.1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



93 



and burnt in. White brick round the windows, or at the corners of bouses, 

 proves a good foil to shaped flints ; red brick to white, and vice rersa. I 

 shall mention one or two instances of the use of moulded bricks. Wes- 

 thorpe hall, one of ihe first buildings of this class, was erecCed by Brandon, 

 Duke of SuHblk, about the year 1500, who resided there wiili bis wife, a 

 king's sister and widow. Though hardly a remnant even of the ruins re- 

 mains, yet fragments turn up which show the beauty of the brick mould, 

 ings. They are of a very hard and compact white brick, which retains its 

 original sharpuess, and some of them, having the Duke's crest in relief 

 upon them, still ornament a bridge of the same date as the hall. The 

 other example is West Slow Hall, built by the same duke, the gatehouse 

 of which is a noble specimen of brick building. As an example of the use 

 of brick mouldings in churches, I may name Ixworth Thorp, a doiirway of 

 which church has its mouldings and circular arch, formed of red brick," 



NOTES ON FOREIGN WORKS. 



State of the Gallery of the Louvre, and of French Art in general. — M. 

 Clarac, conservator of the antiques of the French national gallery, has 

 lately died— a loss much (o be regretted. The count was the author of 

 the catalogue of antiquities, most valuable also, on account of ihe fine and 

 accurate description of the materials (metals, stone, &c.), of which the 

 ancients constructed their buildings and ornaments. It is true, that M. 

 Clarac owed much to the notes of his predecessor, M. Visconti — still, the 

 digestion and airangemeut are his. The French press blame much the 

 choice of his successor, attributing it to court influence and his seat in the 

 House. They complain also that uo care is taken of securing new acqui- 

 sitions to the Gallery, and speak of antique bronze Silens, &c., purchased 

 lately by either millionaires or Englishmen. These general complaints 

 have become the more pungent, as the works and ideas of Winckelmana 

 seem to acquire great influence in France, and the public naturally expect, 

 that persons so well provided for from the public purse, should be tliose to 

 continue the researches of that great German art-critic. — A still greater 

 opposition and schism is observable in the department of painting, where a 

 most mediocre catalogue (analogous to that common-place index of the 

 British Museum), is placed in juxtaposition with that of the lamented 

 M. Clarac. The very exhibition of the Royal Academy, and still more 

 its prize decisions, are threatened with a most determined opposition ; and 

 the first painters have resolved on submitting no more to such a tribunal, 

 and not to send any more pictures to the exhibition. It has been a matter 

 of surprise, that men like Ary Scheft'er, Delacroix, Decamps, &c., should 

 have quailed under the dictates of a secret tribunal; and it is quite natural 

 that they, and other painters and sculptors, have resolved on forming an 

 exhibition of their own — that of the artists of Young France. Amongst 

 the most telling members of this opposition is one, of a strong and original 

 mind — M. Barye, the sculptor. His groups in bronze, caudelabras, &e., 

 are highly spoken of — and it is much to be regreite<l, that he is not in the 

 position for exerting himself on some larger work, being neither a knight, 

 nor a F.R., or R.A. 



The Paintings and Carvings of St. Bacon, Ghent. — This celebrated 

 ancient ediHce seems to have become, of late, a sort of art-stones, out of 

 which anything was sold to the highest bidder. In consequence of which, 

 the Belgian legislation have decreed, that no public establishment should 

 be allowed to sell their objects of art ! It is said, that a speculator bad, 

 at first, sold some Van Eycks to a German museum for 400,000 francs. — 

 One of the most celebrated Flemish carvers was Franfois Flamand, whose 

 bronzes, terra-cottas, and carvings in wood, are admired in many collec- 

 tions. The two famous altar-pieces of St. Bavon are now in Paris. They 

 also had become the object of judicial litigation between the sellers and 

 the public authorities. They resemble, rather, small chapels, being 12 

 feet by 13 feet. They are crowded with ornaments of architecture in 

 the Flamboyant or the Florid Gothic style. The one is of 1504, and re- 

 presents the Life of the Virgin, in four episodes. Most of the figures are 

 worked out in roiide-fcosseor alto-rellfevo. The second altar-piece represents 

 the Life of St. Bavon, or St. Benoit, consisting of six very complicated 

 compositions. The style of these carvings, enveloped in festoons and 

 garlands of flowers, and thousand-fold foliage intervtoven and interlaced, 

 is very interesting, combining the stern style of Catholicism with tiie more 

 lively forms of the Renaissance. — The present state of wood carving in 

 France is not encouraging. Except the chair of St. Vmcent de Paule, 

 executed by i\I. Duseigneurs, no other real artistic work of the kind is to 

 be met with. It is not the fault of art, as France possesses some superior 

 statuaries, — but of the public, who have become, it seems, insensible to 

 all but the most flimsy and tawdry productions of ait. 



iU. Violet Lediic, the Restorer of Noire Dame, Paris. — This gentleman, 

 to whom the thorough restoration of that huge building has been intrusted 

 by government, at an expense of one million francs, has been aitacked in 

 various ways, of late, by the opponents of Gothic architecture. To this, 

 he has answered in a most triumphant way — asserting, very justly, that 

 eterij real and genuine style of art is good, if properly, judiciously, and 

 grandly carried out. The lovers of Gothic architecture have, moreover, 

 lately gained another triumph, in consequence of the municipality of Paris 



having decreed the erection of Ihe charch of Sle. Clotilde in the Gothic 

 style, whose piles are rapidly rising, and promise to be a new ornament to 

 the French metropolis. 



Cornelius and Humboldt.— It is now certain that M. Cornelius was 

 obliged to decline the oiler of undertaking Ihe frescoes for the internal 

 decoration of the Houses of Parliament at London ; previous engage- 

 ments at Berlin left him. indeed, no alternalive in this respect. He has 

 just completed the sketch of a medal, which the King of Prussia intends 

 to present to M. Humholdt as a token for his great work Cosmos. The 

 drawing represents the Genius of Science lifting the veil of Nature, per- 

 sonified under the image of a beauteous maideu. The different branches 

 of natural sciences are appropriately represented, and to show clearly that 

 much yet remains unrevealed, a sphynx is seen, to which the Genius 

 points as ths object of future inquiries. On the reverse, a likeness of M. 

 Humboldt will be engraven. 



Restoration of the Cathedral of Speijcr. — This mummyary of the old 

 German Empire is to be restored, by order of the King of Bavaria. The 

 cathedral, one of the oldest in Germany, bears some traces of the Byzan- 

 tine style, and vies in size even with that ne plus ultra of mediieval build- 

 ings, the Dome of Colin. The German press speaks highly of the gran- 

 deur of Ihe style in which the restoration is contemplated ; tiie architect is 

 Ihe well known Giirtner, of Munich. The frescoes are entrusted to M. 

 Schraudolf, who has already exhibited his vocation for works of high art, 

 in the St. Boniface and All Saints chapels at Munich. Beside him stands 

 Schwarzmann, for the ornamental decoration of the cathedral. The paint- 

 ings of Ihe vaulted ceiling of the huge choir are already sketched, and the 

 gold ground of Byzantine style completed ; and the rich ornamental work 

 of Schwarzmann shows, how this thinking arlist knows judiciously to 

 co-ordinate himself and his work to the great ensemble to be achieved. 

 The spring will see the completion of the tower, and the lateral choirs and 

 nave will follow in due succession. The principal painting will represent 

 Ihe Life of the Virgin Mary, and that in the southern choir the Life of St. 

 Stephen ; Ihe northern choir will be adorned by the deeds of St. Bernard, 

 who preached, in the 12th century, in that very same cathedral, the second 

 Crusade! The figures will be either painied on the gold ground, or be 

 separate fresco paintings. This restoration will add much to that wreath 

 of nature and art beauties, by which the banks of the Rhine are so attract- 

 ive to every sensible mind. 



A Aew Rudder for Large Ships. — M,Fouque, magazineerof the French 

 navy, has submitted to Ihe minister of marine Ihe plan of a new rudder, 

 which has been applied on board the corvette La Recherche. The com- 

 mander of this vessel having certified to the secretary of state, that it was 

 pieferable in several instances, and also on account of its solidity, to those 

 in general use, his excellency has given orders to apply M, Fouque's rud- 

 ders to two vessels of the Port of Toulon, destined for long voyages, in 

 order to try their effect under difi'erent climes and latitudes. 



Haven of Swinemiinde, Prussia. — The government are doing everything 

 towards making this harbour convenient to their own and foreign shipping, 

 as its situation is most advantageous. A large dyke has been constructed, 

 by which the hitherto shallow and sandy embouchure of the Swine has 

 been deepened to upwards of 20 feet, and made accessible even to ships 

 of war. Of late, Ihe bed of this river also has been deepened to 16 feet, 

 from Swinemiinde to Stettin. Fortifications, also, in case of war, are con 

 templated. 



Gas Lighting at Nuremheig. — M'e extract the following as a curions 

 specimen of German tenders and contracts : " The gas- manufactory to be 

 completed within Ihe space of a year, so as to supply 300 lanterns — fine 

 for each week of delay in completing contract — £30. The persons hitherto 

 employed in the lighting of the city, to be retained by the new company. 

 The city will require, in ail, 530 lights, and a length of pipe of 75,000 

 feet ; the sixth part of the lights to be employed as oandelabras, each to 

 cost £T ; the lanterns, £3 10s. Each light for public use to be calculated 

 to burn 1,400 hours a year, and 5,000 cubic feet of gas to be kept in re- 

 serve. The conducting pipes, which will be subject to a pressure of ten 

 atmospheres prior to being used, are to be calculated for 6,000 lights, at 

 4^ English cubic feet of gas to be consumed per hour. Each flame of that 

 size has lo possess (as ascertained by Rumford's photometer), seven times 

 the slrength of a ^ lb. wax candle. PZach of such flames is to be paid for 

 at the rate of 23 U. 30 xr. (£2), for the yearly calculated burning space of 

 140O hours. Private individuals pay for 1000 cubic feet of gas for 25 

 years, 6 fl. 15 xr., and quantities of gas are also to be had by the ga^ me- 

 ter. If purchased without contract, any number not exceeding fi\e lights 

 costs 37 fl. ; not exceeding ten, 47 fl. ; from forty lo sixty, 100 fl., and so 

 on." It is said that the burgomaster of Niireniberg is a very good calcu- 

 lator ; and so it would appear from ihiscoulract, of which we have only 

 given the most important part. 



Ocer-Zeul of Art Collectors. — A very considerable theft of Pompeiian 

 antiquities, frescoes, and bronzes, has been of late discovered in the Museo 

 Borbonico, at Naples. This questionable acquisition was destined for the 

 London market, and was already on board ship for exportation. The 

 throng of travelling collectors, however, throughout Italy is quite astound- 

 ing, and anliqiiities are much dearer in Rome and Naples than they are in 

 the Strand or Wardour-slreet, 



The Ifloving Mountain near Vnkel on the Rhine. — Prof. Nbggeralh, 

 of Bonn, has delivered a lecture on this curious phenomenon (un(e p. 63), 



