240		194
                                                                      
                                                                      	                TORCELLO DUOMO
                                                                      Capitals.	Fondaco de Turchi.  but incomparably sharper and lovelier
                                                                      while some six or eight are of various designs like that I
                                                                      have drawn - delicate - rich and piquant to the last de-
                                                                      gree.  One thing being striking in nearly all:  the de-
                                                                      delopment of the Byzantine basket capital - not the mere b
                                                                      nasket work but the basket with the birds on the edge of
                                                                      itl  from the gradual in and down cutting of the circular
                                                                      bell:  Thus in this No 132 of the triangular black
                                                                      holes which are in rows of three under the edge of the
                                                                      bell - the uppermost of the three in each row, and the two
                                                                      on each side the point of the central lobe;  are entirely
                                                                      a jour:  and in another capital, the two uppermost are a
                                                                      jour;  vut through the edge of the bell seen in section.
                                                                      I could do no justice to the perfect grace of the two
                                                                      double leaves with crisp curled ends which are set on the
                                                                      front of the bell towards the nave: In finishing them,
                                                                      the shades at the upper points of their leaves should be
                                                                      lighter, and the series of drill holes sharp and black -
                                                                      Peculiar value is given to their springy curves by
                                                                      the incision which marks the stem being divided
                                                                      into three angular bends;  like a vine stem:  The action
                                                                      and plan of the whole will be better understood from
                                                                      fig 6 No 130.

[Version 0.05: May 2008]