1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL." 



181 



But this 13 nearly the only ;illusion to those notions. If it were not 

 loo much vunitj', we might almost hope that our own arguments had 

 contributed somewhat towards the desired change, especially as Mr. 

 Palcy seems acquainted with this Journal, and quotes it in onr place; 

 or at least that the ridicule which his eccentric views have iiiet with 

 in other reviews has persuaded him, if not to alter liis sentiments, at 

 least to render them less conspicuous. 



Before entering into the detailed [lortion of his work, the author 

 gives some general views on the formation and application of mould- 

 ings. The following is an exposition of the generic distinctions be- 

 tween Medixval ana Classic mouldings. 



The early English base is allowed by all to have been borrowed from the 

 Attic, and we shall hereafter clearly demonstrate that such was the case. 

 And it may be that some forms, such, for instance, as the scroU-moulding 

 and the roU-and-fdlet, came from some external source. But if every form 

 can be shown to be an improvement or modification of a preceding one, we 

 may fairly conclude ihat the whole series is the offspring of one and the 

 same progressive art. 



In their use also Gothic mouldings differ as widely as possible from'Classic. 

 The former are repeated to almost any extent, so as entirely to occupy the 

 large recessed spaces in jambs and arches. They are repeated too in groups, 

 each group being composed of the same members, or nearly so, especially in 

 the earlier style". The latter are few in number, and very limited in tlieir 

 application. The combinations of the one are in a great measure arbitrary, 

 though the forms themselves are fixed ; in the latter both are absolutely de- 

 fined. The former run principally in vertical hues, the latter in horizontal. 

 In Gothic architecture, horizontal mouldings occur in water-tables and string- 

 courses, and in capitals and bases, in which positions they invariably form 

 subordinate lines, so as to contrast and display the predominant principle of 

 a vertical ascending sweep, and may so far perhaps be regarded as lingering 

 vestiges of the Classic usage — evidences of the victory of Christian over 

 I'agan art. For it is needless to remind the reader that Gothic owes its 

 origin, though not its development, to BasUiean, that is, to Roman archi- 

 tecture. P. U. 



The following remark will, or ought to, administer a severe rebuke 

 to many a modern architect who looks on a moulding as a mere facti- 

 tious appendage — something to be added when the rest of the work 

 is done. 



The student will already have perceived, from the manner we have adopted 

 of drawing the sections, first, that all these mouldings axe formed out of the 

 solid block solely by removing edi/es and sinking hollows, and must never be 

 regarded as excrescences on a plane surface ; secondly, and in consequence, 

 that the groups lie in the planes of the uncut blocks, the outermost edge of 

 each member touching the original or chamfered surface, that is, not being 

 cut away so as to fall below, or short of it. The original planes, or uucnt 

 square surfaces, are represented in our engravings by dotted lines. These 

 two facts must be regarded as fundamental canons in the arrangement of 

 mouldings. 



There are three planes in which mouldings will be found to lie ; one 

 parallel with the outer wall, which we shall designate Ihe wall-plane ; one 

 at right angles to it, or parallel with the soffit, which may be called the 

 soffit -plane ; and the third, the plane formed by chamfering an edge, which 

 was generally (not invariably) done at an angle of forty-five degrees, or the 

 chamfer-plane. It is clear that by sinking hollows in any one of these sur- 

 faces, a group of mouldings would be developeil. 



In considering any series of mouldings previously to copying them, the 

 first point is to lay down on paper the various planes, that is, to ascertain 

 the plan of the arch, or other feature, before the mouldings were cut. When 

 this is done by accurate measurement, the rest fi the process becomes com- 

 paratively easy, and the most complex and extensive combination, which it 

 appears at first sight impossible to copy with anything like accuracy, may be 

 readily disentangled, analysed, and sketched with precision. Without at- 

 tending to these facts, all attempts to do so will be futile. 



It may be alleged as a general rule, that Early English mouldings lie on 

 the planes rectangular ; that Decorated, according to their kind, fall either 

 on these, or on the chamfer-plane alone ; and that Perpendicular mouldings 

 almost always lie on the last. P. 19. 



The next chapter to that from which the above extracts are made, 

 contains useful remarks on the various methods of copying mouldings. 

 The method of the " lead tape," though simple, is objected to on ac- 

 count of the risk of inaccuracy from the bending of thi- lead. The 

 method of applying wet clay or soft wax to obtain a matrix-mould 

 from which a cast exactly resembling the original may be obtained in 

 plaster of Paris, has the defect of being inapplicable where there is 

 much tmdercutting. 



A beautiful and ingenious instrument has been invented by Professor 

 Willis, and called by him theCymagraph, by which mouldings may be copied 

 with the most perfect accuracy, and of the full size. It is described and 

 illustrated in the f'inil Engineer and Architects' Journal, No. 58. It can 

 hardly be successfully used without a little practice; but the most extensive 

 and complex mouldings can be taken by its aid. The only disadvantages 

 are, tbat tb« imtruffl«Qt, tbgugU by nQ mean; krge, is an iatouTenient ap- 



pendage to the equipment of a pedestrian, and that only a few inches of a 

 moulding can be taken at once ; so Ihat a number of separate pieces of paper 

 nmst be pinned together on the spot, and that with great accuracy, or the 

 planes and bearings will be incorrect. 



Geometric metlioils, both of copying and reducing mouldings, arc fallible ; 

 for the members and curves were very often drawn libera mrinw, especially iu 

 earlier work ; so that very considerable deviations from geometric precision 

 must be expected in observing ancient examples. P. 'iZ. 



The last remark will be interesting to those who read our review 

 of Mr. Billings' work in this month's number. The method which Mr. 

 I'aley has found experimentally the best is |to copy by the eye alone, 

 giving some of the principh- measurements. He says that it will be 

 found that by practice exceeding accuracy may be attained in this 

 kind of drawing, which to many other advantages joins this important 

 one, that by it mouldings may be copied which are inaccessible, and 

 yet distinctly visible to the eye. 



We must cndi'avour to extract a few passages from the main body 

 of the work, but it is ditficult to select them, on account of the style 

 being necessarily that of a work of reference to examples, and for the 

 most too unconnected to present interesting extracts — here and there, 

 however, we have very pleasing exceptions. 



The exquisite skill, taste, and patient labour invariably evinced in tho 

 working of Early English moiddings, are truly admirable. The ingenuity 

 that was never at a loss in any difiiculty of finish or constructive irregularity, 

 and the minuteness with which even the most concealed and darkened part* 

 were executed, are circumstances of much interest, if we contrast the hasty 

 and economical practice of the present day. The deepest hollows are all as 

 cleanly and perfectly cut as the most prominent and conspicuous details ; 

 and in the village church as much so as in the most glorious cathedral. An 

 Early English doorway is often a wonderful piece of art, however little it 

 may attract the attention of ordinary observers. It is most pleasing to no- 

 tice the long traUs of dog-teeth lurking in the dark furrow of a label or 

 chancelled recess ; to see the end of some inconvenient member got rid of 

 by throwing a flower across the point where it suddenly stops or dies into 

 the wall ; to admire the cfllorcscent boss and the foliaged capital intruding 

 their luxuriance upon the mouldings and hollows, as if they had ovcrgrowu 

 their original and proper limits, llow beautifully, too, the knots of pierced 

 and hanging leaves extend like some petrified garland or bower of filigree 

 work round the arch, dividing the plainer mouldings into groups, and almost; 

 imparting life to the very stones ! There are abundance of doorways of this 

 style which exhibit the most delightful varieties in their forins and group- 

 ings ; always, yet never the same. Some examples oceur at Bolton and Fur- 

 ness Abbeys, whose arch-mouldings extend five or six feet in width. The 

 west fronts of several of onr cathedrals have Early English doorways o£ 

 amazing magnificence. Alas, that we should now try to borrow an unreal 

 splendour by " running" archways by the yard in vile terra-cotta or viler 

 patent cement ! And strange, that with such noble examples of rich per- 

 spective effect and artistic display before them, our architects will generally 

 persist in inventing mouldings for themselves, rather than copy any of the 

 perfect works of ancient art which are everywhere to be met with, and of all 

 degrees of costliness. The wretchedness of modern mouldings can only be 

 appreciated by those who take the pains to compare them with the ancient.* 

 P. 34.; 



The following is taken from the chapter on mouldings of the De« 

 corated period. 



We sometimes meet with mouldings of much earlier Or later date than wc 

 should have expected from other characteristic marks in t*ie budding ; and 

 there are not a few instances in which, without the aid of snch marks, it 

 would be impossible to say whether a moidding is of the fourteenth or the 

 fifteenth century. In fact, this science does not appear capable of more than 

 general treatment ; though there is quite enough of uniform system to enable 

 us to apprehend the broad distinctive principles which obtained in the diffe- 

 rent periods. 



Generally, then, we observe much greater geometrical precision in draw- 

 ing both the hollows and the projecting members than prevailed in the pre- 

 ceding style. Segments of circles, both concave and convex, were much 

 used ; and there was a softness of blending, a delicacy and gentleness of 

 grouping, an avoidance of strong and violent contrasts of light and shade, 

 which imparted a more pleasing, though much less striking, effect. There 

 can be no doubt that the perfection of moulding, as of all architectural de- 

 tad, was attained in this style. 



And yet rich Decorated mouldings are of rather rare occurrence. A great 

 many of the finest buildings in this style scarcely afford as good examples of 

 mouldings as the smallest and humblest church of the Eariy Enghsh age. 

 Very often plain chamfers are used in all the windows, doorways, and pier- 

 arches ; while minor parts, such as bases, capitals, sedilia, sepulchral re- 

 cesses, and the like, have fine and elaborate details. It is in this kind of 

 work that we must look for the best mouldings in the Decorated style. 

 P. 36. 



* Mr. Itickmnn'B mouldings to the central gateway in the cloisters of St. John^a College, 

 rarabricige, is partly Kaily Kujjlish niiU puttly JijljiioetJ J*erp«nclitular, It has begid«B Its 

 poverty «f elfett utliur jurWus faults, 



2* 



