Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/192

 164 Sloan's Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [Sept., up, that part of the scaffolding was itself resolved into the finished structure, until at length, when the ground was reached, the pyramid would not only be finished, but, from its sharp rise, would also be inaccessible, unless a special staircase had been excavated in the casing, in proceeding from the top to the bottom, or were afterwards chiseled out, from the bottom to the top. At all events, any reader will here see at once that the pymmidjs could only be finished "from the top downwards." This dis- covery was suggested to, and instantly proved by, Dr. Lepsius, through a glance at what is called " the Pyramid of Two Inclines," at Saccara. While an occasional stir is caused in the newspapers through accounts claiming astronomical uses for the pyramids, it is well known to all who have had even the hastiest glimpse of the writings of the Champollionists, that the primary intent and absolute use of all the pyramids was for royal sepulchres. Astronomical ser- vice they might possibly have rendered incidentally, but their object and occu- pation as kingly burial-places is fixed, maugre a doubt. But we have digressed. To recur : "Waiving the metaphysics of architec- ture, we must admit, that, following the frequent practice of Palladio himself, many of the best modern architects have been quite addicted to the use of the broken pediment. They might perhaps, upon refining to the utmost bounds of thought, confess, that in themselves, there were many adjuncts of architec- ture they liked better; and, if devising, each his ideal of a perfect edifice, omit it; but would assuredly defend it, for domestic uses, upon the principle of " humoring perspectives of buildings — of not insisting upon strict linear per- spective in drawing animals or men, for fear of the surely resulting hardness' and stiffness — of the need of alloys in metallurgy — of the desirability of occa- sional discords in music — of very occa- sional inharmonious contrasts in coloring — of not infrequent harshness in higher poetry — and of the intended imperfec- tions in humanity. True it is, that pure gold is utterly useless, except to gaze upon, as the most beautiful orange color on the globe ; and that it will an- swer neither for gold-leaf, jewelrj^, nor coin, until alloyed with a fair proportion of silver and a little copper ; that pure silver must be alloyed with a little tin and copper, even for leaf, and consider- able copper for plate or for coin. It is equally true, that men and women may be so good, as to be good for noth- ing; and that the best characters are self-eliminated, under Divine Guidance, by reasonably good souls striving to become better; but never able in the highest sense to become really good. Even if they succeed in attaining what they once conceived to be the crowning- height, they are all the better able to descry a point above. Unquestionably, then, whether widened above or below, the broken pediment — by way of two con- trasts, — the first, of recollection; the second, of juxtaposition — conduces to a higher style. The English architects, of the period of James I., obtained the latter contrast, by running a coping along, up and over, all the reentering and salient angles, and convex, or con- cave, curves, of their generally fantastic, but at times comely gables : — or, by carrying a tower, string-course along the thus hidden eaves and over the gro- tesque false-gablet of an oriel, to become the course-moulding and bay-supported balcony -base of a porch-advance, or a transept; and, so, reversing the order of transition to the twin tower — per- haps to descend the outer angle and ramify similarly over the attached offices. It is about the only characteristic whence a new principle might have grown. The Soanean, Cousin to the Palla- dian, while adopting circular arches, yet treats them as they would probably have been managed by the Greeks. The Ro- man ornamental arch is justly liable to be considered an anomaly, because it