GUIDE TO THE ACADEMY AT VENICE 171

characteristic example in Venice of the architecture that Carpaccio, Cima, and John Bellini loved.

As a rule, observe, square-piered, not round-pillared;-the square piers either sculptured all up with floral tracery, or, if plain, decorated half-way up, by a round panel of dark-coloured marble or else a bas-relief, usually a classic profile; the capitals, of light leafage, playing or springing into joyful spirals at the angles; the mouldings and cornices on the whole very flat or square cut,-no solid round mouldings anywhere, but all precise, rectangular, and shallow. The windows and doors either square-headed or round,-never pointed; but, if square-headed, having often a Greek gable or pediment above, as here on the outer wall; and, if round-headed, often composed of two semi-circles side by side, with a circle between:* the wall decoration being either of round inlaid marbles, among floral sculpture, or of fresco. Little to be conceived from words; but if you will look well inside and outside of the cortile of the Evangelist, you will come away with a very definite primary notion of Giocondine work.

Then back, with straight speed to the Academy; and before landing there, since you can see the little square in front of it, from your boat, read on.

The little square has its name written up at the corner, you see,-“Field of Charity,” or rather of the Charity, meaning the Madonna of Charity, and church dedicated to her. Of which you see the mere walls, variously defaced, remaining yet in their original form,-traces of the great circular window in the front yet left, also of the pointed windows at the sides-filled up, many a year ago, and the square holes below cut for modern convenience: there

* In returning to your boat, just walk round to the back of the church of the Frari, and look at the windows of the Scuola di San Rocco, which will fix the form in your mind. It is an entirely bad one; but took the fancy of men, for a time, and of strong ones, too. But don’t stop long just now to look at this later building; keep the St. John’s cortile for your type of Giocondine work, pure.

[Version 0.04: March 2008]