Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masterpieces Of The Architecture Of Different Nations.
thoontic tribe . The Archon Neieclunus presided over the games . Mention is also made of the didasculus who instructed the chorus , and even of the musician , who regulated by the sound of his flute the declamation—so much importance was attached by the Greeks to these exercises . The two isolated columns which are seen above present this singularity , that
their capital is triangular , which naturally ought to induce us to suppose that they received tripods , the ordinary prizes for those sorts of public amusement . This subtle observation , which escaped from M . Cassas after his voyage to Athens , was communicated to him in Prance by Lord Elgin . This dilettante of the arts is now possessor of the antique figure
which formed the corona of this monument ; it combines great simplicity of form with much delicacy of details , those of the entablature particularly being very novel and very agreeable . _ It might bo most felicitousl y placed in a garden , where its interior would afford a convenient shelter , or a music hall ; and its simple decoration , easy of execution and by no means expensive , would form an interesting point of view were its pretty ruins placed on the top of some hill crowned with verdure .
In this manner mi ght many of those Greek edifices find a new existence amongst us , and give tho reputation , justly deserved , of a man of taste to the proprietor , and also of a friend of the arts , if lie should take a delight in building in his gardens such noble fabrics—instead of filling them , in the old monotonous fashionwith cottagesoften in the
, , very worst taste , and which , being only fantastic , by no means deserve the name of picturesque , on account of the decoration bestowed on thorn by very weak amateurs in painting and the fine arts .
A small temple , now destroyed , but standing formerly on the banks of the Ilissus , near Athens . — . A . masterpiece of grace and simplicity . This pretty little edifice is one of the most elegant productions of architecture iu Greece ; the Ionic order , employed in its decoration , less rich than that of the Temple of Minorva-Polias , is of a masculine proportion , which accords
admirably with the portions of the cella , or body of the- temple . It is believed that its frieze was enriched with a bas relief ; at any rate Stuart supposes so in his travels , because he found at a short distance a fragment of sculpture corresponding witli the hei ght of that frieze . Neither the date at which this edifice was erected , nor to what divinit
y it was consecrated , are known , all travellers who have described it offering a different opinion . Spon supposes , without any proof , that it was dedicated to Ceres Agrotera ; Stuart thinks that it was built in honour of the Athenian hero , Panops ; and M . Leroy fancied that he recognized at a distance in its ruins the position of the Temple of Diana Agrotera , of whom Pausanias makes mention in his first book , in the nineteenth chapter . Whatever may
have boon the destination of this temple , the divinity whom they worshipped there mi ght have had elsewhere more spacious temples , but none could have been of a form more simple , more agreeable , and more finely executed . It was of the kind of those which Vituwius names wmphiproslyle , or with a double portico . Some members of its entablature enriched
were with ornaments painted on the marble with much difficulty . Odeon , of luhich the ruins are seen near Cesarea in Palestine . —Since M . Cassas travelled in this country , the Turks have used the materials of this small edifice to build a handsome mosque and baths , which Jezzar Pacha ordered to be erected at Saint
Jean d'Acre . The English vice-consul of this town , who had taken drawings of this monument before its total mutilation , communicated them to M . Cassas ; he recognized , in several of its details yet existing , that it was of a mediocre execution , but tho thought , as an architectural composition , is grand and uncommon , and the general proportion of the mass is not destitute of interest . Its interior architecture approaches the kind of decoration employed in the monuments of Baalbec and Palmyra , This fabric is also of the
Masterpieces Of The Architecture Of Different Nations.
number of those which are perfectly suitable in a garden , either as a temple or as a very agreeable concert hail . Two ¦ Greek Tombs , or Sarcophagi , which are seen near Telrnissus , in Asia Minor . — -The simplicity of the form constitutes their principal merit . These tombs seem to have been prepared to receive divers ornaments of sculpture , with which it was the custom to enrich them .
Great Theatre , of tohich the ruins are still seen between Cysieus or Lampsachus , nectr the shores of the Hellespont . — The general disposition of this theatre , which has besides much resemblance to that at Hereulaucum , and that at Taormina in Sicily , is of the greatest magnificence . As to the decoration of the ordersthat is Tuscan or Etruscanin
, , the style of the arnphilheatrum caslrensem . The architect who conceived it wished that the spectators might have the additional enjoyment of the imposing prospect of the beauties of the site and the deeply jncturosque character of the surrounding mountains . He availed himself , as almost all the ancients did in these sorts of edifices , of the bed of the rock
for the foundation of his theatre ; and the unevemicss of the ground at the place of the proscenium furnished him the means of contriving underneath subterranean galleries , which could bo applied to divers purposes , and where shelter might be had iu rainy weather , in case sulliciout room should not be found in those which surrounded the rows of seals . A colonnade in j'eristle crowns the last rows of seatsabove an
y , open gallery , where there wore also three rows of seats , which appeal- to have been destined for spectators of the most distinguished rank . Hero it may bo observed that at Ephemis , in the great theatre , the rows of seats were continued on the steep of the mountain to its summitin the middle part only ; an
obser-, vation made by M . Cassas on the spot ; and the intelligence with which the ancient architects availed themselves of the unevcmiess of the ground , produced often the noblest oflecta and procured great advantages . The same moans had been employed for a circus , at the same place , and at a short distancefrom this theatre .
The distribution of the seats and their vomitories in the theatre between Cysieus aud Laiupsacus is dlecfccd with much art and care for the public convenience ; these arcades afford entrance to the plalea , and seven , arcades with as many staircases , lead to the seats . The stage is open iu such a manner as to enable the spectators to enjoy the performance of tho actors from all places . . It is terminated
laterally on the right aud left by two great projecting solid masses , ornamented with niches , aud forming as it were a couple of pedestals for the support of the circular portion . Lastly , a- colonnade with double rows and open in the centre , decorates the depth of the stage , and those formed a permanent decoration through which the country could ,
notwithstanding , bo seen , or the moveable decorations winch the representation of the different pieces required . The variety and the opposition of these different masses , the affluence of spectators iu a place disposed with such felicity , and whence they could enjoy one of tho most beautiful prospects of nature , all combined in this enclosure to
offer the most beautiful spectacle that architecture and the arts can procure for those who know how to enjoy it . As to the exterior decoration of the theatre , it is reduced to a double row of arcades separated by a range of pilasters of the Tuscan order ; and there can also be distinguished iu the highest parts pierced modillions , intended for the
reception of poles to which were attached large moveable cloths , by means of which they covered the seats , sheltering them from tho sun when the play lasted all tho day ; for it is as well to observe that , when the locality permitted , they chose such a position that the setting sun was behind the theatre , and that the very projection of its shadow sheltered the stage when the performers were acting . The reader may , moreover , be assured that this theatre which had but twenty rows of seats , counting the three in
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masterpieces Of The Architecture Of Different Nations.
thoontic tribe . The Archon Neieclunus presided over the games . Mention is also made of the didasculus who instructed the chorus , and even of the musician , who regulated by the sound of his flute the declamation—so much importance was attached by the Greeks to these exercises . The two isolated columns which are seen above present this singularity , that
their capital is triangular , which naturally ought to induce us to suppose that they received tripods , the ordinary prizes for those sorts of public amusement . This subtle observation , which escaped from M . Cassas after his voyage to Athens , was communicated to him in Prance by Lord Elgin . This dilettante of the arts is now possessor of the antique figure
which formed the corona of this monument ; it combines great simplicity of form with much delicacy of details , those of the entablature particularly being very novel and very agreeable . _ It might bo most felicitousl y placed in a garden , where its interior would afford a convenient shelter , or a music hall ; and its simple decoration , easy of execution and by no means expensive , would form an interesting point of view were its pretty ruins placed on the top of some hill crowned with verdure .
In this manner mi ght many of those Greek edifices find a new existence amongst us , and give tho reputation , justly deserved , of a man of taste to the proprietor , and also of a friend of the arts , if lie should take a delight in building in his gardens such noble fabrics—instead of filling them , in the old monotonous fashionwith cottagesoften in the
, , very worst taste , and which , being only fantastic , by no means deserve the name of picturesque , on account of the decoration bestowed on thorn by very weak amateurs in painting and the fine arts .
A small temple , now destroyed , but standing formerly on the banks of the Ilissus , near Athens . — . A . masterpiece of grace and simplicity . This pretty little edifice is one of the most elegant productions of architecture iu Greece ; the Ionic order , employed in its decoration , less rich than that of the Temple of Minorva-Polias , is of a masculine proportion , which accords
admirably with the portions of the cella , or body of the- temple . It is believed that its frieze was enriched with a bas relief ; at any rate Stuart supposes so in his travels , because he found at a short distance a fragment of sculpture corresponding witli the hei ght of that frieze . Neither the date at which this edifice was erected , nor to what divinit
y it was consecrated , are known , all travellers who have described it offering a different opinion . Spon supposes , without any proof , that it was dedicated to Ceres Agrotera ; Stuart thinks that it was built in honour of the Athenian hero , Panops ; and M . Leroy fancied that he recognized at a distance in its ruins the position of the Temple of Diana Agrotera , of whom Pausanias makes mention in his first book , in the nineteenth chapter . Whatever may
have boon the destination of this temple , the divinity whom they worshipped there mi ght have had elsewhere more spacious temples , but none could have been of a form more simple , more agreeable , and more finely executed . It was of the kind of those which Vituwius names wmphiproslyle , or with a double portico . Some members of its entablature enriched
were with ornaments painted on the marble with much difficulty . Odeon , of luhich the ruins are seen near Cesarea in Palestine . —Since M . Cassas travelled in this country , the Turks have used the materials of this small edifice to build a handsome mosque and baths , which Jezzar Pacha ordered to be erected at Saint
Jean d'Acre . The English vice-consul of this town , who had taken drawings of this monument before its total mutilation , communicated them to M . Cassas ; he recognized , in several of its details yet existing , that it was of a mediocre execution , but tho thought , as an architectural composition , is grand and uncommon , and the general proportion of the mass is not destitute of interest . Its interior architecture approaches the kind of decoration employed in the monuments of Baalbec and Palmyra , This fabric is also of the
Masterpieces Of The Architecture Of Different Nations.
number of those which are perfectly suitable in a garden , either as a temple or as a very agreeable concert hail . Two ¦ Greek Tombs , or Sarcophagi , which are seen near Telrnissus , in Asia Minor . — -The simplicity of the form constitutes their principal merit . These tombs seem to have been prepared to receive divers ornaments of sculpture , with which it was the custom to enrich them .
Great Theatre , of tohich the ruins are still seen between Cysieus or Lampsachus , nectr the shores of the Hellespont . — The general disposition of this theatre , which has besides much resemblance to that at Hereulaucum , and that at Taormina in Sicily , is of the greatest magnificence . As to the decoration of the ordersthat is Tuscan or Etruscanin
, , the style of the arnphilheatrum caslrensem . The architect who conceived it wished that the spectators might have the additional enjoyment of the imposing prospect of the beauties of the site and the deeply jncturosque character of the surrounding mountains . He availed himself , as almost all the ancients did in these sorts of edifices , of the bed of the rock
for the foundation of his theatre ; and the unevemicss of the ground at the place of the proscenium furnished him the means of contriving underneath subterranean galleries , which could bo applied to divers purposes , and where shelter might be had iu rainy weather , in case sulliciout room should not be found in those which surrounded the rows of seals . A colonnade in j'eristle crowns the last rows of seatsabove an
y , open gallery , where there wore also three rows of seats , which appeal- to have been destined for spectators of the most distinguished rank . Hero it may bo observed that at Ephemis , in the great theatre , the rows of seats were continued on the steep of the mountain to its summitin the middle part only ; an
obser-, vation made by M . Cassas on the spot ; and the intelligence with which the ancient architects availed themselves of the unevcmiess of the ground , produced often the noblest oflecta and procured great advantages . The same moans had been employed for a circus , at the same place , and at a short distancefrom this theatre .
The distribution of the seats and their vomitories in the theatre between Cysieus aud Laiupsacus is dlecfccd with much art and care for the public convenience ; these arcades afford entrance to the plalea , and seven , arcades with as many staircases , lead to the seats . The stage is open iu such a manner as to enable the spectators to enjoy the performance of tho actors from all places . . It is terminated
laterally on the right aud left by two great projecting solid masses , ornamented with niches , aud forming as it were a couple of pedestals for the support of the circular portion . Lastly , a- colonnade with double rows and open in the centre , decorates the depth of the stage , and those formed a permanent decoration through which the country could ,
notwithstanding , bo seen , or the moveable decorations winch the representation of the different pieces required . The variety and the opposition of these different masses , the affluence of spectators iu a place disposed with such felicity , and whence they could enjoy one of tho most beautiful prospects of nature , all combined in this enclosure to
offer the most beautiful spectacle that architecture and the arts can procure for those who know how to enjoy it . As to the exterior decoration of the theatre , it is reduced to a double row of arcades separated by a range of pilasters of the Tuscan order ; and there can also be distinguished iu the highest parts pierced modillions , intended for the
reception of poles to which were attached large moveable cloths , by means of which they covered the seats , sheltering them from tho sun when the play lasted all tho day ; for it is as well to observe that , when the locality permitted , they chose such a position that the setting sun was behind the theatre , and that the very projection of its shadow sheltered the stage when the performers were acting . The reader may , moreover , be assured that this theatre which had but twenty rows of seats , counting the three in