CHAPTER XII. 



GEOMETRICAL FLOWER-GARDENS. 



§ 1. — THEIR GENERAL ARRANGE- 

 MENT, &C. 



The geometric style is not only the most 

 ancient, but also the most capable of pro- 

 ducing, within a given space, far more 

 grand and magnificent effects than any 

 other. It admits of a greater profusion 

 of richly sculptured and highly artistical 

 decorations; and the materials used by 

 the artist in his imitations are different 

 in some medium from those that are pre- 

 sented by nature, by a combination of 

 which he is enabled to produce something 

 which did not before exist. This style 

 commences, in all countries into which it 

 has been introduced, with the civilisation 

 of man ; whereas the natural style has 

 only arisen as the whole country became 

 more or less geometrically laid out, by 

 being subdivided by straight lines of 

 fences, hedgerows, canals, and roads, 

 where natural obstructions did not arise 

 to prevent their being carried in straight 

 lines also. While in a country abounding 

 with natural scenery on all sides, the 

 natural style could not possibly occur to 

 the imagination of man — he being, as he 

 is described, an imitative animal — and as 

 it is admitted that all the "productions 

 of the fine arts are arts of imagination, and 

 differ from those of the common arts, or of 

 those which do not address themselves to 

 the imagination, in imitating things in a 

 different medium from that in which they 

 actually exist in nature. Thus the imita- 

 tion of a landscape by a painter on canvass 

 is a work of imagination, and the produc- 

 tion ranks as one of the fine arts ; while 

 to imitate it in the actual materials of 

 nature — such as ground, wood, water, 

 rocks, &c. — requires no imagination, but 



mere mechanical imitation ; and conse- 

 quently the subject produced has no more 

 claim to be considered as belonging to the 

 fine arts, than an artificial flower made of 

 silk, wax, or paper, and so correctly 

 coloured as to be almost mistaken for 

 nature." — Loudon's Review of M. Quatre- 

 mcre de Quincy on the Nature, the End, and 

 the Means of Imitation in the Fine Arts. 



We have elsewhere stated that the 

 Italian style is a species, so to speak, of 

 the geometrical, and, when carried out 

 to its fullest and grandest extent, is per- 

 haps the most imposing of all. The 

 emotions produced on the mind of Sir 

 Uvedale Price, on visiting the gardens of 

 Italy, (although then, as now, greatly 

 fallen into decay,) are thus expressed by 

 him : " Many years have elapsed since I 

 was in Italy, but the impression which 

 the gardens of some of the villas near 

 Rome made upon me is by no means 

 effaced. I remember the rich and magni- 

 ficent effects of balustrades, fountains, 

 marble basins, and statues, blocks of 

 ancient ruins, with the remains of sculp- 

 ture, the whole mixed with pines and 

 cypresses. I remember also their effect, 

 both as an accompaniment to the archi- 

 tecture, and as a foreground to the dis- 

 tance. These old gardens were laid out 

 formally — that is, with symmetry and 

 regularity, for they were to accompany 

 what was regular and symmetrical. They 

 were full of decorations, for they were to 

 accompany what was highly ornamental ; 

 and their decorations, in order that they 

 might accord with those of the mansion, 

 partook of sculpture and architecture. 



" Those who admire undisguised sym- 

 metry, when allied with the splendour and 

 magnificence of art, will be most pleased 



