The Figure- Sculpture 257 



square C also at Piacenza) on panels in the cathedral of Piacenza 

 (1122),^ and on the gate of the monastery of St. Ursin at Bourges 

 (ca. 1150). 2 The inscription on the Brussels rehquary, which Loge- 

 man^ assigns to about 1100, has various examples of the angular 

 C, G, and O. There is therefore no necessity of postulating an earlier 

 date on account of this peculiar O. In fact, according to Caumont, 

 the lozenge-shaped O becomes more frequent in lapidary inscriptions 

 the later the date within this period in France. 



Plus tard, quelques alterations seulement s'introduisirentdans la forme 

 de certaines lettres. Les c devinrent quelquefois carres ; les o appro- 

 cherent de la forme d'un losange.* 



B. Language. — C. Metrical Peculiarities. 

 D. Historical Subject-Matter. 

 As to the language, metrical peculiarities, or subject-matter of 

 the Latin inscriptions, there is almost nothing to be said. The 

 spelling natibitate, for nativitate, occurs, but I do not know what 

 bearing, if anj^, this has upon the question of date. There is no 

 Latin verse ; and the subject-matter is taken from the Gospel history 

 or from early Christian legend, and so affords no clue. 



II. THE FIGURE -SCULPTURE 



The figure-sculpture embraces, as we have seen, figures or groups 

 whose subjects are taken from the New Testament, one from early 

 Christian legend, and two of the nature of genre. These need to be 

 treated somewhat fully, and accordingly I have endeavored to show 

 the relation of these figures or groups (with the exception of the 

 healing of the blind man) to others which represent the same sub- 

 ject in the earUest Occidental sculpture with which I am acquainted. 



The figure of Christ by himself has so much in common with that 

 which is known as the ' Majesty,' that I deal with it under that head. 



^ Venturi, Storia delV Arte Italiana 3. 176-7. There are square C's in 

 the inscription on the Church of St. James of the Rialto, Venice. Ruskin, 

 who figures the inscription in his Works (Library Edition) 21. 269, wavers 

 as to date (1073 in 24. 236-7 : St. Mark's Rest, §§ 35, 36 ; elsewhere (29. 98) 

 he says 9th century, deferring to a Venetian antiquary. 



^ VioUet-le-Duc, Dictionnaire Raisonne de V Architecture Fran^aise 8. 204. 



^ U Inscription Anglo-Saxonne du Reliquaire de la Vraie Croix, pp. 10, 

 11 ; cf. the facsimiles at the end of his volume. 



* Abecedaire d' Archeologie 1. 59. 



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