[No.188] [RL 1636 box]

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Bourges. General impressions after Italian Gothic of confused structures - no sure support of
anything -the whole curiously balanced equipoised - held by cross thrusts here and side thrusts
there - here tied and there wedged and there cemented - the whole most ingenious - but
unnatural and uncomfortable. The want of proportion in the pillars painful, They have not the
												look
of shafts doing their work, but of loose materials squeezed together and held tightly by a case of
								small
iron rods, the walls look bound together in the same way. the  shafts having a capital
here and a band there like gaspipes and then a long run to the ground without anything at all.
all this being however observe. only the - I believe necessary faults of a most blessed
and glorious whole: if there be a fault which is unnecessary it is want of grouping in the
small shafts. their being put separate and at equal intervals round this great one.
-    a far different arrangement from the divided members of the Romanesque pier
The shafts here are no members of the pier at all. but external to it. The Romanesque
pier is like a crystal of beryl - this like a ringed cannon held by longitudinal rods,
just the reverse of the old real cannon of longitl. & rods held by rings.
The peculiar [richness?] of the whole effect is owing to the noble aisles: for there are, outmost
											however
a range of chapels: then the aisles outer aisles of short bold proportion - a little lower than
usually the aisles of my mere triple cathedral: Then the mediate aisles which run
on their outer side: the full appareil of a nave: ie - pier arches (into outer aisles) triforium
								      of course
and clerestory) and finally-the nave itself has its noble pier arches^including this or equalling the
triforium and clerestory: The shortness of this, the main clerestory, is the chief fault of
the whole-it tells very fatally on the effect of the apse.
I shall return to these triforia - meantime observe in the singularly narrow central rib a. of th
		this sub arch of the pier arches between mediate & outer aisles, how the
		form which I dislike of sub arches usually is merely left by the two
[diagram]	bold rib chamfers approaching very close. and how much may therefore
		be deduced from a mathematical examination of bead chamfers
		themselves.

		The capitals of all their piers are the same-in general idea. they
		are a band of foliage on a concave bell surmounted by a deeply moulded
		plinth of about equal height: These as members run all round the great
		inner piers; and when the little shafts have done their work and are
		going to carry something: they form capitals for them also the
		moulded plinth forming a square projecting abacus. and the flower
						       some of
first order	band a circular bell with leaves: when      the little shafts have
[diagram]	not done their work. but have to go up ^ higher. such shafts
vaulting	have not the leafage. but are only banded circularly by moulded
		plinth.

Thus: the piers between mediate and outer aisles have eight shafts-two for
main arches: three for outer aisle vaulting-all five capitalised: three to the mediate aisle
which are only banded. these run up. and are banded again by the triforium string of
mediate aisle: and capitaled for that aisle’s vaulting. Then the nave pier has also eight shafts
3 for mediate aisle and two for pier arches. all capitaled. three for its own vaulting which
are only banded: and running up are banded again by triforium string. then - at base
of clerestory. one, the central.is capitaled to carry transverse rib.the two lateral ones only banded
by this clerestory string-which also forms abacus of vaulting capital. and run up themselves
to be capitaled only to carry the sub arch of the upper vaulting-on which is the same thing the
outer arch of clerestory window: These shafts therefore without any diminution of diameter
run up like gaspipes. having a base, three bands, and a capital - while the central
has two bands and a capital - further, on the alternate nave piers. two shafts are
added for the diagonal ribs of the nave. which are set - I cannot see if with base or not
       banded
on the   capital of the main piers between the three continued shafts joining a rich
group of five. These other two are as the central banded at triforium string
       and capitaled for [duty?] at base of clerestory
The whole thing thus depends on the design of the various banding of plinths
  - for they are not all alike. and of the foliage - I will not say nothing can be worse

							Bourges. No 188
									vid p 176. M 2

[Version 0.05: May 2008]