Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Sculptш·e in Stone

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of flat decшative caгving in stone. Не says: " The primary condition is that the mass shall Ье beautifully гounded, and disposed \Vith due discretion and order; . . . seulptuгe is esscntially the pгoduction of а pleasa11t bossiness 01· roнndncss of sшfасе. Tl1e pleasantness of that bossy condition to the еуе is iггespeetive of imita­ tion on one side, and of struetuгe on the othcr." The mше оне conside1·s tbls statemcвt, the more he is con­ Yinced of its comprehensiveness. If the ligl1ts and slшdo\vs fall pleasantly, how little one stops to iвquiгe, " \Vhat is the subjeet? Do I consideг that hшse \vell proportioned, 01· do I not? Is that vvoшan iв good d1·aw­ ing? " Effectivcncss is alшost iпdcpendent of detail, cxcept as tl1at detail affects tl1c la\v of pгopoгtion. There аге va1·ying degrees of relicf: fгom fiat (,vheгe the ornament is haгdly шо1·с than iвciscd, and the back­ ground planed away) to а pгactically solicl 1·ound figнre cut almost entiгcly fгее of its gгoнnd. In Venice, until the 1·evival in the tliirteenth centuгy, the Greek Byzantinc influcnce '.vas marked. Тhеге is no mоге complete storehouse of tl1e art of the East adapted to medimval conditions than the Churcl1 of St. Mark's. If space permitted, nothiвg could Ье more delightful than to examine in detail these marvelloпs capitals and aгchivolts \Vhich Ruskin has so lovingly immш·talized for English readeгs. Of all decorative sculpture there is попе ШОI'е satisГyiпg f1·ош the oгna­ шental point of view than the Byzantine interlace ашl Yine forms so usual iв Veвice. ТЬе only place wheгe