Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/371

Rh bk. vni. ch. IV. PORCHES. 355 at the ano-les inve it considerable relief. Besides this, the openings are very pleasingly graduated. It is virtually solid for about one- third of its height. The middle division consists of two stories, each with two windows, while the upper part is lighted by one bold opening on each face, as at Prato. All this is good. One great defect of the composition is its parallelism. The slightest expansion of the base would have given it great apparent stability, which its height requires. Another fault is its being divided by two strongly marked horizontal courses into distinct stories, instead of one division falling by imperceptible degrees into the other, as in Northern towers. It has yet another defect in common with the Duomo to which it belongs, namely, the false character of its ornamentation, which chiefly consists of a veneer of parti-colored slabs of marble, — beauti- ful in itself, but objectionable as not forming a part of the apparent construction. The tower now rises to a height of 269 ft., and it was intended to have added a spire of about 90 ft. to tliis ; but unless it had been more gracefully managed than is usual in Italy, the tower is certainly better without it. There is nothing to suggest a spire in the part already executed, nor have we any reason to believe that Giotto understood the true principles of spire-building better than his contempoi-aries. Porches. Another feature very cliaracteristic of the Gothic style in Italy is to be found in the ])orches attached to the churches. Generally they are placed on the flanks, and form side-entrances, and in most instances they were added after the completion of the body of the building, and consequently seldom accord in style with it. One has already been illustrated as attached to the church at Asti (Woodcut No. 756) ; another (Woodcut No. 764), belonging to the church of Sta. Maria dei Fiori at Florence, is an integral and beautiful part of the design. One of the most characteristic specimens of the class in all Italy is that attached to the northern flank of the church of Sta. Maria Mag- giore at Bergamo (Woodcut No. 785). The principal arcliway and the doorway within it are circular in form, although built in the middle of the 14th century, and are ornamented with trefoils and other details of the age. Above this are three trefoiled arches, the central one containing an equestrian statue of a certain Duke Lupus, at whose expense the porcn was probably built, and above these is a little pagoda-like pavilion containing statues of the Virgin and Child. The whole design is so unconstructive that it depends more on the iron ties that are everywhere inserted to hold it together than on any system of thrusts or counterpoises, which a true Gothic architect would certainly have supplied.