ARCHITECTURE. 



bearing an entablature of the same part 

 of their height as columns of fewer dia- 

 meters are : this absurdity will more rea- 

 dily appear, when the parts of both or- 

 ders are made of the same altitudes. 



The Corinthian order is appropriate for 

 all buildings, in which magnificence, ele- 

 gance, and gaiety, are requisite ; it was 

 employed by the ancients in temples de- 

 dicated to Venus, Flora, Proserpine, and 

 also to the nymphs of the fountains, be- 

 ing the most splendid of all the orders, 

 and bearing the most affinity to foliages, 

 flowers, and volutes, which suited the de- 

 licacy and elegance of these deities. 



Its splendor also recommends it in the 

 decorations of palaces, squares, galleries, 

 theatres, banqueting rooms, and other 

 places consecrated to festive mirth, or 

 convivial recreation ; it is likewise em- 

 ployed in churches dedicated to saint 

 , Mary, and other virgin saints. 



Tuscan order. There are no ancient 

 remains of any entire order of this kind ; 

 the columns of Trajan and Antonine, and 

 one at Constantinople, being defective 

 from the want of their entablatures. We 

 have the description of Vitruvius to the 

 following purpose : the column is seven 

 diameters in height, and is diminished at 

 the top a fourth part of a diameter ; their 

 bases have a circular plinth, and are in 

 height half a diameter, which is divided 

 into two parts, giving one to the altitude 

 of the plinth, and one to the torus. The 

 capital has also half a diameter in height, 

 and one in the breadth of its abacus. The 

 height of the capital is divided into three 

 parts, one of which is given to the plinth 

 or abacus, one to the echinus, and the 

 third to the hypotrachelian with the apo- 

 phygis : the architrave is made with its 

 vertical faces over the edge of the co- 

 lumn, at the neck of the capital, in two 

 thicknesses, in its horizontal dimension, 

 with a space of two digits or 1^ inch be- 

 tween, for the admission of air, to prevent 

 he beams from rotting, and joined toge- 

 ther with mortise and tenon. Over the 

 beams and over the walls the mutules 

 are projected a fourth part of the height 

 of the columns, and antepagments are 

 fixed to their fronts. A correct specimen 

 of Tuscan architecture may be seen in 

 St. Paul's, Covent Garden, the work of 

 the most distinguished Inigo Jones. This 

 order is proper for all rustic structures. 



Roman order. The character of this as 

 an order is indicated by its capital ; the 

 upper part of which being an entire Ionic 

 capital of that species, which fronts the 

 four sides of the column alike, and the 



lower part consisting of two rows of 

 leaves, as in the Corinthian capital. Vi- 

 truvius speaks of various capitals derived 

 from that of the Corinthian ; but does not 

 distinguish columns with such capitals 

 supporting an entablature by the name of 

 an order ; indeed, he expressly says that 

 they do not belong to any species of co- 

 lumns. Serlio was the first who added * 

 fifth order, by compounding columns si- 

 milar to that of the Arch of Titus, with 

 the entablature of the uppermost order of 

 the Coliseum. More recent authors have, 

 for the greater part, either adopted the 

 entablature of the frontispiece of Nero, 

 which was supported by Corinthian co- 

 lumns, or have brought in adventitious 

 parts of other orders, by introducing the 

 denticulated band of the Ionic, with its 

 cymatium between the modillions and the 

 cymatium of the frize. It is something; 

 remarkable, that the columns of Roman 

 buildings with compounded capitals sup- 

 port, for the greater part, Corinthian en- 

 tablatures: the columns of the arches of 

 Septimius Severus and of the Goldsmiths 

 support Ionic entablatures ; and those of 

 the temple of Bacchus even support an 

 entablature with what we now call a 

 Tuscan cornice. In short, Rome affords 

 no example of a composite order, with a 

 similar cornice to any one found in the 

 works of any distinguished modern au- 

 thor, except Vignola, who crowns his en- 

 tablature with a bold Ionic cornice. The 

 capital of this order is more bold and 

 massive in its parts than that of the Co- 

 rinthian; the proportion of the other mem- 

 bers should be corresponding thereto, 

 and therefore more appropriate cornice 

 than that of the frontispiece of Nero can 

 hardly be applied : the modillions are 

 very characteristic, but the denticulated 

 band, shewn in a modern work, should be 

 omitted : and for this reason also the shaft 

 of the columns should be a medium be- 

 tween those of the Ionic and Corinthian, 

 though the very reverse has been assign- 

 ed to it. 



The medallions employed in this order 

 differ from the Corinthian; they are more 

 massy, being composed of two faces, and 

 a cymatium like an architrave. The Ro- 

 mans decorated their composite capitals 

 with acanthus leaves, and the same prac- 

 tice is followed by the moderns. The pro- 

 portions will be fully understood in those 

 of the Ionic and Corinthian orders. It is 

 probable that the Romans employed the 

 Composite order in their triumphal arch- 

 es, and other buildings, to commemorate 

 their victories, and to shew their domi 



