1842.] 



THE CIA^IL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



307 



style to be adopted will correspond with the architecture, although the forms 

 and draperies will be treated with a due refcard to the best examples of art. 



Cornelius thinks that Westminster Hall might be decorated ..n the same 

 principles, with a like attention to the character of the architecture. He 

 considers that as the walls of such buildings were simelimes hung with 

 'tapestries, they could be quite as consistently adorned with paintings. It is 

 to be observed that in the Hall of Constantine in the Vatican, p.iinfed by 

 Giulio Romano and others from Raphael's designs, the edc;es ot the frescos 

 are made to imitate the appearance o! tapestry ; this treatment is also ob- 

 servable in some of the ceiling paintings of the Vatican, though diHeivntly 

 contrived according to their situation. But Cornelius thinks no such ap- 

 prcximation to the eflect of hangings necessary, since |>ainlings were quite as 

 common as tapeslrv in ancient Gothic edifices. He considers the questions 

 as to the appropriate style of sculpture and painting for Gothic buildings to 

 rest precisi-ly on the same grounds, and assumes that the artists of the thir- 

 teenth century would have added better ornaments to the architecture of the 

 period if they had possessed the skill. He considers it nevertheless essential 

 that a certain congruity and harmony should be preserved, less dependent on 

 association than on general principles. He thinks that the style of some 

 Florentine masters of the fifteenth century would harmt^nize well with Gothic 

 structures of an earlier date or character. 



It is here to be observed that the question of the adaptation of the style of 

 art to the architecture is connected in the mind of Cornelius with that of the 

 general expediency of returning to those severer princi|iles of design which, 

 it is acknowledged, iirst led to excellence in Italian art. With these views 

 he connects the consideration of the nature and capabilities of fresco, as a 

 means of ensuring attention to the elements of form and composition. The 

 founders of the present German school, as is well known, at first proposed 

 these principles and methods not as an end, but as .a means which it was 

 hoped would again lead to important results. But the attempt, according to 

 the eminent artist .so often quoted, was at the outset universally condemned. 

 When a few individuals (wi'h that arlist himself, Ovcrbeck and Veit at their 

 head) began the revolution which they have now rendered comparatively 

 popular, they had to encounter the most violent opposition and the keenest 

 ridicule from their own countrymen; and even when, after years of uerse- 

 Terance, they had succeeded in gaining some favour at home, it was long be- 

 fore foreigui-rs acknowledged their merit. Cornelius dwells on these circum- 

 stances in recommending the style above alluded to. 



There ate other considerations connected with the application of painting 

 to Gothic architecture particularly, on which Cornelius was consulted, and 

 which may not be undeserving of attention. The available spaces for paint- 

 ing in Gothic buildings are supposed to be unfavourable: the pointed arch, 

 sometimes introduced superficially on wal's, and the acuie fiirms produced by 

 the simplest groinings in ceilings are, it is remarked, dilTicult to fill satisfac- 

 torily. It is here necessary to bear in mind that the taste for this style of 

 architecture declined in Italy much earlier than in the rest of Europe, and 

 hence the examples of celebrated paintings in Gothic churches are rare ; the 

 works of Cimabue and other early Italian masters as Assisi,and those ascribed 

 to Giotto in the church of the Incoronata at Naples are, however, cases in 

 point, and had Gothic architecture continued to prevail in Italy, higher ex- 

 amples, it may be assumed, would not have been wanting. Cornelius does 

 not admit that there is any unusual difticully in adapting painting to the com- 

 partments of Gothic architeciure. [li may be readily granted that .all ceiling 

 painting is difficult to contrive and execute, but no Gothic roof, assuming the 

 groining to be simple, could present such difliculties as Michael Angelo had 

 to contend « ith, in the angles of the Sistine chapel (the architecture of wdiich 

 is not Gothic), where the figures are painted on a projecting ridge formed by 

 the meeting of two curves. The celebrated foreshortened figure of Haman is 

 painted on such a surface. A portion of the ceiling in one of the .Sianze of 

 the Vatican, presents similar difficulties.] The more florid style of Gothic 

 may be acknowledged to be unfit for pictorial decoration on a large scale ; 

 its surf:.ces being so crowded with ornamental panelling that little space re- 

 mains for pictures. 



Another objection to the application of painting to Gothic architecture, is 

 the use of stained glass. A decoration so suitable in many instances t i Gothic 

 windows, is incompatible with ihe due effect of paintings on the walls, the 

 colours of which require to be displayed by a colourless, and at the same 

 time a sufficient light. This objection is met by the consideration that stained 

 glass is not desirable nor usual in all Gothic buildings, to the extent to which 

 it was employed in those of a sacred character. Its application elsewhere 

 was generally less profuse, and might be so contrived as not materially to 

 interfere with the quantity or quality of the light. In answer to a question 

 on this subject addressed to Cornelius by letter, he replies : " The church 'in 

 der Aue,' at Munich, which has painted window s, is not adorned with frescos, 

 but the church of St. Francis, at Assisi, shows how painted windows and 

 frescos may be combined. The paintings discovered in the cathedral at 

 Cologne were without doubt executed immediately after the completion of 

 the choir."* 



Fresco as compared with Oil Paintivg. — Cornelius is decidedly of opinion that 

 fresco should be preferred to oil painting for the decoration of the new Hou.ses 

 of Parliament. In pronouncing this opinion he is of course not alive to any 

 of the considerations which would weigh with English judges respecting the 

 present ignorance of the process of fresco in this country, and the compara- 

 tive mastery of our oil painters. In no circumstances probably would he 

 prefer oil pictures to fresco, in which he has for many years been cnnstantly 

 engaged, and in which bis taste has been formed. He, however, supports his 

 preference (at least with regaid to certain applications of painting) by argu- 



* Without reference to the style of the architecture, the highest authority 

 for the union of stained glass, to a certain extent, wilti paintings on the walls, 

 is that of the Stanze of the Vatican, the windows of which were enriched 

 with figures of angels supporlin'.; the papal arms (those of Julius II., and 

 Leo X.), by the glass painter, William of^ Marseilles, at the very time when 

 Raphael was painting the frescos of the same rooms. See Vasari, Vita di 

 Guglielrao da Marcilla. 



ment and example. He m dntains that fresco is on every account fittest for 

 monnmental, permnnent works in public bull 'ings in which painting is to be 

 considered as the handmaid of architecture. The Italian masters, he observes, 

 w-ere always fully impressed with the necessity of adapting their works to 

 the effect of the architecture, so as to make one harmonious uhole. The 

 nature of fresco fiis it for such a purpose. It is indeed impossible to produce 

 that illu.iion which is considered so desirable in oil pictures — the same depth 

 of shade is not in the artist's power: but this very circumstance, while it 

 compels attention to composition, colour, and form, renders fresco more 

 directly appropriate for strictly decnraiive purposes. 



On no point is Cornelius more decided, tlian on the neces-ity of placin:r a 

 given series of frescos umler Ih"^ controul of onedireclin-T ar:ist. This appears 

 to be quite compatible with theemployment of many sue h directors, by subdi- 

 viding the works; but he thinks it most desirable that in one complete series 

 there should be a congruity of style and general e.-iecution. In Munich, where 

 great experience has now hcen gained in these undertakings, several inde- 

 pendent masters have formed scholars to work in ibeir style, and these 

 have been ultimately employed on original works. This sr.adual education 

 of scholars is observable, if we follow the career of Cornelius himself. For 

 example, when employed in his first work in Munich (the frescos of the 

 Glyptothek) the cartoons were all the work of his own hand ; the assistance 

 he receiv.id v as only in the execution of the paintings. In the Pinakothek 

 his sketches and small drawings sufficed for his pupils to prepare some of the 

 cartoons, .and lastlyin the Ludwig-Kirche the invention even of some subjects 

 was entrusted to a scholar, named Hermann.* 



No new modes of cleaning fresco have been devised in Germany. To a 

 question on this point addressed to Cornelius by letter, he replies :— '■ The 

 London smoke may. nndonbted'y. have a disadvantageous effect on frescos; 

 but with a due warm'h— for examp'e, by the introduction of warm air or 

 warm water in tubes — 1 am of opinion that, in the siluat'on where the new 

 buildings are. no p.irticular evil etiects are to be apprehended, if. however, 

 after fiity or a hundred years it should be found that the dirt had accumu- 

 lated to a great extent, the suriace could be cleaned with bread. The mouldy 

 appearance which somelimes shows itself is to be removed wi;h a wet sponge. 

 The mouldy efflorescence which a]ipears in some cases may be owing to salt- 

 petre in the walls: for this there is no remedy ; but, on the other hand, it 

 never appears when the walls are built with well- seasoned and dry materials. 

 In the Munich frescos no saltpetre has shown itself." [An artist of Rome, 

 Cavaliere Agricola. has been lately employed to clean the old frescos in that 

 city : he has published the result of his experience, and bis report, which has 

 been procureil, would be among the documents to be referred to in any future 

 inquirv relating to the modes of cleaning fresco. The method adopted by 

 Carlo Maratti. in 1702. as I have elsewhere remarked, is also preserved,] 



Time necessary for the execution of works in Fresco. — The w hole scheme and 

 invention of a series of frescos should not only be settled, but all the Large 

 drawings made by the time the building is ready ; for the work can then advance 

 rapiillv. .Supposing the present buildings to be ready in seven years from 

 this time, Cornelius says it is time to begin the designs. The German artists, 

 expert as they are in drawing, always take some years to prepare their car- 

 toons. Cornelius'.s cartoon for the ;iltar-wall of the Ludwig-Kirche at 

 Munich was executed in Rome : be went there for the purpose. If West- 

 minster Hall, or any other building already in existence, is to be adorned 

 with frescos, the wa'll should be prepared with the first rough coat of mortar 

 at once ; for this ought to be on the wall, if possible, for some years before 

 it receives the final preparation immediately before painting, unless very old 

 lime be used in the first instance : but even in that case, six or twelve months 

 should elapse before painting on it, to give it ample time to harden. 



The practice of Fresco paintitig. — The Cartoon.— U may be assumed that it 

 is impossible to retouch a fresco painting to any extent. The portion of the 

 work undertaken in the morning must be complete I during the day. The 

 partial remedies and contrivances in case of unavoidable delay or accidental 

 defects will be hereafter considered. 



Hence every part of the design must be defined in preparatory studies : 

 the fresco is, in fact, a copy from these, the forms being traced on the wall 

 from drawings the full size. [Cartoons of the kind prepared lor fresco (that 

 is. without colours) may be seen in the National Gallery ; namely, those at 

 the head of the staircase, by Agostino C::racci.T] When the painting is to 

 be very large, and it is found inconvenient to prepare a cartoon of the same 

 size, the drawing may be made half the size : or, the whole composition 

 of the full size may be'divided into two or more cartoons: [thus Raphael's 

 cartoon for the school of Athens, preserved in the Ambrosian Library at 

 Milan, contains the figures only, without the architecture.] It is scarcely 

 necessary to observe that the cartoon itself is, in the first instance, generally 

 enlarged from small drawings of the whole composition, with the aid of carelul 

 studies for the separate parts. The following is the mode in which Cornelius 

 prepares and fixes his cartoons. A strong cloth is stretched on a frame as if 

 to be prepared for painting ; paper is then firmly glued on the cloth. When 

 this first layer of paper is quiie dry, a second layer is carefully glued over 

 it in the same manner. The edges of the separate sheets are a litile scraped, 

 where they overlap, in order to preserve an even surface. The suriace is then 

 prepared for drawing with size ;ind alum. The drawing is made with char- 

 coal, and, when finished, hfxcd by wetting the back (the cloth) with cold 

 water and thin steaming' the drawing in front. The eflect of this last opera- 

 tion is to melt the size 'a little, thus fixing the charcoal. 



A finished drawing of the full size being thus ready, the outline is traced 

 from it on oiled (transparent) paper : if the finished drawing is halt the size, 



* The public spirit of the German artists is aiiparent ui the circumstance 

 of Cornelius himself now underlakng to superintend the execiition of 

 Schinkel's designs in Berlin, with scarcely any addition of his own. His own 

 first original work in that city is to be the decoration of a Campo Sanlo. 



1 Presented by Lord l'"rancis Egerlon. Agostino Caracci assisted in the 

 frescos of the Farnese Pakice. and ibe two subjects in question were, it 

 appears, designed and executed entirely him, dee Lauzi, y. 5, p. 74, and 

 Malvasia, v. 1, p. 439. J 



