Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/413

Rh EGYPTIAN.] A II G II I T E C T U R E 389 its outline alone. It was gradually, too, that this ten dency was generally applied, for in the earliest Pharaonic structures the vertical outline is most common, except in the propyljea, where they exist ; and in the structures of the Ptolemies the inclined outline pervades everything. The larger and more perfect structures do not externally present the appearance of being columned, a boundary wall or peribolus girding the whole, and preventing the view of any part of the interior, except perhaps the tower ing magnificence of some inner pylones ; of the lofty tops of an extraordinary avenue of columns, with their superimposed terrace ; of the tapering obelisks which occupy, at times, some of the courts ; or of a dense mass of structure, which is the body of the temple itself, enclos ing the thickly columned halls. The immense magnitude of these edifices may perhaps have made them, in their per fect state, independent of considerations which have weight in architectural composition at the present time, and on which indeed its harmony depends. The various portions of the same temple differ in size and proportion ; whence it happens that the cornices of the lower parts abut inde finitely against the walls of the higher, while the latter are not at all in accordance among themselves. The structure selected here to exemplify Egyptian archi tecture, and figured in elevation, plan, and details in Plate VII., though not ranked among the Pharaonic monu ments, is perfectly characteristic of the style and arrange ment of Egyptian temples, and is a more regular specimen than any other possessing the national peculiarities. It is known as the temple of Apollinopolis Magna, or of Edfoo, in Upper Egypt, on the banks of the Nile, between Thebes and the first cataract. It has recently been cleared out, and its magnificent ruins now stand forth grandly and clearly. The plan of the enclosure behind the propylaea is a long parallelogram, the moles or propylaea themselves forming another across one of its ends. The grand entrance to the great court of the temple is by a doorway between the moles, to which there may have been folding gates, for the notches, as for their hinges, are still to be seen. Small cham bers, right and left of the entrance, and in the core of the propylaea, were probably for the porters or guards of the temple : a staircase remains on each side, which leads to other chambers at different heights. To furnish these with light and air, loop-holes have been cut through the external walls, disfiguring the front of the structure. The grand doorway (fig. 4) is about 50 feet high, and is Hanked by two massive towers 110 feet high. The whole facade measures about 250 feet, or about 70 feet longer than that of St Paul s. The propylon is covered with numerous figures, all of colossal proportions, and some as high as 40 feet. The court is 1GO feet by 140, and is surrounded on three sides by columns 32 feet high, forming a covered gallery. The pronaos, or covered portico, measures 110 feet by 44, and consists of three rows of six columns, each 34 feet high, parallel and equidistant, except in the middle, where the intercolumuiation is greater, because of the passage through. The front row of columns is closed by a sort of breastwork or dado, extending to nearly half their height, in which moreover they are half-imbedded ; and in the central opening a peculiar doorway is formed, consist ing of piers, with the lintel and cornice over them cut through, as exhibited in the elevation of the portico. From the pronaos another doorway leads to an atrium or inner vestibule, consisting of three rows of smaller columns, with four in each, distributed as those of the pronaos are. Beyond this vestibule there are sundry close rooms and cells, with passages and staircases which were probably used for storing the sacred utensils. The insulated chamber within the sixth door was most probably the adytum, or shrine of the deity or deities to whom the temple was dedicated. It measures only about 33 feet by 17 feet, while the whole edifice within the walls covers about as much ground as St Paul s, London. The longitudinal section of the edifice (fig. 3) shows the relative heights of the various parts, and the mode of con structing the soffits or ceilings, which are of the samo material as the walls and columnar ordinances ; that is, in some cases granite, and in others freestone. The elevation of the pronaos (fig. 2) shows also a transverse section of the colonnades and peribolus. It displays most of tho general features of Egyptian columnar architecture ; the unbroken continuity of outline, the pyramidal tendency of the composition, and the boldness and breadth of every part. The good taste with which the interspaces of tho columns are covered may be remarked. Panels standing between the columns would have had a very ill effect, both internally and externally : and if a continued screen had been made, the effect would be still worse, as the columns must then have appeared from the outside absurdly short ; but as it is, their height is perfectly obvious, and their form is rendered clear by the contrast of light and shade occasioned by the projection of the panels, which would not exist if they had been detailed between the columns. The lotus ornament at the foot of the panels is particularly simple and elegant ; and nothing can be more graceful and effective than the cyma above their cornice, which is singularly enriched with ibis mummy-cases (figs. 6 and 7). The jambs forming a false doorway in the central inter space are a blemish in the composition; they injure it very much by the abruptness of their form, and their want of harmony with anything else in it. The front elevation of the moles or propylaea (fig. 1) with the grand entrance between them, is peculiarly Egyptian ; and very little variety is discoverable between the earliest and latest specimens of this species of structure. It is an object that must be seen to be appreciated ; simplicity and an inherent impressiveness in the pyramidal tendency are all on which it has to depend for effect, with the exception of its magni tude. The projecting fillet and coving which form a cornice to the structures, though large and bold, appear small and inefficient when compared with the bulk they crown ; and there is nothing particularly striking in tho torus which marks the lateral outline and separates the straight line of the front from the circular of the cornice. Neither are they dependent for their effect on the sculp ture, for their appearance is as impressive at a distance, which makes the latter indistinct, as when they are seen near at hand. A portion of the portico is given on a larger scale (fig. 5), to show more clearly the forms and arrangement of Egyptian columnar composition. The shaft of the column in this example is perfectly cylindrical. It rests on a square step, or continued stylobate, without the intervention of a plinth or base of any kind ; and it has no regular ver tical channelling or enrichment, such as fluting, but is marked horizontally with series of grooves, and inscribed with hieroglyphics. The capitals are of different sizes and forms in the same ordinance. In this example the capital, exclusive of its receding abacus, is about one diameter of the column in height. Its outline is that of the cyma, with a reversed ovolo fillet above, and its enrichment con sists principally of lotus flowers. The capital of the column next to this (fig. 2), in the front line, is much taller, differently formed, and ornamented with palm leaves ; the third is of the same size and outline as tho first, but differently ornamented ; and the corresponding columns on the other side of the centre have capitals corresponding with these, each to its fellow, in the arrange ment. Above the capital there is a square block or