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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[January, 



consisting of Cyclopean walls, flights of steps, terraces and platforms, 

 and containing within a spacious souterrain of massive vaults, to 

 which there is an extrance from the first terrace. Measured from the 

 lower step of the bottom flight to the bases of the columns of the 

 portico, the height ot this vast and widely spreading-out basement is 

 138 feet, and from that level to the apes of the pediment 57, making 

 the entire height 195 feet. The ascent is first by a single flight (G4 

 feet wide), ihen by tw^o others right and left, at right angles to it, 

 which bring us to the lower terrace. From this two similar flights 

 returning in a contrary direction to the others, meet at the bottom of 

 the last or upper flight, which leads immediately up to the portico. 

 Thus, as shown in elevation or geometrical drawing, the building ap- 

 pears to be raised on a vast pyramidal mass 210 feet wide below, and 

 138 high; but except the whole be viewed from a considerable dis- 

 tance, the actual appearance is altogether different, because the ter- 

 races are so lofty (the lower one li7, the next 37 feet), and extend so 

 far forward in front (above 200 feet) that the building itself is quite 

 lost at first, and does not come into view until the last flight is reached, 

 when its magnificent pediment filled with statues burst upon the eye 

 with an effect infinitely superior to what it would have been had the 

 pnitico been visible during the whole ascent. No general view of the 

 building conveys any idea whatever either of this, or of the terraces 

 themselves, because in every representation of the kind, the whole 

 must be shown from such a distance, and from so preposterously ele- 

 vated an horizon, that while it is falsified by this last circumstance, 

 it looks quite insignificant upon paper — no belter than a little 

 model. In order to convey an adequate idea of the grandeur and 

 variety attending this portion of the design, at least a dozen strictly 

 architectural drawings would be required, describing both the terraces 

 themselves, the views obtained from them at different progressive 

 heights, looking towards the building or the contrary, and one within 

 the portico, showing the prospect seen through the columns. But 

 this would be requiring a good deal beyond the power of the pencil 

 to accomplish, it being impossible to express the effect of looking 

 immediately vp or down — up to the portico as seen towering above, as 

 soon as seen at all, and down upon the terraces which have been as- 

 cended. 



The interior of the Walhalla certainly does not fall short of the 

 promise held out by its exterior, for if in'the latter, the architect Ins 

 aimed at no more than producing a faithful likeness of one of the most 

 celebrated structures of antiquity, he has here shown his invention in 

 the happiest manner, and united to the beauties of the original struc- 

 ture, others not possessed by it. Of interior architecture, the Greeks 

 appear to have had very little— their theatres were uncovered, and 

 therefore partook more of the nature of an open court, than of the 

 inside of a building, and the eel!® of their temples either hail no other 

 light within than what they received from the door.orwere hyi<ethral, 

 that is, open to the sky, not entirely, but in the centre, in which case 

 they also must have had the character of an open court, with no 

 shelter hut within the colonnades along the sides. Although it is still 

 matter of dispute with some, the Parthenon is generally supposed to 

 have been by pajthral, but whether it were so or not, the interior could 

 by no means have corresponded in architectural beauty, with the 

 exterior. Of the German Parthenon, on the contrary, the interior 

 affords an example of a perfect architectural climax, it being as much 

 characterized by splendour and richness, as the exterior is In graceful 

 severity. All that is not marble, is bronze and gilding; the pavement 

 is of marble, inlaid in a pattern of various colours; the walls and 

 shafts of the columns and antE, are of brownish red marble, from 

 .Salzburg; the entablatures, capitals, &c, of white marble, partly 

 relieved by gilding and colours, while the ceiling is entirely covered 

 with plates of bronze highly gilt. Were no other part of the interior 

 worthy of notice, the ceiling alone would call for special examination, 

 since there Klenze has fallen upon a most happy idea, one entirely 

 origin. il, yet so natural, and so perfectly in accordance with what is 

 one of the most characteristic forn.s in Grecian architecture, that the 

 wonder is it should never have been adopted before, — although it was 

 perhaps hardly practicable before the use of cast-iron for roofs. In- 

 stead of being either flat or vaulted, the ceiling is here of precisely 

 the same form as the external roof, being, in fact, identical with it, in 

 (ike manner as the open timber ceilings of Gothic buildings, conse- 



Not to encumber the description with too many details of the kind, we 

 here note some further particulars relative lo the exterior of tbi building, 



uliich is nearly a lac-simile of the Parlhemn, being not only of precisely 



the same order, but like that edifice an octastyle peripteral, anil with the 

 tame number of columns on its flanks, viz., seventeen, including those at the 

 angles, or 1G intercolumns. 'Ihere are therefore 46 columns, or including six 

 others torming the piunaos within the entrance portico, 52 in all. Measured 

 along the buses of ihe columns the plan is C J8 ft el by 232, which dimi usions 

 are as nearly as may be those of the Parthenon. 



quenfly, while there is no masking of any kind, greater loftiness is 

 obtained than there otherwise would be. And as in the Gothic style 

 roofs of that description are made to exhibit arches, curved and 

 pendant beams, tracery, &c. ; so here the pediment form is introduced 

 internally, not merely in outline at each end, but in two intermediate 

 pediments, whose architraves rest upon the massive piers which pro- 

 ject from the walls, so as to divide the plan into three compartments, 

 and thereby without interrupting the vista, serve to impart to it 

 greater variety, to produce a succession of spaces, instead of merely 

 a single one, and to break up what might have been rather disagree- 

 ble monotony and formality, had the busts been arranged in continued 

 rows, from end to end. The pediments are therefore seen in perspec- 

 tive, one behind the other, and besides being otherwise embellished, 

 their tympanums are divided into compartments filled with figures and 

 arabesques, in open work. Here, then, Klenze has most felicitously 

 solved an important problem, and without other authority than that 

 supplied him by his own invention, has produced what will henceforth 

 be an authority and standard for others to follow. What he has here 

 done, may indeed be compared to Columbus' breaking the egg; for 

 now that it 18 done, people may say that the idea was obvious enough: 

 nevertheless, obvious as it may have been, it was beyond their grasp and 

 reach. Such being the case, architects would do well to think a little 

 more for themselves, than the generality of them now appear to do, 

 and to consider whether there may not be other latent ideas to be 

 seized hold of and brought out, applied and developed; — which, how- 

 ever, they are not likely to do, so long as they continue to look 

 chiefly to precedents and authorities, without seeking to venture 

 beyond them. We do not mean to say it is at all desirable that every 

 one should attempt what is beyond the power of most to accomplish: 

 let those who have no ideas of their own — of course we mean ideas 

 of anv value — stick to established precedents ; but let not therefore 

 those who are more gifted, who can penetrate into the resources of 

 their art be deterred from exercising their originality, by the ap- 

 prehension of being charged with innovation. The time was, when 

 what is now authority and precedent, was innovation : without inno- 

 vation, we should not have had the Ionic order in addition to the 

 Doric, nor the Corinthian in addition to the Ionic. Does not Gothic 

 architecture very forcibly display progressive innovation from first to 

 last ? and if, at last, invention seems to have been quite worn out, it 

 was partly owing to accidental circumstances, and to the not pursuing 

 any further the same course, guided by the same principles. But we 

 are neglecting the Walhalla. 



In combination with the ceiling, is the mode employed for admitting 

 light, viz. through an open space (but filled in with plate glass) over 

 the centre of each compartment; by which means, while many incon- 

 veniences are avoided, many positive advantages are secured. Win- 

 dows in the walls would have been almost, or we may say, quite fatal 

 to the exterior, for however managed, they would at once have de- 

 stroyed the character and the effect of pyenostyle Doric colonnades. 

 Even in the interior, side windows would have proved highly objec- 

 tionable, if only on account of their producing cross lights, and too 

 many separate spots of light, thereby destroying that breadth of light 

 and shade, which so greatly contributes to the effect of architecture. 

 A light admitted directly from above, is certainly that which the 

 artist's eye most approves: it is that to which the preference is given 

 for galleries and studies; nevertheless, architects in this country seem 

 determined never to give it us, if they can possibly avoid doing so. 

 As far as we are aware, not a single church professing to be in the 

 classical style — whether Grecian or Roman — is so lighted — at least, 

 only partially; notwithstanding that windows prove almost invariably 

 blemishes, in what may be otherwise satisfactory in design. It would 

 seem, that because windows are highly characteristic and ornamental 

 features in churches in the Gothic style, they must be retained as 

 matters of course in all churches, however ill they may accord with 

 the style selected for them. Had the interior of the Walhalla been 

 lighted by windows on its sides, very different and decidedly much 

 inferior would the effect have been from what it now is; besides 

 uliich, many of its embellishments would have been very indistinctly 

 seen. Such would have been the case in regard to the magnificent 

 frieze or relipf, by Pettrich and Schopf, after Wagner's designs, which 

 forms a line of sculpture beneath the entablature, extending altogether 

 to about 30U feet. The order of the interior is Ionic, but only in antaj 

 or pilasters at the angles of the piers between the divisions of the 

 plan, except at the further or North end, where is an open screen — a 

 distyle in antis, through which is seen a fourth division answering to 

 the opisthodomus of an ancient temple. Over this Ionic order, there 

 is another, of Caryatides, representing Valkyntx, and these colossal 

 female genii (ten feet high) are in imitation of the chryseo-elephant- 

 ine statues of antiquity, the naked parts being made to resemble ivory, 

 and the draperies blazoned with gold and colours. The busts, which 



