DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32867#0166
134
ARCHITECTURE OF THE FIFTH CENTURY
looking rinceau of acanthus leaves between two deep scotias, and with an intricately
carved disk, of conventional tioral pattern, between two palm branches, in the center
over the doorway. The third band is of woven basketwork ; the outermost decoration
consists of deep cusps with blunt points, the spaces between the cusps being filled, each
with a tiny leaf, a form of ornament rich and effective, but as rare as it is effective.
The space covered by the nine niches is a little broader than the extreme width of
the lintel moldings, so that the colonnettes of the outermost arches cannot rest upon
them. To meet this deficiency two tall flambeaux 1 were carved in relief upon the
ends of the lintel, and the bases of the outermost colonnettes were supported upon their
tops. The niches of the arcade are extremely shallow, and the destruction of the colon-
nettes makes them look more shallow than they did originally. Their archivolts and
the spandrels between them were carved with delicate patterns, and the niches them-
selves show remains of sculpture of some kind. On either side of a defaced bit of
sculpture in the central niche, which is a trifle larger than the others, is a candlestick
in low relief; the niche next to it on the right shows remnants of rich diaperwork.
Thc whole composition is extremely vigorous and decorative. The acanthus orna-
ment, the fillets, and the bead-and-reel ornaments are infused with classic feeling. The
scotia moldings, with their deep shadows, suggest anything but decadence; the high
relief could hardly be classed with early Christian carving; but the bands of chain and
basket ornaments are something new and strange, not suggestive of Byzantine nor
reminiscent of anything Greek or Roman. Where did they originate ? Is there any
objection to our saying that they express the art motives of the Aramean inhabitants of
this region, who, as is commonly known, had relations with the centers of civilization
farther east? With regard to the outermost ornament, we may say that it is
common in Northern Syria, not in so elaborate a form, and without the leaves that
make it particularly rich in the present instance; but the same type is found above
doorways and arches ordinarily in the earlier buildings. I know of no similar orna-
ment in the world, except in far-away Lombardy, where decoration somewhat similar
appears in a number of Romanesque monuments. The arched entrance at the west
side of the cloister court takes us back to the fourth-century vestibules of the Djebel
Riha, though the voussoirs are not carried through to form the ceiling of a vaulted
compartment. We find good impost moldings, and a deep set of moldings upon the
archivolt, above the center of which is a disk, carved in relief upon the keystone, repre-
senting a six-armed cross within a wreath. Above the arch is a row of rectangular
windows opening beneath the cornice, and within the arch a line of rectangular piers
which show that there was a story above the entrance. But the anomaly of the situa-
tion is the presence of a doorway, complete with jambs in courses and a decorated
1 The flambeau, or torch, is found in a number of monu- Church at Dehes (see p. 205); but it is found in other
ments in Northern Central Syria; it is always carved in relief places, as in the stable of a house at Der S£ta (see La Syrie
and is usually placed beside a doorway, as in the East Centrale, Pl. 100).
ARCHITECTURE OF THE FIFTH CENTURY
looking rinceau of acanthus leaves between two deep scotias, and with an intricately
carved disk, of conventional tioral pattern, between two palm branches, in the center
over the doorway. The third band is of woven basketwork ; the outermost decoration
consists of deep cusps with blunt points, the spaces between the cusps being filled, each
with a tiny leaf, a form of ornament rich and effective, but as rare as it is effective.
The space covered by the nine niches is a little broader than the extreme width of
the lintel moldings, so that the colonnettes of the outermost arches cannot rest upon
them. To meet this deficiency two tall flambeaux 1 were carved in relief upon the
ends of the lintel, and the bases of the outermost colonnettes were supported upon their
tops. The niches of the arcade are extremely shallow, and the destruction of the colon-
nettes makes them look more shallow than they did originally. Their archivolts and
the spandrels between them were carved with delicate patterns, and the niches them-
selves show remains of sculpture of some kind. On either side of a defaced bit of
sculpture in the central niche, which is a trifle larger than the others, is a candlestick
in low relief; the niche next to it on the right shows remnants of rich diaperwork.
Thc whole composition is extremely vigorous and decorative. The acanthus orna-
ment, the fillets, and the bead-and-reel ornaments are infused with classic feeling. The
scotia moldings, with their deep shadows, suggest anything but decadence; the high
relief could hardly be classed with early Christian carving; but the bands of chain and
basket ornaments are something new and strange, not suggestive of Byzantine nor
reminiscent of anything Greek or Roman. Where did they originate ? Is there any
objection to our saying that they express the art motives of the Aramean inhabitants of
this region, who, as is commonly known, had relations with the centers of civilization
farther east? With regard to the outermost ornament, we may say that it is
common in Northern Syria, not in so elaborate a form, and without the leaves that
make it particularly rich in the present instance; but the same type is found above
doorways and arches ordinarily in the earlier buildings. I know of no similar orna-
ment in the world, except in far-away Lombardy, where decoration somewhat similar
appears in a number of Romanesque monuments. The arched entrance at the west
side of the cloister court takes us back to the fourth-century vestibules of the Djebel
Riha, though the voussoirs are not carried through to form the ceiling of a vaulted
compartment. We find good impost moldings, and a deep set of moldings upon the
archivolt, above the center of which is a disk, carved in relief upon the keystone, repre-
senting a six-armed cross within a wreath. Above the arch is a row of rectangular
windows opening beneath the cornice, and within the arch a line of rectangular piers
which show that there was a story above the entrance. But the anomaly of the situa-
tion is the presence of a doorway, complete with jambs in courses and a decorated
1 The flambeau, or torch, is found in a number of monu- Church at Dehes (see p. 205); but it is found in other
ments in Northern Central Syria; it is always carved in relief places, as in the stable of a house at Der S£ta (see La Syrie
and is usually placed beside a doorway, as in the East Centrale, Pl. 100).