CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



571 



Fashions in 

 furuiture. 



Principles, common to many individuals, they sometimes become su- 

 V "^"Y""' periur to the more permanent principles of beauty, and 

 may for a time determine the taste of nations. 



The succession of the fashions of furniture, is a strong 

 instance of this. Within a few years, the forms copied 

 from the Chinese, the Gothic, and Antique styles, have 

 succeeded each other ; and each, in its turn, has been 

 cultivated with equal zeal and success. With the first, 

 were associated all the notions of eastern magnificence ; 

 with the second, the adventures and gallantry of the 

 Gothic manners, and all the elegance and splendour of 

 its cathedrals ; and, with the third, our imaginations 

 are crowded with the recollection of Grecian and Roman 

 taste. 



Comlu- From the whole of the foregoing discussions and il- 



iiens. lustrations, the following conclusions are drawn : 



" That the principal sources of the beauty of forms 

 are, 1st, The expression which we connect with peculiar 

 forms, either from the form itself, or the nature of the 

 subject formed. 2dly, The qualities of design, and fit- 

 ness, and utility, which they indicate ; and, 3dly, The 

 accidental associations which we happen to connect with 

 them. 



All forms are either ornamental or useful. 



I. The beauty of merely ornamental forms appears to 

 arise from three sources : 



1. The expression of the form itself. 



2. The expression of design. 



3. Accidental expression. 



The real and positive beauty, therefore, of every 

 ornamental form, will be in proportion to the nature and 

 the permanence of the expression by which it is distin- 

 guished. The strongest and most permanent emotion, 

 however, wr can receive from such expressions, is that 

 which arises from the nature of the form itself. The 

 emotion we receive from the expression of design, i nei- 

 ther so strong nor so permanent, and that which acciden- 

 tal associations produce, perishes often with the year 

 which gave it birth. The beauty of accidental expres- 

 sion is as variable as the caprice or fancy of mankind. 

 The beauty of expression of design varies with every 

 period of the art. The beauty which arises from the 

 form itself, is alone permanent, as founded on the uni- 

 form constitution of the human mind. Considering, there- 

 fore, the beauty of forms, as constituted by the degree 

 and permanence of their expression, the following con- 

 elusions seem immediately to suggest themselves. 



1. That the greatest beauty which ornamental forms 

 can receive, will be that which arises from the expression 

 of the form itself. 



2. That the next will he that which arises from the 

 expression of design or skill. And, 



3. That the least will be that which arises from acci- 

 dental or temporary expression. 



In all those arts, therefore, that respect the beauty of 



form, it ought to be the unceasing study of the artist to 



Accidental disengage his mind from the accidental associations of his 



awthiations age, an well asthecommon prejudices of his art, to labourto 



cn- distinguish his productions by that pure and permanent 



permanent ex P re88 ' on > which may be felt in every age, and to dis- 



expression. ^ a ' n to borrow a transitory fame, by yielding to the tem- 



por ry caprices of his time, or by exhibiting only the 



display of his own dexterity and skill." 



We conceive that the reader who has attentively con- 

 sidered even this slight sketch of Mr Alison's valuable 

 inveitigationi, will agree with us, that the true principles 



of architecture have at last been distinctly established ; Principle, 

 and tlint the liberal-minded artist will perceive with plea- T^"" 

 sure, that, instead of being left, as formerly, entangled 

 in uncertainty and confusion, the path to correct prac- 

 tice in his profession is now precisely marked out, and 

 that all his operations are guided by principles as inva- 

 riable as the constitution of the human mind. 



From the principles here laid down, it follows, that Architec- 

 architecture, as well as sculpture and painting, is perfect- turesuscep 

 ly susceptible of distinct expressions of character; that tible of ei- 

 tliis character may and ought to accord with the situa- press 10115 ; 

 tion and purposes for which the edifice is destined ; and 

 that all the component parts should tend to promote a 

 full and distinct expression of the general character. For 

 can any thing be more absurd, than to see an edifice ap- 

 propriated to the sacred purposes of divine worship, com- frequently 

 posed of a variety of trifling parts, disfigured by gaudy de- violated, 

 corations, and neither externally nor internally possessing 

 features expressive of its true character ; or, to see what is 

 too frequently met with in buildings appropriated to the 

 most ordinary purposes of life, puny imitations of those 

 forms which ought only to be introduced, of suitable di- 

 mensions, in works of magnificence and sublimity ; or to 

 find, nixed in the same edifice, forms of expression so 

 opposite as to distract the mind, and completely destroy 

 the intended effect. 



The following judicious observations of Professor Objervi- 

 Stewart will account distinctly for the incongruities and tiom by 

 bad taste which have occasionally overspread every coun- Professor 

 try in every school of architecture, and which must con- Stewarl - 

 tinue to be the case, unless mankind will benefit by the 

 errors of their predecessors, and be contented to guide 

 their conduct upon true principles. " From the account Prngresi 

 which has been given of the natural progress of taste, in of had 

 separating the genuine principles of beauty from the su- ta " e ' 

 perfluous and offensive concomitants, it is evident there 

 is a limit beyond which the love of simplicity cannot be 

 carried ; no bounds indeed can be set to the creations of 

 genius, but as this quality occurs seldom in an eminent 

 degree, it commonly happens, that after a period of great 

 refinement of taste, men begin to gratify their love of 

 variety, by adding superfluous circumstances to the finish* 

 ed models exhibited by their predecessors, or by making 

 other trifling alterations on them, with a view of merely 

 diversifying the effect. These additions and alteration?, 

 indifferent perhaps, or even in some degree offensive in 

 themselves, acquire soon a borrowed beauty, from the 

 connexion in which we see them, or from the influence 

 of fashion ; the sante cause which at first produced them, 

 continues perpetually to increase their number, and t..ste 

 returns to barbarism, by almost the same steps which con- 

 ductor! it to perfection." (Sei: Elements of the Philosophy 

 of the Human Mind, 3d edit 8vo, p. 373.') But instead 

 of conu-inpk.ung tiie prospect of degeneracy in architec- 

 ture, may we not hope, by the genera! dissemination i>f true 

 principles, to witness a progressive improvement, agreeably 

 to the views taken by the same ableaiM profound philoso- 

 pher, in page 460 of hi Phil. Estayt ? " The history of Progre 11 

 taste will be found analogous to that of human reason, of good 

 the taste of each successive age, being formed on the u>tc - 

 study of mon- perfect models than that ot the age be- 

 fore it, and leaving in its turn to after times a more ele- 

 vated ground. work on which they may raise their own 

 superstructure. 



" This traditionary taste (imbibed in early life, partly 

 from the received rules of critics, and partly from tli 

 study of approved models of excellence,) is ail that tVie 



