DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29898#0515
Bk. I. Ch. Y.
WALLACHIA.
479
Besides, however, its beauty in an artistic point of view, this
basket pattern, as it is sometimes called, is still more so as an
Ethnographic indication which, when properly investigated, may lead
to the most important conclusions. The three following woodcuts,
Nos. 366, 367, and 368, taken from churches at a now deserted village
called Ish Khan, will serve to explain
its more usual forms; but it occurs
almost everywhere in the Armenian
architectural province, and with as
infinite a variety of details as are to
be found with its employment in Irish
manuscripts.
Out of Armenia it occurs in the
church at Kurtea el Argyisch in Wal-
iachia (Woodcut No. 385), and is
found in Hungary and Styria, and no
antiquary will probably fail to recog-
nise it as the most usual and beautiful
pattern on Irish crosses and Scotch
sculptured stones. On the other hand
it occurs frequently in the monolithic
deepdans or lamp-posts and in the
temples on the Canarese or West Coast
of India, and in all these instances
with so little change of form that it is
almost impossible that these examples
should be independent inventions.
Still the gaps in the sequence are so
great that it is very difficult to see
how they could emanate from one
centre. Few, however, who know
anything of the early architeetm-e of
Ireland can fancy that it did come
from Rome across Great Britain, but that it must have had its
origin further east, among some people using groups of churches and
small cells, instead of congregational basilicas. So far, too, as we
can yet see, it is to the East we must look for the original design of
the mysterious round towers which form so characteristic a feature of
Irish architecture, and were afterwards so conspicuous as minars in
the East, and nowhere more so than in Armenia. Recent researches,
too, are making it more and more clear that Nestorian churches did
exist all down the West Coast of India from a very early period, so
that it would not be impossible that from Persia and Armenia they
introduced the favourite style of ornament.
All this may seem idle speculation, and it may turn out that the
WALLACHIA.
479
Besides, however, its beauty in an artistic point of view, this
basket pattern, as it is sometimes called, is still more so as an
Ethnographic indication which, when properly investigated, may lead
to the most important conclusions. The three following woodcuts,
Nos. 366, 367, and 368, taken from churches at a now deserted village
called Ish Khan, will serve to explain
its more usual forms; but it occurs
almost everywhere in the Armenian
architectural province, and with as
infinite a variety of details as are to
be found with its employment in Irish
manuscripts.
Out of Armenia it occurs in the
church at Kurtea el Argyisch in Wal-
iachia (Woodcut No. 385), and is
found in Hungary and Styria, and no
antiquary will probably fail to recog-
nise it as the most usual and beautiful
pattern on Irish crosses and Scotch
sculptured stones. On the other hand
it occurs frequently in the monolithic
deepdans or lamp-posts and in the
temples on the Canarese or West Coast
of India, and in all these instances
with so little change of form that it is
almost impossible that these examples
should be independent inventions.
Still the gaps in the sequence are so
great that it is very difficult to see
how they could emanate from one
centre. Few, however, who know
anything of the early architeetm-e of
Ireland can fancy that it did come
from Rome across Great Britain, but that it must have had its
origin further east, among some people using groups of churches and
small cells, instead of congregational basilicas. So far, too, as we
can yet see, it is to the East we must look for the original design of
the mysterious round towers which form so characteristic a feature of
Irish architecture, and were afterwards so conspicuous as minars in
the East, and nowhere more so than in Armenia. Recent researches,
too, are making it more and more clear that Nestorian churches did
exist all down the West Coast of India from a very early period, so
that it would not be impossible that from Persia and Armenia they
introduced the favourite style of ornament.
All this may seem idle speculation, and it may turn out that the