1842.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



297 



been depvive.l of tlie delight, and Ihemselves of the glory, their more adven- 

 turous career has so hounleously conferred. 



The insinuation that it is a distinction of the popular taste to entertain an 

 affection for rough cast sculpture, is one of those inoperative lihels which 

 finds its refutation in its own extravagance ; and as regards the other proofs 

 of the depravity of the public predilections, it is sufficient to say that ne 

 think them singularly inconclusive. A whitened tower may be a very pic- 

 turesque object in some situations, and if it be true that a brick wall may be 

 less displeasing than an architectural abortion, the recommendation to imi- 

 tate brick in a certain public edifice may, for aught we know, have been far 

 from injudicious. It is rather a novel doctrine, we think, that if a man's 

 business passes away, it is necessarily the fault of his employers, and never 

 of himself; but however consolatory such a conviction may he, we fear it 

 will be found to be a poor indemnity for so serious and substantial a depri- 

 vation. We agree with this gentleman in thinking that men excel in archi- 

 tecture by virtue of a " natural taste and talent," but are unable to reconcile 

 this with the declaration that engineers and decorators are necessarily in- 

 capable of architectural productions. It is difficult to imagine that nature 

 reserves her taste and talent for architects exclusively ; and if a fair propor- 

 tion be distributed among engineers and decorators, those of them to whom 

 this qualification falls, ought, by our correspondent's own canon, to be per- 

 fectly capable of architectural excellence. M'e agree that the architect is a 

 salutary check ujjon the builder, and the value of this check the public is 

 well able to estimate. The praise and reprehension of Sir Christopher Wren 

 may appear to stand awkwardly together in our pages, yet both may we 

 conceive be perfectly just ; and the awkwardness will ne suspect appear most 

 conspicuous to those who will not understan.l that an extensive edifice or 

 multitude of edifices may afford matter for just ridicule and just commenda- 

 tion, and that the genius of an artist however great, may slill be liable to 

 some exceptions. It would have been quite foreign to the purpose of the 

 spirit of architecture to have entered into the details of architectural compo- 

 sition, or compared one building with another, with a view to ascertain 

 their merits and defects j and we think the title even of tliat paper is enough 

 to show that its concern was not with the details and specialities of archi- 

 tecture, but with its radical and universal principles. Any remarks upon 

 such a subject must necessarily be sweeping, simply because they are 

 general; and we think it rather an extraordinary course to object toils 

 strictures, not because they are unjust, but merely because they are not 

 personal. — Editor] 



BEVIE'WS. 



Transactions: of the Royal Institute of British jirc/tiltcts. Vol. I. 

 Part 2. London ; Longman & Co., 1842. 



( Concluded from page 260. J 



The paper by Herr Kallmann, of Hanover, on the Greco-Russian 

 Ecclesiastical Architecture, is a valuable contribution. As an histori- 

 cal essay, and an exponent of manners and customs relative to the 

 Greek church, it will be perused with interest by all classes of readers, 

 while to the professional architect, it affords a new and instructive 

 study on the great radical principle of his art — the adaptation of the 

 arrangement and character of an edifice to the especial purpose for 

 which it is destined. A comparison of the Greek and Romish eccle- 

 siastical edifices, for which, as regards the former, this essay affords 

 ample materials, cannot fail to impress strongly upon the mind of the 

 British architect, that the study of combinations differing from both is 

 demanded of him by the ritual of the Reformed Catholic Church of 

 England. It is difficult to conceive anv thing more repugnant to 

 reason and sound taste, than the recurrence, in these days, to eccle- 

 siastical arrangements peculiar to the worst form of superstition and 

 priestcraft that ever degraded the Christian coinmunitv ; and yet such 

 is tlio style of planning churches loudly called for by ignorance and 

 intolerance at the present moment, and dignitaries of the establish- 

 ment are not asliamed to prostitute the influence of their station by 

 joining in the cry, under a Jesuitical pretence of encouraging archi- 

 tecture. But to return to our immediate subject. After a prefatory 

 historical sketch of the progress of ecclesiastical architecture in 

 Russia from the tenth century, Herr Hallmann proceeds to describe 

 the plan, arrangement, and decoration of a Greco-Russian church. 

 To follow this description connectedly would be to transcribe the bulk 

 ofthepajier; we shall, therefore, be content to extract so much as 

 relates to the principal feature of the interior — the Iconostasis, or 

 screen separating tlie sanctuary from the body of the church. It is 

 probable that many who may have had the opportunity of seeing 

 Greek churches, may not be awarp, of all the mystical intention of 

 tlieir ornaments : 



" A perfect Iconostasis is the representation of tJie universe, or rather of 

 the cetestial kingdom. It is composed of four or live different tiers, four of 

 which are indispensable, as will be presently explained. Each tier is com- 

 posed of an unequal number of pictures of saints, painted on tablets or long 

 square surfaces, the position of which is rigorously fixed. 



"On the first tier, which rises generally a few steps above the ground, (the 

 number of steps is indifferent provided they do not exceed seven) are three 

 doors ; the middle is a folding door, by means of which a view of the altar is 

 obtained during the ceremony, and is ornamented with the Annunciation of 

 the Virgin, the Virgin on one of the leaves, and the angel on the other, ac- 

 companied by the heads or emblems of the four evangelists ; on the right is 

 the effigy of Christ, on the left that of the Madonna — on the right after that 

 of Christ, is placed the picture of the saint or of the festival of the church — 

 then come the smaller doors already mentioned, which are single doors. 

 Above the central door there are occasionally three angels' heads, as sym- 

 bolical of the Trinity ; above the smaller doors are placed, on the left the 

 Greek cross, on the right the cross of Moses, symbols of the new and old 

 dispensations. Such are the indispensable arrangements of the first tier; if 

 there be more room, it may be ornamented with other pictures of saints. 

 Of these principal pictures only the heads, hands and feet are visible, the 

 body is covered with a metallic clothing or drapery of silver or gold in very 

 flat relief — the grounil, like that of the whole Iconostasis and often of the 

 entire church, is gilt. Before each picture a lamp is suspended exactly in 

 the middle, and the pictures ought not to be higher than to allow of kissing 

 at least the feet. 



" On the second tier Christ is represented in the middle, seated on a throne, 

 clad in pontifical robes. On the one side is St. John the Baptist, on the 

 other the Madonna without the child — after that appear on each side two 

 archangels and six apostles ; the different tablets upon which these effigies 

 are painted, seem in the ancient churches joined to one another without 

 ornament — in the more modern they are divided by little gilt columns. 



" On the third tier we find the Madonna in the middle seated on a throne, 

 holding the infant Jesus on her knees ; on each side of her are seen the effi- 

 gies of the prophets. 



" On the fourth tier Cod the Father is represented on his throne in the 

 centre, with the infant Jesus — on each side are the patriarchs of the church; 

 on this last tier the effigies are surmounted by small arches, the centre one 

 being higher than the others. As the figures in the middle are seated, they 

 are twice the size of the others which are standing. Sometimes there is a 

 fifth tier, which is placed either between the first and second, or between the 

 second and third ; and upon the tablets of this tier are representations of 

 the history of the Saviour, the last supper, the passion, the crucifixion, &c. ; 

 this tier is generally only half the height of the others. 



" It remains yet to be mentioned that on the vault of the great cupola 

 before the iconostasis is generally painted an enormous head of Christ, and 

 that a great lustre nearly touching the iconostasis is suspended before it. 



" The other parts of the church are ornamented with paintings on a gold 

 ground ; even the columns are decorated in this manner ; but all these paint- 

 ings represent miscellaneous subjects. In style they are wretched, and per- 

 fectly resemble the art of the early Christian ages. The church is lighted 

 generally by very narrow windows, perforated in the side walls, or in the 

 drums of the cupolas ; for festivals there is a great display of lustres, made 

 of plated copper, which hang from the vaulted roof. The general internal 

 appearance of the Greek churches is on the whole extremely solemn and 

 imposing on account of their magnificence and mystic aspect." 



The Institute showed their sense of the merit of this paper at the 

 time it was read, by presenting a silver medal to its author. The 

 editors of the volume have done him less than justice as regards the 

 illustration of his work. There are two general plans and one ele- 

 vation, and six specimens of Russian cupolas, crammed into one quarto 

 plate, and the plans especially are so small as to be nearly useless. A 

 second plate represents an Iconostasis on a better scale. 



The "Report of the Committee appointed to examine the Elgin 

 Marbles" in order to ascertain whether any evidences remain as to 

 the employment of colour in the decoration of the architecture or 

 sculpture, will require little observation, since it was printed entire in 

 the last No. of the Journal. It is in one sense a most satisfactory 

 document, since it sets at rest for ever all question as to what traces 

 of colour may or may not exist upon the marbles subjected to exami- 

 nation. 



This report concludes the first portion of the volume, comprised 

 under the genera! head of "Antiquities." The first paper of the 

 second part, coming under the head of "Construction," contains some 

 very important statistical facts on the cost of certain public buildings 

 abroad, chiefly at Berlin, communicated by Herr Beutli, of that city, 

 honorary and corresponding member of the Institute. Many of the 

 buildings particularized are published in Schinkel's "Architectonische 

 Entwuerfe," so that the proportionate expense of building in Prussia 

 and England may be easily deduced from the information furnished by 

 Herr Beuth. By a schedule of prices for labour and material.^, it appears 

 that the former may be obtained in Berlin for less than half its cost 

 in London, measured brickwork fur about two-thirds, and timber for 

 little more than one-fourth. These rates must be kept iu mind in 



