DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61666#0029
in the whole room. Accordingly, the stuccoes on the adjoining tower wall are carried
down to this level also. The result is that although the design of the stuccoes on the wall
toward the tower begins with the candelabrum between the windows the extremity
of the design on the wall to the right is actually lower than its beginning. Apart
from this case and the case of the adjoining vault just mentioned all the stuccoes
had originally about the same base level, for the springing of the arches and the
vaults, even the arches of the triforium and of the windows, from approximately
the same height is worked out with surprising care.
The soffits of the two windows are decorated with acanthus scrolls like those in the
wall decorations, though more orderly, as the regularly bounded surface demanded;
cf. Pl. I, 2, 3. The arch mouldings of the windows are like those described above
except that the leaf decoration is three-pointed; cf. Pl. Il, 3.
The only other stuccoes in this group that remain to be mentioned are the frag-
mentary ones on the soffit of the southmost arch of the triforium; cf. Pl. II, 1. Here are
alternate circles and lozenges with small rosettes in their centers and four-petaled
flowers in the spaces between. The circles and lozenges are arranged to alternate
either transversely taken or longitudinally taken. Although the design is on a small
scale the suggestion is again that of coffering.
The corresponding triforium between the northern esonarthex and the lower aisle
has preserved the stuccoes of the three soffits almost completely; cf. Pl. II, 4. Their
decoration is not like that of the soffit just described but resembles rather that of
the walls of the southern esonarthex. The acanthus scrolls, however, are necessarily
on a smaller scale, and, brought close together because of the narrow surface to be
covered, they spring from acanthus beds at the base of the arch and leave between
them no room for a candelabrum but only room for single leaves and rosettes dropped
in here and there where the scrolls roll back from each other. The decoration of
the middle arch is somewhat different from that of its neighbors. The terminations
of the coils are the same, but the stems are composed of forms like horns or cornu-
copias, with bands wrapped about them. Further, instead of several sprays at the
base of the arch, here there is but a single spray flanked by confronted birds.
The only other extensive remains of stucco ornament in San Vitale covertile soffits
of the two lower triforia of the presbytery. These soffits are given four distinct cof-
fered designs, that of the middle arch being in each case different from that of the
two lateral ones. The middle soffit of the left triforium is covered with octagons,
enclosing five-petaled flowers, and squares, enclosing rosettes, set diagonally in the
spaces between the octagons; cf. Fig. 2. To right and left the soffits are decorated
with circles around four-petaled centers, and the spaces between the circles are also
filled with four-petaled flowers, though different and larger ones; cf. Fig. 2. An egg-
and-dart moulding forms the transition from the soffit surface to the richly profiled
but undecorated arch moulding in this triforium. In the right triforium taking the
place of the egg-and-dart is a slender course of laurel leaves, similar to that in the
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down to this level also. The result is that although the design of the stuccoes on the wall
toward the tower begins with the candelabrum between the windows the extremity
of the design on the wall to the right is actually lower than its beginning. Apart
from this case and the case of the adjoining vault just mentioned all the stuccoes
had originally about the same base level, for the springing of the arches and the
vaults, even the arches of the triforium and of the windows, from approximately
the same height is worked out with surprising care.
The soffits of the two windows are decorated with acanthus scrolls like those in the
wall decorations, though more orderly, as the regularly bounded surface demanded;
cf. Pl. I, 2, 3. The arch mouldings of the windows are like those described above
except that the leaf decoration is three-pointed; cf. Pl. Il, 3.
The only other stuccoes in this group that remain to be mentioned are the frag-
mentary ones on the soffit of the southmost arch of the triforium; cf. Pl. II, 1. Here are
alternate circles and lozenges with small rosettes in their centers and four-petaled
flowers in the spaces between. The circles and lozenges are arranged to alternate
either transversely taken or longitudinally taken. Although the design is on a small
scale the suggestion is again that of coffering.
The corresponding triforium between the northern esonarthex and the lower aisle
has preserved the stuccoes of the three soffits almost completely; cf. Pl. II, 4. Their
decoration is not like that of the soffit just described but resembles rather that of
the walls of the southern esonarthex. The acanthus scrolls, however, are necessarily
on a smaller scale, and, brought close together because of the narrow surface to be
covered, they spring from acanthus beds at the base of the arch and leave between
them no room for a candelabrum but only room for single leaves and rosettes dropped
in here and there where the scrolls roll back from each other. The decoration of
the middle arch is somewhat different from that of its neighbors. The terminations
of the coils are the same, but the stems are composed of forms like horns or cornu-
copias, with bands wrapped about them. Further, instead of several sprays at the
base of the arch, here there is but a single spray flanked by confronted birds.
The only other extensive remains of stucco ornament in San Vitale covertile soffits
of the two lower triforia of the presbytery. These soffits are given four distinct cof-
fered designs, that of the middle arch being in each case different from that of the
two lateral ones. The middle soffit of the left triforium is covered with octagons,
enclosing five-petaled flowers, and squares, enclosing rosettes, set diagonally in the
spaces between the octagons; cf. Fig. 2. To right and left the soffits are decorated
with circles around four-petaled centers, and the spaces between the circles are also
filled with four-petaled flowers, though different and larger ones; cf. Fig. 2. An egg-
and-dart moulding forms the transition from the soffit surface to the richly profiled
but undecorated arch moulding in this triforium. In the right triforium taking the
place of the egg-and-dart is a slender course of laurel leaves, similar to that in the
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25