FINE ARTS.
MR. R S KIN' S WORKS ON VENICE.*
Of those who may have speculated on the character of the work which had been announced under the title of The Stones of Venice—accord- ing to the peculiar fancy which Mr. Ruskin seems to have for a mysti- fying nomenclature—many were probably surprised, on the appearance of the first volume, at finding that, after a brilliant and masterly but short sketch of the history of Venice, its greater portion was occupied by a scientific inquiry into the general principles of architecture, with merely such occasional references to the works of the city itself as might be ex- pected from any person long resident there. Yet for this apparent ano- maly there is a sufficient reason. It is the avowed intention of the au- thor to claim for Venice the position of "the arena where the Roman, Northern, and Arabian elements of art met together, and contended for the mastery "; to demand the sympathy of his readers for those very buildings therein which all previous writers and travellers have concurred in describing as quaint and barbarous, though withal picturesque ; and to arraign at the bar of his criticism, as the efforts of a palsy-struck and de- based art, those imposingpalaces and works of the Renaissance period which alone had been hitherto thought worthy of admiration or imitation by our architects. It was necessary, therefore, clearly to expound, in the first place the grounds of his judgment, whether right or wrong; and, in order to dispel the prejudice which, by the practice of the later art for centuries had become rooted in both the profession and the public, it was requisite
• Examples of the Architecture of Venice, selected and drawn to measurement from the Edifices, by John Ruskin. Parts I., II., III. Published by Smith and Elder.
The Stones of Venice. Volume the First the Foundations. By John Ruskin, Author of "The Seven Lamps of Architecture," "Modern Painters," Stc. With Illustrations drawn by the Author. Published by Smith and Elder.
to commence the inquiry at " the Base," and continue it to " the Roar to show what, in his opinion, are the essential features of a building, with their legitimate forms and reasonable ornament.
The largeness of purpose in the work was enhanced by the author's at- tempt to read, through their monuments, the moral history of the Vene- tians, and the changes of their inner life ; and his intense Protestantism —a point of view from which art is seldom regarded—conferred on it a further and peculiar interest. The simplicity of arrangement in the views expressed of art is also remarkable, as well as the sweeping clas- sifications under which architectural styles and features are reduced. Nor is the essay in any way superficial. It contains much matter of use for the practical architect, no less than of interest to the amateur : it is highly suggestive to the thoughtful, and full of caution to the thoughtless— to the admirers, or professing admirers, (a distinction on which Mr. Rus- kin lays stress,) of " Renaissance rustications and ornaments of cast-off clothes, or the Perpendicular buttresses and chopped battlements." How- ever, the dogmatic tone, in which Mr. Ruskin is too fond of indulging, is observable throughout the volume, and has prevented the reception of its truths in many quarters. It does not aid an argument to suggest that an eminent architect should be put under a pix ; nor need the merit of Ve- netian Gothic be enhanced by decrying the works of other countries, and particularly our own, or by unfair comparisons, such as Pugin has given a precedent for in his "Parallels."
While Mr. Ruskin, leaving his reader in "the vestibule," has retired to Venice to complete his work on the spot—(which carrying of his own "Lamp of Sacrifice" we might recommend to others of our writers)—the plates, three parts of which have already appeared, are published in a se- parate form.
To these the public will naturally turn, to judge for themselves how far the examples answer the anticipations raised concerning them.
Taking them in the order of the buildings to which they belong, we have first three portions of the detail of the Doge's Palace, which Mr. Ruskin has styled "the central building of the world " ; the first being the capi- tal of the twentieth shaft of the lower arcade, numbered from the angle of the Ponte della Foglia. There are some two or three other capitals which resemble it in general form ; but the one given stands preeminent for its conception and beauty of execution. The type is of more simple and stern character than most of those in the building, admirably ful- filling its purpose, and uniting breadth and grandeur with even minute delicacy ; to all which qualities the plate does full justice. Part III. comprises a fine view from the interior of the Loggia, showing the Renais- sance capitals of its shafts. The size to which their foliage is reduced hardly renders it possible to perceive their true character. They are, in fact, very unequal in merit,—some being coarsely executed, as if to be seen from below only ; but among them may be found some, composed of most exquisite flowing and curled foliage, scarcely inferior to those of the lower story itself. In design they are all various. The mezzotint engravings—of which there are one or more in each number—are executed with the greatest accuracy of drawing, yet with vigour and breadth of effect. In some instances, however, the latter has been aimed at overmuch ; till the drawings look as if taken from some sooty buildings by gaslight, instead of from brilliant sunny Venice. Thus, from St. Mark's Church, we have a powerful drawing of the South- western angle, which, correct as is every detail, can only be justified by the invitation "meet me by moonlight." The daring displayed in this piece of architecture might open the eyes of our timid practitioners. Five columns are clustered on the spreading capital of one massy monolithic shaft of Greek marble, themselves bearing the arched superstructure, all cased with glittering marbles. They are tied in to the main building by iron bars, as is the case with most Italian works ; a precaution only against disturbance of the foundations by the sinking of the soil or by earthquakes. From St. Mark's we have further an example of a Byzan- tine capital, (Plate 3,) from one of the recesses of the central doorway of the Western front,—one, it should be remembered, of a group. Its leaves are founded on the type of the Corinthian capital ; but, far unlike them in their stilted monotony, arc drifted round, as if driven in by the sea- storm towards the cathedral, and are full of freedom, vigour, and life. The capital from Torcello represents somewhat the same idea. Plate 4, the cornice-moulding from a tomb in the Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, is of much interest. Nevertheless, the Venetian tombs—pace Mr. Ruskin, and with full recognition of the ineffable majesty of the Doge Mocenigo's monument- are often florid and deficient in purity ; contrasting to disadvantage even with our own in West- minster Abbey. Some beautiful details are given in the Second Part, from a ruin of Arabian character in Rio di Ca' Foscari; together with a restoration, which is a somewhat hard architectural drawing. The two designs of door-heads from the Ca' Contarini, Porta di Ferro, and in Campo Sa. Margherita, are of fine character ; and the moral in their decoration pointed out by Mr. Ruskin is very striking. It were in- deed to be wished that a hint might be taken from them, by that class of men who, in sheer emptiness of idea, carve ox-skulls, masks, and such- like absurdities, over their doorways. The door-heads in Ramo dirim- petto Mocenigo and in Campion° dells Chiesa S. Luca, executed in brick-work, with pediments of exceeding loftiness, are more quaint and peculiar. One drawing we cannot admire, is that of the capital from Ca' Bernardo Mocenigo ; which seems to us rather coarse, and the foliage not in true perspective. It belongs to a class, however, suited only for a position at a considerable height ; and, thus treated, is not infrequent in the palaces of Venice. In conclusion, we must remark that it needed not the reiterated assur- ances of Mr. Ruskin to. show us that the greatest fidelity has been ob- served in his designs ; while, from the pleasing manner of its execution, the work is fitted to lie as well with the elegant productions of modern lithography upon the drawingroom-table as upon the shelves of the archi- tect,—for which most of the others, when weighed in the balance, would be found wanting. Yet it would be better had the author, in his "bold Rembrandtism," given us less often a midnight view of his subjeAce I' I been somewhat more sparing of his ink. Plate No. 2 of Arab' dews, for instance, were it not for the detail, might be mistaken fo non of Fleet Street, rather than of that Venice whose glowing 4unlIghlt was eloquently described in the Modern Painters. Often, indeed, sea-breeze or some other cause have darkened the projecting the marble work ; yet never so as to lower, as in this engm whole tone of a broad wall-surface.
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