age a fter age o f s ecret prayer below ,

the found ation s o f L on d on and deeper than its unres t

, ,

and turmoil w ill re echo their penitence in the E ar tha t

,
-

A d lzas it pam mento s a ys the V ulgate My soul

hears
'

. .
,

cleaveth to the du s t O q uick en T hou me according to T hy

I f there be an y s y mboli s m more p ro fou nd than that

w ord.

o f a hou s e o f pra y er t hu s paven w ith peniten ce I know not

what or where it is .
 C H A PT E R IX .

C H R IS T IAN SC U L P T U R E .

I N ni s hing w ith mos aic w e have d one with th e le ast

arti stic o f art s in the modern s en s e of the adjective T h e
, .

gre at examples o f te ss ellation i n no sen s e compl y w ith the

rule s of modern tas te T heir s ubject s are religiou s an d they
.
,

at once as s ert an import ance of their ow n whi ch is be y ond

techni q ue or handli ng T he y refu s e i n fact to be judged o f
.
, ,

as pur e l y intellectual w ork s or b y the arti s tic s tandard onl y , ,

and appe al to the s piritual j u d gment A ll work doe s so .

which appeal s to lo ft y or s piritual thought Mos aic is .

unpopular w ith many as s peciall y religiou s work ; it is als o

,

objected to w ith le s s rea so n as belonging to a s pecial Church

, , .

T here is a s u s picion of P opery about it w hich h as been c o n ,

s id e red and I tru s t

,
fairl y d i s po sed o f
, , It has been sho wn
.
.

how far its use and progre ss coincided in time wi th ad vancing

ic ono d u lis m an d virtual po l ythei s m in the Church o f Chri s t ,

but had no nece ssary connexion w ith them But it is furt her .

expo sed to a not un natural k i nd of di s li k e from the as ce tic

or penitent cha racter w ith which it is as sociated I mentioned .

at the end of the la s t chapter a s ingularl y touching and

impress ive in s tance o f its mo d ern us e as w ork o f penitent ,

pers on s or pers on s try ing to be penitent s ; and its original

,

ca s t an d im po rt w ill be felt s o to the end o f time I n s pea k .

ing o f it one mu s t go out o f the p rovince of techn ical art ,

an d d es cend s o far to pers onalities as to as k ourselves if w e

I t is i
cur o us th at So ph cles exp e i n
o

r ss o , 6m m opdvmui, s oul
h d y
so exac tl

c orres p ond to the wor d s, sp iri tual th ough t .

a8 o GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

back to its real origin in A ttic s culpture ; for as s ure as the

chil d is father of the m an (and vice vers d as I have generall y ,

been accus tome d to con s ider it) so s urel y P he id ias w as the ,

ances tor of the mo s aici s t and as the O ly mpian J upiter was

,

the greatest wor k o f the G ree k mind in its u ntaught manhood

an d glory s o the mos aic s ho ws what th e Fai th could do for
,

the utter collaps e o f the N eo Gree k intellect -

.

T he idea o f Go d s bei ng ac ceptabl y wors hipped and so

,

coming to H is T emple and lling it w ith H is glory the

, ,

great light o f H is pres ence an d the thic k dark ness that is

,

under H is feet is not G ree k only or Chri s tian or Semitic

, , , ,

bu t human It may be the highes t idea of H is actu al s el f

.

mani fes tation to H is people if they are s piritual min d ed ,

-

enough to form it in the right way or it may fall to a ,

degrading Feti shi s m if the y are degraded enough T hat

, .

G od is in H is T emple in R eal P re s ence is on all hand s

g ranted and in man y hearts at leas t is felt w ith aw e and
,

hope T hat H e is to be brought there in V i s ible P res ence

.
,

is in fact the root of all huma n i d olatry

, , Men have so longe d .

to believe that the y have H im be fore their bod il y eyes the ,

evil as w ell as good have s o eagerl y s ought fo r a s ign that ,

the y have made s ign s s ig na images o f H im continuall y ;

, ,

and the record s o f that unhappy faculty o f theirs are writt e n

all thro u gh in hi sto ry in characters s ome what of the re d dest
T here are two pa ss age s o f Scripture in parti c ular !one of ,

the highe s t ight o f i ns pired s ong the other of a ctual ,

prophetic Vi s ion o f the A lmighty w hich s eem to expres s ,

that w hich w as the real purpos e and thought o f P h eid ias

an d the m on k mos aici s t ali k e T he y are I s aiah vi I and
-
. .

Ps al m xviii 9 1 1 . Both i m pl y a great and overp ow ering
.

P re sence far more than m ortal high and li fted up ; towering

, , ,

be fore the s hrinki ng s eer ; borne on living things bright an d

terrible ; lling the temple w ith glory and cloud s and thick , ,

dark ness T he H ebre w or Chris tian G ree k d welt more on

.

the awfulne ss an d m ys tery o f the I nnite and I nc om pre

h ens ible Being Whom he felt to be th u s made k no w n to him .

T he ethnic h ad ha d no Open vi s ion or R evelation of the L or d ;

b u t he had learnt to conce ive o f H im from th e bea u t y an d ,

the awe w hich might exi s t in man who was ma d e in H is ,

 C H R I ST SC U L P T U R E . 2$l

im pra s ion o f saa e d ar e o n all oomers , on all at la st who

e nt e re d th e O lym p ian T e m ple w it h any ge n u ine
p p
u r os e o f
tm rip . fo r a m oment forget t h at t he
T h e G re ek d id not

A g alm a o f l e ns at O lym p ia was an A galma or g rav en image .

o f g lory H e d id no t ex pe ct it t o wink or to s h od t en s or t o
. .

c ure his c o m plaint s. or to kn o ck h im d own with it s s c ept re .

He n e v er d ou bte d t hat it w as all t h e work of P he id ias of

A th en s Y et it d id im pres s h im w ith th e se ns e t h at th ere

.

w as a God , and t hat H e was most g re at and aw rl and inc om

p re h e n s ib le P h e id ias , I s ay at
. taine d t o awe H is A gal m a , .

d d i
not lit erally re veal l e ns t o G re e ks th ey were far t oo s harp .

to belie v e that ; its perfec tio n o f e xec u tio n and th e ir ow n

kn o wle d ge o f t ec h nica l be aut y p re v en t ed t h e ir t h ink ing s o .

B u t it m ade th em h u m ble th em se lve s be fo re an u nk no wn

Z eu s o ne far abo ve and beyo nd th e ch ild ren men ;of and

so fa r t he great image m u st have had a s p irit ual e ffec t, and

th at a good o ne

Fo r as P ro fesso r Z eller has made
. . ou t

q u it e gl
c onvinc in
y t h ere wa s n o t o n l,y

a p h il oso ph i c al
d ogm a bu t a pop u lar apprehens io n in the G re ek s o f the
, .

B e i ng an d u nity of a God in w h om all high er att ribu t es o f

all t h e great god s o f O lym pus were One T h e T he ion the . ,

D i v in ity was a c om m on t e rm in G ree k conversation and

,

arg u m e n t H e was felt as a prac tic al ru ler wh o m me n see m

.
.

reall
y to h a v e min d ed ; an d o f t h is g e n e ra l se nse o f D e ity
t he A galma was an inte rp re tation I t w as in its time th e .

c h ief o f all ethni c or h u m an s y mbol s ; the hi h es t k n o wn

g

h u m a n asse rt i o n o f the Sup e rh um an

.

W hatev er be sai d of th e H ebre w Chri s ti an idea o f act ual -

T hos e w ho wish to d
un erstand how muc h monoth eism u nd erlaid
since re

m yth ol ogy in the so uls o f the better heathen shou ld read rst. S Pau l s disc ours e .

at A then ( Ac tss and then P rofes or Ze ller s B

s -Sa
'
w s} P ilm vply, and his
artic le on G
Monotheism C ontemporary R a ft er vol iii M r atkiss
reek ,

, . . .
'

L loyd has struc k an important k e ynote to the same purp ose in th e 4n M id r ,

vo l i p 336
. . .This loft ier ideal (of Zeus as God and the A ll C re ator j u t and c
,
s

mereifu l) is from time to time confused with th e agencies of a pl u rality of d

g s.
o

o r w ith suc h a d efective

perso nali ty as the poetic Zeu s. But th s i inm nsis tenc y

life and ( M t , rabid it te m m : of M and arin " , and toward s whic h the

poetr y of 5c hylus still mar s a k decid ed ad vance.

Mr W atkiss L loyd , M r
. . Mahaffy , and notabl y Mr . R uskin, all agree in this.
2 82 GREEK AN D G OT H I C .

perso nal R evelatio n by God o f H imsel f to the h uma n Sp i rit ,

it is evident that the C hrist of the Mosaics and M SS asserts .

nothi ng less and appeals to somethi ng m ore tha n the u nde n ed

. ,

feel i ng o f awe o f G o d It is plai nly con nected wi t h a de nite

.

creed .I t is a ve ry curious and not idle or u nprota b le , ,

exercise o f fa ncy to thi nk what P h eid ias w ould have thought

o f o ne o f the colossal Christs o f the Byza n ti ne apses sup ,

posi ng hi m a ware that they were don e by G reeks w hose ,

little k no w ledge o f art had come do w n from him and A tti ca ,

and wh o had q uite forgotte n its source To j udge by .

D emosthe nes and Plato G reeks o f A then s spoke e ither ,

w he n they w ere thoroughly excited in co nnected speech or

t horoughl y at ease in co n versatio n in a ma nner very like
w ell bred and k ee n E nglishme n
-
I dare say the shade o f .

P h e id ias ( if he c an be imagi ned to have returned to earth in

the ni nth century an d fo r a ti me forgotte n all he had learn ed
,

in the i nterval a b o u t his ow n Zeus and the G o d o f the Chris

,

tia ns) would h ave rumi nated much to the follo w i ng purpose ,

a fter picki ng his way a livi ng A then ia n o nce more through , ,

the shattered Forum o f Paschal I s R ome i nto the C hurch .
,

'
o f SS Cosmo and D amia n in the n i nth c ent u ry z
.

They k new h ow to build here o nce at all eve nts and , ,

so m ebody has k no w n pretty w ell how to pull down si nce .

Capital maso nry and ne b rick work We never cared fo r .

those rou nd arches in m y day when we could quarry the lo ng ,

blocks from Pe ntelicus close by and le ngthen out our bri ght ,

e nta b latures parallel agai nst the horizon N ot b ut that .

arches make as good perspectives as my colum ns on the

A cropolis A h well ! it never w as that like here
.
, H ow .

big and po w erful and crushi ng and overloadi ng this great

, , ,

place must have bee n ; a good deal o f w hat w e called

B anau s ia .

A ll this time the Shade has been bli nded by the tra nsitio n
from the glare o f the Forum as he e nters the dark quiet church
-
,

o n the site o f the Temple o f R emus H e no w looks straight .

for ward re m emberi ng h ow his A the ne al w ays faced h im gra n d

, ,

and be nig n as he e ntered the Parthe no n to weri ng above all

, ,

and seemi ng to ll h e r Temple w ith thu n derous purple robes ,

Q
A hum b l m tat n of the P oem to R omain may be excused here
e i i io r .
2 84 GREEK AN D G OT H I C .

or heave over battlements tha n to use as models for i m i tative

,

schools H ad he go ne north wards i nto L ombard y he would

.
,

have see n m uch stra nge sculpture do ne b y a set o f w ild ,

h yperborean thro t cutti ng K elta w ho w ould i ndeed re fu se t o

a
-
,

be called K elte or by any other name he k new ; but who w ere

,

adopti ng the w o rship and service of the sad God o f m a ny

coloured apses and someho w submitted to the teachi n g o f
,

their o wn slaves o f priests and mo nk s who got these great

, ,

n
E iko ns do e images by no m ea ns agalm ata , The priests .

o f A the ns had no t bee n his fri e nds or the no b le P e ric le s s

E u m o lpid a and C eryc es and the co nve ntio nal rites and ,

superstitions had h ad a great deal to do with his i mpriso n

ment and death They were impostors in fact ; but these
.
,

m e n work ed and taught H e w ould lear n too for a while

.
,

amo ng the fair marble A pe nni nes and the Tyria n blue bays o f -

Spez i a and P i sa so like the A ttic mou ntai ns and the se as he

,

o nce had k no w n .

L eavi ng the represe ntative o f G reek art to w ait fo r his best

pupil N iccola Pisa no we go back to the latest R oma n sc ulp
, ,

ture w hich bears any traces of his traditions I t is all .

C hristia n ; for duri ng the seco n d ce ntury all scu lpture de

ge nerates fas t and by the e nd o f it there are no m ore
,

eth n ic or paga n w ork s to re fer to except the later carvi ngs

on the A rch o f C o nsta nti ne T hese show such utter and d is .

tressi ng collapse of heathe n sk ill and spirit that we nd we

have a right to poi nt to ma ny fourth centu ry C hristia n works -

as i ndicati ng a d eg ree o f R e nascence or fresh e ffort in sculp

t u re ; stim ulated by a new faith w ith new subj ects fo r th e ,

artist and a certai n earn est ness of purpose and c heerful

, ,

ness o f dista nt hope in the supporters o f the art A nd here .

I should like to ma k e m y late lame nted friend M r C J , . . .

H ema ns speak fo r me in o ne o f the best parag raphs of

, ,

h is book on the Mo nume nts o f A n cient R ome This work .

begi ns w ith some e xcelle nt remarks o n the decade nce o f

sculpture in R ome I t is necessary for us to u ndersta nd and to
.
,

be able to express to others speaki ng as C hristia n people that , ,

in fact the decade nc e o f the heath e n arts had not h i ng to d o

w ith the C hristia n faith but had b ee n determi n ed lo ng be fore
,

the C h ristian era ; and w as cause d not by a new creed of

 C HR IS TIA N S C UL P T UR E . 285

s p i r i tual truth but by the total loss of all s p i ri t or truth from

,

m ythological religio n A nd h ere w e may appeal to Mr

. .

H e m ans s H zlrtorzoal a nd M onu mental R ome p 3 1 8 ( I 8 7 4)

'

, .

When the light o f the setti ng su n blent wi th the mello w ,

ing touches o f ti me gives an al m ost golde n t i nt to th e A rch

,

o f Co nsta nti ne as it rises in marbl e relie f agai nst the bac k

,

gro und o f ilex and cypress trees on the C oelia n H ill we m ay -

,

d well w ith i nterest in the pleasant eveni ng hours on the c on

, ,

t ras t ed characteristics of R oma n art at its ze n ith and in its

deep decli ne al ike pre s e nted be fore us on the storied surface
,

o f that mo n ume nt T he highest excelle nce o f R oma n sculp

.

ture is exemplied in the relzow and colossal stat u es of whi c h

' '

the now lost A rch o f Trajan w as despoiled t o adorn this later

trophy o f imperial victories w hile the period of decli ne , ,

almost to a level with barbarism is represe nted by the bas ,

relie fs prepared in ho nour o f the rst C hristia n emperor ,

and that too w e w ould add be fore the tra ns fere nce o f his
, ,

seat o f pow er to Co nsta nti nople when art may have falle n ,

w ith s w i fter degradatio n w ithi n the forsake n Mistress o f th e

World .

N ow this pas sag e is not onl y beauti ful but very u se ful ,

i ndeed to a stude nt o f h i story beca use it species the period ,

which begi ns w i th Traja n and e nds w ith the A nto ni nes as , ,

th e last period o f R oma n art u n decayed The begi nni ng o f .

the end o f i mperial arts arms and all else may be xed , , ,

s oo n a fter the death o f the first A nto ni ne in 1 6 1 AD H appily .

a ne w ork o f t h at date remai ns in the Vatica n Gardens the ,

h orseme n at the base o f the C olum n o f A nto ni n us A fter }

C o nsta nti ne there is simply no more secular or paga n sculp

tu re except in the form o f the co nsular ivory tablets or
,

diptychs We cannot go off to these at present though there

.
,

w ill be somethi ng to be said abo ut them in due time We .

now w a nt o ne more q uotatio n and re fere nce to x t h e dates

and course o f R oma n decade nc e in sculpture and the n w e ,

must go back to see why heathen or eth ni c R ome w hich did ,

s o much o n the co nstructive or e ngi n eeri ng side o f art n ever ,

cared for or got on in sculpture as G reeks or i ndeed E t ruria ns , ,

See P ark er s P h tog aph N o 328 ; and com pare these on the porphyry tomb

o r , .

the E m press H elena !bit} 2 09 wh i c h d ate about A D 33o

, .
, . . .
2 86 GREEK AN D GOT H I C

did T he fact is the decay of the arts and the culture of th e

.
,

a ncie nt w orld is al wa ys bei ng charged by implicatio n on the

Christia n faith and de nitely rel igious O pi nio ns and practice
are held i nco nsiste nt w ith pursuit o f per fect art A nd it .

seems to be necessa ry t o repeat or say a little more here , ,

o f h o w R oma n arts fell to pieces in heathe n ha n ds ; and

sho w that i t is historically u ntrue that C hristia nity did

w hat the corruptio n rst o f heathe n ism and the n o f
pagan is m had virtually do ne ce nturies be fore M e n may .

in time learn to thi nk that the modern pu rsuit o f the arts

i s neither si nful no r i ndel in m an or woman ; and they
may see that the Ch urch never objects to a nyth i ng till it
is si nful ; but that nd i ng the R o ma no G reek arts i nvolved -

w ith s in she had to begi n art with a feeble or rough tech nique
, ,

and an archaic treatme n t o f her o w n .

N o w for our other quotatio n w hich illustrates in Seroux ,

d A ginco u rt s q uick as h ing Fre nch way the co nseque nc es o f

-

the vast perso nal i nue nce o f the emperors o n all public

w orks architecture and sculpture in particular
, Sculpture .

w as gra nd and noble u nder A ugustus ( w h o had V ip s a n iu s

A grippa on e o f th e stoutest and best o f sol d iers workers and

, , ,

admi nistrators to keep good R oma n order in all thi ngs

, ,

tes tu d z ne et f aoze as he w ould have said ) it was lice ntious
' '

u nder Tiberius ; coarsel y obse q uious u nder Caracalla w ho ,

caused his own i nfamous head to be placed o n the ve

G reek statues ; and extravaga nt u nder N ero w h o gi l ded ,

the famous clzef d cz u v re o f L ysippus C aracalla marks

-
.

positive decli ne b ut there had been a revival u nder T rajan

,

and H adria n in decorative art as w ell as architecture

, and the

great dissolutio n begi ns w ith the calam ities o f A ureli us s reign

.

This poi nts out that it was fatal to sculpture to be so depe nde nt
o n the w ill o f the I mperator o f the time I n A thens the .

A rts had been employed in the w orship o f A the ns and the

U nk no w n Go d I n R ome they w ere used in the serv ice (a
.

service exte ndi ng to actual worship) of the I mperator or ,

ce ntre o f the orga nized forces o f the E mpire A nd w hen .

that r u ler was cha nged s o o ften and might be a good or bad ,

Q o t
ued b y Pr fess W es tw o
o d E arly C h i m
orau S u lp
ot rt
,
r A pp en d ix t

c u , o

Parker 8
A rc/ia ology f
o A m ien! R om .
2 88 GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .
j
be fore 3 54 ( she w as daughter o f C o nsta n ti n e an d w i fe o f
C at s ar G allus and died in th at year) that he w as u n easy
,

about the co nsta ntly rene wed taste for i mages carve n and ,

pai nted in any place o f worship

,
.

E nough has been sa i d here about the use o f i mages in the

E arly C hurch from eth n ic or heathe n habit and the e n er ,

getic protests agai nst images whi ch are made by the earl iest
h eads and Fathers o f the Church She did not i ntrod u c e .

sac red pictures or hold pictures as sacred ; she fo un d them

,

eve rywhere ; the H ebre w feeli ng o f her rst preachers and ,

the natural repulsio n of her rst gentile co nve rts incli ned ,

her to forbid them in churches as T ertullia n desired t o d o ,

a way w ith every vestige of grave n image or represe ntation ,

t o the letter o f the Seco nd C omma n dme nt This w as .

attempted by the Cou ncil of I llibe ris and E lvira in Grenada ,

in its t hirty sixth A c t N evertheless the disti nctio n bet ween

-
.

i mages for adoratio n and pictures for i nst ru ctio n seems t o

h ave bee n felt all alo ng and Pauli nus o f N ola s church
'

pai nti ng at the end o f the fourth and begi nni ng of the fth
,

centu ry seems to have give n no o ffe nce becau se it was all

, ,

i nte nded to teach histo ry by narrative pai nti ng or doctri ne ,

by symbol and emblem and o ffered no obj ect o f w orship , .

T h e evil was popular ; l ike all great evils it was in the air ; ,

in the e ngrai ned iconolatry o f the G re co R oma n w orld T he -

.

people were set o n mischi e f ; and E usebius and T e rtullia n

-
,

and reall y as far as ho nest i nte nt w e nt Joh n D amas c e nu s

, ,

after them protested in vai n like A aro n and at last li k e

, , ,

h im let the p eople have their w ill

, .

But the separate statue or sta ndi ng image was more

o b noxious tha n the picture or bas relie f fo r a special reaso n -
,

that it w as co nnected w ith i mperial paga nism and the wo r ,

ship o f the D ivus C ze s ar It has bee n observed ho w great a .

mis fortu ne it was for the Church o f Co nstanti nople and the
E astern w orld tha t Co nsta nti ne permitted his o wn statues
t o b e erected in his new C hristia n metropolis ; and eve n

See B ov in s A nnotation

: to N ic oru r Gregora: xix 3 , Sa ff ron : B yz a nh m ,
.

v ol
. i p 1 301
xxx . .
, ed . Bonn . q y
I t was uoted b the I conoc last s d e in the and i
C ouncil of Nice .
 CHRIS TIA N SC UL P T URE . 2 89

allo w ed a k i nd of w orship w ith i nce nse and lights befo re

t hem It was like leavi ng the root o f idolatry bou nd neither
.
,

w ith brass nor iro n bu t alive and gro w i ng in the vi neyard

, .

But enough has bee n said to sho w how natural it is that s o

ve ry fe w separate statues o f pri mitive days should be left .

T h e best short accou nt of them is Pro fessor West w ood s

and his is almost the o nl y w or k which gives proper atte n tio n

and full descriptio n to the importa nt d i ptychs and ivo ry

carvi ngs w hich are the o nl y existi ng specim ens o f secular

,

C h ristian work .

The earliest k no wn Christia n statues the n are the small and , ,

beauti fully executed marble gures o f the G ood Shephe rd in

the Vatica n and L ateran M useums T he ir w ork ma nship i s s o .

good that they have bee n assigned to a much earlier period

,

than the fourth ce ntury Still the typical or sta ndard .

,

example o f C hristian sculpture (the far famed Sarcophagus -

o f J u niu s Bassus w hich we shall have to describe ) co ntai n s

, ,

examples o f like excelle n ce and its co nsular date is happily ,

ascertai n ed ; as late as 3 5 9 A fter the Fish and the Vi ne .

,

the Good Shepherd is probably the earliest emblematic

g ure o f Ou r L ord : and it is possible that these gures
may date from a time be fore the Peace o f the Church ,

and have bee n the property o f some richer C hristia n In .

a church o f such a date they w ould hardl y have bee n

permitted but they may have adorned some orato ry or
,

catacomb The use o f private images dates of co urse fro m

.

the domestic L ararium I t is well k no wn that A lexander .

Severus had a ki nd o f eclectic orato ry co ntai ni n g various ,

i mages fo r w orship or meditatio n ; and that amo ng these

,

was o ne of Ou r L ord C an it be possible that that E mperor

.
2

k ne w that H e was i maged (or eve n me ntally symbolised ) by

H is follow ers as the Shepherd o f Ma nk i n d ? T lie H omeric
,

E arly C ri l rtza n Scu

l
p tu re ; a n A en d x t o M r app
rk i
er s A re a ol
.o g P
y of

A ncient R ome, 1 8 7 6 .

L am prid ius

s M e m oir of A lex a nd er S ev er n : is th e au t o r t fo r t is : an d h iy h o

he s tat es , m o reo ve r, t at A ex a n h
d e r d e slre d to fou n d a t eim e to t h e Sa v ou r : pl i
and e ven t h a t H a d r a n hh h
ad t io ug i t o f d o ng th e sam e T h e a rar u m i s . L i
still d i tingu i sh ab le am ong th e ruins of th e P al at in e m

s .
( H e aH istorical and
ns s

p patt l p
cal ed O us A lexand n num
.

M on u mental R ome, . T he tesselated e rns

bear th is empe '

ro r s na me .
2 90 GR E E K A ND G OT H I C .

idea a k ing as shepherd o f h i s people w ould fall in w i th

of

this These statuettes ca nnot be Gnostic i mages w hich see m

. ,

t o have bee n either fa n cied or pretended portraits ( Se e .

I re na u s A d o c r i c 2 5 . . T here is a nother re aso n

. .
,

fo r co nnecti ng the t wo shepherds w ith a very early date .

T hey are u nquestio nably repetitio ns o f the a ncie nt i m age o f

the H ermes Criophorus at Ta nag ra a w ell k no wn statue by ,
-

A w oodcut o f it w ill be fou nd in Se e m an s Gotter

C alam is

a nd H eroen : and wh e n one co nsiders the n umber o f G ree k s

in the E arly Church their familiarity with ideas o f the R oyal

,

Shepherd and Ou r L ord s ow n express compariso n o f H im

s el f ,
it seems likely e nough t h at s o m e Christia n artist ( w e .

k now there were such perso n s from Tertullia n and elsew here ) ,

should have adapted the H ermes to Christia n uses D an .

g e ro u s perhap
, s such uses may
, h ave seemed to ma n y from ,

t he earliest times : but these as h as bee n said are o nl y , ,

s tatuettes bet wee n t w o an d three feet high and w ere kept ,

in private The heads o f the Church seem al ways to have

.

h ad the most i ntelligent though probably u nco nscious
p erceptio n o f the di ffere nce bet wee n a symbol and an i dol .

C o nse que ntly they seem to have felt th at a picture or bas

,

relie f is more purely symboli c tha n the detached statue .

But in any c ase the Good Shepherd beari ng the L amb w as

,

o nly the symbolic repetitio n o f the L ord s m ost gracious

promise o f H imsel f to falle n m an as the Saviour o f the ,

lost . A nd so we nd it e v e rywhere most freque ntly accord

ing to the C alam is type : on sarcophagi in stuccoes o n vases , , ,

at the bottom o f glasses and platters and everyw here in the ,

C atacomb pai nti ngs .

There is little to be said o f other detached statues of

early Christia n R ome I n m arble there remai ns o nly S .
, .

H ippolytus Bishop o f Ostia in the L atera n : in bro nze the

, , ,

small sta ndi ng gure o f S P eter beari ng the upright or .

,

C ross mo nogram ; and the far famed bronze or bell metal

- - -

s tatue in the nave o f the g reat C ath edral o f S Peter A ll . .

the world k now s somethi ng and nobo dy in the w orld k no w s ,

w hat are called the exact ri ghts o f the co ntrovers y abou t ,

this molte n i m age Pro fessor West wood s accou nt of t he

'

Fig ed by M art igny and in M iint s S n nb ld pl 6 f

ur ,
er
'

i
'

i er, . . .
292 GREEK AN D G O THIC

I t ma y have b ee n o nly grate ful commemoratio n o f the rs t

Christian E m peror and giver of P eace ; it m ay have be e n a
rem na n t o f military ho nours to the Imperator n o m ore ,

thought o f as a w ay of return to paga nism tha n troopi ng the

colours o f a mode rn regi ment is as a return to worship o f th e ,

eagles N eve rtheless it thus co nti nued la wful for C hristia n s

.

t o repeat to all outw ard seemi ng the wo rst act o f all paga n
, ,

error ; and the natural co nseq uen ces w ere permitted and no t

w ithheld The duty or reverence or d ulia o f C o nsta nti
.
, ,

nople be fore her fou n der emperor may no t have bee n mea n t
,
-
,

for more tha n revere nce ; the ho nour done to sai nts and
m art yrs may ne ver have bee n i nte n ded t o be more tha n
h o nour But the i m pulse to this visible se rvice in both cases
.
, ,

was that o f the old popular idolatry and in a short time the
world clai med fo r their n e w i ma ges the local prese nce an d
p o w er o f G o d a n d forgot H im ,
for a n e w host o f heave n .

T his was o ne w ay in w hich the a n cient idolatry return ed

u po n the C hristia n Church But there was a nother far more
.
,

widely and subtly misleadi ng and it sho wed itsel f decisively ,

after A laric s sac k o f R om e in 4 1 0

That was t he fi n al .

s hock w hich paga nis m never recovered

, T h e a ncie nt gods .

o f R ome w ere va nq uished utterly at last ; they could do no

m ore fo r her and had departed from h er as from Carthage

, ,

and C ori nth and Jeru salem T hey and their ru i ns w ere.

go ne and in their place the new Faith stood su fferi ng and

,

prevaili ng w ell used to w orse trial tha n barbaria n o nset

, .

T h e C hurch w as prepared to teach the w ild i nvaders

the n ame o f C hrist for the spiritual world to come and to ,

h a nd o n to them fo r this world some rem na nts o f the law

, , ,

t h e arts and letters o f the empire the y yet loo k ed o n w it h

,

awe ; not u n mixed w ith wo n der and appreh e nsio n at havi ng

overthrown so great a thi ng .

A gai n i t seems as if the barbaria ns ( w hether heret i cal

,

C hristia ns li k e A la ric o r war w orshippi ng N orthme n like

, ,
-
,

the L ombards) had a nother besetti ng temptation or back

w ard road i nto pol ytheism w he n they became Christia n s , .

T he y w ere not l ikely to g o back to the w orship o f the

ancient gods and the temple i mag es but to adore their own ,

fathers the great or good o r b rave go ne be fore

, T here had .
 C H R I ST I AN SC UL P T UR E . 293

been in fact t wo forms o f the earlier h eathe nism ; the pan

, ,

theism of G ree k nature w o rship rst represented in R ome b y

-
,

H estia and the hearth re then developed i nto O lympus ;

-
,

and the speciall y R oma n c u ltu s o f the Pe nates gods o f th e ,

race sometime priests of the hearth re T he former brough t

,
-
.

all the outer sple ndours and attractio ns of h eathe nism i nt o

C hristian ity ; the latter w as the pri nciple which developed
w orship o f the Sai nts o ut o f the C omm u n io n o f Sai nts A nd .

as the basilica and its ima g ery took the place of the temple ,

so the catacomb and oratory w ere like the cella memori a and
the lararium Both we re adorn ed t o the best o f the mak er s
'

po wer ; rst for decoratio n and i nstruction the n for the ,

successive stages o f emotio n devotion admiratio n aspiratio n , , , ,

ve neratio n sym bolic adoratio n o f G od and worship of th e

, ,

i mage as contai ni ng H im Symbolic teachi ng seems to have

.

become a necessity by sheer force o f the nu mbers o f ne w

h eathe n and barbaria n disciples ; the evil w as that a majority
o f these by old i nveterate n eed o f a sign or visible obj ect o f
,

w orship w ould set u p a cultus o f symbols and a personal

, ,

w orship o f sai n ts as o f heroes and demi gods ; and this the y -

did eastward and w est ward and through the w hole ( E cume ne
, ,
.

Setti ng aside the earliest and rudest forms o f mo nogram or

sh w hich are fou nd on the earliest i nscriptions we have to ,

say t h at no Oar relief ; w ith disti nctly Chri stian character c an

-
,

be proved to be earlier tha n the fourth ce ntury I f there are .

an y such mo nume nts in existe nce their date is lost ; they ,

have been re m oved from their origi nal site w ithout record ,

and there is no cha nce o f determi ni ng their a u then tici ty It .

is useless to complai n o f this or q uarrel w ith exti nct au tho ,

rit ies w h o acted accordi ng to thei r lights : but we may learn

,

from their pro c eedi ngs that dilettantism and church warde nis m
are the sam e in R ome as in our o wn la nd L et us go o n t o .

w hat is le ft us T h e rst example o r t wo possess co nsider

.

able beauty .

A bout 6 5 0 y ears a fter AD 359 t w o years be,

fore t h e .
,

dull and murderous C o nsta ntius gave place to Julia n the ,

C o nsular J u ni u s Bass u s died in the sad time o f L iberi us ,

and Felix and h is tomb w as carved in R ome w ith a po w er

o f desig n draw i ng and ex ecutio n which is certai nl y mos t

, , ,
2 94 GR E E K A N D GO THI C .

extraordi nary for the period T hose who tal k of the d e .

caden ce o f art in Christia n ha nds sho uld compare B os io s ,

faith ful e ngravi ngs o f this w or k ( to be fou nd in h is o r

A ringh i s or B ot tari s works o n S u bterranean R ome) w i t h t he

sc u lpture o f C o nsta n ti ne s rst days be fore Christia n it y had

ruled at all The Christia n w ork might be b y a tolerable

.

s culptor o f the A ugusta n age ; the Paga n is utterl y b ar

barous I t is no t archaic or Byza nti ne or ecclesias tical b ut

.
, , ,

si m ply stupid as b y a m an w ithout mi nd or eyes or ma n ual

, , ,

skill A ll m ay see o n the A rch o f Co nsta nti ne the best that

.
,

R ome co u ld do immediately be fore the seat o f the empire ,

and the arts had bee n tra ns ferred and it is no lo nger decade nt ,

b ut deep in the b athos sa fe from fall and barbarous belo w , ,

observatio n I t is rather a curious a nalogy that paga n

.

R ome and the modern disciples o f its R e nasce nce should

, ,

lay clai m to the arts as a peculiar property exa c tl y as ,

R oma n Catholicism and the pseudo G othic R evival did some -

y ears ago .

I t is poss i b le that the R oman Sen ate at the t i me of C o n

s tant ine s accessio n

may have b ee n compelled t o empl oy
R oma n workme n and that they co u ld nd no great choi ce o f ,

them ; while the great family o f Bassus may have bee n a b le

to get better artists from Co nst a nti nople fty years a fter , ,

w he n w hatever tech nical po w er yet remai ned to the w orld

w as collected there T h e bas relie fs o f T heodosius o n the
.
-
,

edes t al o f the o b elisk in the H ippo drome sho w a ce rtai n

p ,

se nse of order equal division o f space balan ce and u nity

, , ,

o f gesture & c bu t they i ndicate the decli ne o f N e w R o m e

, .
,

as well as o f Old and are not to b e compared to this sarco ,

p g h a u s M r Par
. k er has at last succeeded
. in photographi n g
i t in it s place in the crypt of S Peter s It shows a little o f
,
.

.

the decade nt taste for overload ed decorat io n and the heads ,

o f the gures look too large not that they really are so b ut , ,

that they proj ect in high relie f an d seem from the photo ,

graph to have a top heavy appearance T h e plates in Bosio -

.
,

A ri nghi and Bottari re nder them ve ry w ell except perhaps

, ,

for a little exaggeratio n o f the heads T h e whole sur face o f .

See D Aginc ou rt, St u /plu m, p1 . iii . Th eod osi us
s has -re i
l efs, next pl t
a e bu t
one .
2 96 GRE EK AN D GO THIC
irresolute disturbed ; another R oman gure bes i d e him
and ,

m ore ind i e rent or decided may be mea n t fo r H erod A gai n

.
, ,

o n the spectator s le ft o f the lower row sits Job in h is a m ic

'
a

tion which seems to culmi nate in his w i fe s o ffer o f a piec e

o f crossed bread t o him o n a stick : a male gure s igni

c an tly holdi ng his nose Then a reall y beauti ful relief o f

.

A dam and E ve perhaps rather sho rt in proportio n t o their

,

h eads y et correct in dra w i ng and excelle n t in compositio n

, ,

w ith the Serpe nt coili ng rou nd the tree bet wee n the m an d ,

the corn ears and the lamb on either side to symbol ise thei r
-
,

future labour in delvi ng and spi nni ng N ext the E n try i n to .

,

Jeru salem w ith a disciple casti ng his garm e nt be fore t he

,

L ord A tree behi n d w ith a seco n d gure may possibly be

.
, ,

Zacch aeus and the sycamore as his prese nce at the begi nni ng ,

o f the last journ ey t o Je rusalem is o fte n re ferred to in the

sculptures The n D a niel w ith his arms outstretched as an

.
,

O ra nte bet ween t wo lio ns in the usual catacomb for m ; and

, ,

e ighth and last a group co n sisti ng o f an old m an bou n d and

, ,

t wo gures o ne o f w hom is dra w i ng a s word : w hich m ay

,

pass for the executio n either o f S J oh n the Baptist or .

S J ames
. .

T h e histor i c reaso ns fo r d welli ng o n this si ngu lar w ork are

ma ny I n the rst place though fou nd at R ome i t m ust
.
, ,

have bee n carved by Byzanti ne or C onstan ti nopolita n or ,

N ee G ree k artists ; and next the group o f A dam and E v e in

-
,

particular has the true C haris o f old G reek w ork about its
,

gures though their heads are so m ewhat large A s much as

, .

Ve nice C o nsta nti nople marks a co nue nce in histo ry w here

, ,

the decli ne of Greek and germs o f Gothic idea appear

together ; w here E astern asceticism supported the Weste rn
C hurch agai nst iconoclast emperors ; w here the imperial
th ro ne was lo ng supported b y Varang ians from the N orth
Seas The ma ni fold names o f the city mark chapters o f its
.

history Byza nt i um C o nsta ntinople M ic k legart h Stamboul

.
, , , ,

R OM E the last name sti ll co nveys the idea o f a world s

ce ntre to m en wh o never heard of the Italian mistress of

the world .

But the seri es o f little symbolical L ambs in the low er

s p a ndrils or spaces be t wee n the arches is
, y e t more i n tere s ti n g ,
.
 C HR IS TIA N S C UL P T URE . 2 97

C hrist as L amb of God is represe nted holdi ng a rod , ,

and touch i ng w ith it a small gure in a tomb tightl y ,

s wathed in grave clothes ; H e is sta ndi ng be fore the O pe n

-

book of th e A pocal ypse ( I thi nk the Seve n Seals are i ndi

c at ed ) H e la ys H is ha nd o r fore foot on the head of a
,

smaller lamb o n which rays des c end from a D ove H e holds

,

a rod over vessels co ntai n i ng bread (the m iracle o f C a na) ,

and as Moses H e strikes the rock w ith a rod H is sheep

'

, , ,

receivi n g the w ater There are pastoral sce nes also on the
.

e nds o f the sarcophagus w hich as d A ginc o u rt sa ys re pre , ,

sen t the Seasons W hether as conventional orname nt o r not

.

they appear in the most a ncient catacomb pai nti ngs as those ,

o f S P ra te x t at u s ;
. and like other decorative gures they

seem to have bee n adopted and repeated from a ncient orna

ment and graduall y i nvested w ith C hristia n mean i ng by bei ng
,

used as i llustratio ns in preachi ng or commentary .

Bassus s ays Bosio w as o f the great A nic ian famil y wh o

, , ,

earl y embraced and faith fully held to the Christia n faith and
a nother great sarcophagu s o f the i rs is that o f Probus and
P roba I t may represent the vertical treatment of the
.

sculptured fro nt where the wh ole height or depth is divided

,

i nto n iches by colum ns and lled by statues of Christ and ,

H is A postles H ere there are ve o f these groups

. T he .

L ord sta nd s in the ce ntre o f two A postles as usual upo n a , ,

rock from w hich o w the Four R ivers o f Paradise and which ,

m ay be the earliest k now n i nsta nce o f that emblem u nless ,

the L atera n Cross o f Baptism be still older I n the spa n d ri ls .

o f the rou n d arches which joi n these colum ns are doves ,

eati ng from baskets o f small loaves the Faith ful feedi ng o n
th e Bread o f L i fe The niches are cut i nto shallo w coves or
.

c o nc haa and so are those o f the smaller e nds o f the tomb

, .

But there is a pathetic feature on the back o f it somethi ng

is give n to huma n sorro w Probus and P roba tw o reall y .
,

beauti ful and noble gu res ta k e leave o f each other w eepi ng , ,

and w i th ha nds clasped fo r the last time in li fe T wo other .

gures in the side niches seem to e n courage them They are .

no t w ithout hope b ut they must part ; they have to die and

,

g o forth alo ne like each ,o f us ; deprived for the time eve n

o f huma n L ove and hav i ng faith in C hr ist o n l y

, The fore .
2 93 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

w a rni ng the true bitte rness o f death is g i ven so t h at all

of ,

hearts must needs feel it but this plai ntive acknow ledg m e nt
o f the burde n o f all m en is all The early C hurch i s n eit h e r .

hopeless no r stoical ; nor does she i ndulge anyw here in o u t er

signs of deca y or the disgusts o f mortali ty We are h ap p i l y
, .

far from the mock i ng skulls and e sh le ss ribs o f t h e G othi c

and later R e nasce nce adopted eve n more and more b y l ater ,

w ork me n and too w ell suited to the lo west taste o f Ita lia n or
,

G erma n grotesque Those who have read M odern P ainters

.
,

vol iv part vi chapter xix will k now the most po w er fu l

. . . .
,

a nalysis o f the e ffect of thoughts o f death and its c o n c o m i

ta nts o n pai nters and symbolists It is harshest in the north .

and in caricature and d ubious w ork o f the early p art o f thi s

ce ntury it rose in this c ou ntry t o a ki nd o f atheistic gall ow s

m irth w hich vi rtually repeated the ravi ngs o f H ebe rt and
,

A nac hars is C lo o t z By what J uve nal says it ma y have bee n

.
,

the same in pagan R ome but as to early C hristia n art I ,

believe that excepti ng in N orthern M SS and there u nfre

,
.
,

q ue n tly there is
, no represe ntatio n o f a s k eleto n o r any ,

personicatio n o f D eath till the time o f G iotto w ho cert ai nl y , ,

pai nted o ne at A ssisi N o d oubt the varied horrors o f the

.
2

T o rc e llese mosaics and th e H ells o f the U trecht Psalter

, ,

show that the real terrors o f death were d welt upo n in earlier
art But this c an not eve n have begu n be fore the seve nth
.

ce ntury .

N ow a nybody w ho w ill compare these t w o sarcophag i

,

w ith the co ntemporary carvi ngs o f the A rch o f Co nsta n ti ne ,

w ill see no t o nl y that there had bee n an absolute paga n

decade nce complete to idiocy before the C hurch ceased to
, ,

be subject to regular persecutio n ; but that a co nsiderabl e

R e nasce nce or revival took pla c e in C o nsta nti ne s days

A ll .

t he architectural or at least the co nstructive side o f art

, ,

retai ned its po wer The brick work of the fourth century w as
.

certai nl y some what i nferior to the rst The C omposite c apit al .

E ss e aliqu o s M anes, e t su bterranea regu a,

Et c on tu m , et Stygio ranas in i
vort c e n igras
N ee p ue ri c re d u n t, ii q n s u i no nd u m a re lavan tur .

I c o uld no t nd it w h en I w as th e re ten years ag and it may ha e an

o, v v

ish ed , be i ng near th e great d o or ; bu t it is d uly m e nti ned b y M M C w e and

o . ro

C avalcase lle .
3oo GREEK A ND GO THIC .

of R ome, she became i nvolved w ith the u tter dec ay and

barbarism o f Ge ntile sculpture I t had receded ever si n ce .

P h e id ias but co nsidered as architectural decoratio n sculpture

, ,

w as hopelessly deg raded b y C o nsta nti n e s ti me ; and as the

'

w ork o f lu x u ry domestic or palat i al i t w as i m m o ral o r

, ,

i dolatrou s ; a great deal of it w as thoroughl y bad w ork in

draw i ng feeli ng cutti ng and all else There are n umbers of
, , , .

proba ble exception s for good artists m ust have remai n ed t i ll

,

very late in the fourth ce ntury w he n the tombs of B assus and ,

Probus w ere carved ; but these w ere last and very i s olated

e fforts T h e o nl y w ork fo r C hristia n artis ts was in sepulchral

.

portrait or decoratio n Sculpture w as lo ng fo rbidde n in the

.

C hurch and in fact ico nolat ry never fostered art t hough

, ,

artists in a fter days may have made fortu nes by i t I mage .

wo rshippers d o no t w a n t art or beaut y or care about it they ,

w a nt a picture to w i n k and cry or a statue to hold out its ,

hand Goethe was right in fact that mi raculous pictures are

.
, ,

n ot o fte n w ell pai nted because in fact it is no t easy t o get , ,

people who believe in miraculous pictures to see the merit of

w ell pai nt ed o nes
-
.

I d o not k now if it has bee n su f cie ntly u nderstood or set

forth h ow en tirely religious persecutio n by th e State po wer
derives from the R oma n E mpire and came i nto the C hurch ,

as part heritage o f that most heathe n system I t m ust b e .

remembered that the Pagan theory o f the E mpire had made

heresy high treaso n : in the rst place as disobedie nce to the ,

M ilitary I mperator which was Pli ny s ultimate reaso n for

capitall y pu nishi ng C hristia ns and in the seco nd as o ff e nce ,

agai nst the N ume n the Maj estas the divi ne right o f D ivus
, ,

C ae sar .This D iocletia n had nally e nforced and formulated ,

th ough C aligula and N ero had assumed it Whe n Theodosius .

and poor H o norius are spoke n o f as the rst C hristia n per

s e c u t o rs it m ust be remem b ered that persecutio n w as really

,

imperial The temptatio n t o a Christia n emperor to deal

.

w ith paga nism or heresy as an o ffe nce a gai nst the State was
t oo great It seemed a fair retrib ution on the former and
.
,

w as t oo ready a w eapo n agai nst the latter : but it may be

said w ith truth that the A ria ns in the E ast had b ee n the
,

A bout 3 5 9 .
 C H R I S TI AN SC UL P T UR E .
3o r

e arliest offe nders S A mbrose might perhaps by we k now . .

,

n o t w hat protest have at leas t procla i med th at the C hurch ,

w ill in no case strike w ith the s word The occasio n w ould .

h ave bee n no doubt the executio n o f Priscillia n and h is

, ,

follo wers b y M aximus A D 3 8 5 S Marti n of Tours did most , . . .

earnestl y protest agai nst it before and a fter the fact and , ,

A mbros e and others joi ned him But it ma y have been .

i mpossible for an A rchbishop who had till late in li fe bee n ,

a great admi n istrator o f the E mp i re t o disti nguish the ,

E mpire as a Christia n despotism from its former sel f as

, ,

a Paga n system I t is co nceivable though it ma y no t have.

,

bee n possib le and certai nly did not happe n that S A mbrose
, ,
.

m ight have acted agai nst mi nor o ffe nders as he had acted ,

agai nst Theodosius w ith the Spiritual w eapo n o nl y At , .

H o nori us s accessio n Stilicho de ferred to the Sai nt in spiritual

m atters and the The odosian edicts o f persecutio n might have

'

been modied or not at on ce rei nforced as they w ere But

, , .

the new allia nce betwee n u nlimited Imperial po wer over

the bod y and bou ndless spiritual authority over co nscie nce
, ,

w as to o promisi ng a c ombi natio n T wo such m e n as A mbrose .

and Sti licho may justiabl y have thought it the o nl y pri n ciple

w hich mi ght y et hold E ast and West R ome together I t was .

reserved fo r mo dern times a fter I 5 00 years o f vai n coercion , , ,

to co nfess a truth w hich A thanasius perhaps had see n a far , ,

o and give n to Jovia n that the C hurch and the E mpire

'

, ,

should bear w ith error though they bo re w itness agai nst it ; ,

that the y shou ld ack now ledge no t that error is si nless bu t , ,

that it is an o ffe nce on w hich no w ritte n law can lay i ts

h a nd of penalty The al lia nce o f the E mpire i nvolved the
.
2

v i cious practices of the E mp ire P ersecution w as one and .

,

bad art a nother .

A ny bod y wh o looks at the seco nd plate o f Seroux

B rogl e , H ist i . o'

er I V .
p ro n . 5 222122 . I am un a ble to nd th e pa s sage in an y

work of h anas i s and ha unh app ily lost the ferenc e to B roglie
At u , ve re .

A t hanas ius had be en cond emned and Li b i us B i shop of R om e exil ed for ,

er , ,

supp o ting h im A D
r 35 5 A m b o,
w as th n i t h e
. 1 5 o r 1 9 y.ea s o ld and r se e e r r ,

m us t h a e m mbe ed the A i an coe c ions

v re e f h i y outh
r H on i us st r r o s . or

s r

impre i n of an event in his ea ly boyhood probably was his fath er s (and ind eed
ss o r

Sti li cho ) su bm i si on to Ambrose

s s .
 3oz GREEK AN D GO THIC .

d A g inc ou rt s S culptu re, or compares any goo d photo graph s

o f the work s in questio n, w ill see that the E mpire l ed the

Church i nto bad art not the C hurch the E mpire T h e work , .

o f Titus s day is good that o f Se pt im iu s Se v e ru s s bad

but ,

that o f C onsta nti ne s do ne lo ng before his Christi a nity su ch

, ,

as it was could have a ffected the arts is so much w orse than

, ,

either as to puzzle us completely I t is i ndeed extraordi nary .

that e ntire and absol ute barbarism should have come o n the
public works o f a capital full o f G reek masterpieces in little ,

D A ginc o urt s plate compares at o ne

more tha n a centu ry .

gla nce three pairs o f Victories from the A rch o f T itus from , ,

that of Se pt im iu s Severus and from C o nst anti ne s : the t wo ,

last bei ng u nequivocally copies o f the rst w ith such variety ,

as the i ncapaci ty o f the carvers necessarily i nvolved T he .

Victories o f the Flavia n period are tall grace ful g u res , ,

h u ma n but no t coarse or eve n voluptuous

, they carry light ,

ba nners ; their strea m i ng drapery w ell expresses the great

w i n d o f their goi ng and it seems w ith their po w er ful w i ngs
, , ,

as if they really oated fast through the air They loo k as .

if they really might y and are free from that distressi ng ,

resemblance to pheasa nts hard hit in the back w hich has

characterised so ma ny represe ntatio ns o f the heavenl y host
from their ti me to this T hose of the A rch o f Severus are .

huddled in the spa ndril u ngrace full y short and square in , ,

form ; they seem to be ine ec t u ally poki ng at each other at

'

a dista nce w ith po nderous staves w hich bear small trophies ; ,

t heir faces are utterly vulgarised from the fair expressio n les s ,

type of the better w ork and all their faults are repeated and
exaggerated in the th ird pair o f the A rch o f C o nsta n ti ne .

N othi ng can be more evide nt tha n that all study o f nature ,

or search fo r beaut y or care ful draw i ng from the form o r ,

fro m drapery had lo ng ceased be fore such brutal w ork could

,

be done for such a place O ne w ork ma n had lo ng copied .

a nother losi ng all sense o f beaut y at on ce and all po wer o f

, ,

T he verge or pio nt o f fall is u nd ou bted ly in the age o f A urel us ; and i one

great i mmed iate cause w as th e d eso at l i ng pestilenc e o f Ve ru s , ntro d u c ed b i y hi

s

re turning troo s p i nto the W es tern p

E m ire , after h is P e i an rs c am p
aign . See
N ie b h u r, L eetu rer, V ol . II I .
, p . 2 w he
re th e d eca y of A rt is d irec t ly att i buted
r

to th i s.
 9
3 4 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

children s desolat i o n was determi ned and proved too m u ch

fo r them .

Besides i ts alto relieve Victories whi ch are large gu res

-
, ,

d A g inc o u rt s plate compares three processio nal bas relie fs

-

from the same arches R oma n carvi ngs o f this ki n d e nt i rel y

.

di ffered in motive from the 01d G ree k T he G ree k bas relie f

,
.
-

w as lo ng thought o f as a temple decorat i o n to be m ad e as ,

beauti ful as possible for the temple s sa k e ; and s o they gave

their g roups plenty of room as compositio ns T he R o m an , .

bas relie f was primaril y tri umphal to the glory o f the c o n

-
,

e ro r ; and the carvers had t o get in as ma ny co nquerors as

q u

poss i ble R oma ns never thought their gods cared m uch for
.

carvi ngs if they could w in victory and deal death Mars

, .

w ithout the wall w as a practical deit y ; he li k ed real battle ,

g e n ui n e slaug h ter and the great tr i u,

m ph o f ma n y a mile ,

w ith its les o f doomed priso ners and the discipli ned ban ditti ,

o f the w orld I n the dark e n i ng da y s o f R oma n reli gio n we

.

may obse rve how l i ke ourselves they were in not cari n g for
art because i t had never bee n sacred to them
, N ot that .

i t is w rong to disregard that wh i ch does not appeal to t he

best o f the spirit that is in you : ou r wea k poi nt is in pre
te ndi ng t o care for i t What I mea n is si mpl y that art ha d .

n ever bee n sacred t o R oma ns and had no hold o n t hem ; ,

that all their notio ns of bas rel i ef ce ntred in i mitatio n s o f -

t h e Triu mph ; and t h at the tri umphs ver y ge nerally e n ded

w ith the gladiators and public massacre o f priso ne rs , The .

soldie ry and people o f R ome desired that ki nd o f sensatio n

they were e ncouraged on pri nciple to desire i t and art is no t
for w olves T hey could see cutti ng of throats very o fte n an d
.
,

it was far more exciti ng tha n carvi ng of marble The a m phi .

theatre w as t o them w hat the D io nys i ac th eatre had bee n t o

A the ns I nstead o f traged y says H orace they called o u t fo r
.
, ,

bears and boxers which is really q uite like our noble selves
,

in th e last ce ntury ; and w he n the M edea o f E u ripides was .

reproduced for them Se neca fou nd it n ecessary fo r her t o ,

k ill her childre n on the stage i nstead o f behi nd which is j us t

the s o rt of thi ng we are comi ng to in ou r own theatres .

Well the c o nsequence of th ei r taste for tri umphal bas

,

rel ie f and als o fo r fam i l y port ra i tu re in sepulchral tablets

, ,
 C HR I STI AN SC UL P T UR E .
3 5
0

w as that sculpture got I t was not done for art s

sake but as boastful record ; and the marble became a

,

cro wded stage w ith to w ers temples s i e g e operatio ns the

, , , ,

tortoise creepi ng t o the wall vi ne e balist e and batteri ng , ,

rams in the backg rou nd N othi ng c an be more barbarous .

tha n the C olum n o f T raja n except i ts N apoleon ic i m itatio n ; ,

t h ough the C o ns ta nt i ni an w ork i s of course d uller H o wever .

,

in d A g inc o u rt s plate the sacricial processio n o f Ti tus is

'

q uite G reek T he beari ng o f the gures has a certai n solem n

.

C haris ; the bulls are well ca rved from nature or a ncie nt

m odels : a fair amou nt o f repose and u nit y belo ngs to the
whole because the gures have sta nd i ng room ; and nobod y
,
-

shoves N o doubt Greek s k new how to ma k e the most of

.

their space P heid ias marshals h i s k n ights o f A the ns in

.

very close order on th e i nner frieze of the Parthenon : but

the n they are in order and move rhythm ically A ll w ho , .

k no w that work w ill feel the i r magnice nt u nit y o f act i o n

as a colum n N ow the Se p t im ian gures are closely pack ed
.
,

w ith dubious mea ni ng ; o ne does not see what they are

at and their vacillati ng legs c an w ith d i f culty be assig ned
,

t o their amb ig uous bodies ; the artist appare ntly feeli n g

u nable t o complete any gure per fectl y and tryi ng to ,

escape in the crowd Y e t they are grouped and have a

.
,

fairly good decorative e ffect ; while the correspo ndi ng gures

o n the A rch o f C o nsta nti ne have no order or c o mposit i o n

w hatever .

For po rtra i t sculpture a fter t h at age its best w ork is the

-
,

statue o f S H i ppol ytus of O stia though its date is probabl y

.
,

m uch later : but the examples give n b y d A ginc ou rt Sculp

'

ture P I 3 c an hardly be so bad as his drau ghtsme n represe nt

, .
,

the m Still sculpture had now reached the bottom o f bath os

.
, .

T he n the ta k i ng o f R ome put a stop t o it altogether in the

West ; and in B y zanti u m it began wi th a new spirit im ,

p riso n ed in a new archaism I ts rst attempts w ere still .

e n cumbered w ith i mperial luxury o r taw dr i ness : it w as yet in

s tate service or allia nce it m i ght sleep till a new race could
,

ari se to ta k e i t up ; it w as as barbarous as th e L io ns o f

M y cenae and mosa i c took i ts place in churches

,
Theod ori c .

1'
Park er , R bat . 2 899.

X
306 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

rei gned at R avenna and Vero na but even h i s e f g ies h ad t o ,

be done in m osai c .
1

One observatio n o f M r H e mans s is very remark abl e t hat

.

the inscriptio n o n the A rch o f C o nsta nti ne co ntai ns a rst

and dubiousl y implied recog nitio n o f M o notheis m o n the pa rt

o f the R oma n Se nate The a fter co ntest betwee n Sy m m achus

.
-

and S A mbrose about the altar and statue o f Vict ory in their
.

C uria show s that i t did no t mea n m uch ; but still the w ords

I ns t inc tu D iv init at is are used i nstead o f N utu Jo v i s

,

C M or other heathe n form to express the idea o f Co nsta n
. .
,

t i ne s a c ti ng u n der D ivi n e guida n ce The phrase he says is

.
, ,

s o si n gular s o u nli k e the forms o f class i c epigraph y

, that ,

arc h a e ologists lo n g thought the i nscriptio n had bee n altered

from its ori gi nal w ords ; but the C hevalier de R ossi has
as c ertai ned by care ful i nspection o f the holes fo r nails w hich
, ,

o nce fas te ned the now lost bro nze letters that no c ha nge has-
,

bee n made from the antique w ords The coi nciden ce is .

i nteresti ng t o the historia n o f art I t seems t o poi nt out .

that art had had its period o f heathe n service and m ust ,

p erish fo r a w hile at co ntact w ith the true faith ; and that

s culpture in particular havi ng falle n lo w est and m i n istered

, ,

m ost closel y to i d olatry cruelt y and impurity m ust fall , ,

into utter decrepitude va nish and become sacred o nce mo re , ,

in a new D uty .

For there is now it may be said no more secular sculpture

, ,

o r pai nt i ng till the ce ntral Tusca n R e naissa nce A rt fo r art s

.

sake al ways exists w hile any skilled person does his best
w ith all his skil l ; but if this expressio n be i nte nded to express
the ho nourable search a fter pure beaut y the n such secular ,

art rst raises its s weet equivocal face agai n w ith Sa ndro

Botticelli s A phrodite C onsular diptych s are our onl y pre.

se nt exceptio n in the way o f sculpture and they are not art ,

at all From hence forth art i s C hri stia n : she i s ascetic and
.

barbarous fo r the prese nt in rude or e nervated ha nds , .

N evertheless she i s o nce more allied w ith the spiri t ual

,

t houghts o f men an d m ust there fore d w ell al ways w ith the

,

One at i
P av a, anot er ath V er bna . P roc o pi us , D e B ello Gotk iro,
'

I . xx vi .

T he h ead f th e l atte
o r fell awa y befo e The r od or c s i
h
d eat ; the m d dle i at his
d augh te A malas untha s
r

an d the legs when Bel s ar us i i p
a peared .
308 GR EEK A ND G O THIC .

p a nn i ers o f grapes a cock torto ,i se l i zard peac,o ck and an , , ,

e a gle r i dde n b y one o f the ge nii T h i s is Pompe i a n b ut it .

loo ks li k e the rud i me nt o f the future G othic n aturalism or ,

tast e for represe nt i ng all sorts o f th i ngs fo r thei r o w n sake ;

and is ce rta i nl y l i k e that o f the enlu m z neu rs o f the t w el fth
'

c e ntury .

But a more mark ed feature o f tra ns i tio n betwee n G reek and

Goth i c or let us s ay in this place horizo ntal and ve rtical
, ,

o rname ntatio n is the use o f rou nd and occasio nall y o f poi n te d

,

arches in C hristia n sarcoph agi T he y alter nate in the to m b

.

of Bassus and in a nother o f ve ry earl y date there are obtusely

,

oi nted vaults beauti full y formed o f the bra n ches o f i n ter

p ,

laci ng palm trees with a delight ful orie ntal G oth i c i sm

-
, Or .

the s u rface of a tomb is cut i nto vert i cal niches or co nch a: by

its d i vid i ng colu m ns and these as we h ave see n lled w ith
, , ,

s tatues o f the L ord and H is A postles in exact a nticipatio n o f ,

N orma n sculpture One c an trace the diverge nce o f ve rtica l

.

and h orizo n t al decoratio n Some sort o f arra ngemen t or

.

c ompositio n is a necessit y w he n you have a wall t o d eco

,

rate ; whe n y ou have an arcade or cloister to deal w ith it ,

is the same but the colum ns and vaults ge nerall y direct i t for
,

you B ut w ith a at w al l space the th i ng is rst to d iv i de it

.
,

i nto spaces or pa nels and in this you must be gu i ded b y the

h or i zontal li nes at top and o n the g rou nd in the rst in
, ,

sta nce . Someho w and in some proportio n they m ust be

, ,

brok en up ; whether y our pictures are on a small scale w ith

large mouldi ngs and d i visio ns as at Pompe i i or all over sixty , ,

feet o f wall l i k e the Paradise of T int oret y ou must apportio n ,

the space someho w fo r them .

I f you d well o n hori z o ntal l i nes in so doi ng y our or name nt ,

w ill ta k e the same form as the processio n o f the K n ights o f

A the ns in the Parthe no n and probabl y as the pai nted his
, ,

tories of its i nter i or I t w ill be o f a processio nal character

.
,

li k e the great A rm y of Sai nts and Martyrs in S A polli nare .

N uova at R avenna O r yo u ma y w ish to be guided b y verti

.

c al li nes and brea k u p your w all w ith si ngle g ures and

, ,

div idi ng borders : but that if done in pai n ti ng will p rb bably ,

i nvolve a certa i n mo noto ny and the i mitation o f architectural

,

A ri nghi i 2 89 2 9 5 , .
, .
 C H R I ST I AN SC UL P T UR E .
309

d i vi s i o ns in
pai nt w hich is less satisfacto ry Both wa ys were
, .

follo wed by G othic builders as seemed best and best loo k i ng

,
-
.

G ree k s and G oths both w a nted to express their belie f o r tel l

their histories from right t o le ft as in readi ng and arranged ,

their gures accordi ngly A nd both e q ually e njoyed a good

.

p erspective o f colu m n s o r gra nd ,u n broke n mouldi ng ; o n l y

the Gothic vaults above the colum ns made i n n ite varieties of
pe rspective and complicatio ns of curve ; which di ffere nt m en ,

or the same pe rso ns at di ffere n t ti mes pre ferred or postponed ,

to the at upper wall and co nti nuous en tablature The dis

-
.

t inc t ive G oth i c taste fo r lea f and o wer carvi ng must be

derived fro m the a ncestral architecture in w ood and the ,

forest habits o f the early N o rth i

.

O u r great example of the early Italia n or L ombard Goth i c

w ill be S Ze no ne because it is best k no w n and best described
.
, ,

and most thoroughly dra w n and photographed especiall y b y ,

Pro fessor R uski n A ll I have to say o f it n o w is that its

.

fro nt is all over boss y sculpture as purely decorative as ,

ear nestly i ns tructive ; and that its su rface is cut i n to pa nel s

by horizontal l i nes to suit architectural forms j ust as in the ,

Parthe non A ll the com mo n sense o f art is Greek ; and it

.
-

s urvives naturally in Christia n w ork .

I t w as latel y observed by M r F foulkes in a very remark .

,

able sermo n preached at S Ma ry s before the U niversity o f

'
.
,

O x ford that this wo nder ful disti nctio n existed bet wee n the
,

Christia n Faith and all others that the former has care full y ,

preserved the records and docume nts o f other great creeds as ,

w ell as i ts o w n I t has in fact had such co nde nce in itsel f

.
,

as to thi nk that all others w illi ngly or u nw illi ngl y bear w it

, ,

ness to it as o f G o d A ccordi ngl y we o we the preservatio n

.
,

and study o f the Je wish Scriptures o f the C lassics and in a , ,

g reat deg ree o f the Vedas a n d the K ora n to C hristia n labours ,

.

A nd this applies also t o the arts o f G ree c e and their great ,

remai ni ng docume nts They can not be m ultiplied ; they

.

c a nnot be repeated ; but they have had their i mmortal fame

from C hristia n a rtists and thi nkers T hese have u nderstood .

that such beauty and w o nder h as not survived years for

n othi ng but e ndures t o bear w it ness to the history and th e
,

d oi ng o f the g reat H el leni c race T h e C h u rch made u se of

.
3 1 0 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

Greek la nguag e and G reek method all alo ng for teac h i ng for , ,

e d i c at io n fo r sacred s y mbolis m and pleas ure in bea u ty ; and

,

e ve n as S Pa u l th e H ebre w G reek became all thin gs t o all

.
,
-
,

m e n by u n iversal s y mpat hy in C hrist and used G ree k ,

la ng uage and poet ry t o teach his co nverts so the C h urch ,

has al way s used the la nguages o f symbol and colour be ,

c ause o f the i r delight ful ness to teach her ow n h i sto ry

,
and ,

impress her o wn creed .

C hris tian [ varies and M etal w ork Pro fessor Westwo od of

-

Ox ford is the o nly or the chie f perso n in this cou n t ry wh o has ,

s ystematicall y and o n a large scale collected ca talogu ed and , ,

d escribed ivory carvi ngs as specime ns o f art and docu me nts

,

o f history Ivory sculpture is a separate departme n t less

.
,

histori cally importa nt tha n work in marble or fresco bu t w ith ,

adva ntages and value o f its ow n .

Fi rst w e possess an u nbroken series o f such carvi ngs beg i n

, ,

n i ng w ith E gy ptia n w ork o f about B C 9 8 0 ; and there are . .

val uable sculptures all through the third and fourth and the
eleventh and twel fth cen turies A D d uri ng w hich times we . .

have so little in sto ne : in fact nea rl y all the secular carvi ngs
,

a fter the seco nd ce ntury are in ivory It i s easy t o u nder .

s ta n d h o w this came about The material ivory w as not

.

val ued e nough to make the sculptures worth colle c ti ng ,

by R oma n or barbaria n pl u ndere rs N or were they heavy .

o r bulky e nough to be built i n to fortresses or heaved over ,

battleme nts upon stormi ng parties or burnt into lim e to ,

advan tage T hey had therefore a chance of bei ng spared

.
,

u nless w he n some vi rt uoso o f the type o f N ero or C a racall a

i ndulged in destructio n purel y o n its own accou nt A nyb od y .

who prized them at all w ould d o s o fo r th eir subject s

sake .

T he n there was a co nti n ued success i o n o f what w ere c alled

d iptych s imperia l and co nsular
, These were foldi ng ivo ry .

tablets t wo leaved in the rst i nsta n ce with wax for w riti ng

-
,

o n in the i nside and ca rved on the oute r side in low relie f ;

,

generall y from t welve to ftee n i nches high by ve or s ix in ,

breadth I t had lo ng bee n the custom for consuls p raato rs

.
, ,

aad iles and other magistrates to ma k e prese n ts o f such toke ns

, ,

t o the i r fr i e nds o n ta k i ng o ic e The diptych bore t h e nam e

.
3 1 2 GR E E K AN D G O TH I C .

traged y if I th ough t a hu ndred people in L ond on h ad e ver
h eard of him }
Whe n one thi nk s of i vory sculpture o ne is carried ba c k to ,

t he g reat chryselepha nti n e s tat u es o f the P h e id ian age to ,

A the n e of the Pa rthen o n and Zeus o f Olympi a I t is t ru e .

t hat P h e id ias w ould probably have rather execut e d both

s tatues in marble at least w e k n ow h e w ished for the less
,

costly m aterial for A th ene th e earl i er w ork B ut had any , .

great chryselephanti ne statue remai ned it would I thi nk have ,

added greatly to our k nowledge o f the decorative colo u rs of

G reek temple i nteriors ; in which the w hite and gold ag alma
m ust have bee n al ways the ce ntral and chie f light to be set ,

o ff by harmo n ious co n trast and the subordi natio n o f all sur ,

rou n di ng th i ngs B u t nobody who is studyi ng either classical

.
,

o r dark age or e arly moder n history

-
, should neglect oppe r ,

t u n it ies o f looki ng at the collectio n o f ivories in the Bri tish

M useum T hese w orks bei ng carved in low relie f partake
.
, ,

o f the nature both o f sculpt u re and pai n ti ng says Pro fessor ,

West wood (virtually repeati ng Pro fessor R uski n s expression

'

that a bas relie f i s really a draw i ng in natural light and s h ade

-
,

instead o f in art icially pen cilled shade ) T hey are illus .

t rat ive,

h e goes on o f the w hole decli n e and fall o f w estern
,

art ; they are the pri ncipal mo nume nts except the m i n iatures ,

in M SS in which the a rtistic hagiology o f the east is recorded ;

.
,

they present the most copious comme ntary o n the spiritual

and roma nti c li fe o f the M iddle A ges w hich the art o f t h e ,

sculptors has bequeathed to us T he Vatica n collectio n is .

the greatest in the w orld and no visitor to R ome should ,

n eglect it ; bu t o u r ow n is quite s u ic ie nt fo r either a rtists

o r historia ns .

I t is not m uch use descri bi ng these carvi ngs as everybody ,

c an s ee origi n al examples at South K e nsi ngto n as w ell as the

British M useum and imitatio n casts like Pro fessor West w ood s
,
-
'

are scarcely disti ngu i shable from them But th ey e nabl e us .

,

better than a nythi ng else to trace the t ra nsitio n of the E mpire

,

Some of us may remem ber Lo rd B eac onseld s qu otati on from C lau d ian as

app lie d to the late D uk e o f W elli n ton D e B ella Geti o

g 458 , e ,

D onec pul ere su b turb ine i d e i s i ns tar

v o
, s r

E mic u it Stilic honis apex et c ogn i ta fu lsit ,

Canities .

 C HR IS TIA N S C UL P T UR E .
3 3
1

and its arts fro m the classical i nto th e Byza nt ine stage I n .

s ecular work this is all decade nce at least if decade nce is ,

possible a fter a certai n dept h has been reach ed A nybod y .

w ho w ill co nsider w hat the draped forms o f the E lgi n marbles

w ould have b ee n like in ivory and gold and who k now s w hat ,

th e ivories o f the decli n e are like w ill u ndersta nd w hat deca ,

de nce mea ns and h ow much it is co nnected with neglect o f the

,

s tudy o f nature There is no evidence that any classical artist

.

studied any natural object a fter the third ce ntury except in ,

the i nsta nce already give n and in one or t wo M S mi niatures , .

herea fter to be named The sculptures o f Consta nti ne s ti me

.

and these diptychs sho w that the art o f dra w i ng w as lost and
, ,

n ot t o be recovered till a n e w race should attempt it .

A n d here from the b ottom o f the bathos as far as y et ex

, ,

p l o re d in art o n e may have

, o ne back w ard gla n ce at its history ,

an d co nsider h ow w e have got thus far to all appeara n ce eve n ,

t o the e nd o f all thi ngs I d o n ot w ish t o say much more

.

about art and morality b ut every historian ought t o compare

art w ith co ntempora neous states o f society ; and if both move
together to the abyss it goes to prove a co nnexion bet ween ,

them T he decade nce o f art means the decade nce o f artists

.
,

as traceable in their works I n ages w he n natio nal spirit is .

exti nct w hen spiritual h 0pe is sha k en by terror w ithout and

anathema w ithi n ; w he n all high i ntellects and noble spirits

are labouri ng to death in the agonies o f de fe nsive w ar o n the ir

,

ow n grou n d or the politics o f n atio nal da nger and shame ;

,

w he n the co nqueri ng e nergies o f o ne great race have e nveloped

the world and are dyi ng o ut in crime w he n its ad m i nistrative
power has m ade all civilisation i nto o ne machi ne now falli ng
t o pieces the n art dissolves w ith other thi ngs The ce n tre of .

the w orld had beco m e the Ba b yl on o f its corruptio n R oma n .

city li fe as illustrated by J uvenal had take n the p lace o f t he

-

happy tow n and cou n try li fe o f a ncient A ttica I n times like

- -
.

the D ecade nc e we do no t expect any good art and w e do not ,

nd it W itho u t argui ng that all the people were degraded

.

If any p erso n breath es

y d esi e to know all that is k n wn about
w ho reall r s o

c hry se l ph anti ne s u l ptu e and man y oth e

e c r , inte esting d tail of A th enian art
r r e s ,

Q m d e Q i n y s w k o n the s tatue of the O ly mpi an Zeus will be

u at re re u c or

d eligh tful and i nstruc ti ve read i ng to him .

3 4
1 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

becaus e their art was bad ; we are quite sure t h at b oth art
and people were falle n W e are certai nly so much nearer the
.

truth that art and morality are correlatives the rst depe n di ng ,

o n and varyi ng w ith the seco nd Whe n we nd i m moral

.

w ork w e may sa y the m e n w h o produced it w ere im mora l

, i

w he n w e nd it coarse and skilless w e may say they w e re ,

u n taught ; w he n it is religious an d u gly that its prod ucers ,

w e re devout and gloo m ily careless ; w he n we nd de v out

,

idea and bri llia nt colour we may say religio n is there w ith
,

its gloom relieved and hope e m ergi ng I f w e nd ascetic

, .

work possessi ng beauty o f feature as w ell as colour mo nastic ,

p u rity combi n ed w ith s weet ness o f temper and idea we say ,

the ascet ic is o f the type of Fra Beato A ngelico A gai n whe n .

,

beside religious work we nd the b attles o f m en an d the ,

chase and the forest all re ndered in form or colour w e are

, , ,

s ure that the hu n ter o f deer and the warrior have take n t o the

arts ; whe n we nd all ma nner o f oddities and sy mbolic re

e c t io ns on the i nco ngruities of this w orld o f time an d t he ,

Spiritual w orld o f hope w e say w e have reached the Teuto nic

,

grotesque and feel ourselves among o u r own people ; w he n

,

the old A the nia n study o f nature and m an as its ower is , ,

ren ewed in E truria w e have reached N iccolo Pisan o ; when

,

we nd religious earnest ness and po wer ful i magi natio n

labouri ng to sa ncti fy all huma n li fe through art in the ,

Faith the n we k now w e have got to G iotto I n short

, .
,

h istory is the record o f t h e thoughts and doi ngs o f m en ,

art is an importa nt part o f their doi ng and you may j udge ,

o f m e n t h rough it ; and as by ge neralisatio n yo u j udge o f

,

periods so by particular ma nner and sign you j udge of t he

,

pai nter himsel f By the T hese u s and the frieze o f k nights

.
,

o ne k now s that P h e id ias delighted in ma n hood an d ho rse

tami ng ; by the Fates that he revere nced wo m anhood ; b y

,

th e works o f T u rn er that the i nn er fou ntai n o f w o nder at

,

G od s w ork i ng leapt w ithi n him to the e nd

'
.

There is one more obse rvatio n on the parallel degradation

o f art and li fe in the later R oma n E m pire that the n atural ,

reactio n o f asceticism is visible in both at nearly the same

time The Byza nti ne and the earlier G othic are impressed
.

w ith the severity o f the E arly Church I n s ociet i es wh e re .

3 1 6 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

a bove to ma k e room for the s tup i d face and gro s s fo rm of

,

the m urderer o f all his own race ; w hose lo ng search afte r the
li fe o f J ulian perhaps sealed th e fate o f the w orld by setti ng ,

the o nl y ge n ius in the R oma n E mpire at deadl y varian c e w ith

the o nl y faith .

I n Wester n diptychs says Sir D i gby Wyatt the co nsul is, ,

ge nerally sta ndi ng ; in the E aste rn he sits in his curule chair ,

t h at curule chair which is s o o ften and so q uai ntl y added to

the state o f Fran kish and Saxon ki ngs I n either position he .

generally bears the mappa or napki n in act to g ive th e ,

ancie nt signal for begi nn i ng the games by throw i ng it into

the ri ng ( Whether t h is h as a nythi ng t o d o w ith casti ng
.

dow n the w arder or not I have no i dea ) T he co n sular ,

.

games themselves are represe nted on ma ny diptychs It was .

to the honour o f Co nsta nti nople that gladiators had n ever

bee n massacred in her amphitheatres no r were they in R ome
a fter S Telemachus in A D 404 H onorius and Stil icho had
. . . .

s ubstituted military display s slaughter o f beasts o f chase and , ,

w hat seems to have bee n a revival o f the equestria n G ame of

T roy . T hese carvi ngs represe nt m uch chariot raci ng as may -
,

be s upposed and some rather da ngerous ga m es w ith w ild

,

ani m als M e n are i nclosed in barrels or iro n grati ngs to be

.
-

s nu ffed at and rolled about by lio ns or bears and there are ,

combats like those o f real bes t iarii So m e are raised and .

lo w e red b y ropes and pulleys j ust b eyo nd the a nimal s rea c h

o r are appare t ly dodgi g ir itati ng him from behi nd

( n
) n an d r

scree ns or barriers One curious and disgusti ng amuseme nt

.

seems t o have co nsisted in seei ng me n s noses pi nched b y
la rge live crabs The pri ncipal perso n is al wa ys rigid and
.

u n mea ni ng in cou nte na nce and all an tique skill in depicti ng ,

li fe is cha nged to la b orious e ort at the embroideries of the

'

co nsul ar robes ; and here w e may observe the Byzan ti ne

te nde ncy to orid orname ntatio n fo r w a nt o f skill to d o ,

a nythi ng else A gai n as w as noticed above all the easy

.
, ,

u nco nscious G reek skill in perspective by eye ha nd and , , ,

practice from the gure is utterly lost G raph i c power is ,

.

go ne in every detail and the questio n o f its revival is really

,

the questio n o f the R e naissa nce T his w ord does not me an .

G ri i p 2 80 D ipty l on L md ienre also at p 2 1 9

e , . . e r . .
 C H R I ST I AN SC UL P T UR E .
3 7
1

th e rev i val or in co ngruous repet i t i o n o f G reek o r R oma n

forms in northern buildi ngs it mea ns the revival o f G ree k ,

study from nature and re ne w al o f the h uma n po w ers o f

,

co ntemplatio n and i mitatio n I t seems as if no race c an .

learn this tw ice and mode rn G reeks have certai nly n ever
,

regai n ed it I t se ems certai n that no race c an acquire i t

.

w ithout a lo nger or shorter course o f barbaric e o rt and ,

the n o f archaic study For this the L ombard race bega n t o .

prepare eve n in the sixth ce ntury as soo n as they were ,

s ettled in the pleasa nt pl a ces o f L ombardy and E truria and ,

had the limesto nes and marbles o f the A lps and A pe nni nes
t o work o n Their history and early work and the cha nges
.
,

t hey w rought and additio ns they made to the str ucture an d

,

orname nt o f the Basilica circular or oblo ng square which ,

-
,

they at oh c e adopted as they fou nd it for secular and espe ,

c ially fo r C hurch purposes m ay be fo r us a no t her ti m e , .

O ne ivory there is w hich everybody looks at w ith the

deepest i nterest and nobody k no ws m uch about It is th e
, .

far fa m ed diptyc h o f Kambo na in the Christia n M useum o f

- .
,

the Vatica n belo ngi ng t o the te nth ce ntury as it would seem

, , .

T w o a ngels supporti ng a medallio n or I m ago Clypeata o f

,

our L ord are the last and quai ntest reex o f T i tus s t wi n
,

Victories Belo w is a C rucixio n w ith the s u n and moo n as

.
,

huma n gures beari ng torches the Blessed Virgi n and St , .

J oh n But u nder all are carved the R oma n wol f and t wi ns

.
,

seemi ng to support the Cross O n the other lea f is the .

M adonna and Child wi th Cherubi m on w heels w hich recall , ,

the Visio n o f E zekiel It seems to record the t riumph o f the.

C hristi an faith over the R oma n E mpire ; an d is o ne o f the

stra ngest relics in the w orld because tho ugh it marks the , ,

v ery nadir o f artistic executio n it also sho ws that m e n w ere ,

o nce m ore return ing t o graphic symbols in the e ndeavour to

express thi ngs w hich they felt to be beyo nd oral teachi ng in
artic u late speech T hough ts come b e fore w ords w ritte n or
.
,

pai nted and the thoughts are assuredl y here though the
, ,

po wer o f express i o n i s hardly prese nt and beauty very far ,

away .
 C H A PT E R X .

M SS . AN D M I N I ATU R E S .

I T H I N K that nobody has traced the co nnexio n bet wee n

t h e illu mi natio n o f the M iddle A ges and th e nat urali st art ,

o f our o wn days so w ell as the author o f M ode rn P a in te rs in

,

vol iv o f that work ( Chapters xiv and x v pp 1 96

. . .
, .
,

But we have to begi n at the far e nd o f modern art be fore ,

I ll u mi nation properly s o called had begu n bu t whe n m i n ia

,
-
, ,

ture as disti nguished from illumi nation was almost the only
, ,

bra nch o f art in active employment We w ill have the ful l .

d isti nctio n i mmediatel y but let us j ust note in pas si ng that

,

m i niature is the a ncie n t or name nt and ill u stration o f w ritte n

M SS and is in fact part o f caligraphy ; and th at art w as
.
, , ,

perpetuated through mi n iature Be fore and a fter the empi re .

o f Charles the G reat the distress and barba rism o f C h riste n

,

d o m had reached a poi n t w hich altogether i nte rrupted th e

progress of all arts save o ne w hich was the m ultiplicatio n o f,

s acred books in the co nve nts Whatever the m ore li ghtly .

alic t e d E ast could d o in the w ay o f mosaic pictures th at art ,

c eased in Italy and the West ; eve n the mo nks seem t o have

g ive n up practisi ng it probably f rom w a n t

, o f applia n ce s .

But the y could no t cease from the labours o f the scriptoriu m ,

while any se nse o f devot i o n or m i n isteri ng or missio nary , ,

spirit was le ft amo ng them M i niature was the natu ral relie f
.

fo r both w riter and reader ; no t in the picture lovi ng South -

o nly but w ith various prope nsities and eccentricities of style

, , ,

amo ng all the hi g her barbaria n races who had received

Christia ni ty and wh o bega n to feel its e ffect in s pi ri tu al hope
, ,
3 2 0 GR E E K AN D G OT H I C .

g ra ndly orname nted capital letters Perhaps one m o dern .

artist alo ne may be said to have revived this practice in an

origi nal way T he ill ustratio ns and o rname ntal w r i ti ng o f
.

ma ny of Blake s poems executed and copied by h is o wn

ha nd repeat t hat excelle nt moderatio n o f the old scribes

, ,

who made their pictures beauti ful i ndeed but still s u bo rd i ,

n ate to the w ritte n word The pictu res or orn ament s were .

pretty they thought but the text w as sacred Y et eve n be

, , .

ca use the lat ter was chie f and the o ne thi ng need ful too , ,

m uch atte ntio n could not be paid to the former : an d the

coloured ink ornament is employ ed accordi ngly in the ve ry

earliest M SS as in the A lexa ndri ne Pro fessor Wes t wo od
. .

approves and adopts D r Scholz s divisio n o f M S o f t he H oly

'
. .

Scripture i nto those o f this rece nsio n o r family an d those o f , ,

the C o ns tant inOpolit an w hich are more strictly and faith fully
,

copied (P al Sac pre f

. A s to or name nt the E ast w as o f
. .
,

course in advance of the West and D o m G u range r goes ,

bac k no farther tha n the seventh century fo r the rst e m ploy

m e nt o f artistic design by the L ati n l iturgical scribes T hey .

bega n it in a natural w ay by e nlargi ng and adorni ng their ,

capi tal letters maki ng the w riti ng and illustratio n m i nister

,

equally t o the e e c t o f the w hole page not as in early E aste rn , ,

M SS i nserti ng th e illustratio ns i ndepe n de ntly in squares

.
, .

But co ncerni ng a ncie nt ill ustrated boo k s I n the rst place .

t hey cert ai nly existed from the earliest period in the seco n d ,

t hey bore no proportio n as may be supposed t o the vast , ,

n u mber o f u nor n ame nted w orks which w ere produced at that ,

p eriod in a regular
, w a y as by our o wn publishers a n d
, perhaps ,

in al m ost as large n umbers as theirs O n the rst poi nt ne .

,

E gyptia n papyri exist to our o w n times to show that ill ustra ,

tio n prevailed in E astern A frica an d various R oma n autho rs

attest the same thi ng Pli ny me ntio ns (H is t N at xxv c 2 )
. . . . .

that physicia ns represented the pla nts they described in thei r

w orks This is very i nteresti ng as a rst or very early in
.
,

sta nce o f that m i nistry of art t o scie nce w hich is now s o

benecial to both o f them I t was clearly t he physicia n s .

object as a herbalist whe n vegetab le medici nes w ere al m os t

,

exclusively exhibite d that his readers o r pupils should n o t

,

make mista k es or cull the w ro ng simple A ga in Pli ny sa ys (in

, .
,
 M S S A N D M I N I A T UR E S
. .
3 2 1

L ib . v cx xx th at C icero praises Varro highl y in h is letters

. .

to A tticus for i ntroduci ng the eigies or portraits as w ell as ,

the names of about 7 00 illustrious persons i nto his works

, .

Seneca talks o f book cu m imag z nz bus in D e T ranqu zll

' '

, .

A az m i x Mart ial says o f a Virgil

'

.
,

Quam b evis immen m ep i t m emb rane M aronem

r su c

I psi s vultu p i ma tab lla ge i t ;

u s r e r

but be fore go i ng fart her there ar e a few wo rds to be ,

said on the multiplicatio n o f ordi nary books in A ugusta n

R ome and it may ce rtai n ly be supposed in A lexa ndria
, ,

Co nsta ntinople A ntioch and else where for the rst three
, , ,

Christia n ce ntu ries .

T here is an importa nt essay b y Pro fessor M illiga n called ,

The E arly C hristian A ge H e th e re explai ns that there .

m ay ve ry well have be en a received and authorised text o f

the N ew Testa m e nt fro m the earliest copies made in large ,

c ities ; because books in A ugusta n R ome were m uch cheap e r

'

and m ore n umerous in a humble popular form tha n w e

h av e any idea o f or t han could be believed if we j ud ged ,

en tirely b y su rvivi n g relics o f precious M SS Only the .

p r ecious o n es surv i ve : the greater n um b er perished utterl y ,

in the nature o f thi ngs rive a m m a Sive m ari lz bet A d n ano
'

, , ,

burnt in the c on agrat ions o f years o f terror o r peace ,

fully thu m bed t o pieces in their seaso n by the ha nds o f ,

H orace s frien d s the C ommo n s and H ermoge nes T ige llius

, .

We are apt to thi nk says Pro fessor Milliga n th at t he , ,

precious M SS o f sacred or classical literature w hi c h now

.

adorn the great libraries o f E urope w ith all t heir elaborate ,

o r name ntat io n are but specime ns o f all ordi nary bookmaki ng

,

previous to the date at w hich the art o f pri nti ng was i nven ted .

We forget that not o ne commo n copy of even far later times

than those o f our earl i est M SS su rvives A ll have perished . .

perished fro m the frailty o f the m aterial o n which they

w ere w ritte n from their very slight ness their cheap ness , ,

t heir adaptatio n to the multitude T h e great Cod ices the .

,

Si naitic the Vatica n the A lexandri ne and others d o no t

, , , ,

give us the sli ghtest idea o f a M S i nte nded fo r the mass o f .

m en . N u m ero us allusio ns in the R oma n w riters about

I n the C on temporary R eview, v ol. x . p .
5 90 .
3 2 2 GR E E K A N D GOT H I C

the be gi nni ng o f the C hri stian era leave no doubt t hat book s
w ere the n m ultiplied w ith a speed sold w ith a cheap n ess , ,

purchased with an avidity and sold throughout th e R oma n ,

w orld t o an extent al most i ncredible T he slow and e x pe n .

sive m ultiplication o f books in the M iddle A ges conveys to

u s a most i n correct idea o f the speed with w hich th ey w ere

produced and the style in w hich they were issued abo ut the
, ,

begi nni ng o f the Chri stia n era The great m ean s by .

w hich these e nds w ere e ec t ed w ere the use o f slaves and ,

the habit o f dictation E nter one o f the large hall s o f a .

R oma n publisher and you nd probably not less tha n o ne

,

h u nd red slaves at w ork They have all been ed ucate d and .

trai ned for the purpose T hey w rite a sw i ft clear ha n d and .

,

w hile o ne dictates o ne hu ndred copies are spri ngi ng at o n ce

,

i nto existence fo r the great pu b lic N o soo ner are the co p ies .

w ritte n tha n they are passed on to other w orkme n read y to ,

receive them and w i th a speed no less asto ni s hi ng th an that

,

w ith which they have bee n w ritte n are revised co rrected , , ,

rolled up bou nd titled and if desirable o rn ame n ted fo r th e

, , , , ,

market . A si ngle bookselli ng rm could produce w ith ,

ou t d iic u lty in a day o f t en w orki ng hours an editio n o f the

, ,

seco n d book o f M artial co nsisti ng o f a thousa nd copies ,
.

These rapidly w ritten book s o n papyrus or li ne n for the

-
,

most part wou ld not be orn ame nted w ith m i n iatures or w ork
, ,

o f any degree o f skill ; and that age did not rejoice in any

o f those co ntriva nces fo r mecha n ical m ultiplicatio n o f orn a

ment and picture w hich prod uce such vast and d ubiou s e ff ec ts
,

o n the arts o f our o wn ti me and cou ntry We hear o f cheap .

books in R ome but not o f cheap illustrated books F re soo

,
.

s tood i nstead o f book illustratio n fo r the ma ny A s has bee n .

said in o u r sketch o f ancie nt pai nti ng D A ginc ou rt s H zlrtoz re '

d es Al onu m entr & c w ill give a tolerable not i o n though in

,
.
, ,

sca ntily shaded outli ne o f decorative pai nti ngs and eve n o f
-
, ,

highly nished pictures such as the classical A ugusta n or ,

rimitive age accustomed to M r arker s Pom peia

p w as P n . .

photographs o f wall pai nti ng those from the Villa D oria -

,

P am phili and especially those from the tomb o f St at ilius

,

On h bj ec t P rof
M ah affy W Ad ol ph h i
Sc m d t s Ga ehrelite
'

t is su . refers to D r. .

der D eni u nd Glau bensf rerlm t

'

.
 2
3 4 GR EEK A ND G O TH IC .

or fth c e ntu ry though D A ginc o urt q u i te w ro ngl y p lac es

,

it in the twel fth or th i rteenth from the ru de ness of t h e draw ,

i ngs . Besides i ts w ri ti ng its pictures are all rec ta n gular ;

,

and i t has i mpo rta nt relatio ns ( to j ud g e by D A g in c o u rt s

'

copies of both ) wi th the other or unq uest i o ned ft h ce n tury

Virgil A ll th e eyes in both goggle similarl y like c om ic
.
,

masks ; the artist s notio n o f a cave is the same in both ;

'

D ido s A mazo n ia n pelta or shield and the evide n tl y Barb

character o f the h orses in the Paris M S are featu res far .

,

b eyo nd a t wel fth ce nt u ry scribe H e wo uld have clad [ E neas .

in a mail hauberk and poi nted bas net as the delight ful artist ,

A

o f the C ombat o f T lzeoaorie a nd Oa ovab a r has
do n e ( D g in

u rt P eint u re plates xx
,
xxv l x iv and
, . The storm .
, .

in z E ne ia vi is represe nted at plate lxiv w ith a felicity quite

,
. .

beyo nd my powers o f verbal descri ptio n D ido s evidently

'

pri ncipal share in the love maki ng [ E neas s cal m irre s o lu -
,

tio n the prudent attenda nt outside who has turn ed his rou nd
,

s hield i nto an umbrella ; the cheer ful composure o f the other

in the Phryg i an cap and the h ydraulic e nergy o f th e rai n

, ,

w hich is comi ng do wn evide ntl y u nder a se nse o f special

mi s s ion are very far beyo nd any praise I c an bestow upo n
t h em T here is part o f a very earl y I liad in the A mbrosia n
.

L i bra ry at M ila n i ts mi niatures no t yet published : and th e

,

famous Syri ac E vang eliary o f R abula six t h ce ntury w ill , ,

h av e to be re fe rre d to more tha n o n ce agai n I n ou r o w n

. .

c ou ntry w e have the Cotto n ia n B ook o f Gen es is probabl y ,

fo u rth ce ntu ry ; the A ugusti nia n Gospels with mi n iatures , ,

p ro b ably o f th e sixth a n d the G olde n G

,
reek C a no n:
( Brit .

M us A dditio nal N o
. .

From the si xth to the begi nni ng o f the ni nth centu ry there
w as ce rtai nl y a great falli ng o in elega nce and classic design
'

as i ndeed in e nergy and vigour o f w ork i ng I ndeed not very .

,

ma ny M SS c an be fou n d w hich are certai nl y identiable as

.

belongi ng to that date The art o f caligraph y agged li ke all

.
,

o thers eve n in the cloister and more so o n the co nti n e n t tha n

, ,

in E ngla nd and Irela n d For though in the n i nth ce ntu ry

.

t h e Celtic tra nscr ibers lost all se nse o f beaut y in some cas es ,

faili ng eve n in their e ye fo r colo u r it was in their conve nts ,

and those o f N o rthumbria that the traditio ns o f M S .

 M SS . A ND M I N I A T URE S .
3 5
2

o nr ame nt and its skil ful technique w ere prese rved fo r A l fred
and C ha rlemag ne .

The historical importa nce o f the study o f mi n iature is li k e

that of any other bra nch o f ne art I t is o f course one o f ,

the best means o f traci ng the classical or G rae c o R oma n ,

-
,

i nue nce o n the N orthern spirit to obs erve its derivative ,

styles o f art Byza nti ne R oma nesq ue or barbari c A nd

, , , .

m uch mi niature poi nts t o a ge n ui ne reli gi ous feeli ng which ,

o ften led its pro fes sors i nto the higher spheres o f ne art ,

w he n th ey came to w ork out s ubjects in which they earnestly

believed T h eir i nte nse i nterest in their w ork o ften gives
.

them great vigour of imagi na tio n ; and th ey o fte n seem to

have a feeli ng o f teachi ng by pi cture and that th ey w ere ,

no t o nly ador ni n g but explai ni ng their text A nybody .

w h o is begi nn i ng t o read ill ustrated M SS in various ha nds .

and of various periods w i ll soo n see h ow the pith y p i ctures ,

express the m ea n i ng o f the text and he lp hi m with the

leadi ng idea H e w ill be s o much the better able to
.

e nter i nto th e mi nd o f A l fred beg i nn i ng t o learn to read ,

because the pictures were s o prett y ( pp 7 8 ed Wak ing /tam ) .

-
, .
,

as A sser says he did or o f C harles th e G reat turn i ng h is ,

s word hand to attempts at il lumi natio n H e did not get o n

-
.

quite as he w ished says E g inhard T entabat et s c ribe re
, , ,

t abu lasq u e e t cod ic illos ad hoc in le c t u los sub c e rv ic alibus

c irc u m fe rre s ole bat u t cum vacu um te m pus esset
, man um ,

e inge nd is lit e ris as s u e fac e ret Se d parum prospere s u c ce s s it .

labor p rae pos teru s e t sero inc hoat u s .

I don t thi nk lec tu lus can mea n a litter here : the K aiser
could hardly have m ad e use o f that sort of thi ng I t must .

mea n h is ca m p be d and I d are say the cod ic illi and tabule

-
, ,

slates and copyboo k s may have been rolled up u nder the ,

pillow o f that necessary piece o f furnit u re But he did not .

get on w ell the work was preposterous or no use and too ,

late begu n Well if he could not w r i te himsel f he has

.
, ,

bee n the cause o f m u c h w riti ng in others I presume that .

H e is sa id ( see P alagrap/i ia Sacra on his E vangel star um) to have i i co rrec ted

y ih
m an M SS w t his o wn hand and the B ened c tines say su c a M S of Or gen s
. i h . i

y
c ommentar on th e E pi l
s t e to th e R omans , w th harlemagne s wr ting, is s t ll

i C i i
p i
reserved in the B bliothe ue d e l E m ereur

p q .
3 2 6 GREEK A ND GO THIC .

E ginh ard means he could not lear n to d o ne sp irals or

polychrome int erlac ings : and if that be all he is no w o rse ,

tha n a late j ustl y disti nguished member o f our o wn R oyal

A cademy wh o despairi ngly gave up the i ntolerable toil an d
,

eye strai n o f copyi ng the I rish co nvolutio ns o f the B o o k o f

-

K ells . A nybody who c an get a sight o f th at or o f Pro fesso r ,

Westw ood s renderi ngs o f its i nterlaced patterns w ill s e e

,

that the backslider was no t m uch to blame N othi n g bu t .

speciall y trai ned ha nd s and eyes c an reprod uce the terr ic

i n tricacies of the H ibernia n and N orthumbria n s c ribeh oo d :
and no t hi ng but sede ntary e nth us iam and the co n ce n tratio n ,

o f all the e nergies of li fe i nto one q uiet ch annel co u l d ever ,

have done them at rst They are not high art but w o nder .
,

fu l orname nt H o w w e all ta lk about artists and am ate u rs ;

.

and h ow the t ruly British taste for sn u b bi ng or the i n ictio n ,

o f petty m o rt i cat io n thrives o n the u se o f t h e latter epit h et

,

This orname nt is amateur w ork : rst because the m an w ho ,

did it loved and revere nced his work as a scribe o f the ,

G ospel o f C hrist ; seco ndly because he got no mo n ey fo r ,

doi ng it o nly the spare mea ns o f hard existe nce ; th irdly

, ,

because no pro fe ssio nal artist eit h er could or would do it

at all .

A t all eve nts if A l fred and C harlemagn e co u ld not p ai nt

, ,

they could read and they fou nd the pictures o f great use in
readi ng and so no doubt did k i ngs and q ueens and k ni ghts
, , ,

and ladies in a fter days till th e i nve ntio n o f pr int i ng Varied .

ha nds and styles o f w riti ng must have given a goo d deal of

trouble at all ti m es and i ncre as i ng ly so to wards the end o f
,

the M iddle A ges W h at is more the feeli ng o f th e artist or

.
, ,

in other w ords his earn est desire to express his t hought m ust
, ,

have h ad at least co nsiderab le eec t th rough the pict u res

'

We recognise it at once in pict u res j ust as ru de ; someti mes

w e read all ki nds of beauties o f feeli ng i nto what ma y seem
to others simply barbarous and feeb le work But th e way .

to all Teutonic styles o f reli gi ous pai nti ng and in g reat ,

measure to all our natu ralist work was prepared and deter
, ,

mi ned by earl y mo nk artists who preached the Scriptures

,
-
,

in form and colour O ne c an see h ow Giotto repeats t h e

.

pithy dari ng o f t h e mi niaturists in his de ned concept i o n ,

3 2 8 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

patron age A nd still more tha n that it c am e in c o ntac t

.
,

o nce more w ith the recom m e nc i ng study of n at u re h erse l f .

It was o f i ncalcula b le val ue fo r art and lite ra ture as fo r ,

law and civilisatio n that the G othic or N ort hern w orld

,

should go back to classical models : and that m e n sho u ld at

least u ndersta nd a part o f their i nheri ta nce o f G ra ce R om an -

k nowledge I n art it w as speciall y important ; but if any

.

thi ng could be more auspicious still it was that the st u dy o f ,

nature itsel f bega n to ru n parallel t o o r eve n to co i n ci d e ,

w ith the stude nt s eager accepta nce o f classical m od el s and
,

discipli ne in dra wi ng and compositio n in idea and teclz n iq ue

, , .

T w o great m e n mark this true early R e naissa nce o r reju v e n

e s c e n c e o f graphic art N iccola Pisa no and G iotto
, The rst .

represe nts no t o nly the return to o ld G reek models l ike th e

Chase o f Meleager but the method o f studyi n g from n ature
,

as o ld G ree ks had do n e The secon d is the rs t great

.

naturalist or realist in aim and o ften b y success ful exe c utio n

, .

Bo th had learnt w hat they could from the new Greek o r B y

z an t ine style G iotto s draperies and his o fte n co nve n tio n al

.
,

treat m e nt o f la ndscape and backgrou nd are pa rtl y i n herited ,

from them through Ci m abue s teachi ng N iccola w or k ed

.

w ith or u nder the G reek decorators o f the Cathedral o f Pi sa .

But both alike broke a way from traditio nal repetitio ns o f the
same treat m e nt and from stereotyped symbolism
, Bot h .

shook o the passive and i nc u rious habit o f the ascetic wh o

'

suspected nature and her b eauty and preferred to copy ,

typi cal features over and over agai n and to cover his back ,

grou nds w ith int e rlac ings or spirals or perhaps in the south ,

and east w ith loze nges and zigzags and forgotte n fragme nts
,

o f a nc ie n t patter ns Bot h Saxo n and Irish M SS came t o

. .

t his in great d egree by the te n th or early eleve nth ce n tury ;

and the great E truria n R e n aissa n ce was n eed e d to a w ake n all

t he arts at o nce in search o f nature thei r mother But eve n .

as early as the ti m e o f Charles the G reat there are decided ,

traces o f study o f the real thi ng : in th e birds o f his purple

E vangelistariu m and the a nimals o f the A lcu i n Bibl e o f the
,

British M useu m and no t a little in such rea listic pictures as

,

that o f the Fall in the sa m e M S The old rigidity is over

, .
,

and historical record o f e v e nts as th ey h a pe ned and thi n s

p g ,
 M SS A N D M I N I A T UR E S
. .
3 9
2

as they are be gi ns to be attempted A dam and E ve shall

, .

n o lo nger st and stolid in ca rvi ng or grim in mosaic to hear , ,

the curse on the w orld : they shall look ashamed and dis
tre ssed t hey shall k no w that they are naked ; so A lc uin s
,

pai nter would have it ; and in s o doi ng he a nticipated the

dista nt G iotto and w orked in his spirit and P isano s T o
,

.

a ck no wledge the world and its be auty w as a worthy su bj ect

o f art an d t o admit it i nto sacred books in text an d orn a

, ,

me n ts was in fact and in pri nciple to give up th e ascetic

,

vie w o f the w orld The Irish scribes would not w ork from
.

nature at all and w e nt o n spi nn i n g i ntricate spirals out o f

,

their ow n brai ns till they lost their w its The E nglish of .

the tenth and e leventh c e nturies w ould l ook at nature onl y

a little an d the y lost the graphic pow er in co nventio nal

atte n uation t e d ious utteri ng of draperies and perpetual

, ,

imagery o f serpents like e ndless ribbo ns and lizards like ,

n othi ng at all .

But t here are a few more terms to explai n be fore we pl u nge

nally i nto P ala og rap/t ia Sacra and C ou nt Bastard ; and a
great ma ny o f them are a wful words i nd eed The Ben e .

d i e ti ne edito rs i nd ulge in very natural and real ly not ill ,

fou nded vitupe ratio n at the trucule nt and dole ful imageries
imagi at io s atroces e t m la n coli q ues) o f the E ngl i sh sc ribes :
( n n

but really their termi nolog y has w ords in it as lon as Sa x on

se rpents o r I ri sh scrolls T he Gospels of L ouis le bonnaire
.

in Paris and o f Bishop L eo fric in the Bodleia n L ibrary are

, ,

g ood examples ( P al S a c p xii

. I n trod ). o f
. letters
. formed o f .

contorted gu res o f a ni m als and their mo nastic names are ,

c o ntorted t oo A nthropomorphic o f m e n z oomo rphic o f

.
,

an imals ; ic t hyo m orp h ic ophiomorphic o m it ho id ant h ophyl

, , ,

loid th e last mea ns composed o f leaves and o wers and ,

the oth ers are i nte lligible whe n o ne has spelt them , .

The large ne rou n ded characters in which the most

, ,
.

a nc ie nt G reek and R om an M SS are w ri tte n are called .

,

u nc ial s . So m e are w ritte n in s q uare capitals : a capital

letter mea ns o ne at the begi nni ng o f a ca pitul um or chapter

.

N arrower capitals more hastily writte n and w ith the tops

, ,

a nd bottoms o f the bi g letters obli q uel y cut o are called

'

A o uea T aite d c D ipl matiq

'
u u r
'
ii p late 1 9 and " 7 4 20
o u e, .
, .
33o GR E E K A N D GO T H I C .

rustic : and s m aller u ncials and rustics were of co u rse in

general use and the latter con ti nued till the tenth or eleve n th
,

centu ry I n fact Pro fessor West w ood seems cert ai n not

.

o nly that a ru nni ng or cursive ha nd had bee n prac tised from

far earlier times but that w he n slo w l y and care fully w ritten
, , ,

it became the M i n uscular or small alphabet .

T h e w hole subject o f M S and mi niature is call ed the .

R es D iplomatica by the Be nedicti n es ; M abillo n bei n g in

,

fact the rst author wh o set it o n a rm basis in his treatise ,

so na m ed H e w as follo w ed by two o f his later brethre n

.
,

D o m s Toustai n and Tessi n wh o published the N ou veau ,

T raite de D iplom atzque in 1 7 8 4 T h e w ord mea ns th at w hich

'

.
,

has to do w ith decipheri ng diplomas treaties origi nal M SS , , .

or important a n cie nt docume nts o f any ki n d ; and d iploma

( bi n xwp a
) is a G raec o L ati n w ord mea n i ng a d oubled-
u p
-

paper : perhaps in the ordi nary use o f the word it m ay mea n

a paper w ith a double mea ni ng and diplo m ac y m ay mea n ,

d u plicity by ety m ological derivatio n as w ell as in its p racti ca l ,

operatio ns .

Then w e c ome to purple M SS and to c hrys ograph s I .

, .

do not thi nk the w ord argyrograph is used There are very .

few M SS in silver w riti ng : but the grou nd o n which the y and

.

ma ny golde n lettered codices are w ritten is generall y p u rple

-

or azure and the na mes go accordi ngly I n the old I m pe r ial

, .

times it wa s an i nsta n ce o f R oma n sp le ndour to w ri te M SS .

fo r the use of the sovereign o n vellum stai ned Tyri a n or I m

perial purple The letters were in gold and they w ere called
.
,

c h rys ographs accordi ngly : and sometimes they w ere in silver ,

or silver and gold were used together Both l uxury and .

art died a way a fter the ta k i ng o f R om e in 4 1 0 ; but in the

te m porary revival u nder C harles the Great the a ncie nt pomp
o f I mperial purple G ospels an d Psalters w as re newed There .

is a ne one in the Bodlei an L ibrary w ith w hole page m i nia ,

tures co nsidered to be as late as the eleventh centu ry and

, ,

I s aw a sim ilar one in the R emonstrants C o nve nt at Prague ;

but the purple and gold are ge nerally co nsidered ri ch e nough

w ithout pictures T h e rs t purple M S o n record is s ai d b y
. .

D i pty h c ,

t wo -fo ld ,
means a d oub le tablet, in th e same way ; a pair of

w axed boards for wr ting,i no t a p

e rm anent d oc ume nt l k e d i i p loma .
33 2 GREEK A ND GO THIC .

Sacrame ntaire de Cou nt Bastard I t con ta ins a

G ellone in .

mi n iature o f the C rucix i on in the C a non o f the M as s t he ,

cross formi ng the T in the word s T e igitur H ere also the .

Mass o f the I nventio n o f the Cross has in its i niti al letter th e

gure o f a m an s q uari ng a tree tru nk as it w ere t o for m-

the upright limb I n fact as ma y be supposed gu re

.
, ,

m i n iature of the Weste rn Church b egi ns w ith the i n itials .

So m etimes they a m ou nt t o whole page ill u mi n atio ns as o f ,

the four E va ngelists in the H ours o f Charlemag ne (C ou nt

Bastard P eintu re: d es M anus crits vol
,
L a nge s rem ark
, .

conrms what has bee n said that the labours o f the later
mi niaturists who w orked from nature gave origi nality and
, ,

co nde nce to the risi ng e orts o f fresco and pa nel p ai nters

'

w ho ve ry comm only bega n w ith M S decoratio n . .

But for exa m p les and evidence o f the classical or G rmc o

R oma n co nnectio n bet wee n east w est and north ,
This is o ne .

o f the li n ks or w riti ng tra n sitio ns o f histo ry w hich are q uite ,

as importa n t to u ndersta nd as its disti nctio ns and more d ii ,

cult I t is easy to disti nguish G reek from R oma n or G othic

.
, ,

or R e naissance or perhaps any o f them from the other ; but

,

whe n o n e co m es to co m pare By za nti ne and R oma n es q ue o ne ,

nds that the commo n origi n o f tho s e styles in the E astern

and Wester n E mpire is a fact o f more co nse q ue nce
, even ,

tha n such disti nctio ns as the higher or low er p itched roo f and -
,

the northern te ndency t o the grotesq ue The i mportant .

poi nt for the illumi nators w as that from the time o f th e

Pisa n R e naissa nce and in some degree from that o f C harles
,

the G reat the study o f classical models was combi ned w ith
,

the stu d y o f nature The I rish never practised ei ther ; th ey

.

w ere devout c alig raph is ts and not artists their missio n w as

to kee p up the traditio ns o f orname nt and the skil ful use o f
colou r from S Patric k o r at least from S Colum ba an d by
.
,
.

their i nte nse devotio n to their w ork to ed i fy the southern ,

mo nasteries w ith the true spirit o f the scribe w ell i nstructed

, .

Though their school gave way and va n ished it is probably ,

from their stro ng taste for pattern and i nsista nce o n capital ,

letters in particular that the later schools were all trul y cali
,

graphic as well as artistic and the Caroli ngia n mi niature w as

,

r ightly subjected to w riti ng T here is a te nde ncy amo ng u s

.
 M S S A N D M I N I A T UR E S
. .
3 33

e i th er al l that is due to R ome or to ignore any

to forget ,

C hristia ni ty no t tra c eable through R ome ; but it ca nnot be

de nied at least that there was an I rish Scottish or C eltic , ,

church be fore A ugusti ne came to E ngla nd There is no .

doubt about the Sy nod o f Verulam and its condem natio n

o f Pelagius in 4 2 9 with the help o f th e Bis h ops o f L yo ns
,
.

S Patrick w as a real perso n and his w ork real w ork e ndi ng

.
, ,

6
4 5 A D . From
.h is time t o S C olumba s at I o na in 6
5 3 is .

, , ,

a period o f black ness o f dark ness in Southern E urope ; d u ri ng

w hich it seems hardly too m uch to say that the C hristia n faith
w as prese rved and re ne wed b y the I rish C hurch N o o ne .

den ies S A idan s mission to Os wald o f N orthumbria or the

.

,

fou ndation o f L ind is fam e in 63 5 or that he decli ned c o n ,

ne c t ion w ith the G regoria n missio naries ; or that his prese nce

o n H oly I sla nd s ustai ned the C hristia nity w hich Pe n da s
de feat of E ad wi ne had almost destroyed .

It was not the Church o f Pa uli nus w hich nerved Os wald

to this struggle fo r the cross Pauli nus had ed fro m .

N orthumbria at E ad w i n e s fall and the R oma n Church in

K e nt shran k i nto i nact i vity be fore the heathen reaction I ts .

place in th e c o nversio n o f E ngla nd was take n b y missio naries

from I rela nd C hristia ni ty had bee n received there
.

w i t h a burst of popular e nthus i asm ; and letters and arts

spra ng up rapidly in its trai n While the vigour o f Chris .

t ianity in I tal y and Gaul and Spai n w as exhausted in a bare

s truggle fo r li fe I rela nd u nscourged by i nvaders dre w from
, , ,

its co nversio n an en ergy such as it has n ever k nown s i nce .

T he scie nce o f biblical k no w ledge w hich ed from the co nti

n e nt too k re fuge in fa m ous schools w h ich made D urro w and ,
'

A rmagh the u niversities o f the West P atrick the rst mis .

,

s io nary o f the isla nd had no t bee n hal f a ce ntury dead w he n , ,

I rish C hri stia nity threw itsel f w ith a ery zeal i nto battle w ith
the mass o f heathe nism which was rolli ng in upo n the
Christian w orld I rish missionaries laboured among the
.

Picts o f the H ighla nds and the Frisia ns o f th e N orthern

A b u t tw o years afte Theod ori had been ent f om th e D anub e to C n tan
o r c s r o s

tin0ple l e n afte the oi c e b y night had told th e E m p ero th at th e b w of

e ev r v r o

A tt il a w as b ken ro .

See G een s H i t y of the E ngli h P eople ch

r

s or iii T he H eath en s , . .

Struggle .
 334 GREEK A ND GO THIC .

Seas I rish
. An
missio na ry C
olumba n fou nded m o nas te ri es
in Burgu ndy and the A pe nni nes T h e C a nto n o f S G all s till
. .

co m memorates in its name another I rish missio na ry b efore ,

w hom the spirits o f oo d and fell ed w aili ng over th e L ake

o f C o n sta nce For a time it seemed as if the older race th at
.

R oma n and G erma n had swept be fore them had tu rne d t o th e

m oral co nquest o f their co nquerors ; as if C eltic and no t L ati n
Christia nity was to mould the desti nies o f the church es of

the West .

I t was part o f th e work th e n and a mea ns o f the su c c ess o f , ,

this Scoto I rish C hurch bet ween A rmagh I o na and L i ndis

-
, , ,

fa m e to car ry out c aligraphic orname ntation as pure d eco ra

,

tio n o f colour and i n tricate li ne w ithout re fere nce t o n at u re , .

I ts rst characteristic is superabu nda nt use o f plaited work .

T his m ight be com fortably e nough traced to Irish or British

w icker w ork
i is u nquestio nably thus connected an d so
t -

accou nted for if it w ere no t u niversally used north south , , , ,

east w est and at all dates

, West wood gives a speci men o f
, .

it fro m an A rabic M S in P ala og rap/zia Sacra the u n ive rsal .

guilloche pattern represe nts it ; it is to be see n in Pro fessor

R uski n s By z a nti n e capitals ( Stones of Venice vol ii pp

.
, . .

13 1 2 p ls vii , an d it ma y be. as he says in its

.
, ,

e astern form a remembra nce o f the che q uer and b raid e d w ork
,

o f th e T emple o f Solomo n It does no t occur in the Babu la .

M S w hich co ntai ns chevro ns loze nges zigzags o w ers

.
, , , , ,

fruit and birds , I ts wonderful developme nt is com mon to .

both E nglish and I rish or name nt but the latter sacri ces ,

I t must be y ec cle iasti cal ec ord the word Scotus

re me m bered h
t at in earl s r

m eans I i hman in w hi h ense it was appli ed to E ig na

rs , Th ere are two t i k
c s r e . s r

ing pa ag ssf om Te t lli an a d C h y

es , r tom whi h m ust efer t so me begi nni ng
ru n r s os , c r o s

f th I i h C h h T h e st i f m the A f ican Fathe t act A d '

o e rs urc . s r s ro r rs r , versu

y a
ua h ap
os , c ii w h h e e e. t ainiy peak
v . (
,
ci c A D 200 ) t
ere th e e ffec t that r S s r . . . o

pa t f B i tain wh h had n t bee n ea h d by th e R man had been su bd ed

r s o r ic o r c e o s u

to Ch is t ( B itann um i na a R mam loc a Ch ist ero s bd ita ) C h y

r .

r or c c e ss o ,
r o v u . r

t m
so s o ays d i tin tly
s E n th B ri tanni I sl e th at lie bey ond thi ( M d i
s c : ve e c s, s e

terr anean ) sea in th o ean i t el f hav ,

fel t th e pow e of th e W ord
c fo the e in s , e er : r r

a h hes and al ta f the H ly Sa ific e a e t up

re c u rc ,
O
rs o B d 6 Xp d o cr r se .
'
ri e s urr r,

O p Sa il t
. vii p 63 5
e, . v . . .

I t i f nd in th e i n te i o
s ou f S C l m en t at R me A dad o of th e pperr r o . e e o . u

st y i
or in i nte l a d a i ng j t lik a h u d l
s r ce S gi e n at any at
c rv in us e r e. o v , r e,

l i plate x i N H e e fers t M ntfau con

D A ginc o t T an lati ur , r it
s on , vo . . v . o . . r o o ,

D iariu m I talic u m , p . 1 34 .
336 GREEK A ND GO THI C .

perhaps of all M SS It i s otherwise called th e Go s pel o f

, .

S Columba and described at the begi nni ng of th is book

.
, .

The epigraphs and eve n the bi ndi ngs o f ma ny M SS are , .

,

an i nteresti ng subj ect o f themselves ; some o f them m ust be

give n at the end of this chapter But w e m ust leave th e Ir i sh .

M SS here and re fer to such E nglish o nes as show relatio n t o

.
,

the great co nti ne ntal w orks o f the same kin d A s w e said .

,

A lcui n and his E nglish teachers w ere in a positio n to i n stru ct

t h e court o f Charlemag ne in this and oth er matte rs at rst ;
b ut such progress w as made duri ng his reig n at A achen and
elsew here b y the study o f classical example s and from nature
, ,

as w ell that the great Caro li ngia n M SS excel all others o f

, .

their time T h e A nglo Saxo n was satised if he co nveyed

.
-

his idea and de nite and stro ng e nough as it generally was a ,

little quai nt ness w as natural to hi m Thus in the A ugusti ni an .

Psalter (P ale ogr ap/zia Sacra) D avid A saph and H ema n are . ,

repres ent ed co nd u cti ng H e b re w psalmody with the help o f

the long northern horn and psaltery ; aided by ti med clappi ng
o f ha nds as it seems by the gestures o f their excited choir ;
,

and one of the most irresisti b le draw i ngs in the w orld is the

celebrated organ and per formers at the e nd o f the U trecht

Psalter where the blowers are over exerti ng themselves appa
,
-
,

re nt ly w ithout proper results and the players look w ith so m e

i ndig natio n fo r larger supplies o f w i nd A ura Ve n i .
, .

N ow Pro fessor West wood asserts a co nnectio n w hi ch most

draughtsme n w i ll thi n k evident and w hich is more probable ,

because observed by o ne o f the most mi nute and accurate

One great c ass of grotes qu es l l led a e p i tu es of bj ec ts w hich a e so ca , r c r su r

bey ond th e p
ow e rs o f man t o re p e e nt lite ally b t whic h he can ne e th ele m r s r , u v r

r ec all in a e y st i k ing m anne

v r t t he m i nd s
r f h i p ec tat b y i mag inati
r o o s s ors, ve

c n enti nali m
o v o ymbo l f hi wn As P ofe sor R sk i n ay p ictu e f
s s, or s s o s o . r s u s s, r s o

J s p h r P ha a h s d eams and m t A p c alyp ti c bj ec ts a e in fact

o e

s o r o

r , os o su , r

g t
ro es q e u sS i . R ap h a e l Vi
o i f
s E ki l ; b t at th o th

e rs e nd o f t h
s on o e ze e u e

sc al e f tech ni cal p w
o t h e f ll w ing p i t e m ay be nam ed f om the great
o er, o o c ur s r

C ttonian py f I E lfn c s H ptate ch ( B i ti h M m C la d ius 6 i d ate

o co o

e u r s
us eu , u , . v .
,

ab t A D 1 00 5 ) God
ou . . ph ld by angel s in th al ica ; D own fall f the
u e e ov ves o

re b l an el s (d o d b y a g eat ed e p nt) C eati n many subj ec t ; E xpul

e g ev u re r r s r e r o , s

s i n f m P a ad i e ; T ran lati on of E noc h ; T h e

o ro r s t rai nb w ; V ineya d a d
s rs o r n

win p e s ; T ow e
res f B abel ; A b ah am and e k i ngs ( Ab raham
r o wn d and
r v c ro e ,

c l ad in the inged mail by ) ; A ppearanc e f Go d t A b aham on a ladd e!

r or rn o o r

and with ange l ; J u n y of A b aham and I saac and i nte

s o r e pted sac i ; L t
r ,
rru r ce o

and h i w i f led by ang l

s e D ec ei t f J ac ob ; h is d eam th a k &
e s o r e r , c.
 M SS A N D M I N I A T U R E S
. .
3 37

draughtsme n in the the A ugu sti nian M SS w orld b etw een .

those of A thelsta n and A lcui n C ou nt Vivien s great Bible o f ,

Charles the Bold the Vatica n Bible o f S Paul the Vatica n , .

,

Virgi l and the Syriac Florenti ne or R abula s E va ngeliary

, , ,

.

This must have its val ue fo r all stude nt s o f histo ry w hether ,

they care for art or no t ; because it show s not only that th e

N orther n w orld received i nstructio n at and through R ome ,

but that they and R ome also obtai ned their k no wle d ge fro m
G reece and from the E ast The G rze c o R oma n or classical .
-

e leme nt is commo n to all these w orks R ab ula is like A thel .

sta n or A lcui n The very peculiar and commo n pattern
.
,

says Westw ood fou nd in Irish or A nglo Saxo n M SS formed

,
-
.

o f several spiral li n es u n ited in the ce ntre o f a circle w ith the ,

e nds dilated is evidently identical o n a s m aller scale w ith the

, , ,

pattern employed by the Syriac a rtist o f the Miracle o f the

Pool o f Bethesda to represe n t the waves o f the pool ,
T hese .

appare ntly trii ng circumsta nces seem to prove more forcib ly ,

t ha n more laborious argume n ts the co nnectio n bet w ee n the ,

early Christia ns in these isla nds and those o f the E ast s o ,

stro ngly i nsisted on b y various w riters ( See P al Sac pl .

. . .

vi) .Some o f these dra w i ngs are o f the dark age o f G ra c e

R oma n w ork it is true Su c h co nve n tio nal grace or study o f
, .

n ature as they have is G reek taught but there certai nl y is not -

m uch o f the latter and beauty depart s fro m the gures ,

accordi ngly T hey all have the goggle eyes o f t he de

.

cade nce N o artist it seems fo r w hole ge neratio ns mo n k

.
, , ,

o r other cared fro m ge neratio n to ge neratio n t o look at his

, ,

n eighbour s eye and see that its pupil is natural ly hal f hidde n

bet wee n the lids K i ngs and archbishops sit o n curule chairs
.

in Caroli ngia n M SS as in the bas relie fs o f a ncie n t days ; .

,
-

w ith cats no t u nfreque ntly in the ac t o f co nte m plati ng t h em .

x

But if the cats really used their imme m orial privilege and ,

looked at the successors o f Charlemag ne it seems to be more ,

tha n their pai nters did ; at them or their chairs or their , ,

T he lb
c e e rated U t e h t Psal te h we e it came into the hand s of its
r c r, o v r

p es ent hold e
r q s t i
rs , u n nab ly b l ngs t
ue o o own C tt n ian c ll ec ti n
e o o W h
ur o o o o o .

e e it s s ri be
v r c s ibes m ay ha b n th e can be no d ubt that h
or cr ve ee ,
they
er o e, or ,

or n
o e r om e f t h
or m h ad
o se e n I ta
e ly a n
,
d R o m e T h e e a re so m e o f t he . r

l i
c ass ca l obj c ts in eit f o m P f W tw roo d s l i st d u
ro ly ve
.r i e
es d b y o u e l es

f o m ,
rs v r

the p h otogr ap h c o p y in th e B od l e i an A c i r cu l ar te m p le a n d o
. b lo ng b a s ili ca ,

Z
 33 s GRE E K A ND GO THIC .

attitude o r a nythi ng that was theirs T he pictures record a

, .

si m ilar in fact a typical protrusio n o f k nees and elbo ws and

, ,

ge nerall y a co nvulsive u nea s i ne ss ab o ut the feet ; b u t they

seldom see m to i nclude character or lik e ness N o t but that .

portraits are atte m pted in ancie nt cali g raphy an d d o n e very ,

, f
like and ve ry ace tious remarkab ly so I n Smi th s D ic .
'

t ionary of A n t iqu it ies s v G rot e s q u e p 7 5 2 there i s a feeble , . .

, .
,

re nderi ng in w oodcut o f the he ad o f a m o n k physi ci a n o f the

eighth ce ntury fro m a M S o f the medical w orks o f O rbac es
, .

and A lexa nder o f Tr all e s w ho ever they w ere ; an d D io s c o ,

rides o f who m w e have h e ard b e fore

, I t is d ra w n quite .

freely w ith the p e n and w ill be fo u n d in coloured f acs im ile ,

in Cou nt Bastard s rst volu m e (P ein tu res ae I a n u s c r its

,

The w h ole M S i s in w hat the Cou nt calls lett res ci .

f our or ,large ha n dso m e l e tters dr aw n in outli n e ; an d t he

portrait is that charact e ri s tic that if the sitter w e re re ,

stored to li fe and o n e o f a large asse m bl e d chapter o f his

,

o rder an y ordi nary r e ader might ide nti fy an d choose h im

,

out o f it I t is s aid o f L ord Ch anc ellor Thurlo w that he

.
,

o n c e se n t his serv a nt i nto a fu ll co ffe e h ouse to nd and -

call out a m an particularly lik e the k nave o f clubs and ,

that his se rva n t w e n t in and brou ght out the right perso n .

H e m ust have bor ne co nsid e rable res e m bla nce to the portrait
in question w hich is o ne o f the gre at e st triu mphs o f pure
,

cali graphy w ith w h ich I am acqu ai nted It is curious how .

ge n ui ne skill w i ns favour in eve rythi ng T hough o n e ca nnot .

help fe el ing th at study o f nature is the soul o f ne art still ,

the old p e n m an h ad a per fect ha nd and did it j ustice ; and ,

th e re is so m e thi ng to ad m ire and e njoy in that happy

n arro w ness w h ich m ade h im co nte n t to w rite r m ly ourish ,

in seve re curve and d r aw his grot e sques in clear and per fect
,

li n e .

For any one w ho has t he o p port u nity it is w ell w o rt h the ,

trouble to co ns u lt d Aginc o u rt Co u nt Bastard and Pro fessor

, ,

\N es tw o o d so as t o ge t an id e a o f the earlie s t Cl assical

,

frontis pi ec e : i
d tto, P s li ad n a d P l x ii ; tem pl e igns f the
.
,
n S. v1 . , s o z od ac, i
su n and m oo n, P s . l x iii A tla P l xxxi wi th th H b w Tem pl
v .
s
, S. .
, e e re e as an

l
o b ong pe i
r s t le
y ; i gd
r ve r T it n l l ing l ng t mp t P x ii
o s or r o s, i ou o ru e s, s . c . bo ats
W it h i
s tee r ng o ars , a d bn ad til d b ild i g
ro pa i -
e u n s
,
-
ss
34o GR E E K A N D GO THIC .

out works perhaps gai ned new realms in the West H is li fe

, .

exte nds over the ni nth ce ntu ry ; he may have had the great
fa m e of the C aroli ngia n po wer in the West to back h i m w ith ,

such wild catechume ns as B ogoris or perha ps the w hole

e nergy o f t he E astern Church was d riven i nwards to his help ;
at all eve nts his work lasted lo nger tha n the empi re o f the
K arli ngs an d stood through the terrors o f the later n i n th
,

ce ntury Whatever to ne w e choose to adopt to w ards the

.

Church o f the E ast she has e nd ured through the d espair of

,

that age the desolatio ns o f the third crusade th e rui n of

, ,

I 4 5 3 and w hat she has bee n she remai ns

,
the orthodox
creed o f exhausted races .

For in the year 8 8 8 w ith the u nworthy rule o f C harles the

,

Fat the empire o f Charles the G reat came to an e nd O ne

, .

m an alone co u ld have sustai ned the great order he had made

out o f ru i n and to rui n i t retu rned o nce more H e had
, .

w ept in his last days to see the N orther n sea drago ns in the
M editerra nea n forek no w i ng as he d id the fresh i n roads of
,

barbaris m from the E ast .

That time says M r Bryce w as i ndeed th e nad ir of
,
.
,

order and civilisa t io n From all sides the torre nt o f bar .

baris m which Charles the G reat had stemmed cam e ru shi ng

, ,

dow n upo n his e m pire The Sarace n w asted the M e d it er .

rane an coasts and sacked R o m e itsel f ,

T he D a ne an d N orse .

m an s w ept the A tla ntic and the N orth Seas and pierced ,

Fra nce and G erma ny by their rivers bur ni ng slayi ng carry , , ,

ing i nto captivity ; pouri ng through the Straits o f G ibr altar ,

they fell upo n P ro v e nce and Italy By land w hile We nds .

,

and C zech s and Obo t rit e s thre w o ff the G erma n yoke and

threate ned the borders the w ild ba nd s pressi ng in fro m , ,

the steppes o f the C aspia n dashed over Germa ny like the ,

yi ng spray o f a new w ave o f barbaria ns and ca rrie d the ,

terror o f their battleaxes to the A pe nni nes and the sea .

U nder such strokes t h e already lo o se n ed fabric s w i ftly dis

solved N o o ne thought o f co m mo n de fe nce or w ide orga ni
.

s atio n T he stro ng built castles ; the w ea k becam e their

.

bo nds m e n or took shelter u nder the co wl ; the gove rnor

, ,

c ou n t or abbot tighte ned his gras p t ur n ed a delegated i nto

, ,

H oly R oman E mpin , p . 87 .

 M SS A N D M I N I A T UR E S
. .
34 :

an i nd epe nde nt a perso nal i nto a territorial s overe ignty and

, .

hardly ow ned a dista nt and fee b le suzera i n T he gra n d .

visio n o f a u niversal Christia n E mpire was u tterl y lost am id

the isolatio n th e anta go nism the i ncreasi ng localisatio n of
, ,

all powers it might seem b ut a passi ng gleam fro m an older

and better w orld
"
.

N o dou b t i t did seem so H ad any m an the n lived w h o

.

k new what the old Pax R o m a na had bee n and h o w R o m e ,

kept order all rou nd the Mediterra nea n and in G aul and
Britai n the state o f thi ngs in t h e ni nth century w ould hav e
,

distressed him all the more T h e distresses o f E urope in .

those days were not less probably than in those o f A tti la ;

b u t every cou nt ry had bee n rei nforced w ith stro ng blood
and erce races wh o could make d esperate sta nd agai nst
,

the i nvadi ng hord es Castles and the feudal system at all

.

e ve nts orga nised the de fen ce o f civilisatio n or whatever c on ,

diti o n o f thi ngs stood fo r it ; and the sa m e object was far

better carried out b y H e n ry the Fo wler s system o f w alled

to wns w ith special burgher privi leges and co m pulso ry res i

de nce o f a certai n n u m b er o f burghers (every ni nth m an) as
garriso n ; exactly as in a R o m an C olo n ia o f the R epu bl i c .

A s to art o ne th i ng seem s to me b ut little n oticed to have

,

h ad co nsiderable e ffect on it fo r good the Be nedicti ne rule o f

ope n air labour I should thi nk that this must have been the
-
.

origi n o f the naturalis m o f the first e nlu m i neurs T hey or .

their b rethre n w ere obliged not o nly t o read and thi nk bu t ,

to grow corn and dre ss vi nes T he same w holesome cou ntry .

li fe w hich had delighted the A the nia n citize n com forted the ,

w eary mo n k and h u m a n b eauty bei ng for b idde n grou nd t o

him he fell to w ork at vegetatio n a nimals and i nsects and

, , ,

various forms o f the higher grotesque A ny b ody can see .

,

w ith very little study o f such copies o f the w orks as w e c an

get the di ffere nce bet wee n R a b ula and the C aroli ngia n
,

Sacrame ntaire d c G e llo ne T h e Syria n is full o f devotio n

.
,

and has a po wer fu l and creative i m agi natio n w hich possesses ,

hi m w ith de n ite co nceptio n o f the actuality o f h is su bject .

H e has a picture in his head like the L ombard carver o f t he

,

G ri f n in Ili ad em P a inters (ii i p 1 06 part iv ch . .

, . .

H e has his i nner sight of wh at th e fact was li ke or of what ,

34 2 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

'

m anner of spectacle the visio n or miracle appeared t o m en s

eyes H is C rucixio n is like o ne o f the G erma n m edi e val
.

o nes co n tai ni ng all the details at o ne mome nt th e s pear

, , ,

the spo nge the Blessed Virgi n and S Joh n t h e game o f

, .
,

Mora fo r cast i ng o f lots

, H is C hariot o f the A s c e nsio n is .

a gra nd ideal com bi natio n o f the 2 63a the fourfold creat u r es ,

o f the A pocal y pse o f the cherubic visio n o f E zekiel and of

, ,

the cloud or glory o f upbeari ng a ngels H e shows a c ertai n .

fo n d ness fo r b irds in his border decoratio n B ut ev i de ntly .

he has no t studied from nature or loo k ed m uch at her ; ,

and t h e Caroli ngia n scri bes i n ferior t o hi m perhap s in devo ,

tio n certai nly in po wer o f aspiratio n and height o f s oar have

, ,

h ere and there the adva ntage o f havi ng e njoy ed and follo wed
n atural form s T h e Be nedicti nes were a worki ng out door
.
-

order and s aw gree n elds and forests not in vai n O ne of

, .

the best examples i a the m ost reliable and accessible copy , . .

o f o ne o f thei r best works in earl y stud y o f n ature is the ,

cyclame n root and ower give n in xll od em P ainters ( iii p

, ,
. .

2 08 or part iv c
, It is thirtee nth ce ntury b ut i t sh ows
. .
,

the quiet grad ual progress o f naturalism and sho ul d be ,

compared w ith the G iottesque an d other free dra wi ng at -

vol iv p 1 6 part v c 5 T his is no doubt a later stage

. . .
, . . . ,

b ut I ca nnot help thi nki ng one sees the rst steps in the
Sacrame n tary and other Fra nk m i n iatures ,
.

P ro fessor Westwood assig ns th e m iddle o f the n i nth

c e ntury as t he rst p e riod o f evide nt i nue nce o f the schools
o f Charles the G reat on the prod uc tio ns o f E nglish scriptoria .

Ma ny Fra nk schools w ere presided over by A lcui n and other

lear ned E nglish me n but their success came home aga i n and
had its i nue nce and o n b oth sid e s the Cha nnel m e n w ere
,

le d to natural study and at the sa m e time to higher appre ,

c iat io n o f classical art This led in I taly to N iccola P isa no .

and the R e n aiss an ce through sculpture and mosai c : at all ,

eve nts the norther n scriptoria escaped from the mere in

g e n u it ies o f u n mea ni n g patter n The British C h u rch had .

h r memberi ng that th is i the ea lie t C ruci xi n k nown as the

I t is wo rt e s r s o ,

M S i (h ap pily ) d ated 5 86
. s and th at thi i nc id ent the f thi im s , use o s

m m i al gam i stead f d i ce d i t ing i h

e or e nit f m all oth e s exce p t I b lie e
o ,
s u s es ro r , , e v ,

one i y ca ing vo r rv .
344 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C .

and help t o L ati n Christia n ity R ome is for a w hile re formed

.

and allied w ith Pepi n and Charlemag ne ; an d the relics

o f her arts and learn i ng are eagerly e m b race d b y L o m

b ards Fra nks and E nglish ; so that the A nglo Sax o n cali
, ,
-

g pra h is t s begi n a gai n t o take lesso n s from G reece a n d

R o m e (havi ng don e so be fore from the R ave nna m osaics ) ,

and they learn to pre fer m i n iature to mere patte rn an d ,

e m ulate (or prod uce) the great Caroli ngia n M SS I n these .

the study o f nature becomes a more i m porta nt feat ure than

thei r i m perial splendo ur or their Merovi ngia n grotesquen ess ;
,

and w ith the study o f n ature G othic copyists no w combi ne

,

faith ful emulatio n o f classical models such as they k no w , .

There is great d i ffere nce in the ge ni u s the opport u nit ies , ,

and the s u cce ss o f N iccola P isa no C o u nt Vivie n R abula

, ,

the Syria n mo nk or the w riters o f the A ugu sti nia n or

,

A th e lstan s P salters w ho are nameless ; but the artistic

excelle n ce o f their w ork is due to the s am e pri n ciples of

-

study ; nor in any o f these cases could it have existed w ith

out the grad u al victory o f the faith w hich alo ne made study
,

possi b le fo r these and all the earlier scri b es

, .

A fe w words sho u ld b e s aid a b out d e coratio n in colu m ns .

The Ca no ns o f E usebius were early ad d ed to the Sacred .

Text ( as in the L aure ntia n or R a b ula M S 5 8 6 w here .

they are luxuria ntly or na m e nted in col u m ns and spaces ; and

in the E va ngelia ry o f U l las (w ritte n as is suppose d about
, ,

the same ti m e) .The i dea o f ornamen tal pillars to separate

a calendar m ay have bee n derived fro m the fro nts o f a ncie nt
sarcophagi ; at all eve nts parallel colum ns and arcades w ith ,

w reaths scrolls o wer w ork an d b irds amo ng the m w ere

, ,
-
, ,

a natural and pleasi ng ki nd of decoratio n T he seve nth .

ce ntury E va ngeliary named C ol b ert ( Bast ard vol

has ,
.

i ts colu m ns dra wn rmly and b eauti fu lly with the p e n .

We have had e n ough a b out the skill o f co nscie n tious

pract ice ; it raises caligraphy to n e art The O o f G iotto .

w as a fair test o f his great executive po wer no doubt ; b ut ,

it is excelled in di f culty and i nterest b y these free pe n

d ra wn birds and grotesques ; and i t is cu rio u s that the last
remi ni s cence o f the va nished art o f w riti ng should still b e
the s wans or birds of the moder n wri ti ng ma ster s o u rish

- .
 M SS . A ND M I N IA TU R E S .
34 5

T here are o ne or t w o examples o f epigraphs and com

m e nd at o ry paragraphs from G u range r which may b e added
here T hey are no t quite like the earli e st i nscription o f the
.

ki nd o n record the quiet greet ing of S Paul s secretary :

,
.

I T ertius w ho w rote th is epistle salute you b ut they have

, , , ,

their i nterest .

From a G reek E va ngeliary eleven th c e ntury : ,

This book has b ee n w ritte n b y the ha nd o f a s i nner .

May the most H oly Mother o f Go d and S E u tyc h iu s , .

,

vouch sa fe to accept its ho m age and may the L ord God by ,

i ntercessio n o f the most H oly Mo ther o f Go d and S .

E u t yc h iu s give us eter nal li fe in H e ave n
, A men . .

From the M issal o f S Maur des Fos ss .

T his b ook belo ngs to S Mary and S Peter o f the . .

Mo nastery o f the T re nches H e who s hall have stole n it or .

,

sold it or have in any way w ithdra w n it from this place : or

,

w h o shall have bee n its b uyer may he be for ever in the

compa ny o f J udas Pilate an d Caiap h as A me n ame n , , .
, .

Fiat at , .

Brother R obert Gualens is (o f Wales ) bei ng yet you ng

?

and a L evite hath devoutly w ritte n it fo r his soul s h e alth

, ,

in the time o f L ouis ( 1e G ros) K i ng o f the Fra nks and o f ,

A sce li n a b bot o f th is place

,
R ichard prior and mo n k .
, ,

caused this book to b e copied in order t o deserve the ,

H eave n ly and blessed cou ntry Thou O priest wh o mi n is .

, ,

t erest be fore the L ord b e mi n d ful o f him Paternoster

,
. .

T he disti nguished calig rap h is t s o f the n i nth ce ntury

E va ngeliary o f S E m m e ran at R atis b o n seem n ot to have
.
,

b ee n bad scholars b y any m ea ns and to have had a wo nder ful ,

turn fo r L ati n v erse fo r their ti m e ; but their names Bere nger ,

and L uther are someho w rather omi n ous

,
T hus ru ns their .

epigraph
B i q ad ingent i litant et s pt agin ta
s u r vo e u

An i q D t V i gin nat Il m
n , uo eus e s r e us o o

T d ni an i Ka l er gn aba t et u e s n s ro u s re no ,

C m C od x a t illiu i m pe i u e c us s r o.

I m titu tiom L itu rgiqu ee, la t h

s c . vo l. ii .

3
h
C an t ere ave be en a h G ad u
r s in th ose da ys such a verse c ou ld hardl y
i
be wr tten w i th o ut o ne .
34 6 GR E E K A N D G OT H I C

H ac tenus und os um c a amo l d esc ripsimu s q

oe uor

L ittoris ad u em no st ra carina m anet .

Sangu ine nos u no p ti

a rs m atrisqu e c re at i ,

A tq ue s ac erd o tis s e rv it ute qr ue grad um .

E n B ere ngariu s, L e uthard us nom ine d ic ti,

Q u e is fue rat sud o r, d iic ilisque n i m is .

I lic tibimet , l ec to r, s uc eed ant ver a b prec au t is

Utd i cas , c apiant regna beata p li

o .

M amu o x, I ter Germanicu s, p .

53 .

I t i s nice , e nds w ell perh aps they were good s cholars

and

o f A lcu in s

.But nothi ng else has the strange com ma ndi ng

i nterest for ourselves es pecially for N orth cou ntry m e n o f
the i nscription in the ha nd o f hi m of Io na and L i n d is farne .

Other M SS may b e o f equal value b ut n o title e v er c an b e

.
,

like S C ol u mba s
. H e has ed a w ay and is at rest
'
.

,
.

See p . x of t his book .

3 4 8 GR E E K A N D GO THIC .

m aster s ho nour tha n deliberate esti mate o f all citizens

o f a n cie nt L ati n b lood B ut the extraordi nary race from .

w hom he was desce nded were as re m arkable fo r their ferocity

and de s tructive b arb aris m in early d ays as they w ere fo r ,

their w illi ng ap p licatio n and brillia nt po wer in arts arms , ,

and co m merce as soo n as they had lear nt that thei r Sca n

,

d inav ian ide as o f li fe b et wee n shock o f battle and w ar o f

,
I
'

revel were neither the be s t in this w orld no r lik e ly to b e

, ,

realise d eter nally in the next T his cha nge from the bar .

ba ris m o f V ik ing ir an d V arang ir to i ntellige nt adoptio n o f

G rac co R o m a n arts la ws la nguage and m u n icipal li fe (all
-
, , ,

le arnt through prior acceptan ce o f the Faith in Christ and ,

h e r rst gi fts to her w ild catechume ns) takes place or rather , ,

comes i nto full acti o n b etw ee n A l b oi n an d A g ilu lf abou t ,

thi rty years 5 69 5 9 4 ( A g ilu lf reigne d till .
,

T he positio n o f the L o m bards w h o seem to have b ee n c o n ,

ve rt ed to Catholicis m very early without passi ng as a n ation ,

through the A ria n stage o f b elie f like the Ostrogoths and ,

others had this great adva ntage that i t set them at o ne w ith ,

b oth clergy and people and pre ve nted th e ir co nti n ui n g like

, ,

the desce nda nts o f Theodoric an isolated garriso n in the la nd , .

The respect paid by that great m an t o the civil i nstitutio ns

a nd traditio ns o f the e m pire has bee n described by M r Bryce .
,

w hose obser vatio ns o n the grad ual assimilatio n o f I mperia l

ideas and habits by the i nvad i ng races seem extre m ely im
portant It is probable that the A rian persuasio n o f th e rst
.

co nq u erors was ev e n m ore u nw elcom e to I taly tha n the w ild

b arb aris m o f L ombards who accepted the Catholic creed .

Their capacity fo r learni ng seems to hav e bee n far above that

o f any precedi n g race ; an d the career o f Clovis in G aul

prov ed h o w great adva ntages follow ed from religious u n ity

o nce secured b et wee n the co nq ueri ng an d co nquered race The .

c o nversio n o f the L o ngo b ard i m ay be co nve n ie ntly dated

from the b aptism o f A u th aris and T h e o d o lind a ( she a fter

Mr F ee man al o observes ( H i t A h p :76) that th ough the Lombard s

. r s s . rc . .

we re in e y pe t in fe io to Theod i and hi G th the e can be no d oubt

v er res c r r or c s o s, r

t hat I taly c ld h ha e rec nc il ed h

, ou s e l f to the i dea f a ba barian o ereign
v o erse o r s v ,

m ight ha nj yed m
ve e al h appi ness
o nd e the yal h use f A lboin than the
ore re u r ro o o

tu bul ent d ay f h wn lat em pero s had ever aond ed

'

r s o er o er r .
 THE L OJ I B A R D S .
349

wards wed ded A gilu lf) ch a ng e w h ich brough t thei r

and th e

c o nvers io n abo ut may be estimated by the di ffere nt sto ri e s

told by their ow n ch ro n icler o f R osamo n d and A lboi n and o f ,

T heod olind a and her rs t and s e co n d w ooi ng ; o ne bei ng

exactly the tale w hich G ib bo n delighted to na rrate the other ,

most k n ightl y pure an d beauti ful

, H o w e v er the great
,
.
,

c hivalric quali t ies displayed in the former history b y T uris

mu nd the G e p id ki ng s eem to i nd icate the e x celle n ce o f the

, ,

origi nal m etal o f w hich these great races w ere forged in the
O ic ina G e nti um and A lbo in s o wn occasio nal acts o f mercy
'

( as in spari ng Pavia a fter lo ng siege ) are n o t lost sight o f b y

his historian and desce nda nt Paul \Varne frid the D eaco n .

claims to be o f the b lood o f A lboi n w ith w hom L eo p his hi s , ,

great gra nd father had crossed the E astern A lps

-
,
H e w as .

high ly edu cated at the L om b ard court and take n priso n e r '

by C harlemagne a fter the nal de feat o f D idier or D esideri u s .

T hough at rst take n i nto Charlem ag ne s favour he w as

'

suspected o f retai n i ng h is fealt y to D idier and lo ng im ,

prisoned in the Isl e o f D io m e d a ( or Tre m iti ) in the Ve neti an

A rchipelago H e escaped to the D uke o f Be neve nto and
.
,

( a fter his death ) be c a m e a Be n ed icti ne o f Mo nte C asi n o ,

where he seems t o have w ritte n h is chro n icle and m a ny ,

copies o f L ati n verses There is a hy m n in Ia m b i cs not u nlike

.
,

Prude ntius and he has framed he says a list o f S Be nedict s

, , , .
'

miracles o ne by o ne in separate couplets o f e le gaic metre

and so he has H e has do ne his duty by t he fou nd er o f his
.

order in such hex am eters an d pe ntamet e rs as never perhaps

w ere co nc eived b e fore or si nc e b y any o f the so ns o f

But be fore the earliest da w n o f the true or L om b ard R e

n aissa nce in the seve n th ce ntury a noth e r light had spru ng u p ,

in E astern I taly in th e last fo rtre s s o f t h e E aster n E mpi r e

, .

This has bee n part ly described in the ch apte rs o n A rchi

tecture and Mosaics and was part o f the gr e at ness o f T h e o
,

d oric the G reat or D ietrich o f Ber n (V e ro na ) as he is st yled

, ,

in t h e N ibel u nge n lied H e is the champio n o f the g reat

-
.

J ornand es th e Ost rogo t wrote his bo ok , Dh e R ebm Getiri: u nd e r s imi lar

c ircu mst ances , in i
the ret rem ent o f a monas te r y .
3so CR EE K A ND G OT H I C .

R abens c h lac h t or b attle o f R ave nna and sta nds bet wee n ,

fable and history loo m i n g in g ra ndeur hal f m ade out like

, ,

the head and shoulders o f M ichael A ngelo s statue o f D ay ;

like A rthu r and Od i n or Charlemag n e or Freder ic k Bar ,

b arossa H ad the Ostrogothic race retai ned their po wer th ey

.

m i ght have restored art i ns tead o f th e L ombards bu t time ,

w as not allo wed the m T hey produced hardly any w ork o f

.

their ow n though the R ave nnes e mosaic s and the pal ace
,
x

and m a g nice nt s epulchre o f their great k i ng sho wed h o w ,

w ell they appre c i at e d an d empl oyed t h e skill o f R o ma no

B yza nti ne w ork m e n b o th in the e ngi neeri ng and the decora
,

tive part o f arch itecture The colu m ns o f the palace called .

Theodoric s at R ave nna sh ow the N e o Greek ac an thus o nce

-
,

more ; no t u nlike th at o f Torcello and bea u ti ful in its ,

delicate lace w o rk o f poi nt s o f shade and sharp lea ves w hich

-
,

are nevertheless massive e nough to resist ma ny ce n turies

m ore .

These colu m ns s how their derivatio n from the Com posite ,

but are a great i m prove m e nt on it T h e external arcades .

,

the glory o f t he L om b ard P is a in a fter days appear in this ,

O strogothic pal ace al s o A nother importa nt w ork at P avia

.

is m e ntio ned b y Paul the D e aco n ( D e G L iv I t was . . .

cert ai nly a mosaic port rait o f T heodoric an d is me ntioned ,

( u n le s s th e re w a s a s im ilar picture) by Procopius D e Bello

G o th ic o x x iv as e x lap illis compacta m in u t is ad m od u m e t
.
, , ,

v e rs ic o lo rib us fe re s ing u lis I ts head fe ll a w ay j ust be fore

.

Theodoric s d e ath ; the m iddle at A m alos u nt ha s an d the

legs and feet cr u m b led at t he co m i ng o f Belisarius w he n the ,

re ne w e d force o f th e E m pire reasserted its hold o n I taly .

The g reat architectural m o nu m e nt o f the Os t rogothic R e

n aiss an ce h as b e e n d e s c ri b ed at p 2 24 That revival w as . .

b rie f and partial b ut so m e notice o f it seems necessary

,

here I t w as no t the outgro wth o f any national feeli n g fo r

.

the arts ; it w as due to the p atro nage o f a ki ng ed ucated at

t h e Byz an t in e court and at t h e he ad o f a race wh o did no t
, ,

li k e L u it prand co nsider the mselves alie ns to b ut m embers

, .

o f the gr eat R om an State

, The nal ed ict o f C aracalla as .

In 8 . G io van n i and the Arian B a t ister p y .

35 2 GR E E K A ND GO THIC .

degree restored and elevated their ch aracter But t h e ru le .

o f the Ostrogoths co n ti n ued b ut sixty fou r years and fo r -

,

the last eigh t e e n the re ne wed stre ng th o f the Byza nti ne

E mpire w as w ielded a gai nst the m b y Belisari us and
N arses ; the taki ng o f Cu m a b y the latter in 5 5 3 and
t h e death o f Teias see m ed to reduce all agai n b e n eath
the E aster n E m pire till the ne w w ave o f i nvasio n fro m
,

Pa nno ni a and i ndeed as it seems fro m Sca n di n avia

, , ,

itsel f ow ed over nearly the w hole pe ni nsula o nce m ore

, .

The u nhappy I t ali ans w ere aga in overru n b y a stra nge

an d , at rst m ercil e ss race w ho k new no t hi ng o f the
, ,

past and w hose ki ngs had no t bee n tau ght t he great ness
,

o f the E m pire or w o n ders o f its civilisatio n and pre fe rred ,

dri nki ng from their e nemies skulls to the most exquisite

'

o f its u nk now n l uxuries Paul t h e D eacon declares that

.

he has hi m sel f see n the id e ntical scala or go b let m ade by ,

A l b oi n fro m the skull o f C u nim u nd and mo u nted in gold , .

H o e ne cui videatur i m pos s ibile v e ritat e m in Chris t o lo q u ar .

E go hoc pocul u m vidi in q u o d am die festo R achis ( sic), ,

in c i e m t illu d c o n v iv is suis o s t e nt are t ma n u t e ne n t e m

p r p u , ,

( D e G L .ii . T, his has

. no t esc aped G i bbo n The .

D e aco n dates the ori g i n o f his race fro m Sca ndia or G oth
la nd and it is us e less to revive t h e a ncie nt co ntroversy
, ,

o n w hich C lu v e riu s and G roti us take d ie re nt s ides as to

'

Bra nde nb urg or Sca ndi navia b e i n g their earlier ho m e They .

co m e w ithi n ra nge o f history and geography so m e where n ot

far fro m Vie nna o n the D a n u b e in t h e time o f O d o v ak ar ;
, ,

and it w ou ld agree w i t h t heir character as N orth m e n o f the ,

hi gh e r sta m p that they sho wed such early capacity for sculp
,

ture as ha m mer work and i ndeed as it w ould seem fo r work

,
-
, , ,

in m e t als They may have b ee n alre ady w orkers in w ood

.

and iro n as true Sca ndi navia ns ; and the tra nsitio n fro m
,

s m ith to sculptor w as likely to be made b y an i nve nt ive and

poetic race as soo n as th ey ca m e in co ntact w ith the m arbles
o f Vero n a and s aw the mode ls o f cla s sic w ork m a nship there
, ,

and in P avia and R av e nna I t is equally remarka b le in this

.

great race h o w rapidl y they w ere so fte ned and how sl ightly ,

t h ey w ere de m orali s e d u nder the e nervati ng s k y o f Italy and

in t h e at m o s ph e re o f her cities They adopted the R oma n .
 THE L OJ I B A R D S .
35 3

m u ni c i palli fe and la ws and ac qu ired w ith that the c i vi l i sat i o n

,

o f the E tru ria n R enai ss an ce and th e st re ngt h w hich e nabled ,

t h e m to re s i st the Sw abi an E mpire as fe de rat e d republ i cs ,

t hou gh the C aroli ng i a n po w er h ad overwh el m ed them for a

t i me as a mo narch y .

T heir most i m porta nt or at least most obv i ous relation t o

ancie nt G ree c e has bee n alread y hi nted at in thi s book from

Sismo ndi as follo wed b y Mr H allam

, W hat they did fo r . .

good they did fo r th e world and the ir works are the D ivi ne
,

Comed y the rev i val of the G ree k lang uage the Baptistery
, ,

o f Pisa the T ow er and D o m e o f Flore nce th e statues o f

, ,

D ay and N ight B ut fo r themselve s they d id a fter the

.
,

m a nner o f m e n w ith the cu n n i ng and e rc e ne s s o f their

,

fathers E truria n or Berserk

, T he y played over a g ai n t he
.

'
tragedy of a ncie nt G reece w ith all its circumsta nces o f ,

i nveterate hatred u nj ust ambitio n and at rocious retaliat i on

, , ,

thou g h wi th less consummate actors upo n the scene T he .

T heban destr uctio n o f P lataaa and the A the n ia n mas sacre ,

o f M elos w ere re ne w ed in their time as surely as the o w er

, p ,

o f P he id ias rev i ved from Pi s an i t o M i chael A ngelo ; and i t

awa k e ns stra nge thou ghts in a C h ristia n stude nt o f histo ry

t o see how great e ffect Christia nity produ ced o n the wild
fathers o f a race w ho received it jo y fully and h o w little on
, ,
'

their childre n w ho have not kept it T he story of failure and

, .

degeneracy is al way s the same ; nevertheless the fa i th c on

t inu es an d co nti n ues to bear gi fts for m e n
, A lbo i n had .

vo wed a gen e ral sack and m assacre o f Pavia but his h orse fell ,

o n e nteri ng t h e cit y and w u ld no t get up till he had w i th

,

d raw n his purpose H e had previously m e t w i th Felix

.
,

bi s hop o f T arvis iu m or T reviso somew here o n the Piave and , ,

had e ntered i nto some ki nd o f terms w ith h im as Paul says ,

O m nes s u a: ecclesi a fac u ltat e s postula n ti ( Felici ) co n cessit .

I t is probable that h e was w ill i ng to have the h elp of the

orth odo x c lergy w ith hi m agai nst the rem nant o f the A ria n
O strogoths and this may accou nt fo r h is occasio nal mild ness
,

o f co nd uct and for his ge neral success as in the case o f

, ,

Clov i s . Co nquerors w ho w ould adva nce beyo nd A ria ni sm ,

and accept the whole faith had the adva nta ge o f havi ng ,

the only eleme nt o f stre ngth or perma ne nt gover nme nt

A A
 3 54 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

which rema i ned in the cou ntry co nstantly in the i r favour .

The results o f A lboin s mercy to Pav i a a fter his three years ' '

siege w ere great i ndeed and seem almost to have determ ined ,

the co n dit i o ns and character o f his race

.

I n about thi rty years from A lbo in s great i nroad b y F riu li

T he o d olind a the beloved q u ee n o f L om bardo w as o n the

, ,

eve o f her seco nd marriage wi th A gilu lf o f T u ri n and G regory ,

the First asce nded the papal chair in the year 59 9 M ea n .

w h ile all I taly had bee n overru n though n ever perma n e n tly ,

settled u nder L ombard orga nisatio n The D uchy o f Bene .

v e nto fou nded by A u th aris m ai ntai ned almost e ntire i nde

, ,

p e n d e nc e o f the thro n e o f Pavia a n d Vero n a ; the E aster n

E mpire yet mai ntai ned its hold o n R ave n na an d R o m agn a ,

w hile a far greater result o f A lboin s ravages the R ep u blic o f

Ve ni ce had al ready b egu n its existen ce o n the islets o f

,

Torcello and R io A lto Till A u tharis all seems co nfusio n in .

Ital y and mutual i nroad from both sides o f the A lps be t ween
,

Franks Saxo ns and L ombard s ; but a fter his accessio n

,

ge neral securi ty b ega n to prevail and as the D eaco n h as it , ,

nemo aliq u e m i nj uste angariabat 3 A ne w order o f thi ngs .

W i th his own peo ple and even am ng Sax n and B a a ians the nam f , o o s v r , e o

A lb i n w as l ng em embe red b y c ald s and m i n t els

o o r and an in d i ca i n f s s r : t o o

g era te k i ll
r s in cr a fts is g i en b y t h e D a c n tat em e nt a t th e end
v f his st e o

s s o r

b o k that exc ll ent arms (p aapu a a ma) were m ad e in hi time

'

o , e r r s .

St y of A tha i and T h e d lind a

or u T h e sa age li fe and t each e o u d eath
rs o o . v r r s

o f A l b i n w i th it attend ant ab mi nati ns m ay be

o , s m pa ed wit h th t and o o , co r e rs ,

i nd eed the se nd wo i ng of T h d olind a thi t y year afte Sh e was d a gh ter

co o eo r s r . u

o f G a ibald s ( f all nam es in the w

r u o ld ) King of th e B ajoa ii or B a a ians or , r , v r .

A uth aris f Lom ba d y i h e l eo h c m es d i gu i ed a his wn am baa ad

r s r ov r e o , s s s o or,

t h e fath er s c u t to a k he in m a i ag
o r

o r Sh p sout h i w ine at the feast ;
r rr e . e ours s

h tak es he h and and gently pa e it ve h is ow n fac e

e r ,
Sh c n u l t h e n ss s o r . e o s s r u rse

ab t th i st ange f eed m and is t ld th at n ne b t t he k i ng h er fu t

ou s r r o , husband o o u , ure .

cou ld h a e d a d to take it
v T h e p e tend ed ambassad or i h ono ably sc t ed
re . r s ur e or

t the f nti e
o f hi own l and but as h e p a es it h e w i ng hi hea y battle axe
ro ro s ss s s s v ~

and d i es it d rv p i nt a pine t unk sayi ng S c h a b low d eal the Ki ng f L m

ee o -
r , , u s o o

ba d r o. M eanw h il e it is proph es ied to A gil lf who id e in his trai n t h at the

u , r s ,

K i ng b id e hall be h i b i d H app i er a d better ti mes b gi n wi th th e ign

s r s s r e. f n e e r o

A tha i and T h e d lind a and on his d eath the o i

u rs o o f he n b l es and p p l e
, v ce o r o eo

in it s h
v e t e m ai n
er n th e t h
o r ne and c h e an th e
o l e She c nse nt : ro , oos o r ov . o s

and her pe e do h h m age in cc es i n wi th some f d al cerem nial which

rs er o su s o , eu o

inc l d es k i si ng th e h and
u s A nd h hoice is rst mad e known t its o bj t
. er c o ec ,

A gil lf f l a rini
u o T i n by h b idd i ng h im go on f m h hand t her lip
'

u or ur , er ro er o s,

as h w as the c h se n of L m bard y and of h e el f h e l o d and k i ng

e o o rs , r r .

3A e b p e i ous ly unk no wn t o the a tho bu t w hic h he tak es t m ean n t

v r r v u r, o , o

aggravated bu t exac ted labo u r (aw apuew , 8 . M att .
 35 6 GREEK A ND G O THIC .

reliquary is w ithout it how ever and has the form o f the ,

L ord o n the cross w ith the nimbus and e nveloped in a lo ng

, ,

tu nic or colobi um to the feet T hes e are R oma n w o rk of .

,

course but the L ombard arch i tecture and sculpture w ith a

, ,

fe w M SS is w hat w e must pri ncipally depe n d o n from the

.
,

seve nth to the t wel fth ce ntury excepti ng the i ncru st ed fro nt ,

o f S M ichele o f L ucca
. There is no ne mosaic u n til the
.

Pisa n revival ; it w as perhaps the disti nctive art o f their

despised subj ects or o f their j ealously regarded rivals o f -

Byza nti um ; and it is probable t h at the exercise o f ham mer

and chisel was more suited to their norther n ha nd s The .

traditio nal employ me n t o f Ve netia n workme n in the earl y

mosaics of Pisa and Flore nce is o ne more i n sta nce o f reco n
cili atio n betw een the desce nda nts o f the ravagers o f A q uileia
an d the childre n o f the fugitives o f R io A lto ; an d also of

accepta nce on the part o f the former of classical gu ida nce ,

such as was le ft them back i nto the e njoy me nt o f colour and

,

the art o f pai n ti ng .

Pro fessor R uski n s most i mporta nt and graphic s k et c h o f

th e d i ffere nce betw een th e L ombard and Byza n ti n e w or k o f

Pavia and L ucca Vero na and Ve nice has bee n alread y
, ,

re fe rred to m ore tha n o nce O ne paragraph at its beg i nn i ng .

m ight w ell sta n d fo r the motto of t his boo k The sam e .

leaves the same a nimals the same arra ngeme n ts are used by
, , ,

Scan di nav ia ns a n cie nt Brito ns Saxo ns N orma ns L omba rds

, , , , ,

R oma ns Byza nti nes and A rabs : bei ng all alike desce nded
, ,

through classic G reece from E gypt and A ssyria and som e ,

from Ph oen icia T h e belts which e n compass the A ssyria n

.

bulls in the hall of the British M useu m are the same as the
belts o f the ornamen ts fou n d in Sca ndi navia n t um uli ; their
method o f orname ntatio n is the same as that o f the ga te o f
Mycenae and o f the L ombard pulpit o f S A mbro g i o at
, .

M ila n and o f the ch urch o f Theotocos at C o nsta nti n ople

, .

The esse ntial d i fferen ce s amo ng the great schools are their
d i fferences o f t e m per and treatme nt and scienc e o f exp res
sio n I t is absurd t o talk o f N orma n o rname nts and
.
,

L o m bard and Byza nti ne orname nts as formall y di s ti n

g u is h e d but there is utter sepa ratio n be t w ee n A rab temper ,

and L ombard temper and B y za nti ne temper ,

.
 TH E L OM B A R D S .
357

The fact is that little is wa nted to make nat i o ns or ind iv i

d ua ls disti ng u i sh th e m s elve s in art except tim e and love o f
t h e subject if w e allow the es s e ntial co n d i tio ns o f leisure
,

and go o d h a n ds and eyes T he L ombards had returned

.
,

lo ng be fore N iccola Pisano to the thoroughl y P h eid ian ,

pr i nciple o f represe nti ng thi ngs huma n and di v i ne in arch i

t e c t u ral decoratio n o f t heir temple fro nts They carved .

Scripture histories an d careeri ng horseme n on San Zen o ne at

Verona and th ey did it in shallow massy relie f at the e ntra n ce
,

of the crypt and al most all over the fro nt o f the church
, .

T he solid and bossy look o f the sculpture throughout is one

o f the c hie f beauties o f the w ork w hich dispe nses w ith u nder ,

cutti ng and deep shado w and is Pro fessor R uski n s chose n
,

example of p u re sculpture that is t o sa y as a pleasa nt , ,

bossi ness or rou nd ness of sur face w hich delights the eye ,

i rrespect i vely o f i mitatio n o n o ne side and of structure on

A nd as h as bee n sho wn this church is directly

the other .
,

co nnected through the subj ects o f i ts sculpture and the

,

c ast i ngs o f it s braze n gat e s w ith the earliest C hristi an art o f

,

the c atacomb frescoes and sarcophag i w hile through the ,

medi e val or T euton ic ideas in thei r treat m e nt and the ,

subs tratu m o f Byza nti n e w orkma nship it bi nds the clas sical ,

age to the early Gothic or Middle exactly as the Psalter o f

A thels ta n by it s R oma no Saxo n orn amen t gi ves toke n o f
,
-
,

a N orthern ha nd i nstructed in q uasi clas sical subject and -

w orki ng . M oreover the si ngular excelle nce o f the masonry

,

in the L o m bard S Ze no ne is in stro ng co ntrast w ith the

.

c areless l y joi ned sto nes o f the Byza nti ne S M ark s w hich .

i n di cates the progressive cha racter of one style and the

stationa ry to rpor o f the other T h e three churches o f S . .

M ichele at Pavia S Michele at L ucca and S Ze no ne at

, .
,
.

Verona the n may best represe nt the L ombard work u nd e r

, ,

o rd i nary cl as s i cal teachi n g and be fore N i c cola P i sa no w e nt

,

bac k from Grazc o R oma n to G reek The earliest B asilica

- .

o f S Ze n o ne w as pro bably coe val w ith S M i c hele o f Pavi a

. .

and t h e L o mbard w o rk s in S A mbrogio of Mila n . .

T he grotesque in art or that feeli ng for humour and,

i n co ngruity which is o ne form o f the N orthern dea nce of

evil and death beg i ns w i th these w orks
,
E as tern i n ue nc e .
35 s GREEK A ND GO THIC

is best traced in Ve netia n sculpture by the dyi ng a w ay o f

th e grotesque laughter o f the G oth and so i n d eed it is ; ,

though it m ay be a question whether s ome an alogo us traces

o f R o m a n or R oma no barbaric hu mou r do no t appear in -

the Vatica n Tere nce and the speciall y delectable M S o f ,

.

V irgil re ferred to at p 3 2 5 H o wever the L omb ard s c u lpture . .

,

be i ng u nqu es t io nabl y formed o n G ree c o R oma n is ri g htly -

,

styled R oma nesque and opposed to the G rat c o Byza nti ne

,
-

b y its G othic love o f jest motio n and spirit and also in tw o , , ,

i mporta nt tech nical features the excelle nc e of its m aso nry ,

and the shallo w cutti ng o f its most spi rited carvi ngs .

The proper deviatio n o f Byza nti ne and L o mbard R oman

esque is in the fact o f the latter bei ng work o f semi barbaria n -

vigour and ig nora nt o f t raditio nal rule T he former cli n gs w ith

, .

E aster n te nacity yet w ith true religious spirit to the tradi

, ,

tio n o f classical art which the others respected but w o u ld not

,

se rve The church of S Ze no ne is me nt i o ned perhaps fo r the

. .
,

rst ti m e o n record b y P aul the D eaco n (D e G L lib iii, . .

, . .

c 2 3) as Basilica Beati Z enonis m artyris q u e ext ra Vero

.
,

n e ns is urbis m uros sita est The great ood of the A dige .
,

O ctober 1 4 5 99 w hich took place a b out the same time as
,

.


S G regor y s accessio n to the popedom reached the w alls o f
the church but did not e nter it w hich the D eaco n co nsiders ,

a m iraculous i n terpositio n H e also me ntions S M ichele of . .

Pavia in 66 1 .

The three churches or what rema i ns of them will g ive the , ,

traveller an adequate notio n of the L om bard character and

energies I n the P av i a n ch urch by far th e oldest wild n ess
.
, ,

o f barbaric fa n cy ru n s its full cours e The west fro nt is m ore

like a feverish dream tha n a result o f any determ i ned
architectural purpose or even o f any de n ite love of the ,

grotes q ue One capital is covered w ith a m ass of g ri nni ng

.

,

heads other head s g row out o f two bodies all are g hti ng ,

devouri ng and struggli ng , N either sphi nxes no r ce n taurs .

did I notice nor a si ngle peacock ( I believe pea c oc ks to be

,

purely Byza nti ne) ; but mermaids w i th two tai ls la rge ,

sh apes stags (bulls P) dogs w olves and h orses griins

, , , , , , ,

And Augus tan-c lass c a t e y are fo und in the e w s h catacombs,

i l h J i and els e

h p
w ere, as c ommon lac e ornamen t o f the P o m e an sty e and eriod
p pi l .
360 GREEK A ND G O TH IC

ear ned skill is g reat and the a rt i st kn ow s not h ow or where

,

to leave o ff N evertheles s there is the ch aracteristic o f full

.
,

n ess in bo th o ld G reek and L ombard Both are i nexh austible .

in subj ect and determi ned to have orn ame n t simpl y w herever
,

they c an put it to their o w n satis factio n T h e G reek al wa ys .

chose the right place and d ista nce an d drew on his u nlimited ,

store o f mythology fo r subjects to the ho nour o f his Go d T h e .

L ombard thi nks h is own soul s des i re and d uteous labour a

'

thi ng in itsel f to G od s glory all is to him church or n ame nt

that adorns a church and like the earl y C hristia ns he deco

, ,

rates fo r dedi catio n s sake We o nly see G ree k temples in

.

their ru i n and have no idea o f their glo w o f i nternal colour

, ,

or the su bject pai nti ngs wh ich in all probability made them ,

as varied and glorio us w ithi n as Gothic c athedrals The .

w hit e li ght and u n mea ni ng orname n t o f R e naissa nce cla ss ic

ism ma y be pre ferable to Gr eek o r Gothic ; but it is n eith er
o n e nor t he other ; it is o n ly a reproductio n o f the R oma n

decade nce by no n colourists -

.

For other relics the iro n crow n and the plai n diadem w orn
,

by T h eo d olind a are gured in M u rat ori s editio n o f P aul

Warnefrid But his pl ate of t he h as relief ( tabula mar

.
-

morea) w hich on ce stood over the door o f the a ncie nt

D uomo o f Mo nza is still more i nteresting , The origi nal .

buildi ng w as entirely re new ed in 1 39 6 ; and so m e of the

gures resemble those in the mosaics of R ave nna ; never

t h e le s s the D e aco n s descriptio n o f the m osai c o f Theodoric

,

at Pavia makes i t certai n that he would have described this

as one if it had not bee n sculpture It seems to ha ve lled
, .

the tympa nu m o f a door A g ilu lf k neels on the spectator s .

le ft weari ng a lo ng tu nic over his mail and what s ee m to

, ,
'

be ro welled spurs T heod olind a o ff ers her crow n on th e other

.

side There are crosses resti ng on chalices and the alm ost
. .
,

u n ique embl e m o f the h e n an d chickens I n such a place .

,

o ne ca nn ot but suppose it is an allusio n to S L uke xii i

34 . .
,

and in that case the Chioccia or silver gilt he n o f T h e od o ,

-

li nda s ti ll preserved in the C athedral Treasu ry m u st have

, ,

th e same mea n i ng ra ther th an re fer to the Seve n L omb ard

,

P ri nces or the A rchbishop o f Mo n za Below o n each si de

, .
, ,

are S P eter w ith the keys and S Paul w ith a sword in th e

.
, .
 THE L OM B A R D S .
3 6 1

c e ntre is the bapt i sm o f O u r L ord w ith an atte ndant a ngel , ,

the w ater risi ng pyramidicall y up to H is waist ; and on

either s i de agai n the Bles se d Virg i n an d S Joh n th e
, .

E va ngelist .

The date o f the bro n ze g ates o f S Ze non e is u ncertai n ; .

they are so quai nt and rude in workma nship (see es pec i ally
A ratra P entelic i plate i ii ) that they might be supposed to
, . .

date earlier than the presen t eleve nth ce ntury church The - .

possibility o f their havi ng bee n made at C o ns t a nti nople i s to

be co nsidered and L ord L i ndsay i n cli nes t o that idea ; bu t
,

the characteristic di ffere n ce of some of t he groups from any

Byzanti ne ideal in the traditio nal subj ects is very great and
, ,

betrays the norther n desi gn Thus th e sw ord o f the a ng el .

,

w ho expels ou r rst pare nts from P aradise and that w hich ,

A braham use s in his sacrice are formidable and straight ,

G othic wea po ns the gabled tabernacle o f N oah s ark th ough

related t o the s q uar e chest o f the catacombs an d thro ug h ,

that to the m Barro s of A pamea and a ncie nt G ree k des i gn is

'

quite like an Italia n Gothic altar th e dove ies li k e a falcon

A dam and E v e are sent forth from Paradise as o n th e sarco
phagi ; C ai n fells A bel w ith a short blud geo n ; and the
braze n serpe nt is suspen ded o n a Tau cross The D ivi ne .

L amb is o n the keysto ne of the rou nd arch wh ich form s ,

the hi gh porch ; and the ha n d o f blessi ng is in the low

gable or fastigiu m o f the pediment above T all C ori nthia n .

p i llars support this porch b ased on lio ns or griins , The .

li on says C iampi ni is co nsidered as repres e nti ng watch ful

, ,

ne ss or vigour or authority in the faith

,
H e has bee n used .

by all races for orn ame nt from A ssyria and E gy pt and the
,

thro ne of Solomo n dow nwards and co nveys the idea o f a ,

w atch ful se nti n el at t h e church g ates ; or as a supporter to ,

colum ns o f ambons he m ay poss ibly be i ntended as an

,

e x hortatio n to w a k e ful ness .

T h ree epochs of L ombard arch i tecture are named by M r .

G ally K n i g ht and acc epted by D r Freema n in h is H is tory

, .

A rch itectu re T her is their period f co q u est fro m

of . e o n

5 6 8 t o 79 .0 For the n i n th and te n t h ce n t u ries there is little

to show except 8 A mbro g io at M ila n which was nished in
.
,

its L ombard additions or resto ratio ns be fore 8 6 1 The s eco nd .

3 6 2 GREE K A ND GO THIC .

period i s the R e naissa nce o f t h e eleve nth centu ry w h e n the ,

grotes que ness o f thei r scu lpture i s m uch subdued and the ,

C athedral o f P isa w h ether

B us k e t u s
, or B u sk e t h w ere

G erma n or I talian must be ta k e n to represent i t

, T hen .

comes th e t h ird epoch of t he t w el ft h and thirtee nt h ce nt uries ,

w ith S M ichele o f L ucca as its c hi e f example

. T h e n ew .

or rev ived characteristics o f thei r structure and orname nt

may be nearly thus e numerated .

The idea of the peristyle or at least of exte rnal colu m ns ,

for orname nt al one returns in a n e w form and arcades now

, ,

adorn palaces and churc h fro nts sto ry above story R ules , .

o f proportio n are aba ndo ned acco rdi ng ly as th e G reek s ,

themsel ves modi ed them whe never i t seemed n ecess ary .

Square doorwa ys are retai ned u n der rou nd arch es because , ,

as D r Freema n observes the ty mpa nu m gave so good an

.
,

opportu nity for sculpture The doors in fact stro ngl y .

, ,

resemble ou r ow n N orma n and th i s and ot h er archi tectu ral ,

forms seem t o have g ive n great pleasure t o the calig rap h ers
and m i ni aturists o f the time wh o repeat them fre q ue n tl y , .

Stro ng cl ustered p i ers and thick wall s now give s ign o f the
n orthern origi n o f the bu ilders ; and the stre ngt h o f their

buildi ng and excellence o f its maso nry sen ds them back to

sto ne vaulti ngs no t o nl y w it h the pla i n R oma n barrel vault
,
-
,

b ut w ith cross arches Sculpture co nt i nues throu gh out the

-
.
,

beauti ful gradually prevaili ng over th e grotes q ue .

T he grou nd pla ns o fte n combi ne the By zanti ne dome w i th

-

the long nave o f the Basilica But w ith its cent ral posit io n .
,

the dome appears to lose chie f i mporta n ce as domi n an t

featu re o f the w hole The L omb ard oc tago n as D r.
, .

Free m a n says is not the w hol e soul o f the build i ng fo r

, ,

the sa k e o f w hich alo ne all the rest exists ; i t i s but o ne

feat u re amo ng m a ny though by far the most com ma n di ng
,

One o r three sem i circular apses complete the eas t

o ne .
, ,
-

e nds o f ch u rches and beauti ful galleries o f open arc hes

,

o fte n run rou nd the e x teri or upper part as at M u ra no and ,

Sta Mar i a at A rezzo

. .

From AD 1 08 1 to 1 1 8 0 es pec i all y u nder the E m pe ro r

.
,

M a n uel the Byza nti ne mo nar c hy says G ibbo n

, b ec am e an , ,
 6
3 4 GR EEK A ND G O THIC

and A gnolo Sie na

ames are u nrecorded or d isputed
of . N , ,

o n the Ve netia n s i de But it m ay be for the c o n ve nie nc e

.

o f th e s tude nt to co ns i de r P i sa as the ce ntre o f L o mbard

art i nstructed by an c i e nt G ree ce ; Ven i ce o f the u n broke n

,

traditio ns of Byzanti um likel y to encumber the o ld new ,

s

teachi ng ; Vero na as the cent ral city sta ndi ng on th e great

, ,

road o f the A dige Valle y o f w hich n orth e rn Teuto n i c i nva ,

sio n has al wa ys made such u se .

T he sa m e represe n tative w orks accordi ngl y have been , ,

al w ay s selected by d i ffere nt w riters in various forms o f

,

w ords fo r s t udy and comme nt as typical o f L ombard

, ,

R oma n or G ree k R oma n and Byza nti ne R oman o r G re ek

-
,
-
,

w h i c hever we like t o call them A nd the purpo s e o f this .

b ook w hic h can onl y be an i ntrod ucto ry fragmen t at be st

, , ,

to the real ly historical stu d y o f its art period w ill be ,

completed w ith a little descriptio n o f these w ell k n ow n -

exemplari a and wi th directions if po ss ible ho w and

, , ,

where to stu d y them The C athedral and Baptistery .

, ,

and C ampo Sa nto o f Pi sa represe nt the L o m bard G r e ek ,

-

tra nsitio n ; t h e pulp i t or pergamo o f N iccola o f Pi sa its ,

classical example and the existence of its cusped arches
, ,

sho ws the way o f tra nsitio n to poi nted architecture ; at leas t

i t is selected fo r th at pu rpose and w ith good reas o n by , ,

Pro f R uski n in Va! d A rnO ( H also me tio h m

. e n ns t e c o .

bi natio n o f rou n d and po i nted arches in the D uomo & c & c ) , . .

T h e large model o f thi s p u lpit at South K ens i ngt o n w il l

e nable anyb ody who w ill really loo k at i t to u n de rs tand
the co nnect i o n and t ra nsitio n bet w een G ree k sculpt u re and
G othic and bet ween the R oma n arch an d t he po i nted
, It
is gu red in d A ginc o u rt ( Scu ctu re pl

and w hat is , .

perhaps b est it is t o be had at histori c al o r a rtistic pho to

,

graph shops w ith other excelle nt reprod uctions o f th e

,

D uomo and C ampo Sa nto & c & c Further for the bes t , . .
,

s culpt u re o f N ic c ola s school t he fro nt o f the C ath ed ral o f

O rvieto i s accessible in photograph and a good n oti o n o f ,

i ts sculptures may be obtai ned from d A gincou rt ( Scu lp tu re

pl.

T he t Lomba d i nroad was by F iuli

rs r r but late r Im p ial
er or German
in a i ns ha e tak en m o e cent al i ngress
v s o v r r .
 THE L OM B A R D S . 6
3 5

It may be said o f them as a gai nst the E astern work , ,

that they neg lect nature no more and there fore at o nce ,

adva nce in beauty as agai nst old A ttic art that they have ,

learnt to d w ell o n expressio n of cou nte na nce and to u nder

sta nd the sig nica nce o f human features as expo ne n ts of the
spirit w ithi n G reek method and st yle in groupi ng in dis
.
,

tributi ng forms over a surface in bala nce and symmet ry o f ,

similar yet co ntrasted actio n on each side o f a compositio n

, , ,

are all there but there is a great ear nest ness about the subject ,

the eve nts told in the bas relie f are solem n matters o f hope and
-

fear no t pagea ntry o f the tri umph o f A th e ne and the terrors

,

o f j udg m e nt and co ndem natio n are there w ith the H isto ry o f

the Faith The study o f the gure nude or draped is

.
, ,

evide ntly faith ful an d highly su ccess ful and the grotesq ue ,

b egi ns to appear in some o f the gri n n i ng demo ns o f the

I n ferno I n d A ginc o u rt s rs t chose n example o f one o f

-
.

the pa nels o f N ic c ola s pulpit the A doratio n o f the Magi is

represe nted T he arra ngeme nt i s q uite that o f t h e early

.

sarcophagi b ut the d rapery is studied l i ke the G reek G reek

,

h orses sta nd on the right actio n is in the free and ow i ng ,

li nes and the faces w ear an expressio n o f i nterest and

,

revere nce w hich is Ch rist i an and C hristia n o nly Matured ,

.

scie nce ca nnot add m uch to the great ness o f w orks like these .

A s somethi ng is al w ays lost to the pai nter s feeli ng whe n the

'

rst tre nchant outli nes are g one and the completed pictu re
sta nds in their place so it is w ith the guidi ng art which has
,

sho w n the way D i rect e ff ort at the mark po werful hold on

.
,

co nceptio n certai nty o f what he mea nt to do and kno wled ge

, ,

w he n he had do ne o nly a ff ected by tech n i cal adva nce these

,

seem to be the chief qualities o f the w ork o f N iccola P i sa no .

T h e sam e di fficulty exists in assign i ng all the work s attributed

t o him to h is o wn perso nal ha nd c ra ft as w ith the sculptu re -

Part hen o n and P he id ias D A ginc o u rt res i gns the

o f the .

attempt to decide w heth er disputed w orks are his his s o n s o r

, ,

some great scholar s and the pulp i t w ill be q uite enough fo r

the wa n ts o f th e studen t .

N iccola Pisa no co m es in co ntact w i th history as h avi ng

desig ned the great abb e y called Sta Maria della Vittori a .
,

i nte nded by Charles o f A nj ou to com memorate h i s nal

366 GREE K A ND G O THIC .

victory over C onrad ino in 1 2 68 I n 1 2 7 3 he w as q uite de .

c rep it so that he may be co n sidered as represen ti ng the be st

,

thi rtee nth ce ntu ry art of Southern E urope A fter h is Pi sa n

-
.

ed ucation he seems to have worked at Bolog na till 1 2 3 1 w he n ,

he bega n the great Church o f S A nto ny at P adua St a T rinit a . . .

at Flore nce the C athedral at Pistoia the D om i n ican ch urch

, ,

an d co nve n t at Viterbo S L ore n zo at N aples are so m e o f his , .

,

great w orks o ut o f his ow n city A t Orvieto his sculpture .

mi ng les w ith his so n s T h e Spi na Chapel and the C a m po

.

Sa nto b elo ng to the latter Joh n o f Pisa With hi m sculpture , .

return ed to the A ttic sources an d m ethods P ai nti n g had to .

w ait in G iu n to s N e o G reek ha nds for Cimabue and G iotto

'
-
, .

O n the east side o f I taly Ve n ice never approached the ,

g ra ndeur pathos or scie nce o f Flore nti ne sculpture an d for

, ,

cen turies her draughtsme n never e qualled the Flore n ti ne per

fe c t io n o f li ne light shade and i nspiration
, But the time, , .

came w he n h e r E astern gi ft o f colour w ell t rai ned by E t ru ria n ,

m asters o f form or d erivi ng scie nce from them shoul d ce n tre

, ,

in T itia n and cul m i nate at last in the sculptures q ue pai n ti n g

, ,

giga ntic co n ceptio n and perfect li fe an d d e eds o f T in t o ret

, ,

ch ie f C h ristia n m aster o f the world s pai nti ng

.

I t is re m arkable and most satisfactory that the earli est

history o f Ve n ice or her mother city should be co n n ected
, ,

w ith so per fect a group o f m o n ume nts as the C athe d ral o f

T orcello and the C h urch o f Sta Fosc a with their relics o f .
,

sculpture and mosaic T h e rst is a simple and complete .

G razc o R oma n basilica the seco nd an octago n with low

-
, ,

arcades o n three sides as evide ntly a Christia n develop
ment o f the rou nd temple as S Ste fa no R oto ndo at R o me . .

I ts capitals are C omposite ; those of the D uomo take n fro m

the C ori nthia n The ti ny church little more than 60 feet
.
,

l o ng by 4 5 w ide is the more a n cie nt o f the two buildi ngs

,

perhaps th e work o f the rst fugi tives from the mai n la nd ;

but b oth are eq ually beauti ful For a description o f the .

P rofessor R u k i n agrees wi th the M arc hese Selvati c o in bel eving th at the pre
s i

se nt c h urc h res to red in 1 008 is th e earli er bu i ld i ng of 64 1 vari ous ly strengt h e ned

, , , ,

re tt ed i ed by subs q ent ca e b t in all its main features p e

and m od e u r ,
u r ~

servi ng its i ginal a pec t I p e ume thi w ould i nc l d e the mos aic and h a e
or s . r s s u s
, v

t h ef
er gi e n th em th e be ne t f d o b t as they m ay be pa t f the
o re v rig i nal o u , r o o

ch h B t the s bj t of th La t J d gm nt ha d ly c c urs to my k n wled ge so

u rc . u u ec s e s u e r o o
 3 68 GREEK A ND GO THIC

it perhaps the earliest on record (u nless M et hod iu s s p i ctu re

'

for the sen satio nal K i ng B ogoris o f Bulgaria be co nsidered

histori cal) I t has relatio n to the A pocalyptic visio n o f

.

S Prassede ; but it is di fferen t in b ri ngi ng for ward fo r th e

.
,

rst ti m e the co ndem natio n of the w icked The treatme nt .

is in its m easure w hat all imagi natio n s o f a sce ne beyo nd

, ,

i magi natio n must be simply i nadequate ; not much more
s o t h a n any one el s e s excepti ng T int o re t s in the M ado n na
'

del O rto I ts co m pos itio n is like tha t o f all Byza n ti n e or

.

traditio nal representatio ns do w n to Orc ag na s in the Campo ,

Sa nto at Pisa and through him to M ichael A ngelo s T he

.
,

Saviour sits in glo ry attended b y the A postles and the ,

Blessed Vi rg i n w ith H ell and Paradise be neath H im T he ,

.

j ust are received i nto A braham s bosom the others i n to hell

, ,

a red stream of the w rath o f Go d desce ndi ng fro m u n der the

t hro ne I n the foregrou nd are the dead o f the earth arisi ng
.
2

t o j udgme nt with the added detail o f im me n se w orms creep

,

i ng i n and out o f the es h less sku lls ( like th e celeb rated larvae
~

in A lf onso the B rave and t/te Fair I mag ine) M e n represe nt e d .

d eath and destructio n in those days as they had see n it .

For the rest as Byza nti ne mosaic is specially Byza nti ne , ,

th at is to say particularl y symbolic absolutely Christia n , , ,

and utterly i nartistic in the moder n sense the great tides ,

of varied taste and pre fere n ce eddy rou nd it ; o n e loves

it fo r its faith a nother for that and its eccl esiasti c i sm o r , ,

ii p 540 as c ited by d Aginc ourt ninth centu y

C ed renns, t om . . .
,

, r .

9
i L rd Lind ay enumeration of the ubj ec ts of the West ern
T he follow ng is o s

s s

mosai c of To cell o H e nly p eak of the M ad nna of M urano w hic h re

r . o s s o ,

sem ble that of th e M oth r C h

s ch There are e c m partments the two pper e ur . v o u

o ne c cu p i ed by the C
s o i xi n and th e D e cent i nto H ad es ; the th ee lowe
ru c o s r r,

c onnec t d ly by th e Last Judgm nt O r Lo d ap pea s in a esica raising H is

e e . u r r v

hand pal ms f mo t o as to h ow the ma k f the nai ls as in O cag na

s, ore s , s s r s o , r

s

f e c ( e P ro f R k in q uotat i on o f D id on in V al d A rno

Oxf o d L t e

r s o se . us s r ,
r ec u r r,

H e is nd d by t he A p tl s t he B l
s urro u d V i g i n and Saints and is
e os e , es s e r ,

su pported by tw e aphi m and th th one a of E eki l (see pp 1 5 3

o s r Fro m e r -c r z e .
,

bet ween it li i ng w h eel the ed i s v f t he wrath f G od ws d own to h ell

s r r ve r o o o .

A n alta is be l w wi th the c o and th e b ok of li fe

r o , Ad am and E e k neel by r ss o . v

it aged and th e A ngel of j d gm n t b l w th e t m p ts of d oo m

, , sT h e d ead of u e o ru e .

ea th and sea a e gi en p li terally om ited f th by wild beasts and sea

r r v u , or v or ,

m n t s
o s er One f th latte b ea A m p hi tri te (a cu i s ememb ance of old
. o e r rs r ou r r

G eec e by the h al f By ant i ne eam en f To ce llo) and below agai n is S

r - z s o r , , , .

Mi h a l w ighing o l a in a G thic tym panum T he red eemed in A braham s

c e e s u s, s o .

bo o m appea as hild en a in O agna s f esc o

s r c r , s rc
'
r .
 THE L OM B A R D S . 6
3 9

a cs et ic dea nce of the bod i ly form others disli k e it for on e

o r both reaso ns But most m e n c an i nterest themselves in
.

arc ha o logy w h o believe in history w hich very ma ny o f its ,

stude nts seem rather far from doi ng M en read histo ry as .

students to get m o ney There is no harm in that at all

.
,

events there is no preventi ng it ; but mea nwhile the great

m ass o f you nger stude nts and some older o nes never have
, ,

realised th e li fe they have read up and thi n k that eve nts ,

happe ned in books and no where else A nd m e n read for

, .

party e nds and sham argu m e nt ; throw bac k reections o f

n i netee n th ce ntury squabbles o n a n ti q uity ; or scie nti ficall y

observe the struggli ng lives o f real m en o f other da y s from

t heir readi ng chairs Perhaps the forgi ve n o f the past loo k
.

dow n in a no ther ki nd o f rest and i n terest from yon blu e

heavens above us bent at the sordid luxu ry and su fferi ng
,

o f o u r age and people T he modern use of arch ae ology and

.

e s t heti cs fo r theological arg u me nt is very reckless ; and we

may in all humi lit y suggest the greatest care in chro nology ,

and observe that over i nge n uity in symbolism causes mistakes

-

w hich are o f the very worst result be c ause the y m ake a w hole ,

subj ect ri diculous .

T o a determi ned m an mere grotesq ues may have solem n

,

mea ni ngs fo r a time ; but react io n fro m this sa ngui n e spirit

o f i nterpret atio n may throw him i nto cy nical disbelie f in

C hristia n art altogether It w ill not do to look on bistori

.

c al d o cu me nts as ma ny pictures are

, w ith a quiet d e t e rm i ,

natio n that they shall m ea n w hatever pleases H eave n and

o urselves . G raec o Christian workme n did adopt Greek forms

-
,

but the C h urch did not thi nk more of them fo r that she was
indi ffere nt sometimes u neasy and did no t look back t o the
, ,

eth n ic types o f her Shepherds or Vi nes w ith the arch e ological ,

ey e of R aoul R ochette though what he say s be apparently

as correct as it is i nteresti ng as it showed ho w it pleas ed God
,

t o use t h e cu nni ng H e h ad lo ng ago give n to G reece t o ai d

the Church o f Christ in the teachi ng o f the natio ns .

G ibbo n ta k es the other side ; w ith all the overpoweri n g

merits o f h is history it is u n i ntellige nt because decie nt
, ,

in huma nity . H e idealises all the pr i mitive ce ntu ries o f

the Church i nto two herds i d olaters and i co nocl asts , , ,

B B
37 0 GREEK AN D G OT H I C .

prepared to shatter statues of G reek beau ty w hich he c on

ve nt io nally appreciated or to bow do wn b e fore i mages of
,

sai nts whose memory he si n cerely hated N e ver th eles s the .

,

H istory of the D ecline and Fall of the R oman E mp ire is th e

history o f the grow th and victory o f the C hristia n Church ;
and it was no small fruit o f her victo ry fo r m e n t o receive the

decadent and dyi ng a rts of Greece from R ome w ho never ,

k new h ow to use them to support their li fe by biddi ng them

serve the faith as of old ; and to sus tai n in G reek and
,

L ombard and G erma n the e nthusiasm which began its long

, ,

culmi natio n w ith Pisa no and G iotto .

I n fin ishi ng this boo k I feel that it c an be little m o re t han

a confused fragme nt ; and that the attempt to set fo rth a
history o f t h e parallel decay or revival of the th ree arts d u ri ng
the decli ne and fall is beyo nd my pow ers A t least it is .
,

decidedly so without a large nu mber o f well chose n illus -

t rat io ns ma ny o f w hich should be photographs or d ra w ings ,

o f great accuracy from object o r photograph T he rst .

book is not e ntirel y ne w m uch of its su bs ta nce havi ng ap,

p e ar e d in th e C ontem pora ry a nd C h u rch Q u ar terly 1? s

in the E ssay form I have however gon e over it all for the
.
, ,

third ti m e w ith great care and hope that few repe titio ns ,

( or as fe w as c an be expected ) are t o be fou n d in the s e p ag es .

For omissio ns I have re ferred to as fe w typical exampl es as

,

possible beca use it is no use describi ng w i th out pi c t u res ;

,

and as far as poss i b le from the same w orks all rou nd for
, , ,

A rchitecture Sculpture and P ai nti ng ; so th at draughts

, ,

m en who have not time fo r m uch history may be able to

e nter an art library and nd ou t a chro nolog ical s eri es of
-

mo nu me nts to loo k at T here are m a ny dark day s at So uth

.

K e nsi ngto n whe n easel and bru sh m ust be resigned and they ,

w ill be b y no mea ns w asted if the excelle nt art lib rary t he re -

be ra nsacked fo r D A ginc ou rt and C iampi ni P ale og raphic

,
'

Sac ra and Parker s P hotog raphs It is not too m uch to

.
,

expect a re al art stude nt to read R uski n or Freem an s A rchi

-
,

tectu re and Sketches ; and to pos sess Fergus s on s A rch itectu re

for readi ng and re fere nce .

37 6 IN D E X .

i
t es f c ons tru c t on w t
o l ars, 2 2 9 , i i h pi l sc hool 6
35 , 3 5 7
s, T h e ro te s ue . G q
2 30 Of . C
ons tan t ne , 2 8 4, 2 9 8 , 30 5 , i in , 3 5 7 s gq R e ec ted b s tory,
. y hi
3 06 o f t u s , 30 2 ; o Ti
f S everus, 302 .
3 3 3 4
1 , 1 P u b c c a r ac.t er o f , in li h
U se o f round and inted , in hr s C i be s t ages o f reec e and R o me as G
i
t an ph g i 3
sarc o a ,
p
c o m ared w t m od ern t m es, 6 1 :9 9 ih i .

A h
rc l gy i m p ta
ao o , or nc e of, for his .
G ree k, R o man, B z ant n e, R oman y i
t yor
:
es q ue, d s t ngu s ed , i i
1 9 5 sqq , 332 ih .

A h
rc pa g 4 7
aic intin , . 5 94 3 58 .

hi
A rc tec tu re, R o m e s s ec a gifts to,

p il E r n m c , 1 9 ; treated general , 3 ly
6, 2 0, 7 4, 7 5 , 7 6, 1 8 3 ne w s t e o f, yl 1 10
ly 36 5
.

at R o me at th e ris t an era, 3 4 ;
. Ch i G R EEK , treated general , .

i
c om b nat on o f all s t es at R o me,i yl N o t at heisti c , 8 . D e cad en c e o f,
p
79 ; rogress best see n in R o me, 5 9 , u nd er R o me , 1 9, 2 0, 2 1 , 2 84
64, 7 5 , 7 6 ; d gress on o f R o m an i i s q .
, 31 2 , 3 1 3 . Preserved by
from reek , G 74 7 5
! ! 3 9% D e '
t e C h i ti rs an Ch h u rc ,
1 9, 2 1,
p e nd e nt on externa c ond t ons , 1 8 , 1 9, l ii 45, i p iod
2 68 . I ts su ccess ve er s,

59 a s y E nd uran ce in, 2 3
. Str c t . i 34 I n ntx
. f N at w ue o u re - or
i
d e nit on of, 46 s 66 reek and . G shi p n 36 I t id eal c m pa d
o , . s o re
G hi
o t c c om a 5 9 qq ,
s 1 88 , 2 2 p
2 , . w i th th C h i tian 39 V i tali tye rs , .

2 2 3, 2 30 sqq , 308 , 309 ons t ru e . . C o f 44 , C nne ti n f G thic. o c o o o

i
t on c os e l
c onnecte d w t ly d ec ora ih w i th 45 C m pa ed w ith
, . o r
i
t on in, 65 sqq , 68 Se u c ra , 8 7 , . . plh l E gy ptian 5 2 qq I t t an f rence , s . s r s e

94, 1 0 5 qq T he ross in, 2 1 8 sqq

s C R o me, 65 :99
to A t R om e,
treated genera l , 65 9 6
. . .

y i
B z ant ne, 2 1 8 , 2 20, 2 2 6 sqq ; pre . ly .

p ares the w ay for ot c, 2 2 2 ; c om G hi R O M A N , c om ared w t reek , p ih G

p ared w it h N o rm an , 2 09 , 2 1 0, 2 1 1 .
44 reate d ge
. nera ll ,
T65 1 1 0 y .

E ar ly i
E ngl s h and orman, 2 09 N .
N o t nvent v e , 9 2 i
harac ter of i . C
215 T ii
rans t ons in, treated ge ne r ra G
cc o R om an, 68 I n uenc e -


. .

a lly
, 2 2 6 2 43 om bard , 7 , 8 4, . L of g ad ato r a s o ws l i
o n , 96, i l h
2 4 2 . 2 43 . 309 . 3 5 6. 3 5 7 . 3 5 8 ; it s C
ause o f d ec a aft e r A nto ninu s, y
h p h
t ree e oc s, 3 6 1 , 3 62 ; its c hief
.

30 2 note .

h
c arac te ris t cs , 362 i . C ru usr um , E ar , sym bol s m in , ly i
li
A rc os o u m , see atac omb s C . 8 . reated
ge ne ra T , 113 lly

A ringhi s R oma Su bterrau eu , 1 04 , 1 1 6 37 1 . M
od ern, sac red , 1 4 6, 1 7
4 .

no te, 1 37 , 1 43 , 1 5 4, 2 1 2 , 2 94, 3 7,
0
I n uence o f M o sa c on B ran i y
308 . i
t ne, 2 7 3 A ge o f o ns t an tine, C
i i
A r t d es ( the a nte r), 5 7, 2 5 6
s
pi . 2 98 :99 R e fere nc e to atu re . N
i h
A r s t o p anes , 2 1 no te . y
b the B ened c t nes, 34 1 i i .

i l
A r s tot e , 2 1 note, 49, 5 7 . i
A rtem s , 1 8 7 .

l
A rno fo , 3 63 A rts , T h e Th 9 , 2 1 , 46, ree , P reface v
m
.
.
,

A rk , or m of Apamoea, 1 38 , 36 1 . 1 1 3. 1 80 . 1 9 5 . 2 2 4. 2 2 9 . 363. 3 70
C
.

O f t he o ve nant , 1 5 3 (see als o oa ) N h . ii

A sc e t c sm, 7 8 , 1 5 9 , 2 5 5 315
p il j
.

rt ( s ee als o s ec a s u b ec ts ) st of . Li A sse manni, quoted , 1 0 7, 1 63 .

au thor t e s on, 2 1 ii o rks of, im . W i i

A ssoc at o ns o f art in R om e and
p ortant fo r sto r , 3 , 4, 1 9 , 3 5 ; inhi y Fl en 43
or c e, .

t h e D ark A ges , 4, 5 ; eas de ily Athanasi S 30 1 us , .

, .

s tro e d , y5 7
, 4 o u ris es bes t at . Fl h A th e i m in mod n a t 1 47
s er r , .

g re at cen t re s
, 5, 6 I ts d ec ad enc e in . A th ne (
e al Parth n n)s ee so e o , 1 2, 1 3,
s ec ond c en tu r , 6 H o t es es of, y . yp h 2 7, 5 2 Statue of, in the art eno n ,
. P h
1 0, 49 V ew of, ad o ted in t s
. i p hi 24 . T h e god d ess of the art enon , P h
w ork, 1 0 C on nec tion of, w t re
. ih 35 , 2 8 2 a
ligion . 1 0. 1 8 . r9 . 2 7 . 2 8 . 3 7 . 4s. A thenion, 5 7 .

62 , 63, 69 , 7 8 ; se arated in ater p l A thenod orus ( aoc oo n ) , 42 L .

i
t me , 4 5 , 1 3 7
s '
A gnos t c and irre . i h
A t ens ( see a so s ec a su b ec t s ) A l p il j
p
.

i
ligiou s v e w s of, at t he resent d ay, c entre o f art , 6 S au at, 1 0 . . P l .

3 7 47
, 1 D v s ons o f, 46 . I ts ana i ii . p ii
Su ers t t ons at , 1 3 C om ared w t . p ih
logons p
rogress and d eca in d if y '
Pi sa, 2 0 T h e art en on o f, 2 7 , 7 5
. P h .

fe rent ages, 5 7 , 5 8 , 5 9 , 64, 1 0 5 . i pli i y

Sm c t of r vate bu ld ngs at, pi i i
E ar ly p i
e r od s of, th e m os t art s t c , i i 6 1 sqq , 8 3 I ts as ec t to a stranger, p
pi
. .

2 66, 2 67 I ts o nts o f s m ar t
. i il i y 6 1 say .

and i
d verge nc e in all t he great A t talus, P
alac e o f, 2 5 2 .
 IN D E X .
377

il
At t a, 7 ! 2 34: 35 L i
B rd s, 2 Ch i
rist an s mb o , 1 60 y l .

A ugus tan A ge o f art at R ome , 9 3, 94, l

B ak e, 43, 3 20 .

28 6 o f ain ting, 9 5 p . hi
B oet us, 3 1 1 .

A ugu stine. s : 5 1 7 1 9 5 99 1 639 65 : o B o ld e tti, 1 54 :99 .

I 66. 2 5 9 . 3 33: 3 5 5 i
B on fac e, S , 2 1 0 . .

l
A u us Pl
au tius , 1 9 2 . B oo ks , anc ent lustrated , 320, 3 2 1 i il
A utharis and T heod olind a, 3 48 , 35 5 at R ome, 3 2 1 , 3 2 2 .

i C i
.

Stor of. 3 54 y B org a, ard nal, 1 61 .

i Pl
B os o ( ates o f the atacom bs ) , 1 1 6 C
:
99 , 1 5 1 , 2 94, 2 9 7 .

B . Bo t rcelli, Sand ro , 5 3 , 5 5 , 306 .

i
B o ttar , 1 1 6, 1 3 5 , 1 36, 1 3 7 , 1 4 1 , 1 45
B M L B E K , R u ns i o f, 2 1 5 . 54 2 94:
p
B a tister es and i ro und te m pl e s, 6
7 , Bo vi n, u oted , 288 q .

1 97 . B ramante, 1 96 .

B arbaro ssa, red er c k , 2 40, 3 50F i . B read , a Ch i i

r s t an s mbol, 1 60 y .

B arrows , elt c and C i

ort ern , 2 2 5 N h . i
B r c k s, 8 2 , 1 3 2 e r im o rtanc e for . Th i p
i
B art maeus , in Sc r tura C c e , 1 4 7 ip l y l . h l y
c rono og , 8 2 , 90, 2 48 , 2 4 9 , 2 69 .

ii
B as l c a (s ee als o C hr st an u rc e ) , i i Ch h s Th
eir n uence o n arc i
tec ture, 8 2 hi .

8 6, 8 7 , 1 1 5 , 1 2 4 reated ge nera T lly R om an, 88 , 2 47 252 B ab y

1 8 02 07
.
, .

A earanc e of, at R o me ,
. pp i
lon an, 2 46, 2 4 7 .

77 E ar
. e xam es o f, ly80 T he pl . iih i
B r t s m nd , tend enc es of, in re at on i l i
i
rud m en t o f all C r st an c u rc es , hi i h h to art, 1 0 .

80 , 1 9 3 , 1 9 7 I m o rtanc e of the . p i h
B r tis M useum , Scu l tures at, 24 , 2 5 p ,

term , 1 8 1 Various m ean ngs o f,

. i 2 7 . 2 8 . 40. 43. 69 . 3 1 2 M i niatu res . .

1 8 2 :99 T h e sc enes o f r s t an Ch i i 32 8

. .

p e rsecu t o n , 1 i
8 4 1 86 E ar ree k , . ly G B roglie, M d e, 1 5 8 no te, 30 1 .

1 86 : 99 a ed -in R o man,
. W ll
1 89 . B riins ted , on Partheno n Scu l tures , p
li
E ar es t and ates t forms o f, 1 8 7 l . 25 .

Ch h urc , 1 90, 1 9 5 erm a e d to . T pp li B ru nellesc hi, 6, 74, 1 96 .

pi h
r vate ouse s , 1 90 r s t an, d e . Ch i i B ry ce s H oly R oma n E mpire, 1 20, 2 39

i
s c r bed , 1 9 9 :9 9 D ec orat on of, . i note, 340, 348 , 3 5 1 .

2 02 H ebre w e ements in serv c e

. l i B uri al , heathen, 1 08 H eathe n and .

o f, 203 :9 Saxon, 20 1 , 2 40 . C
hris tian, 1 2 2 , 1 2 3 I n th e ata . C
T rans t on 0 ii
to c ru c form c urc es , i h h c ombs 1 2 7 , 1 32 , .

C
( see ross an d D om e ) , 2 08 2 26 B y z anti ne, or asc eti c hri s tian art , 1 5 9 , C
2 30 :99 . M o st anc ent i ex 2 55 30 6. 30 7 . 368 A rt . .

am pl es of, 2 1 2 note. v arious meani ngs of, 1 96 Arc h, .

Bas -re l efs, C i h ristian , acc ou nt o f, 2 93 2 29 M onarc hy,

. o wer of, 362 , p
3 7
0 . Greek and R oman c o m 363 See also s ec i al sub ec ts
. p j
red , 3 4,
0 305 L ombard , in A rt, &c
pp m
. .

uo o of M onza, 360 . B yz anti u m, see u nd er s ec i al su b p

B as sano, 1 46 .
jects .

B ass us, Juni us , sarc o phag us o f, 2 89 ,

3 ,
00 307, 308 ; d es cribed , 29 3 :99 . C .

B asta d .C t I 44 3 9 33 o un 2 2.
g
. . .

33 C E SA J u n u s 5 3
R, , 2 .

B y x Tap t y
a eu 66 67 es r , 2 , 2 . C ff
a are ll ( Ch h f 8 U ba ) 7
a urc o . r n , 21 .

B eauty
phy i l y m b li
, f m al s ca , s o c o or C l f C h i tian ymb l 6
a , a rs s o , 1 0.
p f t i th b t G k a t 3
er ec io n n e es ree r , 1 . C lig phy M iat
a ra , see in u re .

St d y u f by G k a d C h i t ia
o , ree n rs n C li g l
a 3 u a, 00 .

ti t
ar s s,45 A b j t f G k lif . n o ec o ree e, C ll i t T mb f 3 1 33 35
a x us, o o , 1 0, , 1 ,

63 A s a m ot ve in art, 65 , 3 1 5 i . 55
C m l C h t a ymb l 1 60
.

B ec cafumi, 2 5 4 . a e , a ri s i n s o , .

B e d e , 1 60, 1 65 . C m
a aoend Syl 7 an va n, 1 .

B e k ker s C haric les ( ree k H ouse ), 6 1 , G C mp S t t Pi a 49 60
a o an o , a s , , .

s3 . Ca a m i a l f pa t f S ipt al
n , r c e o , r o cr ur
li i
B e sar us 3S0, 3 S2 , . C y l 45 46c e, 1 , 1 .

li i
Be l n , 5 8 . Ca r Cha i t a C h i tia ymb l
or ro ,
rs n s o ,

Be no z z o G oz z o li, 49 , 6o . 16 0 .

i
Be rnard no, S , of S e na, 2 1 9 . i . Ca a all 2 86 3 3 5
r c a, , 1 0, 0.
37 8 IN D E X .

C ara Ca a ta 1 9 1 99
d oc , or r c c us , : . A id
i the Em pi re , 2 99 :99 . Sc oto .

C a l i gia E mpi
r ov n b ak p f 7n re , re u o , , I rish : 333 29

C hurche Ch tian in R ome l s, ris , , lSl O ll

Ca lyl Th ma 2 1
r e, o s, 1 of into a c hit ctural and bt a
, r e su err

Ca y rre D awing

s f th Pa th
r s o e r enon nean 8 7 f 208 ,Lord Li nd ay , c . . s
'
s

S lpt cu 26 7 8 7
ures , ,
2 , 2 , 0. thre efold d i is i n f 200 C n e ted v o o , . o v r

C ta mb th i m m t f d y
a co s, e r onu en s o eca f om h eath en t m pl s 2 1 1 99
r e e , : .

i g n l pt a d p i ti g 5 1 48
sc u ure n an n C hu rch Q u arterl
y R evie w, q u o ted

, , , ,

3 7 T
0 at. d g a lly 1
re 1 3 79 e en e r , 1 .

C mpa d with G
o k t mb
re 6 ree o s, 10 C h y t m S 8 3 34 t
r sos o , .
, 21 , no e .

99
: C n
. t t i f 1 3
o s ruc 1 6 on o , 1 2 , Ci mp i i 45 t
a 65 n , 1 no e, 1 2 51,

3
1 S 2 J. m d i
. p t f ero e s

esc r ion o , 63 36 1 37
2 , , 1 .

1 23. B u r al in, 1 2 2 i
artyrd om s . M Ci 17
cero, t 68 9 3 06 3 no e, , , 1 ,
21 .

in, 1 2 7 P und ered , 1 2 7 R ed s

. l . i C imab 5 3 38 3 8 366 ue, , 2 , 2 , .

c overed , 127 ater and earl e r . L i Cim f C l on o th t g t G eona

e, e rs rea reek

w ork in, Paintings in, re pai t 47 n er, .

s em ble th ose of Pom e , 1 0 1 p ii Cla dia P d

u , see u ens .

p
tak e lace of wr tte n language, 1 1 8 , i Cla d ia q t d 3
u t n, uo e , 1 2 no e .

1 43 2 60 ; their relig ous s gu i i i C la d i 9 1 9

u us , 1 1, 2 .

c ance , 1 39 1 48 ; scr tura ip l Cl me FI i ( D m i till )

ens , av us see o a ,

yl
C c e of, 1 1 7 , 1 2 8 , 1 49 ew s , . J ih 312 .

1 1 5 , 1 1 8 , 1 69 ew s and H eath en , . J ih Cl m t f Al a d ia 70 7
e en o ex n r , ,
. 1, 1 64,
1 22 . 65 1 67
1 , .

li i
C el n , B enve nu to , 5 5 . C l m t S C h h f 3 34
e en e, urc o , note .

C eryces , 1 3, 284 . E xampl f p im i ti Ba ili a e o r ve s c , 2 02 .

C h aricles, Be kk er s ( ree k H ouse) , 6 1 ,

G C leomen es th e E d er ( Venus d e M e l
s3 . ii
d c ) , 42 .

Ch iar s, of A then an art, 1 9 , 2 9 , 44, i C leom enes th e Y ou nger (German cu s ) , i

5 8 , 2 96 .
42 .

Ch lar es th e G reat (see also A ach en, Cl eon,12 .

R avenna) , 2 0 1 , 2 08 , 2 2 7 note, 2 3 7 , C l a M a i m 8 1 2 48
oac x a, , .

2 39 2 4 3 3 5 99 " 3 !
2 3 2 8 C l t A a ha i
oo z , 98 n c rs s , 2 .

3 3 , 34
0 0 S a xo n B a s 1 11 ca, 2.
4 0
. .

. C k C h i tia ymb l 1 6 1 1 6
oc , 2 rs n s o , , 2 .

H is age one of transit on in E uro e , i p C k ll Pa th n S lpt

oc ere 9

s r e on cu u re , 2 .

C d Li

tru r 1 49 e on, .

Ch q ign f th a mini n
e u ers , s o e, re sce ce C mm s 3 33 333 335 339
o : o
: 2! : : .

f m P m p ii 99
ro o e , .
3 46
Ch b i H b w w hip 1 5 3
eru s , n e re o rs , , C l mn in G k and lat
o u hit
s, ree er arc ec

42 359 2, t 2 14 2 5
u re, Cl t d 2 3 O f , 1 . us ere , 1 .

C hia d l pm t f G k
ros cu ro, eve o en o , to ree A t i 8 5 ; f T j an 3 5
n on nus, 2 o ra ,
0 .

p i ti g 5 3 9 9
a n n .
: C m p it d
o f a hi t t
os 78 e or e r o rc ec ure, ,

Chi h t D an f 3
c es er, e o ,
1 1 .
79 . A rcad e, li nk between A then ian
C h i tia an S 8 9 9 2 x
rs S9
n : r : : : : : e nta bl ature and L mba d arch 7 9 o r ,

98 , 99 . 1 00, 1 2 5, 1 2 6, 2 9 4. Mate :9
9 7 . 22
i l
r a s u sed in ear ly , 1 03 , 1 04 . Se C P m t Ch h
ongregati ons in th e ri i ive urc ,

ulc h ral natu re of, 1 05 , 1 20, 2 79 I 9 3. 1 94s 20 7

p .

B egins w t i h pai nti ng , 1 13 28 7 . C ta tia

ons Ch h f t R m
n ,
urc o , a o e,
y
B z ant ne or i asc ti e c, 1 5 9, 2 55 21 2.

30 6, 3 7 3
0 , 68 . E ec ts
'

a rena s sanc e , i C ta ti 3 1 8 83 1 8 5 1 9 5 2
ons n ne, , 1, 1 , , , 21 ,

37 0 . 8
21 9 6 88
,
R lati 21 f t ,
22 , 2 . e on o , o

C h n stian s , N orth ern and Sout hern , C ha l mag 4 re ne , 2 0 .

2 1 0, 2 1 1 , 2 1 6, 2 32 . C tanti pl p
ons m t no e, res erves so e se c re s
Ch i ti i ty
rs an ,
I nuenc e o f, on anc ent i f a t 7 4 Cap t
o f by th T k
r , . ure o , e u r s,

c v i ili ati on z , 1 41 on Teutoni c c i ili v 7 1 E q i al t t R m

2 . 8 3 1 96 u v en o o e, 1 , .

z atio n, 1 49 , 2 2 3, 35 3 ; o n architec C ll d St mb l 4 A t f
a e a ou , 2 1 . c e n re o
tu re, 1 83 ; on art, 2 8 4, 2 8 6, 2 94, G k and G thic id ea
ree o s, 2 96.

33 3, 334 . P reserves ot hr ce reed s, Glad iato s n e exhibited at r ev r , 3 6.

1

3 09 e ltic
. as w e C ll as Latin .
33 3 , C ontemporary R ev iew , quoted , 2 1 n ote ,
zs 2 8 1 note, 3 2 1 , 3 70
ht
.

C h r h, a r s t an Ch i i s ymbol , 1 61 . C i hi
or nt an rd er d evelo ed at R ome , O p
i i
D s t ngu s ed from ih Tem pl u m, 1 87 .
77
3 3 0 IN D E X .

E lgin S c lpt u u res , 2 0, 2 5, 26 , 2 8, 3 ,

1 Fou r Seasons, T he, a h ristian sym bol, C
s I 9
43 99 . i s; .

E lijah, rans latio nT of, art of th e p Fowler, H enry the, 34 1 .

S p
c ri tu ral yc le, 1 39 C . France, othic G
arc hitect ure in earl y
p
E m ire, T he, and the hurch , 2 99 :99 C . c h urc h es of, 2
33 34
, 2 .

C
L ead s the h urc h into bad art, 302 . Franc i a, I 68 .

State of, in ni nth centu ry, 340 , Freem an, M r , 68 , 7 6, 1 9 5 , :9 7 , .

vdd
I n a e by the oths , 3 5 4 G . 2 1 4. 2 1 7 . 2 2 1 . 2 37 . 2 39 34 8 . 6
3 . 1 .

E nd urance in arc hitec ture, 2 3, 2 46 Of .

362 , 3 7 1 .

p
E gy tian scu l ture, 5 3 p . Fres c oes , meaning of the t erm , 1 02 ,
E nl umineurs, th ei r taste fo r ature, N 1 03 .

Fulvius N obilio r, 9 3 .

b
E nta latu re , see rc h A . Fuseli, 5 6 .

p
E i c of H ad es , quo ted , 96 .

p p
E igra hs , exam pl es o f, 34 5 , 346 . G .

E ri gena, 334 note .

E th nic A rt , 1 0, treated enerall , 3 GAR BAT H A, connec te d wi th M o saic

I to Preserve
. "e hri stian d by g C y 2 53 .

Ch u rc h ,
t9 . Gell s P ompeiz . 9 7 . 32 3

.

E trus can, sc h ool of art at R ome, 67 :9 9 . G d

e rhar , 2 5 note, 2 9 .

E l ement in R om an art , 9 2 , H 4 . Gem me, :93 .

E u molpid a , at th e ns, 1 3, 2 8 4 A . G hi b ti 2 5 er , 0 .

E uph ranes , 5 7 . Gibb 4 t

o n,9 n t , 2 1 no e, 2 : o e, 34 7 , 349 ,
E u phranor, 4o .
35 H i vi w f hi t y
2 . s e o s or , 6
3 9 37
, 0 .

E u pom pus o f Si c on, 5 6, 5 7 y . G i gi 58

or one, .

pd
E uri i es ( M edan) : 304 . G i tt 39 49 5 58 60
o o, . .
0. . . I 62 . 202 .
b
E us e i us , 1 2 9 , 20 1 , 2 8 7 . 3 32 . 2 98 . 303. 3 .
2 5 3 3.
2 344'
E vangelaries, I 4 7 , I 63, 1 64, 2 60, 3 1 9, 366, 3 70 am anile of, 2 49 . C p .

3 2 4 3 3 5 . 32 7 323 . 344 345 1 45 ~ G iunto, 366 .

o f, G l cliatorial shows , inuence of, on art ,

v
E angeli c s m ols, I 63
S p
E xtra c ri tural ycle, :50
-
y b
C
.

.
g
G l dy
a s, see Pudens .

Gla ss - P ai nt ing M osai c in arc h i t

, and
ture, 80, 1 1 5 , 209 M osai c effec t s in .
,

F . 2 7 3 note .

G lyc on ( Fam ere H ercu les ) , 42 .

F A I U M axm u s 9 3
B S , . G oeth e , 40, 300 .

F i l ti q t d
acc o a t uo e , 2 2 no e . G dS p
oo he herd , T he, the earlies t hris C
F l t 56
a c one , . tian scu l ture, 1 05 , r3 4 p 2 89 .

F ll T h pa t f th S ipt l C y
a , e, r o e cr ura c le, T he earliest sym bolic ainting , 264 p .

391 . C
A s a h ristian symbol, r3 r,
Family w hip 9 ( S l L ti o rs [ e e a so a ns ) 2 60, 3 69 onnecte with Or h ens , C d
ph
, . . .

F ll w Si C
e o G k T mb
s, r . , on ree o s, 1 06 . I 3 5 , 2 3 7 ; with H ermes C rio o rus ,
F g t 3 66 68 7 6
er u ss o n, 2 1 no e, 2 , , , I 3 5 , 2 90 e e r a o red . as i c on, Nv d
8 2 , 94, 1 0 5 sqq , 1 8 1 , 2 1 2 , 2 r5 . 53 .

2 2 7 , 2 2 9 , 2 37 , 3 7 1 , and e n ix App d . dp
G ori, on i tyc hs, I 70, 3 1 1 , 3 1 6 .

Feti chism , 1 2 :
99, 2 65 . G oth i c (see als o ree k and s e c ial G p
Ffoulkes , 309 . su b ec ts ) j I ts stu y of . atu re, 7, d N
F A
ine rts ( see als o Art, rts ) , i m ort A p 45 5 7
, , 6o , 6 6 , 3 2 8 I ts s i ri t c om . p
anc e o f, to H is tor , 3, 4
y I n th e . pared w i th th e reek, 1 8 , 2 8 , 2 70 G .

D ark ges, 4, 5 A . D eri vati o n of the term, 2 ! note N o t .

Fir or Pi ne, a Ch ri stian symbol, I 64 . synonymo us w i th hristi an in art , C

Firm am ent, a h ri stian symbol, 1 64 C . :2 5 :99 rc h , 2 2 9 :99
. A
culp tu re , . S
F C
is h , T he, a hristian s ym bol, I 64, 2 8 9 . 2 33 . 2
Fleury, R ohault d e, 2 3 7 note . G ot hs , their n e ted ness to i db G reec e
Fons P ietatis , see o u r R i ers F v . and R ome, 4, 5 , 2 69, 3 28 .

Foru m of R ome, [ 8 9 . G a h Tib i

r cc us , er us, de d icati on of a
Fou r C reatures , T h e (see als o E van pi t by 93 94
c ure , , .

g e li e S
ym bols) , I 63, 2 43 . G ita R ma 7
rav s, o n, I no te .

Fou r R i ers, T he, av hristian s ymbo l, C Gree ce, learne d from E gy t, p 2 3,

1 65 .
4s
 IN D E X
'

.
3 8 1

G ree ks iri t, 7 , 1 0, 1 1 , 20 ; c ontras te d d

H o gk i n s I taly and lzer I nvaders, 2 8 7 .

w i th e G ot hic , 1 8 , 2 8, 2 70 ; ( in b
H ol e i n, 1 62 .

arc hitec ture ) , 59 sqq. , 84 sqq .

, 121, H olland , Phi lemo n, quote , 5 4 , 5 5 , 5 8 , d
1 88 , 2 2 2 , 2 2 3, a3o sqq .
, 2 34, 308 , 91 .

309 . R e l igion, k ey-note of, 10 . W or H ol y A os tles, Ch urc h of, th e rs t

s hi p , m ost fa oura le v b v ew i o f, 12 . examp e o f c ru c if o rm, 2 2 6 note , 2 4o .

T aged ian
r s
, 21 no te . T m plese , 22 H om er, 1 2 , 2 1 note, 2 7, 5 2 , 70, 2 8 3 .

no te , 2 3 ; and s
G o thic ru ns , fee l n f
g ,
o i i 0d yssey, 1 5 om are wi th H es i od , . C p d
32 . Sh c ools of a nt ng c om are pi i p d 18
w i th I talian, 57 in R o m e, . Sc hoo l H onorius, 300, 307 , 3 1 6 and alen V
9 3, 1 1 9 , 2 39 ; en s, 2 68 ; a t M i lan , d tinian , om s of, 2 36 T b .

6 T h e language of th e earl y hris

. C d
H orac e , quote , 6 1 , 65 , 1 67 , 1 89 , 2 5 5 ,
t ian C
hurch, 1 1 7, 2 60, 3 1 0 M yths , .

and the G p
os el, 1 3 5 , 1 4 1 :99 Art, . H orse , T he, in art, 2 5 hristian . A C
v ari ous m eanings o f, 1 95 immor y b
s m o l, 1 66 .

tali ty o f, 309 . H ouse , T he reek , 8 3 a te to a G . Ad p d

G ree ks , T h e, not an i rrel igious e o le , p p c h urc h , 8 7 :99 As a hris tian . C
15 . M r R usk i n on, 1 5 , 1 6, 34 A s
. . y b
s m ol, 1 66 .

T heists, 1 6 M as ter of alli ol on, . B H u nt, H olman, 43, 1 46 .

1 7, 1 8 M r M ahaffy on, 1 7 no te,

. .
'
H ypotheses of A rt , religious and
1 8 no te Our masters in li terature,
. atheis t i c , 1 0 49 .

art, p hi loso b y 3
, 0, 6 5 qq s , 69, .

1 2 0, 328 ru e les son to be learnt

.

from, 64 . l .

G reen s H istory of the E ng lr

lrk P eople,
3 33
2 1 0, . I c o s nu u su (s ee also I olatry ). 1 54 , d
G re or L . 3 54. 3 5
g y 5 1 67 , 1 68 , 2 5 7 . 2 6 1 .

G regory I , 29 1 L . I c t i nus , 7 8 .

G rim , T he, in I talian -L ombar

'

d a chi r d
I olatry (cf generally oo k . ch a ters B p
t c tuf e . 3 5 9 2 43, i and
. H omeric, 1 4 ree k . G
G ueranger, D om , 2 74, 3 1 1 , 3 1 9 . 32 0 : rath er than R oman, 5 1 , 69 , 7 o :99 .

3 7
2 34 5

C
T h e hurc h s hatre of, 86, t oo, 1 2 1 , d
G und o bald , 2 2 3 1 8 4, 2 8 8 R ise of, with saint -w ors hi ,
. .

p
1 00, 1 2 5 , 1 5 2 , 1 5 3, 1 5 4, 2 65 D is .

H . tingu ished from ymbolism , 1 5 3, 1 54, S

2 61 . A
mong th e I sraeli tes , 1 7o .

A N
H D R IA , 2 49 , 2 5 2 , 2 8 9
H allam , o n ree k and
p b
u li cs , 2 0, 3 5 3
. A d
ssiste by the Mo saic Pic tures , 2 6 1
talian R e G I p
by E m eror-worshi , 2 9 1 , 2 92 ; by p
. barbarian con erts , 2 92 , 2 9 3 v .

d
H an , T he, a hris tian s m ol, 1 65 , C y b of, 28 0 .

1 66 I tins , St , 1 5
5
. . .

H are , T h e, a C hris tian s m ol, 1 66 y b . I um inatio n, 3 1 D istingu is he from d

H atch , R e v E (Hampton L ectu rer) ,
. . miniature, 3 1 8 .

1 55 . I mages , 280 Pri ate, 2 89 .nos ti c , v . G

H ebe rt , 2 98 .

H emans , T he late M r .
J .
, 74 8 8 , note , I nc rustation, in arc hitecture, 2 49 :9 9 .

1 09 , 2 8 4 , 2 8 5 , 306 . D i stinguis he from M os ai c , d 2 50 .

H erac leitu s , 6 . I renaeus 2 90 , .

H ercu laneum and Pom eii , 9 7 1 05 , p Isaac sac rice of part of Scri ptural
, ,

1 5 6, 1 5 7 u th ori ti es , 1 04
. A . C yc le 1 39 , .

H erod otus, 2 1 note , 5 2 1 64, 24 6 . I socrate quoted 61 s, , .

H erz o 1 60 . I v ory carvmg 28 9 3 51 E p

gy ant i , , .

H es i 1 2 , 1 5, 283 om are w i th . C p d and s ubse u ent

q 3 1 0 I n B ri t is h , .

H om er, 1 8 . M useum , 3 1 2 . In Vatican , 3 1 2 .

pp y
H i ol tus , S , statu e of, 305 . .

I l is tory, its co nnec ti on w i th art, 4,

95 I n painti ng, 5 2 , 5 3
. R e ec t s .
J .

p
c ontem orar li fe , 3 1 3, 3 1 4 y
D ier .
'
o

p
e nt s i ri ts in whi c h men read it , 369 , J A M E ON M as S , , 1 42 , 1 63 .

370 . J m S 0
ero e, .
, 10 , 1 23 no te, 1 42 , 1 63,
I I obhouse , 8 1 1 '

J .
, qu oted , 68 note . 2 1 9 , 2 99 .
 3 8 2 IN D E X .

J ess e, Bi h p
s o of Ami ens, 1 65 . L eo, T he I saurian, 2 5 7, 2 9 1 .

J ews , p v
T he, ri ate magn i c ence of, 63 . L es sing, 42 .

oh n of P isa, 366 L e tters , use hris tian s m bols , d C y

i
. as
onah, art o f th epcri tu ral cle, 1 3 9 S p Cy . 1 67 .

Pic tures and assoc iate m ths, 1 4 1 :99 d y .

L id d ell s R ome, quo te , 6 7 , 2 5 2 d .

J B
ones , urne , 1 47 , 2 7 3 . L G
i fe, ree k i d eal of, c on tras te w i th d
J ppa l g
o , e end s of, pertaining to J ona h ,
the C
h ristian, 1 7 harac t er o f, in . C
1 42 .
th e E l gin culptures , 2 9 D i c nlty S .

ord an, a Ch ris tian s ym bol , 1 66 . in d e ning, 44 Of t he R om an eca . d

d
c ru s a es , 2 1 note, 349 note . d ence, com are with mo ern E ng p d d
phus lis h, 1 40
J
ose ,
1 42 . .

ovian, 30 1 .
y L d
L inds a , or , 35 note, 76, 8 4, 1 06,
J o wett, Professor , on R omans ii , . 1 7, 1 38 , 1 8 7 , 1 89 , 1 9 9 , 200, 20 8 , 2 1 2 ,

98 2 1 8 , 2 2 4, 2 2 6,
.
3 , 363, 368 no te
6 1 .

u li an ,
T he E m e ror, 1 58 . Prefac e v , i . v .

um Templ 0 at Sam 2 3
, e os , . L C
i on, a hristian s m ol, 1 67 , 36 1 y b .

u p it er T m pl e
, of a t A g g entum 2 3
ri
e , , .
L ionar o, 4o d .

u stinian 2 37 and
, Th eodo a 1 96 r , .
L lo yd g
'
s A e of P eric les , 2 1 note, 2 6, 2 ,
7
C h h f at Bethlehe m 2 2 7
urc o , , .
2 9 , 3 1 , 2 8 1 note .

J M artyr, 8 8 L oc u us, its eve lo ment i nto the to m , d p b

g
us t n i .

J u venal. 5 . 9 8 . 1 2 .
3 2 1 7 . 2 98 . 3 3
1 .
o
Lo m ba d r s, T he , h
c ange wro ught in , by
K Ch ristiani ty 2 2 3 Treated gene , .

ral ly 34 7 37 1 Charac ter of 34 7

.

, .
, ,
KA R NA K y le H ,a ll Hy
o f, 2 3 p o st .
34 8 Settlement and c onvers i o n o f
.

O
,
b
K e le Chapel , xfo r , 1 2 6, 2 0
5 d .
3 48 . 349. 3 5 2 . 3 54 Scu lptm o f.
K ell s , B
oo k of, 3 2 6,
33 5 .
35 7 qq
s rc hi tec ture o f 3 6 1 s qq
. A .

K A
ing rch on, at th ens , 1 8 2 A . L ond on, stu y of art in, 43 d .

Kingsley, anon, 8 5 , 1 42 C Hypat ia, L d or , T h e, life of, in c riptural c le , S Cy

.

25 1 1 45
44,
K ni ght Gally
.

, , 2 02 , 35 3
9 , 6 1 . L 4o, 5 5
u c 1 an, .

D e 3 72 . L ucu llus , 9
3 .

H is tory of P ai n ting , 26 3 . L u itprand us, 34 7 , 3 50 .

Ly re , T he, a C hri stian ymbol

s , 1 67 .

L .
L ysicrates , m onum ent o f, at A th ens,
2 2 no te .

L as aa ra, quote , 1 1 5 , 2 09
'
d . L ys ip pus 39 :99 Like R ubens and
L , .

abarum, 2 1 9 .
Vand yc k in sacre d s bjec ts u , 4 1 .

L ake, D r , 1 5 8 note L yt on L rd L as t D ays f P onrpa f,

'

g
. .
,
o , o
L amb, T he, a C hristian s m y bol , 1 40, g
1 44 , 1 66, 1 67 .

L am prid ius, 28 9 .

Lang M anus cripts, 332

e, o n .

Laoc oo n, T he , 42 and note

, 181 . M A B iL L ON , 1 68 330, 346 , .

L aps i , 8 6, 1 8 5 .
M ac aulay, Lord , qu oted , 5 1
Larari um, 2 89
.

M ahay, P rofessor, 1 7 note,

'

.
18 not e ,
Lares , 7o, 7 1 , 9o .
44 , 2 8 1 , 3 2 2
Lateran Basilica, 2 2 7
.

. M anli us , C , 9 3 . .

Lati n T h e, anc es tral w ors hi of, 70,

s, p M ansel , D r. , the late, D ean of St .

r
q
. a t R.om e , go s
qq i ns p ire s e arli es t .
Pau l s
, 1 79 .

h ris tian painting, 1 1 5 . Vlanusc ri ts , treate d g erall

e n y , 3 8
1
L aurenti an E vangeliary, see R a ula b .
346 . r . Sh lc o z s
'
d i is i
v on of, 3 20
F
.

L aw of R om e, far-reac hin i nuenc e of, ragil i ty E xam l es o f, in

o f, p
g 32 1 .

c lass i cal ti m es, 32 3 D iffe re nt k ind s

pa t S c i pt
.

L az aru s , i i
ra s ng o f, of ural of, C l i
r r
33 0 e t c 3 4, 3 2 6 ; t h eir
2
yc l e
.
,
c 1 3 9 , 1 40 . c h arac ter, 33 2 , 3 4,
,
3 33 5 U se o f
Leak
.

e, C o l onel ,
on th e Parthenon d ec o rat i o n by c olum ns in, 344
p
.

Scu l tu res , 2 5 , 2 6
L egros, Pro fes so r, 39
.
M arath o n, att l e of, B
in P mc ile , 5 0 .

.
M y thic al elem e nts in, i6 :99
L
. .

e igh t o n, Sir F , and . the E nglish M arc elli nus and P eter, C ataco m b
Cl as i c s sc hoo l , 1 47 .
o f, 1 5 6 .
 8
3 4 IN D E X .

B diene c tines , 3 ,
4 1 342 . G ree k , Ro R oman in the T arquinian to m bs,
:

man andM odern, 7 3 .

94, 9 5 At Po m peii , 9 5
. Au .

N 2 8 6, 300, 3 1 0 t f G R
95

ero, .
gu an a g~
e o ,
rte c o o .
-

wm a C di
c n, ar nal, 1 98 . man treate generally, 9 7 1 1 0 d
N wman P f
e , ro essor F . W 74 . rapi d
d ecad e nce of, 98 :99 .

Ni S d C
c e, e c on ou nc i l of , 1 5 4, 288 not e . materi als us ed in, 1 0 2 :99 .

ic ias , the t ype o f a re ligi ous G re e k, C atac o m b , 5 reated ge ne rally, . T

13 . H is s u erst t on, 1 3 note p ii . 1 13 1 79 .

ic ias ( th e ainter), 5 7 p . P alm- ranc b h , a Chri tian sy mb s o l, 1 68 ,

N icomac hus, 5 7 . 1 69 .

Ni b h 3
e u r, 02 . P amphilus of m hi olis , 5 7 A p p .

N imb C h i tian ymb

us , a rs s o l ,
1 67 , 1 68 . P ance nus , 5 3 sqq C om are . p d to H o l
Ni h 42 246
neve , 2 , . b
e i n. 49 .

i obe group frag ments of, in l o re nc e,

F Panels , used for ai nti ng , 1 03 p .

and M u nic h muse u ms , 39 . P anselinus , M anuel , 363 .

ike A pte ros, tem ple o f, 43 . Panthei s m, an A r any gro wt h , 14 .

oah and D o e , Cl ass i cal and L om v Am o ng the G ree ks, 1 2, 1 5, 37 , 5 1 ,

bard , 1 38 Ark of, as a h ristian . C 7 1 :
99 . C onnec te d w it h mod ern
s ym bo l , 1 6 1 . Chri sti an Polytheis m 1 5 , , 29 3 .

oin tel, M arqu is d e, 2 6, 2 8 , 7 0 . Panth eo n 2 2 note 2 3 , , , 1 96, 21 5 .

orth c ote s I t oma Su bterraneo , 1 1 7 ,

G re ates t exa p
m le o f a rou n d t em le ,
1 3 1 , 1 68 , 1 69 , 2 7 2 .
7 6, 222 . C om are p d wi th th e ar
N orth ern art , see und er s pe c ial s ub ec ts ,
'

j th e non, 81 .

A rt , &c . Papyri , Eg yp tian , 3 20 ; (and c f . B oo k s ) .

N orth m en, the, 240 :

99 . Park er ,
M r H ,
no te , 7 4, 2 3 3
. . d ,

2 65 , 2 8 6, 2 29 1 .

O Preface vi , 9 , 2 2 9 , 37 1 , and . pen Ap

.

H ouse o f P u ens , 8 2 , 88 , 89 , d
n
o (m i nuscular) , a C h i tian ym bo l
rs s , 9 ;0 P o m e ian, &c , 9 7 , p101 , 1 35, .

1 S4 .
32 2 ; C ataco mbs, 1 1 6 sqq , 1 3 6, 1 5 7 , .

Obe r Amm ergau

- Pas ion spiel s -
, Ta 1 68 , 1 69 , 1 7 3 ; m ate rials and m osai cs,
blean x of, and , re mark s 1 74 :99 . 2 5 1 , 2 62 , 2 63 , 2 7 2 ; ari ou s, 1 7 3, v
Od ovak er, 3 5 1 . 2 1 2 , 2 1 4, 2 8 5 , 2 94, 305 , 30 7 .

O p
il - ainting, unk no wn to the
a i t nc e ns , P arrhasiu s, 5 5 2 56 a opra y tipo s,
p .

3
10 .
57 o

Ol f a ,
2 10 . Parthenon, the, 1 7 , 2 1 , 35 . 42 . 62 . 3 9 5 .
O liv b h a C h i tia ym b l 68
e- ran c , rs n s o , 1 . 2 1 5. 2 4 6. 2 8 2 . 305 . 308. 365
O ti Ch i ti ym b l 68
ran , a rs an s o ,
1 . T reated ge nerally, 2 2 3 3 T he c e n .

O rca n
g a 4 9 6 6 3 7
, 3 68 2 0, , 0, 1 2, 2 , . tral bu ild in o f c lass i cal antiqu i ty ,
O d G k d R ma 7 7 ( d
r ers, re e an o n, an s ee 2 3 , 3 2 ; o f t e wo rl , 69 , 1 88 d .

A hit t
rc ec u re , bility D escri e , 2 3, 2 4
o f, 23 bd
O ph
. .

r 35 eus, 1 . A ement o f its sc ul tures , 2 4 p

O t g th th i lati t a t 35
s ro o s, e r re on o r , 0 . 2 7 ; t eir te ch ni cal m eri t, 2 9 , 3 ;
0
H i t y f 35
s or 99 o , 1 : . t h e i r re l igious i m ort, 30, 3 1 , 78 p .

Oth I II 24
o .
, 0 . Pasc h al 1 2 7 , 2 79 .

Patric k . 3 33 . 333
. 2 .

P . Pau l I , 1 2 7 . .

PE ST U M , 2 46 . Paul the D eac on, see Warnefrid .

Pai nt i ng (see also s pec ial subj ec ts , Pau l , S , 98 , 1 68 , 1 90 sqq , 2 04 A t

. . .

Chris ti an Art &c ) Tre ated gener Ath en s, 1 0 H is c ritic ism on ree k G
all y 46
, . .

64,
D e nit i on o f 46 :99 .
, . reli gi on, 1 1 on heathe n m orals,
I nue nced by m i ni atu re 3 2 6 , . 1 6, 20 ; a e als to pp
ree k M o no G
E gypt ian c h arac ter o f 5 2 :9 9 , , . th e i s m , 1 1 , i 4, 2 0, 2 1 , 28 1 fri e nd . A
G reek origi n and p roc esses o f , , of P ud ens , 88 om o f, 1 16 . T b
47 C o m b i ned w
. i th s c ulp tu re , note .

48 D e v e l o p m e n.t o f c hi ar o s c uro Pau l s

, L on don ,
D ean of, 1 1 9 , 1 79 ,
in 54 :99 Progress o f und er
, .
, 2 76 . D ec orat on i o f, 1 78 , 2 4 9 .

Zeu xis 5 5 sqq Alexand rine , . Pauli nus , Bi h p s o of Tyre , 20 1 .

pe riod of 5 7 sqq D ecay of , .

, Pauli nu s o f N l o a, 1 01 , 1 5 9, 1 7 4, 2 02 ,
p arallel with d ec li ne of the 333 . 3 39
G ree k c h arac te r 5 7 , . Pau s an ias , 2 2 no te, 72 .
 INDEX . 8
3 5

Pausanias ( the pai nte r ) 57, . Pom pe ii 9 5 2 09 3 2 3 Ch arac ter o f

, , , .

P aus ias o f Sic yo n, 5 7 . wall p ai ntings at 9 7 5 9 11

-
c om pared , .

Fax R o mana, 9 2 , 1 2 0, 34 1 . wi th th ose of t he C atac o m bs 9 7 1 0 1 ; , ,

Peac oc k , the, a hri stian s m C y b o l, 1 69 . c o l ou ri ng o f 1 04 1 05 land scape , , ,

P e l agi us 3 33 1 0 1 1 05 A nd H ercu l ane um 8 3 1 6

5
Treated general ly 9 71 0 5
, .
, .
, , ,

Penro se ( M o saics ) 2 76 , . 1 57 .
,

P ergamus pic ture byA pollodorus at 5 5

.

, , . A uthori ti es for 1 04 , .

Peri c l es 1 4 5 2 1 06 2 8 4
, , , , . P om poni a Gm cina 1 9 2 1 93 , , .

P erret on the Catacom bs 1 1 6 note , . Portrai t R oman 9 9 96 305 U se of

, , , , .
,

Persec ut ions of th e C h ri s tians 1 2 6 1 2 7 in c hu rch es, 151, 1 52

1 3 1 1 8 46 1 9 3 1 98
, , , .

, W ere ori gi , , . P o well M r his opa u e glass 2 5 4

, .
, , .

nated by the R o man E m p i re Poynter Professor 1 46 1 8 6

3 00 :
qq , .
, , , .

P e mgino, 1 68 . P raxi teles 4o 42 5 5 2 5 6 S c ulptor , , , , .

P eter ad V i ncu la , C hu rc h o f, 2 14 o f th e H eta era 2 9 ; o f A ph rod i te 3 6 , ,

Pe ter , 1 1 6, 1 1 8, 1 6 1 , 204. :9
9 N i.ob e and L ais o f 39 , .

P heid ias , 9 :qq , 1 9 , 2 8 , 5 5 , 6o , 69 , . P re fac e v , .

2 5 6. 2 8 2 . 30 . 3 1 2 .
5 . 6
3 5 3 3 3. 3 6s l rince C onso rt M em ori al Ch apel of

, ,

T h e s c ulp tor o f th e ne , 3 7 Re A . at W tnd s or , 2 53 .

v
e ale dZ
eu s, 40, 2 8 1 , 2 8 3 Q u es t i o n . P risc illi an 30 1 , .

o f h is su peri ori t , 44 H is re l ation y . Probus and P roba , T om b o f, de

to Pi sano , 1 8 8 , 2 8 4 . b
s cri ed , 2 9 7 , 2 98 .

P h igalean M ar l es , 43 b . P roc opius 306 , .

Ph il o, 30 . Prudentius 1 1 5 1 3 1 1 62 209 , , , , .

P h oen i x, s ee Pal m -branc h . P rogres s H um an illusory natu re

, , o f,
Pi c tu res in ugus tan R om e, 3 2 3 A . 69 . 7
P ilo ty, 1 9 3 . Protogenes , 5 7 sq
Pi sa, 1 3 5 , 1 62 , 2 02 Ba tis ter of, 76, . p y d
P u ens , H ous e 86, 8 7 1 90 :7 9 .

7 9 , r9 7 , 3 64 C athe ral o f, 362 T h e . d . F

am i ly of, 8 8 , 1 9 1 H is tor . y o f, 191
c e ntre o f a re nais an c e o f ree k art, G s q
f ti
s

6
3 3 3 4
, 6 R e rese ntative of arious
. v P uc en ana, Ch u rc h o f, see Pud ens .

t pes o f rt. 3 4 m Pu ri tanism e ffec t o f, on art, 45 5 8

y g , , .

P lsano , ic c o la,N 1 9 5 , 2 38 , 3 2 8 , P y ram id s , s ta b ili ty o f, 2 3, 2 45 , 2 46,

353 35: 7 6
3 3 29 3 7
5 0 R emu s 0 As barro w s, 225 .

t he G
ree k s t le in s c ul tu re , 7 , 1 0 , y p
60, 64, 7 4, 1 8 3 , 1 8 8 , 1 9 7 , 2 2 3, 2 68 ,
Q
p
.

2 8 4, 3 1 4, 342 , 343 H is scu l tu re

d es c ri be d and c h arac terise , 364, 365
.

d Q u asr , A F . . VO N ,
2 37 .

i
.

Pi us A nto ninu , 2 49 ~
.
Q u nc e y D e 171 , , .

P ins 88 .
Q u i n cy Q uatremre, d e, 2 5, 2 8 , 3 3
1 .

Pius V I 1 09 .
Q u i nt ilian 4 7 , .

Plac i d ia, li fe o f, 2 34. 2 3 5 hapel o f, . C R

v
at R a e nna, 2 20 , 2 2 7 , 2 3 3 ; i ntere s t
.

ing as an exam p le o f c ru c i form c h u rc h , R AB U L A monk , 339 , 34 1 ,

, th e S y ian r
2 3 5 sqq ; d esc ri bed , 2 36, 2 3 7
. .
34 3 4
2 , 4 E v a n ge l iary o f, 1 0 7 3 9,
,
. 1
P lato, 1 4, 1 8 2 , 2 8 2 .
3 3 4. 334, 3 37 : 35 5
y d
Pli n the E l er, 5 3, 5 6, 5 8 , 7 o, 9 1 , 1 0 7 , R ad agaisus , 30 7 .

1 42 , 2 5 1 , 2 5 2 , 2 7 2 , 3 2 0 . R afael, 5 , 5 7 :99 .

Pli ny the Y o unger, 1 2 6, 1 8 5 , 300 . R and olp allery , at xfor , 39 G O d .

P lu m ptre, M r .
, 1 70 , 2 03. v
R a enna, 2 24 D escribed , 2 35 . 2 36 . .

Pl utarc h , q u o t ed , 5 4 , 7 o . Ch urc h o f S olli nare in Cl as se at, . Ap

P ee c ile Sto a at A th ens , 49 , 6 1 . 2 35 ; of i tale, 2 36, 2 3 7 See S V . .

d
Po li ori , ignor, 1 65 S . also M osai c .

yb
Po l ius , 67 . R awlinso n s f lerod olu r, quote , 5 3, 1 7 1

d .

Po l yc arp , S , 1 8 5 , 2 1 0 . . R e li cs o f martyrs fou nd be neath altars ,

y
Pol c lei tus , 40, 2 5 6, 2 8 3 D or horus yp 1 8
i
. .

o f, 40 . R el gion, its connec t ion w i th art, 1 0,

P o l ygno tus, not to be c onfou n e w i th dd 1 8. I 9 . 2 7 . 2 8 . I ts real
y
P o l c letus, 4 7 esch e o f, at D el hi, . L p c harac ter among th e ree ks, 1 o G
48 H is ty e of ai nting, 49 sqq ,
. p p .
7 s 78 .

54 5 7 R e ligious A rt, M o ern, requ ires c er d

1 2 9

Po l y the is m ,
C h ri s tian, 1 5 , 2 65 . ta n i res tr c t i i o ns , 127 , 1 49 .

C C
3 8 6 IN D E X .

R em brand t, 5 5 . 5
R e nai s sanc e , c h arac te r of art in a
peri od o f, 2 67, 2 68 M eani ng of the . S AC R E D PAI N T I N G , mod ern treatm ent
te rm, 3 1 6,
3 7
1 E ar l u sc an o r . y T o f, 1 46, 1 47 .

E tru rian. 4. 1 0. I 9 . 7 4. 7 5 . 1 8 3. 2 68 . S adl M e r, r. , on Agap e , 1 56 .

8
306. 32 . 3 32 . 342 . 3 5 3 . 3 5 6. 362 . S aints pict ,
u res o f, in c h urches in de
3 63 V 1 tru v1an, 8
. th e is tic , 8 By . A . feas i l e , 1 5 2 b .

z antine ,
9 , 1 20 , 2 20 i nq e ento
u . C -
C Salvi ati, M , 2 5 3 . .

and later I tali an, 8 , 1 , 5 5 , 7 4, 1 96 ;

5 Santiago, su pe rnatu ral a ppea ance r of,
v
its i e ws o f classi cal and othic art , G 5 1 .

1 25 ; se vers art from re ligion , 1 37 . Sarac ens , the , 24 1 .

Se venteenth ce ntuly I talian 57 S a co hag u

r ( see also Tom b ) M eaning
p
o

, . s s .

b G
R ep u li c s , re e k and I tali an, c o m ared p of t !e term, 1 0 7 .

by H all am , 2 0 , 3 5 3 . Savanarola, 58 .

p
R es D i lo m ati ca, 3 30 ( and see M i ni a Sc auru s, 9 3 .

ture ) . Sc ipio s , the, th eir iew o f art, 9 3 v .

Re v l ti n the v ie w f G
o u o , , o re ek art To m b o f, 94, 1 08 firs t d is
i nd d by 1 5
uc e , . co ere v d and ri fle , 1 09 d .

R y n l ds Sir
e o 5 6 2 7 3,
n t ,
o e . Sc rip torium , anc ie nt and mo ern , 2 74, d
R h d ian c ulptu
o 40 s re , .
3 7 3 35 34
2 2 : 2
R i C o nt 2 1 38
o, u , , . S p
cri tural C yc l e , 1 1 7, 1 2 8 .

R oc he tte , R aou l , 1 02 , 1 34 my " 1 41 , g e n e ra lly , 1 2

9 1 49 i st of, 1 33 . L .

1 5 5 :9 9 . 369 T
N e w es tam ent, 1 44 :99 .

R oc k , a C hn sttan sym ol, 1 69 b . Sc ulp ture (se e als o Statues ) M o els, . d

R o m an esqu e , o m ard or rank , L b F &c , rec o mm end ed for s tu y o f , 34
. d .

m eani ng o f, 1 9 7 rc h , 2 2 9 : 4
9 . A . D e finit io n o f, 46 :99 C onnec ted .

R oman art, ari o u s m ean i n s o f, 1 96

g v . w i th p
ai nti ng, 4 7 ; c om b i ned with
R om e (se e al so Spec i al su jec ts ) H er b .
p a in t i ng 4, 8 R e m a in. s o f, i n th e
v
c o ns tru c ti e g i fts to arc hi tec tu re, 6, Catac o mbs , 5 R e n a i ss a
. n ce of in
2 0, 74 . A
c en tre o f arc hi tec ture, 6 . thi rtee nth century, 7 tian, e n .

D ec li ne o f ree k art u nd er, 2 0, 2 1 G . d uranc e o f , 5 3 ree k , o f th e P ar

. G
v
N o i n enti o n in art, 44 , 9 2 rans . T th e non , 24 27 ; its beau ty and
ferre dG
ree k art to the o th ic rac es , G s i gni c ance , 27, 31 almnes s o f . C
64. 65 . 66. 7 6. 9 2 . 1 8 3. 34 1 at i e N v
. E arl y ree k , G 3 8 , 3 9 t h le t i c a n d . A
o r E tru sc an art at, 6
7 bs e n c e o f . A portrai t, 40, 4 1 R ho ian, 40, 4 1
. d .

im age wo rs h ip at, 69 , 70
-
ri gin . O A le xan rine age o f, 4 1 d R oman, .

a ted no s c u l pt u re , nl y c o ll e c te O d 20: 449 69 : 71' 28 3 ;

d 2 84 L
m
.

w o rks o f art, 7 4, 9 3 , 304 ; c o m pare d ec ad enc e ,

'

i ts ast 0d .

w i th E ngland in t hi s res p e c t, 7 4, 304 . o f, in R o me, 2 8 5 , 300, 30 5 et .

Fax R o m ana, 9 2 I n u e nc e o f gl ad i a . th e R o man E m ero rs, 2 86, 2 8 7 p .

t o rinl s h o w s o n art o f, 9 6 P re pare . d R e pl ace d by M osaic afte r th e

the w ay for the Ch ri s ti an fai th , 1 1 9 , se ve nth c e ntu ry , 7 , E p i
5 3 0 5 x r e s .

1 49 L aw o f, 1 1 9 , 1 2 0, 2 70
. h ree . T w i th Charl e magne , 2 4 1 hris t ian , . C
firs t sac k i ng : o f, 1 2 7 ; lari c , 2 5 9

by A . 2 6 7 , 2 68 ; treated generall y , 2 7 8
F o ru m o f, 1 8 9 Say in o f ug u s tu s . A 3 71 ; its d i v i s i ons
,
2 8 7 C hris ti an .

as to , 2 48 State o f, a t e r the fo u rth

. fee li ng in regar t o, 2 8 7 d L o m bard , .

c e n tu r y ,
2 5 8 4q
'

3 , 340 . re i es vv th e ree k G
s i rit, 7, 7 5 p .

R o samu nd , s ee Alb i o n . L o m bar d

scu lpto rs , 2 4 2 , 2 84 , 3 5 6,
R o s s i , D e, 1 0 2 , 1 04, 1 1 6 1 30,
1 6
3 , 3 5 7 :49 L o m bar , co m ared w i t h
. d p
306 . G rze c o B yz anti ne, 3 5 8 N o rm an , .

R o u x, M , . o n P o m pe ii ,
1 0 1 , 1 04 .
3 0 8 l
. o re n tFi n e , 3 66 .

R u fu s , fam ly o f, 1 9 2 . . See m an ( Gotta a nd H ema n), 2 1 no t e ,

R u in s , G
o thi c and re e k c o m pare d ,
31, G 42 no te , 1 3 5 , 2 90 .

32 . E m mi, 2 2 no te, and ( f em lu m , 7 6 . T p .

R u s k i n, P ro fe s s o r , 1 5, 1 6, 2 1 no te , 2 8 , Se ne c a, 30 4, 32 1 .

34. 46. 4 9 . 5 7 65 4 w . . 84 . Se p u l c h ral rc hi tec tu re , A

8 7 , 9 4, 1 0 5
1 1 8, 1 2 4, 1 3 6, 1 3 8 , 1 68 , 1 9 7, 22 1, 1 14
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3 6 8 n o te , 37 1 . v
Se r i u s, quoted , 2 2 no te .
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2 5 , 2 6, 2 8 and note , 2 9 .

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V e nice, es o f, 2 36 o nti nues . C in art , 2 5 .

th e tra i tio ns ofd z an tine art, 364 By . W iener P E 249 , . .

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C onnec ti ons w i th athe ral o f T o r C d Wil n B i ho p 1 7 8

so , s , .

cello and hurc h of anta Fosca, C S W inc k elm an 7 1 On poetry , . in w or d s

3 6 6 . 6
3 7 and b y sym boii m 3 1 s
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V enus o f M elos, o r am ian H ere, 2 6, S W olf and Tw i ns , gro u p o f, 67 , 105 .

3 8 . O f itia n , 4 2 T e m le o f, at . T p Women po i ti ,
s o n o f, in G re ec e, 1 6, 1 7 .

Ap d
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or s , e of m eani ng in, 1 8 2 .

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s E poc h : f
o P a in ting , 49 , 5 2

364 .

V s 93
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Ve tical and
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ture, transiti ons in . XO AN A ,

1 2, 48 .

Ve u r s, 30 2 .

V ia L abicana C atacomb 1 5 6 1 5 7 , , .

V ic tories (in Sculptu e) 302 304 r , , .

V in e, as a Christi an s m bo l, 8, 1 1 5 , 1 1 7 , YO NGE ,
M 1 ss, 3 70 and Prefac e v .

1 31 .
6
1 34. 2 0. 4. 28 9. 3 59 . 367 .
3 69 . C lassi l
ca , yz a nti ne, ot tne, B G
and R e nai ss ance, 1 36, 1 3 7 . 2 .

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V irgin, T he lesse , in B
c ri t u ral d S p Z aL L aa, P ao rs s s o a, 1 1, 1 4, 2 1 n o te ,
C yc l e, 1 45 C u l tus of, 2 65 . . 2 8 1 no te .

V isc onti, 2 5 note . Zen one, S Ch . urc h o f 309 , . L om b a d r

V i tale , C
hurc h of, at R a e nna, 5 2 , v wo rk at, 3 5 7 , 3 5 8 . B ron z e gate s at,
151, 1 68 , I 7 3. 2 38 on nec ts . C 361 .

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us, , s 2 0, 187 .

2 3 3 , 2 38 D esc ri be , 2 3 7 199
. d . . Ze xi 5 5 C
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V i truvius, 2 99 On fresc o and aint . p

ing, 1 0 3, 1 04 On asili cas , 1 86 . B . Zimisc es , J o hn ,
1 7 0 .

THE

l ON D ON h . C L AY, SO N S , AN D P RIN T E RS