318 



Essay on the Avian Order of Architecture. 



[Sept. 



examples the lower portion of the capital is round, and the upper por- 

 tion, square. 



4. — Vitruvius says that the practical rule followed for obtaining the 

 width of the Doric capital was to make it one sixth more than one dia- 

 meter. But the Doric capitals were only half a diameter in height, 

 while the Kashmirian capitals are exactly one diameter. If therefore 

 the same rule was followed by the Kashmirian architects, the excess 

 over one diameter should be the double of one sixth, or one third of a 

 diameter ; and such in fact is the case, as will be seen by an inspection 

 of the fourth column of the following table. The theoretical rule re- 

 garding the width of the Cornithian capital, according to Vitruvius, was 

 to make the length of the diagonal of the abacus equal to twice the 

 height of the capital. This rule however will not apply to the other 

 classical orders, nor to that of Kashmir. But there is another one which 

 gives results so nearly corresponding to those of the practical rule, that 

 there can be no reasonable doubt that it was the theoretical rule fol- 

 lowed by the architects of both countries, although I am not aware that 

 it has hitherto been noticed by any author. This is to make the width 

 of the capital equal to the hypothenuse or diagonal of the square of the 

 upper diameter. In the fifth column of the annexed table I have given 

 the different dimensions according to this calculation. On the whole, 

 the results of the practical rule appear to agree better with the actual 

 widths of the capitals than those of the theoretical one, although both 

 of them correspond with the real dimensions within fractions of an inch. 

 In Kashmir as well as in Greece, I should suppose that the architect 

 made his calculations by the theoretical rule, while the mason worked 

 by the practical one. In my opinion the coincidences are much too re- 

 markable to have been accidental. 



Marttand Porch . . 

 Ditto Peristyle 

 Avantipura Peristyle 

 Pampur Pillar . . 

 Srinagar Pillar . . 



Lower 

 Dr. 



24.430 

 21.500 

 17.875 

 11.250 

 14.500 



Upper 

 Dr. 



22.910 

 20.600 

 16.875 

 10.625 

 14.250 



Width of 

 capital. 



32.500 

 28.500 

 27.000 

 14.250 

 19.500 



Practice. 

 D+i 



32.570 

 28.666 

 23.865 

 15.000 

 19.332 



Theory 

 Hyp. of dr 



32.395 

 29.133 

 23.833 

 15.026 

 20.153 



