of the Harmony of Form. 131 



" The most perfectly harmonious production in architecture that exists, is, 

 by the concurrent opinion of the best judges in all ages since its production, 

 the Parthenon at Athens, Whether this structure owes its pei'fection to an 

 acquaintance with a particular system of applying the natural principles of 

 form to architecture, lost to succeeding ages, or to the natural genius of the 

 designer alone, is a matter of doubt, and may ever remain so. ]3ut, whether 

 the knowledge of the artist was acquired or intuitive, it must be admitted that 

 the elements of harmony are transcendently displayed in this great work. 



" The melod}', or general outline, of the temple itself seems to enter into 

 combination with the hill upon which it stands, and thus to make up the 

 harmonic triad of the third class of forms. This is endeavoured to be shown 

 in Plate XIV. In the centre of the diagram formed by the repetition of the 

 line 1st to 5th, within the ellipsis, it will be observed that the component parts 

 of the temple occur, as marked by the strong line. These being removed 

 from the harmony of combination to that of succession, the curve of the 

 ellipsis becomes its fundamental bass, and the temple itself supplies the other 

 two component parts of a melody. 



" The melody is only appreciable at such a distance as allows the general 

 outline of the temple, in combination with the hill upon which it was placed, 

 to be encompassed by the eye of the spectator : consequently, when he 

 ascended the Acropolis, the curvilinear forms, which at a distance made up 

 the harmonic triad, disappeared. Instead of which, however, the most beauti- 

 ful harmony of combination was presented to his view, accompanied, as has 

 been proved by late investigations, with an equally perfect harmony of colour. 

 The curvilinear form, so amply supplied in the distance, which, like cool 

 colours in nature, always predominate in the most pleasing combinations, 

 he now finds in equal proportionate quantity, not only in the horizontal and 

 perpendicular lines of the columns, but in the exquisite bas-reliefs which 

 embellish the frieze and tympanum. The taste and knowledge of the artist is 

 further disylayed ; for, that there might be no harsh or sudden transition 

 from the curved to the perfectly straight line, the architrave, frieze, and ournice 

 approach the tympanum by an almost imperceptible curve. 



" In thus gliding, by an imperceptible gradation, from one component part of 

 harmony into another, a facility easily attainable in form, but which can only 

 be attained in music by the human voice, is made available. 



" The portico, or front elevation of this temple, from the base of the columns 

 to the extreme point of the pediment, is inscribed by the parallelogram 

 adopted in this treatise as the second of the general series of forms. It 

 has been already observed, that geometricians have given no definite rules for 

 the proportions of this particular form ; but that in question has peculiarities 

 which are worthy of remark in this place. 



" It is the only rectilinear form that is not produced by the intersection of 

 the mediant line drawn from the first to the fifth division of the circle, there- 

 fore requiring in its formation the second line, which is drawn from the first 

 to the third division. Neither the equilateral triangle, the square, nor the 

 rhombus, can be produced by any smaller number of forms of a similar kind 

 and proportion to themselves than four ; and it takes the same number of 

 parts to reproduce a parallelogram of any other proportions ; but this can be 

 reproduced by three and also by four. If its length be divided into the semi- 

 tonic division of twelve, its breadth will be seven of those divisions; conse- 

 quently, when three are placed together perpendicularly, their lengt'.i will be 

 collectively twenty-one of those divisions. 



" In this triple capacity it seems in the present case to be employed, and its 

 shorter dimension is therefore divided, as shown in the scale, Plate XV. The 

 subdivision of the parts of this unequal structure are, agreeably to this scale, 

 as follows : — 



" The perpendicular and obviously curvilinear portion ends, and the hori- 

 zontal or rectilinear portion begins, on the seventh semitonic division of the 

 parallelogram, the perfect fifth or dominant of the present scale of (he mu- 



K 4 



