Principles, bers 16, 24, and 36, are agreeable; and fo, fay they, are the proportions of a room, whofe height is 16 feet, the breadth 24, and the length 36. But it ought to be confidered, that there is no refemblance or relation between the objects of different fenfes. What pleafes the ear in harmony, is not the proportion of the ftrings of the inftrument, but of the found which thefe ftrings produce. In architecture, on the contrary, it is the proportion of different quantities that pleafes the eye, with out the leaft relation to found. The fame thing may be faid of numbers. Quantity is a real quality of every body; number is not a real quality, but merely an idea that arifes upon viewing a plurality of things in fucceffion. An arithmetical proportion is agreeable in numbers; but have we from this any reafon to conclude, that it must also be agreeable in quantity? At this rate, a geometrical proportion, and many others, ought alfo to be agreeable in both. A certain proportion may coincide in quantity and number; and amongft an endlefs variety of proportions, it would be wonderful if there never fhould be a coincidence. One example is given of this coincidence in the numbers 16, 24, and 36; but, to be convinced that it is merely accidental, we need but reflect, that the fame proportions are not applicable to the external figure of a house, and far lefs to a column. It is ludicrous to obferve writers acknowledging the neceffity of accurate proportions, and yet differing widely about them. Laying afide reafoning and philofophy, one fact univerfally agreed on ought to have undeceived them, that the fame proportions which please in a model are not agreeable in a large building: a room 48 feet in length, and 24 in breadth and height, is well proportioned: but a room 12 feet wide and high, and 24 long, approaches to a gallery. 29 Beauty ariPerrault, in his comparison of the ancients and mofing from derns, goes to the oppofite extreme; maintaining, that proportion. the different proportions affigned to each order of columns are arbitrary, and that the beauty of thefe proportions is entirely the effect of cuftom. But he fhould have confidered, that if these proportions had not originally been agreeable, they could never have been eilablished by cuftom. For illuftrating this point, we fhall add a few examples of the agreeablenefs of different proportions. In a fumptuous edifice, the capital rooms ought to be large, otherwise they will not be proportioned to the fize of the building; for the fame reafon, a very large room is improper in a small houfe. But in things thus related, the mind requires not a precife or fingle proportion, rejecting all others; on the contrary, many different próportions are equally agreeable. It is only when a proportion becomes loofe and diftant, that the agreeablenefs abates, and at laft vanishes. Accordingly, in buildings, rooms of different proportions are found to be equally agreeable, even where the proportion is not influenced by utility. With regard to the proportion the height of a room fhould bear to the length and breadth, it must be extremely arbitrary, confidering the uncertainty of the eye as to the height of a room when it exceeds 16 or 17 feet. In columns, again, earchitect must confefs that the proportion of height very and thickness varies betwixt 8 diameters and 10, and that every proportion between these two extremes is agreeable. Befides, there must certainly be a further N° 26. variation of proportion, depending on the fize of the Principles, column. A row of columns 10 feet high, and a row twice that height, requires different proportions: The intercolumniations mult alfo differ in proportion according to the height of the row. Proportion of parts is not only itself a beauty, but is infeparably connected with a beauty of the highest relish, that of concord and harmony: which will be plain from what follows: A room, the parts of which are all finely. adjusted to each other, ftrikes us not only with the beauty of proportion, but with a pleasure far fuperior. The length, the breadth, the height, the windows, raise each of them a feparate emotion: Thefe emotions are fimilar; and, though faint when feparately felt, they produce in conjunction the emotion of concord or harmony, which is very pleasant. On the other hand, where the length of a room far exceeds the breadth, the mind, comparing together parts fo intimately connected, immediately perceives a difagreement or disproportion which difgufts. Hence a long gallery, however convenient for exercife, is not an agreeable figure of a room. 30 Atructuresto are intend ed. In buildings defined chiefly or folely to please the eye, regularity and proportion are effentially neceffary, because they are the means of producing intrinfic beauty. But a skilful artist will not confine his view to re- Form of gularity and proportion; he will also ftudy congruity, bet which is perceived when the form and ornaments of a the purpo ftructure are fuited to the purpose for which it is ap-fes for pointed. Hence every building ought to have an expreffion fuited to its deftination. A palace ought to be fumptuous and grand; a private dwelling, neat and modeft; a play-house, gay and fplendid; and a monument, gloomy and melancholy. A heathen temple has a double destination: It is confidered as a house dedicated to fome divinity; therefore it ought to be grand, elevated, and magnificent: It is alfo confidered as a place of worship; and therefore ought to be fomewhat dark and gloomy, becaufe dimnefs or obfcurity produces that tone of mind which is favourable to humility and devotion. Columns, befides their chief deflination of being fupports, contribute to that peculiar expreffion which the destination of a building requires. Columns of different proportions ferve to exprefs loftinefs, lightnefs, &c. as well as ftrength. Situation may alfo contribute to expreffion: Conveniency regulates the fituation of a private dwelling-houfe; and the fituation of a palace ought to be lofty. This leads to a queftion, Whether the fituation, where there happens to be no choice, ought, in any meafure, to regulate the form of the edifice? The connection between a great house and a neighbouring field, though not extremely intimate, demands however fome congruity. It would, for example, difplease us to find an elegant building thrown away upon a wild uncultivated country: congruity requires a polished field for fuch a building. The old Gothic form of building was well fuited to the rough uncultivated regions where it was invented; but was very ill adapted to the fine plains of France and Italy. 31 vifion of The external ftructure of a houfe leads naturally to Internal di its internal ftructure. A large and fpacious room, which is the firft that commonly receives us, is a bad houses. contrivance in feveral respects. In the firft place, when immediately from the open air we step into fuch Principles. a room, its fize in appearance is diminished by contraft; it looks little, compared with the great canopy of the fky. In the next place, when it recovers its grandeur, as it foon doth, it gives a diminutive appearance to the rest of the houfe; paffing from it, every apartment looks little. In the third place, by its fituation it ferves only for a waiting-room, and a paffage to the principal apartments. Rejecting therefore this form, a hint may be taken from the climax in writing for another that appears more fuitable: A handsome portico, proportioned to the size and fashion of the front, leads into a waiting-room of a larger fize, and this to the great room, all by a progreffion of fmall to great. 32 Different ■aments. Grandeur is the principal emotion that architecture is capable of raifing in the mind: it might therefore be the chief ftudy of the artist, in great buildings deftined to please the eye. But as grandeur depends partly on fize, it is unlucky for architecture that it is governed by regularity and proportion, which never deceive the eye by making objects appear larger than they are in reality. But though regularity and proportion contribute nothing to grandeur, fo far as that emotion depends on fize; yet they contribute greatly to it by confining the fize within fuch bounds that it can be taken in and examined at one view; for when objects are fo large as not to be comprehended but in parts, they tend rather to distract than fatisfy the mind. We shall next pass to fuch ornaments as contribute to give buildings a peculiar expreffion. It has been doubted, whether a building can regularly admit any ornament but what is useful, or at least has that appearance. But, confidering the double aim of architecture as a fine, as well as an useful art, there is no reason why ornaments may not be added to please the eye, without any relation to utility. A private dwelling-house, it is true, and other edifices, where ufe is the chief aim, admit not regularly any ornament but what has at least the appearance of ufe; but temples, triumphal arches, and other buildings intended chiefly or folely for fhow, may be highly ornamented. This fuggefts a divifion of ornaments into three kinds of or- kinds, viz. 1. Ornaments that are beautiful without relation to use ; fuch as ftatues, vases, basso or alto relievo 2. Things in themselves not beautiful, but poffeffing the beauty of utility, by impofing on the fpectator, and appearing to be useful; fuch as blind windows 3. Where things are beautiful in themselves, and at the fame time take on the appearance of ufe; fuch as pilafters. : With regard to the first, we naturally require that a ftatue be fo placed, as to be feen in every direction, and examined at different diftances. Statues, therefore, are properly introduced to adorn the great ftair that leads to the principal door of a palace, or to leffen the void between pillars. But a niche in the external front is an improper place for a ftatue. There is an additional reafon against placing them upon the roof or top of the walls: their ticklish fituation gives pain, as they have the appearance of being in danger of tumbling down; befides, we are inclined to feel from their being too much expofed to the inclemencies of the weather. To adorn the top of the wall VOL. II. Part I. with a row of vafes, is an unhappy conceit, by pla- Principles. cing a thing, whofe natural deftination is utility, where it cannot have even the appearance of use. As to carvings upon the external furface of a building, termed baffo relievo when flat, and alto relievo when prominent, all contradictory expreffions ought to be avoided. Now, firmnefs and folidity being the proper expreffions of a pedestal, and, on the contrary, lightnefs and delicacy of carved work, the pedeftal, whether of a column or of a statue, ought to be sparingly ornamented. The ancients never ventured any bolder ornament than the basso relievo. : With refpect to ornaments of the second kind, it is a great blunder to contrive them fo as to make them appear ufelefs. A blind window, therefore, when neceflary for regularity, ought to be fo diguifed as to appear a real window when it appears without difguife, it is difguitful, as a vain attempt to fupply the want of invention; it shows the irregularity in a ftronger light, by fignifying that a window ought to be there in point of regularity, but that the architect had not fkill fufficient to connect external regularity with internal convenience. As to the third, it is an error to fink pilafters fo far into the wall, as to remove totally, or mostly, the appearance of ufe. They fhould always project fo much from the wall, as to have the appearance of fupporting the entablature over them. 33 From ornaments in general, we defcend to a pillar, Columns. the chief ornament in great buildings. The deftination of a pillar is to fupport, really, or in appearance, another part termed the entablature. With regard to the form of a pillar, it must be observed, that a circle is a more agreeable figure than a square, a globe than a cube, and a cylinder than parallelopipedon. This last, in the language of architecture, is faying, that a column is a more agreeable figure than a pilafter; and for that reafon it ought to be preferred, when all other circumstances are equal. Another reafon concurs, that a column annexed to a wall, which is a plain furface, makes a greater variety than a pilafter. Befides, pilafters at a diftance are apt to be mistaken for pillars; and the fpectator is disappointed, when, on a nearer approach, he difcovers them to be only pilafters. As to the parts of a column, a bare uniform cylinder, without a capital, appears naked; and without a bafe, appears too ticklifhly placed to ftand firm; it ought therefore to have fome finishing at the top and bottom: Hence the three chief parts of a column, the fhaft, the base, and the capital. Nature undoubtedly requires proportion among these parts, but it admits of variety of proportion. Vetruvius and fome of the elder writers feem to think, that the proportions of columns were derived from the human figure, the capital reprefenting the head, the base the feet, and the fhaft the body. The Tufcan has been accordingly denominated the Gigantic; the Doric, the Herculean; the Ionic, the Matronal; and the Corinthian, the Virginal;-The Compofite is a mixture of the Corinthian and Ionic. As to the bafe, the principle of utility interpofes to vary it from the human figure, and to proportion it fo to the whole, as to give the column the appearance of stability. 34 new orders can be in Among the Greeks, we find only three orders of columns, the Doric, the Ionic, and the Corinthian, diGg ftinguished ventod. : Principles. ftinguished from each other by their destination as port the covering; and the corona, reprefenting the Principles. well as by their ornaments. It has been difputed, beds of materials that compofed the covering. All whether any new order can be added to these fome thefe may properly be diftinguifhed by the name of hold the affirmative, and give for inftances the Tuscan effential members. The fubfervient parts, contrived and Compofite; others maintain, that these properly for the ufe or ornaments of the former, and commonare not diftinct orders, but only the original orders ly called mouldings, may conftitute the fecond class. with fome flight variation. The only circumstances There are eight regular mouldings in ornamenting that can ferve to distinguish one order from another, columns: the fillet, liftel, or fquare; the aftragal, are the form of the column, and its deftination. To or bead; the torus, or tore; the fcotia, mouth, or make the first a diftinguishing mark, without regard cafement; the echinus, ovolo, or quarter-round; the to the other, would multiply orders without end. De- inverted cyma, talon, or ogee; the cyma, cyma recftination is more limited, and it leads us to distinguish ta, or cymation; the cavetto, or hollow. The names three kinds of orders; one plain and ftrong, for the of thefe allude to their forms, and their forms are purpose of supporting plain and maffy buildings; one adapted to the purposes for which they are intended. delicate and graceful, for fupporting buildings of that See Plate XXIX. character; and between thefe, a third, for fupporting buildings of a mixed nature. So that, if deftination alone is to be regarded, the Tufcan is of the fame order with the Doric, and the Compofite with the Corinthian. 35 Rules rcgarding building in general. 36 Parts of an claffes. The ornaments of these three orders ought to be With respect to buildings of every kind, one rule, CHAP. I. Of the Orders of Architecture. An ORDER confifts of two principal members, the COLUMN and the ENTABLATURE; each of which is compofed of three principal parts. Thofe of the Column are, the Bafe, the Shaft, and the Capital; and thofe of the Entablature are, the Architrave, the Frize, and the Cornice. All these are fubdivided into many leffer parts, whole number, form, and dimenfions, characterife each order, and exprefs the degree of ftrength, delicacy, richness, or fimplicity peculiar to it. The parts that compofe an order may be diftributed order divi- into two different claffes. In the firft may be ranged ded into two all that have any analogy to the primitive huts, and reprefent fome part that was neceffary in their conftruction. Such are the shaft of the column, with the plinth of its bafe, and the abacus of its capital; likewife the architrave and triglyphs, the mutules, modilions, or dentils, which all of them reprefent the rafters, or fome other pieces of timber ufed to fup The ovolo and talon, as they are ftrong at the extremities, are fit for fupports; the cyma and cavetto, though improper for fupports, serve for coverings to fhelter other members; the torus and aftragal, being shaped like ropes, are intended to bind and fortify the parts with which they are connected: But the ule of the fcotia and fillet is only to feparate and distinguish the other mouldings, to give a graceful turn to the profile, and to prevent the confufion which would arife from joining feveral curved members together. There are various methods of defcribing the coutours of mouldings; but the fimpleft and best is to form them of quadrants of circles. what. 37 An affemblage of what are called effential parts Profile, and mouldings is termed a profile. The most perfect profiles are fuch as are compofed of few mouldings, varied in form and fize; and fo difpofed, that the straight and curved ones fucceed each other alternately. When ornaments are employed in mouldings, fome of them should be left plain, in order to give a proper repofe: For, when all are ornamented, the figure of the profile is loft. 38 Columns, in imitation of trees, from which they Diminution drew their origin, are tapered in their fhafts. In the of columns. antiques the diminution is variously performed; beginning fometimes from the foot of the fhaft, and at others from one quarter, or one third of its height; the lower part being perfectly cylindrical. The former of thefe was moft in ufe amongst the ancients, and, being the moft natural and graceful, ought to have the preference, though the latter hath been more univerfally practifed by modern artists. The first architects, fays Mr Auzoult, probably made their columns in ftraight lines, in imitation of trees; fo that their fhaft was a fruftum of a cone: but finding this form abrupt and disagreeable, they made ufe of fome curve, which, fpringing from the extremities of the fuperior and inferior diameters of the column, fwelled beyond the fides of the cone, and by that means gave a more pleasing figure to the contour. Vitruvius, in the fecond chapter of his third book, mentions this practice, but in fo obfcure and curfory a manner, that his meaning hath not been understood; and feveral of the modern architects, intending to conform themselves to his doctrine, have made the diameters of their columns greater in the middle than at the foot of the fhaft. Leon Baptifta, Alberti, and others of the Florentine and Roman architects, have carried this to a very great excefs; for which they |