380 THE STONES OF VENICE DECORATION

by the concave or convex contours of their bells, as shown by the dotted lines at e, Fig. 5, p. 93. And hitherto, respecting the capital, we have been exclusively concerned with the methods in which these two families of simple contours have gathered themselves together, and obtained reconciliation to the abacus above and the shaft below. But the last paragraph introduces us to the surface ornament disposed upon these, in the chiselling of which the characters described above, § 28, which are but feebly marked in the cornice, boldly distinguish and divide the families of the capital.

§ 36. Whatever the nature of the ornament be, it must clearly have relief of some kind, and must present projecting surfaces separated by incisions. But it is a very material question whether the contour, hitherto broadly considered as that of the entire bell, shall be that of the outside of the projecting and relieved ornaments, or of the bottoms of the incisions which divide them: whether, that is to say, we shall first cut out the bell of our capital quite smooth, and then cut further into it, with incisions, which shall leave ornamental forms in relief; or whether, in originally cutting the contour of the bell, we shall leave projecting bits of stone, which we may afterwards work into the relieved ornament.

§ 37. Now, look back to Fig. 5, p. 93. Clearly, if to ornament the already hollowed profile, b, we cut deep incisions into it, we shall so far weaken it at the top, that it will nearly lose all its supporting power. Clearly, also, if to ornament the already bulging profile c we were to leave projecting pieces of stone outside of it, we should nearly destroy all its relation to the original sloping line X,¹ and produce an unseemly and ponderous mass, hardly recognisable as a cornice profile. It is evident, on the other hand, that we can afford to cut into this profile without fear of destroying its strength, and that we can afford to leave projections outside of the other, without fear of destroying its lightness. Such is, accordingly, the natural disposition of the sculpture, and the

¹ [Shown and explained on p. 93.]

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