Page:Charles Moore--Development and Character of Gothic Architecture.djvu/225

Rh load (Fig. 111) does exceed in diameter the thickness of the column, and the capital thus becomes a structural member of great importance, providing, in its expanded upper surface, a secure bed for the load.

In France after the eleventh century the tendency to diminish the thickness of the column in proportion to that of its load became constant, and the development of the capital into a more and more spreading form necessarily followed. The degree of expansion given to the capital varied considerably according to circumstances. Where monolithic shafts of compact stone could be obtained, it was found that these might be made very slender, and yet be strong enough to bear all the weight that could be gathered upon a widely spreading abacus. The frank carrying out of this principle led to the production of the distinctly Gothic type of capital, which finds one of its earliest illustrations in the round portion of the choir of the Cathedral of Senlis. This capital (Fig. 112) is interesting, moreover, as showing the Gothic form already developed, while the sculptured ornamentation remains purely Romanesque. Thus these smaller members agree with the larger ones in exhibiting structural before ornamental change. The column which carries this capital is a monolith. Where the columns are not monolithic, but are built up of coursed masonry, their diameter is naturally greater in proportion to their height, and the capital is proportionately less expanded. The intermediate piers, for instance, of both the nave and the