Précis, Volume One Part I.

Elements of Buildings

Stone roofs and terraces are laid in mortar and jointed with mastic. firmly defined by the nature of things that we cannot add to them or subtract
We shall not enlarge any further on the ways of employing materials in the from them, so that there is no reason not to combine them with those of the
construction of the elements of buildings. Those who desire more detail may second class, derived from ancient buildings. Since these vary considerably in
consult the works of Patte, from whom we have borrowed much on the sub- the Greek buildings, which were imitated by the Romans, who were imitated
ject.22 What we have said on this topic will suffice to give a general idea to in their turn by the modern peoples of Europe, one is at liberty to select the
those who are studying architecture, and to save them from committing the simplest: which, being the most economical, are the best suited to satisfy both
gross and palpable errors that are all too evident in those designs in which the eye and the mind.25
decoration is the sole concern; it will, moreover, make it sufficiently clear that The importance of forms and proportions appears most clearly in the
decoration — if, by that word, we mean anything beyond the application of orders. Here, as we have seen, the principal forms derive from the use of some
painting and sculpture to buildings —is largely to be produced by making the of the elements of buildings; as we shall see, the principal proportions have
construction evident.23 the same origin and no more depend on the proportions of the human body
To be sure of this, we have only to look at the imposing remains of the than the forms of the orders depend on those of the hut.
buildings of antiquity; at the splendid fabrics, in every part of Italy, in which General proportions In private buildings of the lowest class, expense is always a consideration;
stone, brick, marble, and so on, show themselves as they are, and where they of the orders and here, if fitness demands detached supports, they will necessarily be made
should be; and even at the figures of plate 2, although the intention there is Plate 4 of the cheapest—which is to say, the least firm—materials. To reduce their
merely to show the disposition of materials in relation to their nature, and to number, they will be placed as far apart as possible: an economy that enables
the uses of the things they serve to build. This will surely banish the tempta- the other requirements of fitness to be observed. Solidity, however, must not
tion to abandon this natural and satisfying form of decoration and to replace be too much impaired; and so these supports will be made very short, in order
it, at great additional cost, either with the appearance of an imaginary con- to increase their strength; for the same reason, they may perhaps be made
struction—which, not being the real construction of the building, falsifies the square instead of round.
latter, and detracts from its character instead of enhancing it— by an arbitrary Whether as columns or as pilasters, these supports thus widely spaced will,
decoration made up of an assemblage of unnecessary objects that can never to avoid failure, require a higher architrave than if they were close together.
give pleasure but only fatigue the eye, outrage common sense, and displease in The frieze — being intended to join the columns to the wall, just as the archi-
every way. trave joins the columns to each other—will be of the same height as the archi-
trave. As for the cornice, to make it solid, it must have a projection equal to
Section Three. Forms and Proportions its height; and both dimensions must be proportionate to the height of the
In our consideration of materials and of their use in the construction of the building that it protects against water from the roof. In this first case, the
elements of buildings, it must have become apparent that, while nature offers building is not very tall; and so the height of the cornice may be less than that
some ready to be used, most of the others have to be worked, either to make of the frieze or of the architrave.
them suitable for building in general or to fit them to the uses to which the By contrast, in the most important public buildings— where none of the
different elements of buildings are to be put. Thus, timber is deprived of its requirements of fitness may be neglected at any cost, and where durability is
alburnum, and stone is cleaned off; ashlar and rubble are squared to bed them a condition imposed not only by fitness but also by economy, seeing that there
in the construction of walls and cut into wedges in order to construct vaults. is no economy in erecting such buildings over and over again— the materials
We have observed, also, that the union of these materials naturally gives rise employed will be such as offer the greatest resistance; and in a given space there
to forms and proportions: nor could this be otherwise, seeing that matter nec- will be as many supports as possible. These will accordingly be more elegant
essarily possesses forms and that forms have their inherent relations and pro- in form; and, for ease of passage between closely packed supports, they will
portions. It is in the light of these last two facts that we must now consider the be made cylindrical. The narrowness of the spaces between them will naturally
elements of buildings. lead to architraves and friezes that are less high; and, as the building itself will
Forms and proportions may be divided into three categories: those that be tall, the cornice will need more projection in order to throw the water fur-
spring from the nature of materials, and from the uses of the things they serve ther off and will consequently be deeper than the frieze or the architrave.
to build; those that custom has in a sense made necessary to us, such as the Columns can, and according to circumstances must, be made short in
forms and proportions of the buildings of antiquity; and, finally, those sim- some cases and long in others. But there are certain limits that must not be
pler and more definite forms and proportions that earn our preference through transgressed. Too long, the columns would lack solidity; to make them too
the ease with which we apprehend them.24 short would be to fall into the opposite excess. Experience, that is to say,
Of these, only those in the first category are essential; but they are not so observation of the proportions of columns in those antique buildings that are

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held in highest esteem, will serve to determine their proportions. The shortest As the height of the architrave and the frieze must vary in accordance with
columns seen in such buildings are those of the Greek Doric order; but, as their greater or lesser span, we shall assign them one module and a half in the
we have already said, their proportions vary in every case. In some, as in one Greek Doric order, and one module and a quarter in the Corinthian. As for
temple whose ruins may be seen at Corinth, they are only four diameters high. the cornice, as its projection and height must vary in accordance with the
In others, they are as much as nine diameters high, as in the temple at Cori; height of the orders, it will measure one module in the first order and one
but as this last example is the only one in which the columns are so elongated, module and a half in the fifth order. The proportions of the various parts of
a height of six diameters will give us a kind of proportional mean, to which the entablature being thus fixed for the two extreme cases, it will be an easy
we shall adhere for the proportions of the shortest columns, especially since matter to find those that correspond to these same parts in the intervening
this proportion comes closest to that of the majority of Greek Doric columns. orders. The sum of all those parts, in all the orders, will be two diameters or
The longest columns are those of the Corinthian order, but their propor- four modules: a precise proportion, easy to remember, and nevertheless in
tions are not always the same. Some, like those of the Tower of the Winds and keeping with the degree of strength or lightness in the columns, since it will
the Colosseum, are eight and a half diameters high; others, like those of the measure one-third in the first order, one-fifth in the last, one-quarter in the
Lantern of Demosthenes and of the Temple of Vesta in Rome, are nearly third, and so on. This proportion is close to that found in the majority of
eleven. Most, however, are approximately ten diameters high; and this more Greek and Roman orders; or at least in the Greek Doric and the Corinthian.
exact proportion is the one that we shall assign to the tallest columns. Pedestals may be relatively high or low. But, in order to depart as little as
Between the private buildings of the lowest class and the public buildings we can from the orders adopted by the ancients and from the principal sys-
of the highest, there are a host of intermediate classes; and so, between these tems of ordonnance— and, above all, to simplify the study of the matter as
two orders of columns, it would be possible to interpose a host of others. But much as possible—we shall make our pedestals just one module higher than
for simplicity of study, and in order to depart as little as possible from the the entablature: that is to say, two diameters and a half or five modules. The
received systems, we shall limit ourselves to three intermediate orders, defined plinth will be one module high, and the cornice half a module.
as follows: first, between the column height of six diameters and that of ten, Such are the forms and proportions indicated for the principal parts of the
we shall set a column height of eight, the proportion of the Doric order of the orders, first, by the nature of things; second, by the respect that we owe to
Theater of Marcellus, which is the most highly esteemed Roman Doric; then, habits acquired through seeing the orders of the ancients and those imitated
between this and the Greek Doric, we shall have columns of seven diameters, from them; and, third, by the care that must be taken to avoid fatiguing the
which is the proportion of the most widely adopted Tuscan, that of Vignola; eye with indeterminate proportions.
and finally, between the Roman Doric and the Corinthian, there will be a col- If our system is neither as complete nor as consistent as might be desired,
umn nine diameters tall, a proportion that corresponds, more or less, to the at least it is preferable in both respects to all systems hitherto devised. It also
mean of all the various Ionic orders, both Roman and Greek, and to the near- has the advantage that it rests on a more solid foundation than the imitation
unanimous practice of the moderns. And so the columns will grow in the fol- of the hut and of the human body. It is not offensive to good sense, and pre-
lowing ratio: Doric, six; Tuscan, seven; Roman Doric, eight; Ionic, nine; and sents none of those absurdities that can only inspire a distaste for architecture
Corinthian, ten.26 in any mind accustomed to rational thought. Simple and natural, it is as easy
All columns must taper by one-sixth, a cone being firmer on its base than to remember as it is to grasp. But even were it far better than it is, if it is
a cylinder. As for the capitals and bases, they should increase in height in pro- wrongly applied, and if these forms and proportions are used in any building
portion to the columns; but these proportions are more a matter of custom to clothe unnecessary objects, then the result will not only be bad architecture
than of necessity, and they have little importance in construction. Accord- but bad decoration. And in the absence of all these forms, a building that pre-
ingly, to avoid interference with established custom, we shall assign one mod- sents all that is needed and nothing but what is needed, and in which all is
ule, or one half-diameter, to all bases, and also to the capitals of the first three disposed in the most fitting and most economical manner, will satisfy both the
orders; one module and a half to the Ionic capital; and two and one-third mind and the eye.
modules to the Corinthian capital. Details of the orders in Just as, in general, an order comprises three parts, a pedestal, a column,
The more massive the columns, the more widely spaced they may be; con- general or moldings and an entablature; and as we then distinguish within the pedestal a plinth, a
versely, the more slender, the closer they must be. The least possible interval Plate 5 dado, and a cornice; within the column a base, a shaft, and a capital; and
between columns, as used in antiquity, is one and a half diameters. We shall within the entablature an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice: similarly, each
retain this proportion for the Corinthian; we shall increase it by one half- one of these parts in its turn includes several others, which are themselves
diameter, for every one diameter by which the columns taper, in the following composed of other, even smaller parts.
proportion; Corinthian, 11/2; Ionic, 2; Doric, 21/2; Tuscan, 3; Greek Doric, 31/2. The first cornices were probably no more than squared stone blocks.

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Corbeled out from the wall, such a block was too heavy; and so the idea arose greatest change that we have made, is because the triglyphs are so placed in all
of beveling it. But as this made it too weak, a projection was made in the cen- the Roman Dorics.
ter; and the cornice then came to have three parts, distinguished by the names In the profile of the second order, which is Vignola's Tuscan, we have
of upper cyma, corona, and lower cyrna. Later, and when cornices of great merely eliminated a few fillets and beads.
size were made, the single stone was sometimes replaced by several stones, In the profile of the third order — which, with some slight alterations, is
and this gave rise to new divisions. Hence those coronas or larmiers, within Vignola's Doric — we have eliminated the dentils and the flat mutules of the sof-
the height of which projecting stones were inserted to support the overhang: fit of the corona; for this we have the authority of Serlio, Barbaro, Cataneo,
these stones were called mutules in the Doric order and modillions in the Viola, Bullant, and Philibert de l'Orme.
Corinthian. Other forms included those of dentils, cut at intervals into the In the profile of the fourth order, which is that of Serlio, we have simply
corona; intermediary cymas; and so on. In buildings in which the orders do omitted the dentil molding of the corona and the three fascias of the architrave.
not appear, a strongly projecting corona has on occasion been supported by Precedents exist for all these omissions: for the former in the Ionic entablature
other projecting stones, larger than modillions, known as consoles. of the Colosseum, in Leon Battista Alberti, in Jean Bullant, and in Philibert
Each one of these parts is divided in turn into several others, endowed with de l'Orme; and for the latter in the fine Ionic entablature of the Temple of the
various geometric forms. An idea of these may be gained from plate 5. They Ilyssus. Finally, the profile of the fifth order is identical with the Corinthian
have been used not only in the members of cornices but in the cymas of archi- entablature of the attic story of the Roman Pantheon.
traves, and in various members of capitals and bases, and so on. As these look There are many Corinthian entablatures that incorporate modillions, but
like nothing in particular, and as they nevertheless entail expense — each mold- there are also many that do not, such as those of the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli,
ing surmounted by a fillet counting as 32 cm (1 ft.) of wall, even if it is only of the small altars in the Pantheon, and of the Temple of Antoninus and
5 cm (2 in.) high—we shall merely suggest that they be used very sparingly; Faustina. The modillions do not spoil these entablatures, but in our view they
and that the available funds be saved for painting and sculpture, which are more should be reserved for giant orders. (See plate 70 [of the Recueil et parallele].)
likely to give pleasure than moldings, because they always represent something. We were tempted to omit the triglyphs in the Doric order. A number of the
Any assemblage of moldings is known as a profile; and profiling is an art The art of profiling monuments of antiquity, such as the Temple of Agraule in Athens, the baths
to which the advocates of architectural decoration attach great importance. of Paulus Aemilius, the Colosseum, and the amphitheater at Nimes, in all of
We do not. The use of moldings having nevertheless been consecrated by cus- which they are absent, would have authorized the omission. But so many still
tom, care must be taken in combining them to avoid offending the eye. The regard them as an essential attribute of this order that we have allowed them
only way to succeed is to give a pronounced movement to each profile, to to remain.
combine rectilinear and curved moldings, and to contrast the thinnest with For the same reason, we retain the forms and the proportions of the Ionic
the thickest. The Greeks in their Doric and Ionic orders, and the Romans in and Corinthian capitals. On completion of the magnificent work on Egypt
their Corinthian, offer good examples of profiles. By contrast, some very bad now undertaken by a number of intrepid scholars, it may well transpire that
examples have been set by the Greeks in their Corinthian, and by the Romans the naturalness, the simplicity, the elegance, and the nobility of certain Egyp-
in their Doric and Ionic. tian capitals will entirely displace the flimsy, incurved abacus of the Corinthian
The art of profiling may be acquired by comparing the profiles of the capital; the wood shavings, known as volutes, that are supposed to support it;
Greeks and the Romans—as may readily be done by inspecting plates 65, 69, and the bolsters of the Ionic capital, which make it so irregular and in many
and 70 of the Recueil et parallele — and then drawing, freehand, a large num- circumstances so awkward to use.27
Details specific to As for the other capitals and pedestals, we have followed the same method
ber of profiles.
The profiles of the various orders owe their value solely to habit, which is Profiles of the different certain orders as in the entablatures: and to spare our readers the trouble of referring to
the reason why we have made no attempt to invent any new ones. Those that orders Plate 7 other books, we have given, on plate 7, the development of the capitals,
we offer have all been taken from antique buildings or from the authors most Plate 6 columns, and pilasters of the Ionic and Corinthian orders; a number of exam-
commonly followed. But there are considerable variations in the profiles of ples of cornices for the interiors of apartments; and, finally, the outline of the
every order, and so we have assumed the liberty of making a choice. We have Ionic volute.
consequently selected the simplest, because these are the least laborious and Where engaged pilasters and columns appear together in the same build-
the most economical. Sometimes we have even ventured to simplify them still ing, because the former do not taper, the capital is made to project less far
more, although only where a precedent is to be found elsewhere. Thus, in the from the face of the pilaster than from that of the column, so that the projec-
profile of the first order — which is approximately that of the Parthenon, at tion of the pilaster capital, relative to the entablature, does not differ too
Athens —we have placed the triglyph directly above the column; and this, the markedly from that of the column capital.

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Cornices within apartments differ to varying degrees from those of the will relate to each other according to the proportions of the columns. If the
order; and may resemble them in all but slight details, if the apartment walls columns are to be Greek Doric or Tuscan, locate their axes by dividing the
are reasonably high. But where they are too low, which cannot always be distance between the axes of adjacent arcades into three parts. Bat if the
avoided, the corniEes must be made with little height and much projection, in columns are Ionic or Corinthian, divide the same distance by eight: three-
order to make the ceiling of the room appear to be higher. Moreover, the light eighths for each half-arch, and two-eighths for the interaxis.
indoors is far less bright than out of doors; and, once money has been spent Where the arcades are continuous, if the arches rest on piers, divide into
on- moldings, they might as well be visible. Profile them, therefore, in such a three the space between the [axes of adjacent] arcades. In this way, the pier
way that they meet, not-at right angles but at acute angles, with a narrow will be one-half the width of the arcade.
interval between, to give a line of black that will make them stand out. Suppose the arcades to be separated by windows or by niches: in this
As for the Ionic volute, here is the way to trace it: case, first divide the interaxis [of the openings] by four, and then the two
First draw, at a distance of one module from the axis of the column, a middle quarters by three; this will give the width of the piers and of the win-
dow or niche.
vertical line, known as the cathetus, which will pass through the center of the
eye of the volute; and along this line, from the underside of the talon of the If the arcades are separated by doors, divide the interaxis by five. The piers
abacus, measure twenty-one parts and one-third of a module for the total will be one-half as wide as the opening, and the width of the door will equal
height of the volute. Still moving in the same direction, take twelve of these that of the piers.
parts, and you will have the center of the eye, the diameter of which is two Where the arcades are continuous, the arches must always rest directly on
and two-thirds parts. In this circle inscribe a square, one angle of which coin- the columns; where discontinuous, the arches rest on an architrave.
cides with the intersection of the cathetus and the circle; and divide into The relation between the width and height of arcades varies according to
six equal parts each of the two lines that pass through the center, perpendicu- the uses to which they are put. In a market hall, a customhouse, and so on,
lar to and contained between the sides of the square. This yields points 1, 2, they may be as high as they are wide. In certain other buildings, they may be
half as high again as they are wide. As for the arcades that form ordinary por-
3, 4, ... , and 12, which are the centers of the outline of the volute. Use them
as follows: ticoes, make them twice as high as they are wide; that is to say, the center of
From point 1, erect a vertical line to intersect the crown of the volute at A. the arch will be at three-quarters of the height of the opening.
From the same point /, and with a radius equal to 1A, describe an arc of a cir- Where arcades are composed of arches resting on columns, this proportion
cle, which will intersect at B the continuation of the line that passes through may be achieved as follows: mark off, along the axis of the opening, three
points 1 and 2. Taking point 2 as center, and with a new radius 2B, describe times the distance between this axis and the axis of the column; then divide
a second arc of a circle, which will terminate at C, on the continuation of the this height into a number of parts equal to the number of modules contained
line that passes through points 2 and 3. Taking point 3, and thereafter points in the desired column alone, or in the column and architrave together, plus
4, 5,..., to 12, as centers, describe new arcs, each of which will have as its three. By subtracting three modules from this height, you will have that of the
radius the distance from the end of the preceding arc to the center of the one center of the arch. The rest speaks for itself.
that follows; taking care to observe that in every case the centers of two con- The mere look of the construction of arches is the best decoration of such
secutive arcs and their junction are in a single straight line, so that they meet a feature. However, an archivolt may be added on occasion; and this is quite
without forming an angle. often done. There is only one case in which it must be avoided at all costs, and
The width of the fillet, which is one-quarter of the height remaining below that is when arcades are both continuous and supported by columns: for in
the curve of the first revolution, will easily be found by dividing into four each such a case, infallibly, the archivolts would either intersect or become too
of the parts that served to indicate the centers for the first volute; this will narrow.
Doors, windows If the arches rest on piers, whether they are encircled by an archivolt or
yield twelve new points, to be used as above.
As we have said, when detached supports, whether columns, pilasters, or Arcades Plate 9 not, an impost must always be included to support the springing of the arch.
piers, stand far apart, they are spanned with arches instead of lintels. The kind Plate 8 The profile of an impost or of an archivolt is the same as that of an architrave,
of opening that results from this disposition is known as an arcade. and the width of one or the other is approximately one-ninth of the opening.
Arcades may be continuous, or they may be discontinuous — that is to say, Door and window openings may be arched, when very wide; or they may
separated by intercolumniations, by doors, by windows, or by niches. If con- have square terminations, when they are of no more than ordinary width. On
tinuous, the distances between the interaxes of the supports are equal; if dis- principal floors, they are made twice as high as wide, as are the openings of
continuous, they are not.28 arcades. On subsidiary floors, they are made half as high again, or exactly as
Where the arches of discontinuous arcades bear on columns, the interaxes high, as they are wide; or only two-thirds as high. Where the spacing of the

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Précis, Volume One Part I. Elements of Buildings

windows is narrow, the latter are no more than holes pierced in the wall. If It is customary to frame the panels with moldings 5 cm (21/2 in.) wide for
the spacing is wide, the windows are surrounded by a chambranle, equal in large panels and 3 cm (11/2 in.) wide for the pilasters, separated by an interval
width to one-sixth of the opening; its profile, like those of the imposts and of 6 cm (3 in.). These borders may be dispensed with, and we have examples
archivolts, is that of an architrave. Where two rows of windows are separated to prove it.
by a considerable space, a frieze and a cornice are erected above the cham- The panels may be ornamented either with historical subjects or with land-
branle, each to a height equal to the width of the chambranle itself. Some- scapes or with arabesques. For the last-named, see, in the Recueil et parallele,
times, the two ends of the cornice are supported by consoles, one-half as wide those of the Baths of Titus, plate 78, and those by Raphael, plates 85 and 86.
as the chambranle itself. It will be of value, also, to inspect the interesting productions of Percier and
The cornice is sometimes surmounted by a pediment, to throw off the water Fontaine; those of Normand and Lafitte, which are to appear shortly; and a
to either side. In the case of a door, this becomes a necessity. The height of number of the interiors decorated by our best architects.
the pediment is between one-quarter and one-fifth of its base. Sometimes the The caissons that result from the construction of vaults are naturally square,
chambranles are replaced by pilasters and an entablature. Doors and windows and it would be best to restrict oneself to that form. However, antiquity sup-
may also be flanked by columns, to afford better protection from the rain by Of vaults plies so many examples of caissons in the form of octagons, hexagons, lozenges,
giving more projection to the entablature. and so on, that we feel no need to disallow them. (See plate 76 of the Recueil
Where the last row of windows is very close to the cornice that termi- et parallele.) We shall therefore merely express the wish that, whenever the con-
nates the whole building, no cornice must be placed above the windows. struction of a vault does not naturally create caissons, they may be replaced,
Nor should any be placed above internal doors; for in both cases cornices are either with important mythological or historical subjects, as in several palaces
entirely unnecessary. in Italy and in France, or with less grave subjects, as in the fragments of paint-
The only difference between doors and windows is that doors extend to ing that are admired in Rome, in the Baths of Titus, at Herculaneum, and so
the floor of the building, whereas windows rest on a breast crowned by a on. (See plate 77 of the Recueil et parallele.) For the rest, whatever their shapes,
plinth. If the space between two rows of windows is considerable, a second caissons may be made with one, two, or three steps, with or without moldings;
plinth may be placed at the level of the upper floor; otherwise, one plinth is for there exist examples of fine steps without moldings.
enough. We shall conclude the little we have to say on forms and proportions with
Where the wall is of an ordinary thickness, this is divided into three parts, the observation that, however rational the three classes discussed above, they
one for the reveal and two for the embrasure. are not likely to contribute to the pleasure of the eye — or, consequently, to
If the various kinds of window that we offer, in which all is natural and decoration itself, which has that pleasure as its object. To convey a certain
simple, are compared with those windows that are burdened at great expense degree of pleasure, they must be accurately perceived by the eye; they must
with moldings, modillions, crossettes, flanges, and so on— of which, unfortu- thus exist in the same plane; and that plane must be perpendicular to the line
nately, Italy supplies all too many examples — it will be seen how much harm of sight. For, if the plane were horizontal or oblique, the forms and propor-
the mania of decoration can do to decoration itself. tions embodied in it would shift according to the point of view. Now, it is very
To gain an exact idea of the various compartments of paving, it will suffice Plate 10
rare for the forms and proportions of any building to be located in a plane
to inspect the plate that represents them. And as for the compartments of walls, Compartments:
that will allow the eye to perceive them fully and assess them judiciously.
one need only see them, on the same plate, to be convinced that the true dec- Of paving
On this subject, we shall cite Citizen Le Roy, and we do so all the more
oration of a wall resides in the appearance of its construction. We shall add Of walls
gladly because most students of architecture owe a great part of their talents
only that, where it is desired to bevel the joints in order to prevent the edges both to the instruction that he has imparted and to the encouragement of all
of the stones from chipping, this must be done in such a way as to have only kinds that he has so generously bestowed.29 In his excellent discourse on the
obtuse angles, as shown in the figure. Any other method is defective. The head theory of architecture, having given an arresting description of the magnifi-
joints are less subject to chipping than the bed joints; and here, if desired, the cent effect of peristyles when their columns are set away from the wall, he
beveling may be omitted. goes on to say:
In order to make apartments healthier, they are often paneled all around Of paneling

in wood; sometimes this is done to the full height of the walls, and sometimes The beauty that results from such peristyles is so general that it would still be
to elbow height only. In both cases, the paneling is composed of pilasters, perceived if the pillars that compose them, instead of presenting to the beholder
frames, and panels. The panels are fitted into the frames, and these are then the aspect of superb Corinthian columns, were to exhibit nothing but tree trunks,
fitted between the pilasters, which are themselves made up of frames and pan- cut off between the roots and the spring of the branches; or if the columns were
els. A plinth is placed at the foot and a cyma at elbow height. imitated from those of the Egyptians or of the Chinese; or even if those pillars

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represented no more than a confused mass of diminutive Gothic columns, or the

This goes to show how slight is the influence exerted by forms and pro-
portions on the pleasure that we feel on looking at a building; and any linger-
ing doubts may be dispelled by referring to the Recueil et parallele, which
shows some buildings that afford the greatest pleasure despite bizarre forms
and imprecise proportions, and others that are supremely displeasing, even
though they display all the forms and proportions of the antique. The reason
is that in the former cases the objects clad in these forms are disposed in a Section One. Combination of the Elements of Buildings
simple and fitting way, and that in the latter cases they are superfluous or The first part of our lectures concerned the elements of buildings, the principal
badly disposed. parts of architecture having been discussed in the introduction. In this second
From this comparison we shall draw the following conclusions. In compo- part we shall tell how those elements may be combined; how such combina-
sition, neither forms nor proportions are to be envisaged with pleasure in tions may be used to form the parts of buildings; and how such parts may be
mind; and those of the first of our three classes, although the most important, united to form a whole. In a word, we shall discuss disposition, in accordance
will receive scant attention, even with utility in view; for they arise naturally with the principles expounded in our introduction.
from the use of the objects concerned and from the nature of the materials The elements of buildings may be placed side by side or one above the other.
used to construct such objects. The forms and proportions of the second class In the composition of a building, both kinds of combination must be kept sim-
will be regarded as a purely local matter, employed solely to avoid offending ultaneously present in the mind; but for ease of study they can, and indeed
against our customs: so that if one were building in Persia or in China or in must, be considered separately.30 We shall therefore distinguish between two
Japan, one would avoid them, because to act otherwise would be to transgress kinds of disposition: horizontal, as represented by plans; and vertical, as rep-
against the customs of the country and even the materials that are in use resented by sections and elevations.
there. The forms and proportions of the third kind will be employed, for the Plate 1 Columns, as has already been said, must be equally spaced within any given
reason that in a host of situations they promote economy, and that they Horizontal combinations: building; but their spacing must vary in accordance with circumstances. In
always ease the study and the practice of architecture. Our sole concern will Of columns private buildings of the least importance, to limit the expense, the number of
be with disposition; for when it is fitting, and when it is economical, it will columns must be reduced, and they must be spaced as widely as possible;
attain the purpose that architecture sets for itself, and will thereby become the whereas in the most considerable public buildings, for greater durability,
source of the pleasurable sensation that buildings convey to us. they must be as densely arrayed as possible. In any building, columns must be
Disposition must therefore be our sole concern in the remainder of this employed only where they serve to form porticoes or galleries; it follows that
work; and ought to be so, even if — we repeat — even if architecture were to their distance from the wall must be at least as great as the distance between
take pleasure as its principal object. them. Such a disposition suffices where the columns are widely spaced and
short, but where they are very tall and very closely spaced, it ceases to be
appropriate; for the resulting tall, shallow portico would offer no protection
from sun and rain. In such a case, the relation between columns and wall must
change, if the portico is to serve the purpose for which it is built; and the
columns will accordingly be set not one but two, or even three, interaxes away
from the wall. And then there will be a precise relation between the depth of
the portico and its height.
Equally, the nature of the construction of the upper part of porticoes, or of
galleries, may call for new combinations. Where a portico with a depth of two
or three interaxes is spanned by timber flooring, the upper part may be sup-
ported by a wall and a single row of columns; but where that same portico is
spanned by a vault, it will become necessary to contain the thrust, either by
setting a second row of columns in front of the first, if the vault is cylindrical,

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