[M2.128L]                                                             [M2.128]								128
                                                                      
                                                                      		I think this the only instance I have found of undercutting
                                                                      		in pure Lombard work:  But how curious to find the
                                                                      		idea of a Venetian leaf so early.
(x) A germ of true Gothic:  The apsis high shafts have                		Two other capitals are very interesting at the sides of a
also very nearly pure corinthian caps:  and I have not                		chapel in south transept:  they are rude imitations of
enough noted the beautiful exterior apse of San Fermo at              		classical Corinthian far more accurate than any Byzantine
Verona: where round tall shafts have nearly pure corinthan            		ones, though far more rudely cut;  they are grouped with
capitals;  and are barred across, as well as the                      		two slender shafts:  and correspondently slender capitals
wall between, with lines of red and white brick and stone -           		of their own height;  looking like bits chopped off
seen also behind my Scala monuments:  Conf. old house in              		with only a slight chasm between (x)
garden at Abbeville:  but what a difference between a                 		Another cap to one of the high shafts of north transept is
northern buttressed apse;  and these severe vertical                  		a repetition - exact - of the bird one of the right hand
shafted ones;  Several similar ones occur in the churches             		corner of pulpit St Ambrogio.
at Verona.                                                            		The most remarkable generality of their decoration is the
                                                                      		endless variety wrought out in the positions and action
                                                                      		of the leaf which is universally used:  that this is
(xx)  Counting only as one that of the triple leaf between            		meant for a vine leaf appears from it being carved on the
the griffins, which reminds one of St Marks lilies;                   		facade round a stake, and with grapes:  its general
and in which there is an attempt to express the lateral               		principles being a succession of lobes with simple incised
closing or doubling of the leaf;  so beautifully given on             		hollows to each and ridges on the intervals: fig 4 No 182
St Marks archivolt, and as another, the four foiled                   		But it is thrown about in endless changes;  in the single
star on the 3rd [?] abacus                                            		group of capitals on No 182 it is seen in four
                                                                      		different actions (xx)  that on the left hand cornice
                                                                      		where it branches into two is peculiarly elegant - as
                                                                      		many more varieties might be found on every column
                                                                      		cluster and not content with this, the Lombards fixt the
                                                                      		form again

[Version 0.05: May 2008]