54 THE STONES OF VENICE

diminution of the leaves might indeed seem merely representative of the growth of the plant. But look at the lower: the triangles of inlaid purple marble are made much more nearly equilateral than those of white marble, into whose centres they are set, so that the leaves may continually diminish in size as the ornament descends at the sides. The reader may perhaps doubt the accuracy of the drawing on the smaller scale, but in that given larger, fig. 3, Plate 4, the angles are all measured, and the purposeful variation of width in the border therefore admits of no dispute.* Remember how absolutely this principle is that of nature; the same leaf continually repeated, but never twice of the same size. Look at the clover under your feet, and then you will see what this Murano builder meant, and that he was not altogether a barbarian.

§ 25. Another point I wish the reader to observe is, the importance attached to colour in the mind of the designer. Note especially-for it is of the highest importance to see how the great principles of art are carried out through the whole building-that, as only the white capitals are sculptured below, only the white triangles are sculptured above. No coloured triangle is touched with sculpture; note also, that in the two principal groups of the apse, given in Plate 3, the centre of the group is colour, not sculpture, and the eye is evidently intended to be drawn as much to the chequers of the stone, as to the intricacies of the chiselling. It will be noticed also how much more precious the lower series, which is central in the apse, is rendered, than the one above it in the plate, which flanks it: there is no brick in the lower one, and three kinds of variegated marble are used in it, whereas the upper is composed of brick, with black and white marble only; and lastly-for this is especially delightful-see how the workman made his chiselling finer where it was to go

* The intention is farther confirmed by the singular variation in the breadth of the small fillet which encompasses the inner marble. It is much narrower at the bottom than at the sides, so as to recover the original breadth in the lower border.

[Version 0.04: March 2008]