28 THE STONES OF VENICE

wings filling the intervals.* A small portion of this ground is seen beside the window taken from the palace, Vol. II. Plate 13, fig. 1.¹

§ 33. It ought to be especially noticed, that, in all chequered patterns employed in the coloured designs of these noble periods, the greatest care is taken to mark that they are grounds of design rather than designs themselves. Modern architects, in such minor imitations as they are beginning to attempt, endeavour to dispose the parts of the patterns so as to occupy certain symmetrical positions with respect to the parts of the architecture. A Gothic builder never does this: he cuts his ground into pieces of the shape he requires with utter remorselessness, and places his windows or doors upon it with no regard whatever to the lines in which they cut the pattern: and, in illuminations of manuscripts, the chequer itself is constantly changed in the most subtle and arbitrary way, wherever there is the least chance of its regularity attracting the eye, and making it of importance. So intentional is this, that a diaper pattern is often set obliquely † to the vertical lines of the designs, for fear it should appear in any way connected with them.

§ 34. On these russet or crimson backgrounds the entire space of the series of windows was relieved, for the most part, as a subdued white field of alabaster; and on this delicate and veined white were set the circular disks of purple and green. The arms of the family were of course blazoned in their own proper colours, but I think generally on a pure azure ground; the blue colour is still left behind

* All now whitewashed by “Progresso.” Progressive Italy performs always two fresco operations in due order. First, blind whitewash, to show that she can do something in Italy.² Then soot, in imitation of England. [1881.]

† Always, in the best work. [1881.]

¹ [See also in that volume the added Plate F, p. 299.]

² [See Vol. IV. p. 41 n., for a description by Ruskin of the repair of the Venetian houses in 1845.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]