DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6914#0092
60
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
Messrs. Lysons, in " Magna Britannia," article Cambridgeshire, may be included
among those writers who embrace the theory of Dr. Milner, and who assert, that
" the pointed arch arose from the intersection of two circular ones, which so
frequently occurs in churches, erected in the twelfth century, in different parts of
Europe ;75 towards the close of that century the pointed arch appears to have been
much used in Italy, but it was soon abandoned on the revival of the Grecian
architecture. In England, France, Germany, and Spain, the Gothic architecture
continued much longer, and was no where more generally used, nor perhaps
exhibited so great a variety of elegant ornaments, or such just proportions, as in
this country ; though in point of magnitude and splendid decoration, our Cathedrals
must be allowed to be inferior to several of the same kind on the continent, as
those of Strasburg, Amiens, Rheims, Milan, Burgos, and Toledo."
W. Wilkins, Jun., in his Remarks, prefixed to an " Account of the Prior s
Chapel at Ely," in the fourteenth volume of the Archseologia, adds the support
of his opinion in favour of Dr. Milner's hypothesis relating to the origin of Pointed
architecture. He says, " the common method of accounting for the origin of the
Pointed style, from the intersection of the circular arches, of which we have
numberless instances, is as satisfactory, perhaps, as any that has been offered, and
will render the variation, in this point, from the Norman an immediate derivation
from it; especially when it is considered, that in many of our Gothic churches
the form of the arches is nearly equilateral; by this expression is meant those arches
whose chords form two sides of an equilateral triangle, whose third is the span :
this will cause the two opposite limbs of two adjoining arches to be described with
the same centre, and correspond in great measure with the instances above
mentioned, nearly, because it is difficult to ascertain, from the number of mouldings
which we observe to enrich these arches, which was the leading member; for this
being at first determined, the others of course were concentric, and assuming any
one, either within or without this member, the equilateralism is necessarily done
away. If we examine some other deviations of this style from the Norman, we
shall find that they are not so considerable as are apt to be imagined ; for instance,
the division of the windows of Gothic structures by mullions, is not peculiar to that
style. We find in some Norman buildings the windows separated into two lights
7S " It is to be seen in the west front of two very ancient churches at Palermo and Placentia, erected
in the early part of the twelfth century." " Magna Britannia."
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
Messrs. Lysons, in " Magna Britannia," article Cambridgeshire, may be included
among those writers who embrace the theory of Dr. Milner, and who assert, that
" the pointed arch arose from the intersection of two circular ones, which so
frequently occurs in churches, erected in the twelfth century, in different parts of
Europe ;75 towards the close of that century the pointed arch appears to have been
much used in Italy, but it was soon abandoned on the revival of the Grecian
architecture. In England, France, Germany, and Spain, the Gothic architecture
continued much longer, and was no where more generally used, nor perhaps
exhibited so great a variety of elegant ornaments, or such just proportions, as in
this country ; though in point of magnitude and splendid decoration, our Cathedrals
must be allowed to be inferior to several of the same kind on the continent, as
those of Strasburg, Amiens, Rheims, Milan, Burgos, and Toledo."
W. Wilkins, Jun., in his Remarks, prefixed to an " Account of the Prior s
Chapel at Ely," in the fourteenth volume of the Archseologia, adds the support
of his opinion in favour of Dr. Milner's hypothesis relating to the origin of Pointed
architecture. He says, " the common method of accounting for the origin of the
Pointed style, from the intersection of the circular arches, of which we have
numberless instances, is as satisfactory, perhaps, as any that has been offered, and
will render the variation, in this point, from the Norman an immediate derivation
from it; especially when it is considered, that in many of our Gothic churches
the form of the arches is nearly equilateral; by this expression is meant those arches
whose chords form two sides of an equilateral triangle, whose third is the span :
this will cause the two opposite limbs of two adjoining arches to be described with
the same centre, and correspond in great measure with the instances above
mentioned, nearly, because it is difficult to ascertain, from the number of mouldings
which we observe to enrich these arches, which was the leading member; for this
being at first determined, the others of course were concentric, and assuming any
one, either within or without this member, the equilateralism is necessarily done
away. If we examine some other deviations of this style from the Norman, we
shall find that they are not so considerable as are apt to be imagined ; for instance,
the division of the windows of Gothic structures by mullions, is not peculiar to that
style. We find in some Norman buildings the windows separated into two lights
7S " It is to be seen in the west front of two very ancient churches at Palermo and Placentia, erected
in the early part of the twelfth century." " Magna Britannia."