DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.7186#0017
Ijitroduction.
3
neat in its joints, that by the superficial observer it is generally taken for stone.
In the plains of Lombardy, where stone is rare, clay has, in buildings of
importance, been moulded into forms so exquisite, as to have been raised
into a material of value and dignity. In the ancient churches of Pavia,
&c, it presents itself in all the delicate tracery of the Middle Ages ; in the
' Ospitale Maggiore' and Castiglione palace, at Milan, it exhibits the arabesque
and medallions of the Cinque-cento style. On this side of the Alps, clay
has never been moulded into forms quite so elaborate; still, in the south
of France, particularly at Toulouse, remarkable examples exist. Along the
Rhone, carved tiles are formed into very elegant cornices and balustrades. In
the north of Germany, in Brandenburg, Luneburg, Hanover, and the provinces
bordering on the Baltic, brick and richly ornamented terra-cottas perform the
part of stone, not only for the exterior but for the interior of churches, towers,
halls, and private houses, even the lofty piers of cathedrals being moulded in
clay. Even in England brick was, in former days, modelled and cast into artistic
and ornamental forms. But, whether in consequence of the high duty imposed
upon brick, and the consequent limitation as to size and shape, or from the in-
fluence of the contract system of building, the legal English brick has become by
degrees the least durable and most unsightly in use in any country ; and has
hence produced that dislike to its colour and material, which proceeds, not
from its intrinsic ugliness, but from association of the imagination with ideas
of coarseness and meanness of construction.'
Lombardy is especially rich in ancient works of terra-cotta; so much so
that Hope calls it ' the great country of brick.' Amongst the most ancient
we will merely mention the crypts of the church of Lenno on the Lake of
Como, where are still preserved various remains of colossal statues in terra-cotta
of a close-grained and tough consistency, and which all appear to belong to the
constructions of Christianity.
In Italy the art of terra-cotta attained its crowning development during the
prevalence of the Renaissance style, as noble monuments, both sacred and pro-
3
neat in its joints, that by the superficial observer it is generally taken for stone.
In the plains of Lombardy, where stone is rare, clay has, in buildings of
importance, been moulded into forms so exquisite, as to have been raised
into a material of value and dignity. In the ancient churches of Pavia,
&c, it presents itself in all the delicate tracery of the Middle Ages ; in the
' Ospitale Maggiore' and Castiglione palace, at Milan, it exhibits the arabesque
and medallions of the Cinque-cento style. On this side of the Alps, clay
has never been moulded into forms quite so elaborate; still, in the south
of France, particularly at Toulouse, remarkable examples exist. Along the
Rhone, carved tiles are formed into very elegant cornices and balustrades. In
the north of Germany, in Brandenburg, Luneburg, Hanover, and the provinces
bordering on the Baltic, brick and richly ornamented terra-cottas perform the
part of stone, not only for the exterior but for the interior of churches, towers,
halls, and private houses, even the lofty piers of cathedrals being moulded in
clay. Even in England brick was, in former days, modelled and cast into artistic
and ornamental forms. But, whether in consequence of the high duty imposed
upon brick, and the consequent limitation as to size and shape, or from the in-
fluence of the contract system of building, the legal English brick has become by
degrees the least durable and most unsightly in use in any country ; and has
hence produced that dislike to its colour and material, which proceeds, not
from its intrinsic ugliness, but from association of the imagination with ideas
of coarseness and meanness of construction.'
Lombardy is especially rich in ancient works of terra-cotta; so much so
that Hope calls it ' the great country of brick.' Amongst the most ancient
we will merely mention the crypts of the church of Lenno on the Lake of
Como, where are still preserved various remains of colossal statues in terra-cotta
of a close-grained and tough consistency, and which all appear to belong to the
constructions of Christianity.
In Italy the art of terra-cotta attained its crowning development during the
prevalence of the Renaissance style, as noble monuments, both sacred and pro-