MOO

211

MOO

e * c ludi Strictl ? adher ed to. Their arabesques therefore,8erua tio ® aP ^ orm3 of animal life, consisted entirely of repre-arti 8t i c nS ^ anc ‘^ u l plants, stalks, and foliage, treated in an°f for^ Kla ^ ner i and gracefully entwined in an endless varietyc °l°Ur ’ , ese w ere introduced on the walls, sometimes in«Ut IVotnf’ but vel T often in stucco, the pattern standing

Anotl, the Wal1 higl * relief -

s ' s ta 0 f' er sf y le °f decoration, very similar to the last, con-?’ s Posed^ ,ane ' S 01 com partments filled with lines or bands,'^•'laeirio- 11 an ‘ n ^ n ‘ te diversity of geometrical figures, and

I Sort

one with another in such a manner as to form aarrangement and combination was

r t of I,? . ' YUU am

Un 'ntelijl l -.^ r ' nt 'b whose

of decnl!^'-^ e ’ exce pt by close observation. Of this method

" Thrir* 1 - 0 "’ a

., eir • - writer on the subject very justly observes—Cotl) plex'^ e0, ^ etr ' Ca ^ P atterns exhibit singular beauty and^onderfu?^ ’ nex baustible variety of combinations, and as - u degree of harmonious intricacy, arising out of^ducoa^i 6 eleme nts; to which must be added the variety

li:

ties

?,Ppa

, •v-au.cu is, to which iijust uc auueci uie variety

and fi Rtdour also, whereby the same arrangements of

o'!

fir

r entl v

rrir ' r| ded embellishment must have powerfully recom-^d 'vl 10s p to a people both imaginative and contemplative,jl^d Unr a aac y would find occupation in patiently tracinglft ’Uaze p lng t * le Manifold intricacies and involvements,H^til it a a _, what at first sight looks like a mere labyrinth,

3' quite

r es could be greatly diversified. Hence, though

and intended only to gratify

to

11 ' v er ej j^- lerne unfolds itself; but merely momentarily, asPartin, , ln S again lost when attention is diverted from it

„ < 2 * parts -”

to o met ^ lod of decoration, which was very prevalent,^ion of * 0nie . ex * en t a characteristic, consists in the appli-aa in al ^P«on. as a means of enrichment.

P l obability borrowed from the E<

_ ,1 ■

i*

This custom

- ....-„ _ B yptian practice

. ^Uiewhaj? :‘‘ ero glyphics on their walls; although the ideat ' ilb ‘ a n sv dtfterently applied. A nearer approach to theth K a ‘ s seen in that adopted by the Gothic archi-ll Uiogj p P ‘cation in both instances being almost identical.tr. eiV doo Vs UsUfd position for such inscriptions was roundt!if> Ves ’ a ud 8 f • Wind °wa, or on the surface of bands, archi-ll SU| 'f'ace > they were usually raised in relief from

in° Sfl ‘ e Work* ^ >e waP ’ and oftentimes inlaid similarly toa |i’ and r >chly illuminated with precious stones;j'l, 0ll| '> and'ti, Cases ’ tlle y were enriched with gilding andf ( . 6 '" s crj m ' e c baracters rendered as calligraphic as possible.>iii,| Koi^ 118 "'b' (, 'b mostly prevailed, were sentences

tli p • Oco asion a p’ sonie tinies other moral and religious precepts,of tk^ription ' b ass ages of Oriental poetry, the nature ofa e Pbice n y u y in S in accordance with the requirements

is ^ n °tlif> r add' ' tbe y enr ‘ c, ' ed -

a in tl le lt,on to the decorative character of the style,Hiinji'Py C o lltl f en Kellis-work employed to close apertures—f, f ^ bine tj,. ' V .‘* nc ‘ e i°r excluding the rays of the sun at the'o ], fi!it itnpoyj^ adtn ’tted freely both light and air; a matter

ti'es p be fenfor the

%

l,i, bei?P° S(! d

is

anee in a warm climate. The idea is supposed“ved from network, suspended before aper-purposes, as well as for the exclusion of^eeidedly of Oriental origin. This fret-worke,/ °f fio- u bands interlaced, and forming an infinite1,0 ' v e and is very similar to the geometrical

lB 4i uded to above -

■'e\vl f r - 6 °ften very elegant; and although they['‘‘‘Ply f°uinj ! n i‘‘ ca te at first, upon closer examinationPut tog e t| t lUt tlle y are composed of simple parts asPtw. Pnttep, leR > and yet they produce a great variety of'‘‘St, ,ri(i nt f, ’ ln which the star is not unfrequently' V ° |, k, a ® re ‘ The same eulogy will apply to this0 the geometrical arabesques. A similar

i >Hr " es %ns

‘ vv;,, >n

method of interlaced work, is not unfrequently to be seen intheir pierced parapets, which were common in the edificesof the East.

The floors, and sometimes a portion of their walls, wereinlaid with mosaic work, disposed in various patterns, inwhich the interlacing band again makes its appearance, andwith like success. The roofs are often coffered or recessedin panels in a very peculiar manner, which gives to themvery much the appearance of a honeycomb ; sometimesalso they are covered with pendents, in such a way as torealize the idea of stalactite caverns. A very beautiful methodof lighting their baths from the roof, has been noticed andextolled by almost every traveller; small star-shaped aper-tures are cut in a sloping direction through the roof, andwhile their form delights by its beauty and propriety, theyadmit only a subdued degree of light.

On the whole, when we consider the fantastic form of thearches, the slender proportions of their columns, the infinitevariety and profuseness of their decorations, and rememberthat the entire edifice was enriched with the most brilliantcolouring, it must he confessed that it would he difficult topicture a more vivid realization of our notions of fairy-land,than is presented to us by such a description.

Notwithstanding, however, the gorgeousness of theirinteriors, the Arabs, of Spain especially, paid little attentionto external decoration. 'The exterior of their edifices isdecidedly plain, sometimes approaching to rudeness, frequentlycomposed of irregular masses of scattered buildings, withoutsymmetry, or any attempt at ornament, and to be admiredonly for their bold outline and picturesque effect. One cir-cumstance which adds to their heavy, massive appearance,arises from their custom of lighting their halls from theinterior courts, so as to escape as much as possible the heatof the sun.

'l'heir mosques and other buildings in the East presenteda less rude exterior, the outline being broken up and variedby the numerous domes and minarets, the lofty and slenderforms of the latter forming a picturesque contrast with theswelling curves of the former. These minarets are light'circular towers, elevated above the rest of the building, withprojecting galleries round the upper part, whence the imaumcalled to prayer ; they are usually enriched with a profusionof delicate fret-work. Many mosques were covered with a mul-titude of domes, one principal one being larger than the otherswhich surrounded it. The walls too are more enriched thanthose of the buildings in the West, and altogether the exteriorswere of a much lighter and elegant description. See Mosqoe.

M. Laborde, in his voyage “ Pittoresque de l’Espagne,”divides Arabian architecture of Spain into three distinctchronological periods : the first of which dates from theestablishment of Islamism to the ninth century ; the secondfrom the ninth to the thirteenth century; and the last, fromthat period to the decline of Mohammedan influence in Spain .The mosque of Cordova has been selected as the most apttype of the first period ; a building which bears a closeresemblance to the later works of the Romans, the plancorresponding in many respects with the oldest churches inRome, and the materials being either procured or coarselyimitated from the Basclaine, which had been previouslyerected in Spain by the Romans.

In the second period, we see a considerable advance inelegance, of which the palace of the Alhambra presents afavourable example. In this period, most of the traces ofthe Byzantine style disappear, and the new style is seen ina state of perfect development ; indeed, the examples of thisdate are of greater beauty, and more correct taste, than thoseeither preceding or following it.

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