ARCHITECTURE. 155 
human or animal heads or figures (jig. 5). In the absence of consoles the 
cornices of the small arches were made to run uninterruptedly around the 
points between the arches, which in that case usually terminated in a flower. 
In some churches horizontal decorations are found above the cornice, 
taking as it were the place of the architrave. They are either composed of 
burnt bricks exhibiting trefoil or quatrefoil recesses (jig. 6); or inscriptions 
chronicling some events or invoking the blessing of God upon the building ; 
or else foliated work (fig. 7). These ornaments were also poorer in the 15th 
century (jig. 8); and in the 16th century they were frequently displaced by 
more or less happy attempts at imitating the antique entablature (jig. 9). 
In the gables the arch decorations on consoles follow the slopes of the 
roof. The axis of the arch is perpendicular either to the slope (jig. 10) or 
to the horizon (jig. 11). The latter is considered better taste. 
The roof commences over the cornice. It is either flat, or dome shaped, 
or a ridge roof. The decorations at the upper walls are different for the 
different kinds of roof. In the 13th and 14th centuries a gallery running all 
round the church was placed immediately below the roof. This gallery 
had a latticed or a decorated stone railing (jig. 18). Such were also placed 
at the edges of flat roofs. A similar latticed wall was also often placed as 
a decoration along the ridge of the roof, at first rather rude (jig. 12) but 
later more elegant, and in the 13th century superseded by gilt metal of 
elaborate workmanship (pl. 40, jig. 3). The edges of the roof frequently 
rested on consoles (pl. 39, jig. 14). This was especially the case with spire 
roofs which ascended very steeply. The decorations of the gables in the 
11th and 12th centuries have still some affinities with the antique (pi. 40, 
jig. 5). In the succeeding century they are more like the earlier Byzantine 
(pl. 39, fig. 16), but in the prime of German architecture they are very 
tasteful (fig. 15). In this period little pyramidal turrets were placed at the 
foot of the gables on both sides. 
The rain-gutters were arranged very cleverly in the middle ages and 
carefully lined with lead. Their spouts projected from the eaves in the 
shape of human or animal figures (pl. 40, jig. 4). Over them were the 
railings which we have mentioned, and which frequently were adorned 
with most beautiful circular rosettes or with lattice-work in the shape of 
trefoil arches over perpendicular compartments (pl. 39, fig. 17). These 
railings are always in accordance with the taste of their periods, so that a 
practised eye can from them determine the time when an edifice was 
finished. In some cases there are battlements with turrets at the corners 
(pl. 40, fiy. 6) or machicolis (figs. 7, 8) instead of railings. 
The walls were mostly very high and long, and especially in the prime 
of middle age architecture so thin that it became necessary to give them an 
outward support, partly in order to give them strength in proportion to 
their dimensions, in part to enable them to withstand the lateral pressure 
of the interior vaults. Buttresses were, therefore, employed as early as the 
Byzantine period. In the pointed-arch style buttresses and ascending 
arches were brought to the highest state of perfection. The first buttresses 
had but very little projection from the wall. They appeared almost like 
155 
