Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/418

 396 ————————————————————— penn ON MOHAMMEDAN ART. N Thursday, the 9th inst., a highly interesting lecture on the above subject was delivered by Dr. G. G. Zerffi, at the Society for the Encourage- ment of the Fine Arts, 9, Conduit-street. In introducing the lecturer, the Crarrman (Dr. Richardson) said he had to inform the audience that a telegram had been received from Mr. G. A. Sala, who had been advertised to deliver a lecture on Wax-work as a Branch of the Fine Arts,” to the effect that that gentleman was suffering from a severe attack of bronchitis. ‘The hon. secretary of the Society (Mr. George Browning) had, however, enabled him to have the pleasure of announcing that Dr. Zerffi had consented, at a moment's notice, to give them a lecture on Mohammedan art. In commencing, the lecturer said that he felt sure he might confidently claim the indulgence of his hearers for any shortcomings on his part, as an hour previously he had not the slightest idea that he would be called upon to do anything but listen to a lecture which would, he felt sure, have been most instructive. He would endeavour, however, to give them, in the short time at his disposal, a clear ex- position of the causes which had led to the pro- duction of an art which claimed the most careful attention of all students. According to the best authorities, the Shemitic was a mixed race composed of the three great groups of mankind—the black, the yellow, and the white. This race was again to be divided into types. One of these, the Hebrews, which had been one of the most inconsiderable, had been without any art at all. The character of their laws had, in fact, rendered it impossible for them to produce works of art. He might here allude inci- dentally to the Temple of Solomon, which had been adduced as an example in contradiction to this state- ment, and must remind his hearers that, according to Scripture, ,this edifice had been entirely the work ot foreigners. He could, therefore, at once strike out the Hebrews, and there remained two branches of the Shemitic race—(1.) The Northern Shemitic, or Aaramean, in Mesopotamia and Syria; and (2) the Southern Shemitic, or Arabian and Abyssinian. The Arabians had at an early period combined the freedom of pastoral life with the refinement of cities. Their division into hostile tribes or clans, under different chiefs, had, however, operated as an effec- tual check on their development. At a time when the Germans had occupied the different parts of Europe, and Gregory the Great (590—604), under the influence of Roman ideas, had permitted the introduction of images into churches, had allowed the Grecian Panathenian processions, and the Roman festivities in honour of Minerva, to be transformed into Christian modes of worship, whilst the Greeks, inheriting some portion of that cultivated taste for which their forefathers had been pre-eminently dis- tinguished, had objected to these bad statues and worse pictures, thus causing a schismin the Church, aman had appeared amongst these Arabs, who had found a means of uniting and strengthening these opposing tribes. Abul Kasem Mohammed, or Muhammed (the Glorious), was born in the fourth year of the reign of Justinus (671—632), his parents having been Abdallah (the most beautiful) and Amina. It was said that on the marriage of his father no less than two hundred young ladies had killed themselves in despair. His grandfather and great-grandfather had been no less celebrated—the former having saved Mecca rom the Abyssinians, and the latter having succeeded in averting a famine by the sacrifice-of all his property. If any of his (the lecturer’s) hearers referred to an Encyclopedia they would probably find thename Mohammed followed by the words “‘animpostor.’ Before proceeding further it was his duty to protest most earnestly against the application of such an epithet to a man whose whole life and whose every act went to prove that, if not always the wisest, he was, at least, always the most sincere of men. This so-called ambitious impostor had in his youth been devoted to commerce, and had been so trustworthy and successful that he had gained the affections of his mistress, Cadijah, a rich THE BUILDING NEWS. May 17, 1872. HOUSE PLANNING COMPETITION. HE villa illustrated this week is designed for aw extremely picturesque situation in the Perthshire: Highlands of Scotland. It will be built of rich brown local stone, with Bannockburn stone dressings. Green slates will be used for the roof, with ornamental ridge tiles. Diaper work and flat painting will be adopted in the hall, staircase, and principal rooms. The doors will be of oak and pitch pine lightly stained, the panels being slightly ornamented with stencilling. The upper compartments of windows will be filled in with quarried glazing of ornamental design, the lower divisions being of the usual plate glass. widow, whom he had married at the age of twenty- five. He travelled as a merchant to many places, and had opportunities of comparing the various nations and religions of the earth. He had discovered the weakness of the Persian and Roman empires, had beheld with horror and indignation the degeneracy of his times, and, seeing the division of the Christian Church, had become convinced that Christ's teachings of love, fraternity, and humility had produced hatred, dissension, and pride. Thus, though illiterate and uneducated, Mohammed was well read in the book of human nature. In his forty-first year, then, he had commenced to teach the absolute indivisible unity of the Godhead, which had (he asserted) been revealed to him. And who should say that it had not been revealed to him? An earnest man, one fully alive to the weakening and disastrous effect of the continual dissensions among his people; a man thoroughly anxious to find some remedy for these evils, but who was shut out from all book-knowledge, had pondered on this question for many years, and had by thought alone arrived at a conclusion, and ata conclusion which he firmly believed te be the truth. For, if we one moment reflected on the rapid spread of Mohammedanism, and on the tenacity with which its tenets had been upheld by its votaries, we could not but observe that there must have been truth at work. A mere falsehood, or, still less, a conscious lie, conld never have worked such wonders. Having described the gradual rise of the Mohammedan faith, and given in detail the most prominent features in the life of its founder, the lecturer went on to say that it had been the aim of all Mohammedans to establish an abstract worship of the Divinity. They had abhorred all figurative representation. Under such circumstances art certainly could not prosper. The prohibition of images had limited all artistic work to architecture. The prohibition of carving, painting, or drawing men or animals had been even more restrictive than in the laws of Moses, and the effect had been almost the same. Too many Aryans, however, had embraced the Mohammedan faith to render a total extinction of art possible. Their creative and inventive intellectual faculties could not be checked. They had directed their attention partly to warfare and partly to architecture and ornamentation. Ata later period they h’ad even taken the lead in poetry and philosophy. The orna- mental works of the Mohammedans were void of the elements of an organically well-arranged system. There was everywhere a confusion of wild senti- ments, but nowhere the feeling of conscious indi- viduality. The walls were covered with an abun- dance of charming forms, continually reminding us of the splendid tapestries of the East and the light tents of their nomadic forefathers. Homo- geneousness and dissimilarity joined to produce a fantastic diversity of form which had received from its inventors the name Arabesque. Creepers had especially originated these, but mingled with flowers all defying nature, twisted into an incompre- hensible and yet pleasing design of linear and richly- entwining geometrical forms. Design encroached upon design, there was an everlasting hiding and seeking, running and catching, pursuing and stopping of the variegated forms. A restless imagi- nation was at work to create some tangible reality, and lost itself continually in abstract speculations. This play of forms was heightened by gold orna- ments and splendid colours—strong distinct tints being always employed, which, with their tapestry- like regularity, produced a tranquillising effect. In conclusion, the lecturer said that he had been unable to enlarge upon the productions of Mohammedan art as much as he could have wished, owing to the want of illustrations, but he had done the best he could under the circumstances. A discussion then ensued, in which Dr. Altschul, Mr. Lloyd, and Mr. Collyer took part. In presenting the thanks of the meeting to the lec- turer, the CirarrMan said that he felt sure they all felt grateful for the able lecture which had been so kindly delivered by Dr. Zerffi. The fact of their having been deprived of the pleasure of hearing Mr. G. A. Sala had procured them the pleasure of hearing Dr. Zerffi, proved the truth of the old saying, that there was “ Virtue in necessity.” Dr. Zerrrt having made a brief reply, a vote of thanks to Dr. Richardson for his kindness in haying presided terminated the proceedings The house will be approached, first, over @ picturesque bridge, and then winding through 2 rural avenue of wood and rock. From the library” oriel will be obtained a beautiful view of the passing river, while the drawing-room window will command a magnificent view (not less than ten miles in ex- tent) of the receding vale. overlooks the garden and a gently sloping land- scape. ‘The dining-room window The accompanying perspective is taken fronr a north-west point of view. The author of this plan is Mr. James Maclaren, 141, West George-street, Glasgow. ———__—_ SANITARY WORK IN THE CITY DURING 1871. 4 Pe annual report of the City Engineer, Mr. William Haywood, is published. During the year 1871 the length of new sewers constructed was 423ft., and the total number of premises drained 240. Many improvements have been made : among others, Upper Thames-street, between Addle-hill and S. Andrew’s-hill, has been widened on its northern. side; a plan has been approved for widening the Poultry throughout to a minimum width of 50ft., and operations commenced. Arrangements have been effected for improving the facilities for traffic in Mark-lane by setting back the front of the Corn Exchange and the Church of Allhallow’s Staining, and provision made for widening the Old Bailey at its: southern end for a length of 143ft., and improving its junction with Ludgate-hill. All the asphalte pave- ments were in excellent condition at the end of the year. The Limmer asphalte laid down in Lombard- street had slightly softened during the heat of last summer, which occurred directly after it was laid, but it appears to have been generally uninjured by it, and to be now in agood condition. The block-asphalte payement, from Maestre, in Spain, laid down in the western portion of Threadneedle-street, was taken up on the 15th of January last. The wooden pave- ment laid in Bartholomew-lane appears to have answered well, and Mr. Haywood anticipates that, owing to the inexpediency, with present experience, of laying asphalte in streets having gradients of more than 1 in 60, it may be found convenient to lay the intervening spaces with wood, and that thus. wood pavement may come into larger usage than has been the case for some years past. Withregard to the arrangements in force for lighting the City, Mr. Haywood inclines to the opinion that the regu- lators applied to the lamps are to a large extent out of condition, and that the full quantity of gas paid for is not supplied, but the Gas Company objecting to the Commissioners of Sewers touching their fittings and the Commissioners having no power to do so, the City is, practically, at the mercy of the Gas Company. The street-orderly scavenging, system has been extended, and in addition to the daily sweeping of the whole of the City thorough- fares, the courts and alleys inhabited by the poorer classes were washed twice a week with jet and hose between July 21 and October 18. In _scme cases, also, a sprinkling of carbolic acid was given during the very hot weather. The experiment of com- pelling the inhabitants in certain streets to place the refuse from their houses in movable recepta- cles outside their doors, which are every morning emptied by the dustmen before eight o'clock, has succeeded, but the laziness and carelessness of some of the householders has, in some cases, caused abuse of the system, some of them neglecting to place the receptacle out until after the time appointed for emptying it, and others overloading it, as to cause part of the contents to fall on the footways. The new Mortuary Buildings in Golden-lane are announced to be near completion. The report: closes with a passing reference to the continued refusal by the Commission of its consent to laying tramways inthe City, and an opinion that, so far as the disturbance of its thoroughfares is concerned, the City has as yet gained little by the transference- of the telegraphic lines to the control of the: Government.