Waterhouse, Percy Leslie: The story of architecture throughout the ages: an introduction to the study of the oldest of the arts for students and general readers (London: B. T. Batsford, 1924)

VIII
RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
In the preceding chapter we have seen that
classical tradition—derived from the days of the
Roman empire—was too strong in Italy to
allow the principles of Gothic to be received
there with any degree of favour. The Italian
never ceased to look upon the style as a foreign,
or imported one. The very name with which
they branded it, “ Gothic,” which has now lost
its original meaning, was intended to distinguish
the “ barbarous ” style from their own national
architecture. When the Gothic style was used,
it was so modified by the Italian architect that
many of its characteristic features quite dis-
appeared. As an example, the great cathedral
at Florence was noted, in which the nave was
divided into four colossal bays, each with a span
of almost 60 feet. The designer did not realise
that these classical ideas of spaciousness and
largeness of parts were fatal when applied to
Gothic designs.
Yet Arnolfo del Cambio, the architect of the
cathedral of Florence, was one of the greatest
builders of the Middle Ages. “ No Italian
architect has enjoyed the proud privilege of

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