Page:Charles Moore--Development and Character of Gothic Architecture.djvu/301

Rh one of these is shown in Fig. 174; and Fig. 181 is another bit of great excellence.

In the triforium string-course (Fig. 182), and the cornice of the exterior of the nave (Fig. 182 bis), of the Cathedral of Amiens, the compound trefoil ornament is noticeable for its beauty of outline, which is natural and ornamental at once, while its finished and exquisite modelling, to which no words can do justice, renders it especially worthy of study. When we come to examine the foliate sculpture of other countries, we shall find this among the most instructive examples for comparison. The finished hollowing

FIG. 182. of the lines which mark the larger veinings, and the refined modelling of surfaces, are in strong contrast to what is generally found elsewhere than in France. Every leaf is full of living expression, and throughout the entire length of the string there is no repetition, no formality of design. The dull reproduction of formal patterns, such as are often met with in more recent design, finds no counterpart in the art of the Gothic schools. A further quality of this, and of all other fine ornament, is the orderly and sequent arrangement of even the smallest details, as in the bunches of berries that alternate with the leaves of this string-course. It will be seen that the berries fall into regular series, following the spiral arrangement around the supporting stem which is characteristic of nature. We have here