CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



Woodm 

 ir. ,. 



Cut iron. 



Oreora- 



iions. 



Pent polis. 



Creek*. 



Ronuni 

 vtry pr- 

 *. 



..lur i.f 



ported by three point* at least, placed out of a straight 

 line ; and consequently, if two edge* of a body, in dif- 

 ferent directions, be secured, they will become relatively 

 immoveable ; such is the case in a geometrical stair ; one 

 end of the step is always tailed into the wall, and one 

 edge rests either on the ground or on the edge of the in- 

 ferior step or platform. 



The practice of rroodrn flairs, (which also includes the 

 constructing and fixing the handrails for those of stone, ) 

 fall* under the article JOIXEIIY, to which we must re- 

 fer. But besides the before mentioned materials, stairs 

 may be constructed with cast iron, which would, in the 

 case of fire, have advantages over either of the former. 

 The facility with which the several parts may be cast 

 and fixed, and the light and elegant forms which may be 

 introduced, at a comparatively moderate expense, lead 

 us to press this new mode upon the attention of the 

 young architect. 



The staircase has always been considered a principal fea- 

 ture, not only in the private dwelling, but also in the public- 

 edifice. It is usually placed so as to be seen from the 

 hall or vestibule, and centrical for communicating with 

 the public or principal apartments ; it is frequently de- 

 corated with columns and pilasters on the sundry land- 

 ings ; it is generally terminated at the top by an elegant 

 skylight window, and has its walls enriched with pannels 

 for paintings, and niches for statues or bust;. 



DECORATIONS anciently, (besides what belonged to 

 the orders, ) consisted of sculpture and painting. In the 

 palaces and temples of Upper Egypt, the walls are com- 

 pletely covered with sculptures, and the ceilings by 

 paintings. In the numerous splendid tombs both the 

 wall* and ceilings are frequently covered with paintings ; 

 but here it is profusion rather than design or execution 

 which attracts admiration. In the ruins of the palace of 

 Persepolis, and tombs of the kings, the sculpture is equal- 

 ly profuse, and the execution just as imperfect. The 

 fine genius and taste of the Greeks reformed both sculp- 

 ture and painting. Their principal and boldest features 

 consisted of animal figures, and it is difficult to determine 

 whether the taste in designing or skill in the execution me- 

 rit* most admiration. The subordinate members are de- 

 corated with representations of vegetable substances ; 

 where great delicacy is observable, they are generally in 

 low bass relief, and the honeysuckle plant predominates. 

 Their paintings were chiefly historical subjects, as the 

 battle of Marathon, by the brother of Phidias, in the 

 temple of Jupiter Olympus at Elis. In Roman architec- 

 ture the profusion of sculpture became excessive ; the 

 skill of the workmen long continued very perfect, but 

 the taste of the architect greatly degenerated. Some of 

 their triumphal arches and historical columns, where the 

 utmost effort* of sculpture are appropriate, have through 

 every age continued to command the admiration of man- 

 kind ; but in their later temples, palaces, and baths, the 

 profusion is tiresome and disgusting. In modern times, 

 although architecture was, for some ages, overloaded 

 with minute sculptures, it was by degrees much chasten- 

 ed, and excepting on interior stucco work, it has, for 

 tome time past, been almost wholly abandoned. On the 

 other hand, the use of painting has been much extended, 

 and is, indeed, in all interior works become universal, ex- 

 cepting where the walls are covered with paper, a modern 

 invention of great beauty, comfort, and economy. 



One species of sculpture has been uniformly pra. 

 by both ancient* and moderns, that is the isolated statue 

 or kmt. The ancients decorated their forums, basilicas, 

 temple*, theatre*, and bath*, with statues of their deities, 

 philosophers, heroes, legislator*, fee. and the modems 



have done the ame thing in their churches, palaces, 

 bouse*, squares, gardens, public walks, &c. The statues 

 are placed either singly or in groupes j they are cither 

 raised on pedestals standing quite isolated, or in recesses 

 termed niche* ; if in niches, the distance between the out- 

 side of the statue and the sides of the niche should 

 be less than one third, nor more than one half a head. 

 Statues are frequently placed on a plinth, whose height 

 may vary from one third to one half a head. Besides 

 the before mentioned situations, statues are sometimes 

 placed before the dwarf pilasters of attic stories, as in 

 the arch of Constantine, the Corinthian colonnade at 

 Thessalonici, and at Somerset Place in London. 



PLAN, by this term is understood the drawings or re- 

 presentations of the intended structure j they consist 01 

 three sorts : 1st, Shewing the shape, dimensions, and re- 

 lative situation of the several apartments. 'Jd, Shewing 

 the appearance which the external faces of the edifice 

 will have when completed ; and 3d, Sections shi 

 the heights and mode of finishing the principal apart- 

 ments. 



It will be readily perceived, that no fixed rules can he 

 laid down for forming plans which shall, in all cases, be 

 applicable. The architect, in making the design, must 

 be regulated by the climate, the situation, the purpose to 

 which the edifice is to be appropriated, the nature of the 

 materials to be employed, and the customs and habits ol 

 the people ; and the latter not only vary with their rank 

 in society, but are continually changing in every rank, a* 

 must be evident to the reader from perusing the sketch 

 we have given of the history of architecture. The ut- 

 most therefore we shall attempt, will be to produce anil 

 explain specimens from the works of the most celebrated 

 architects, since the revival of Roman architecture ; and 

 make some general observations upon the modes now 

 practised in Britain. 



In tracing the progress of the revival of Roman archi- 

 tecture, it is necessary to remark, that in 1016, Buscheto, 

 a Greek of the isle of Dulichio, was employed to con- 

 struct the cathedral of Pis*, which he did with marble 

 columns and a dome. He had many disciples, and may 

 be reckoned the founder of modern architecture in Italy. 

 But the earliest specimen we shall produce, is the plan 

 and section of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiora 

 at Florence, which will be found in Plate CLXXIII. 

 It was begun in 128S, by Arnolf Lusii, a Florentine 

 architect, and left, after he died in 1300, for 120 years in 

 an unfinished state, as no person could be found who 

 would undertake to construct the dome. In Ii20, Fi- 

 lipo Brunelleschi, having previously, with great diligence, 

 studied the remains of ancient architecture at Rome and 

 Florence, proposed a scheme to complete that difficult 

 work. He solicited the curators of the fabric to have it 

 examined by a convocation of Italian and Oltraraonte 

 architects, who complied with his requisition; but these 

 timid artists considered the project so extravagant, that 

 they hissed him out of the assembly. They proposed to 

 raise a mound of earth interspersed with pieces of money, 

 and on its top, when properly moulded, to turn the 

 dome, and then to suflur the populace to remove the 

 earth for the money it contained. This miserable expe- 

 dient was, however, rejected ; and the persevering Bruocl- 

 leschi, after having returned to Rome, and again exami- 

 ned its ancient buildings, was recalled, and ptrmitted, af- 

 tc r making some experiments upon a small scale, to com- 

 mence his favourite project. He continued to direct the 

 works for 20 years, and, before his death in 1440, had 

 dosed in the dome at the foundation of the cupola or 

 laiuhern, for which, and the globe and cross, he left dc- 



Practice. 



[Man. 



Revival of 

 Roman ar- 

 chitecture. 



Bmcheto. 



Santa 

 Maria del 

 Fioro at 

 Florence. 



PLAT* 

 CLXXIII. 



Brunei. 

 Ictchi. 



