[No.199] [RL 1636 box]

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Central Porch The  Christ with hands extended. full face tranquil finely featured - but
										expressionless
drapery neither ill nor well. Whole figure commonplace. Robed only to waist - but I do not see
the wounds either in hands or side. a feet. which latter are bare and very well though [?] vulgarly
shaped. the soles being seen - resting on a kind of pedestal of the most light - delicate &
										 exquisitely
composed rose and oak leafage cut quite hollow - with two little children playing or praying
among it about the half length of the foot of Xl
The figure sits under canopy studied with stars of flower work - supported by two slender &
												most
rich of shafts. one of the [diagram] pattern of Verona. but bossed all up
					with fill point of arch
Above the canopy are two	angels ^ carrying the sun and moon . . the latter like a great  bowl.
but as the light touches its	edge. its effect seen at a distance is not most luminous & excellent
(Rue Paradis. 28	the former radiating fine. Four angels at the side have the
 - Maison [?] [?] )    cross & crown. but they are lifeless cold & [?] . finally the madonna kneels
M. le [?]	        humbly on the left. (St Joseph ?) on the right (Christ left.) filling up
		the point of the arch most skilfully. Good [?] .when the Madonna
		is only used to fill up a corner.
	Round the whole arch runs moulding a transition from acanthus to buttercup
	Superbly cut. Under this first upper filling comes the band with devils   of all the
	sculpture the same single [?] little force of thought or feeling. Little grace imeasureably
	inferior to Lyons in both respects - the saints face with archaic smile a lttle softened on
	common features - the draperies generally fitting very well. in good gravitation - simple
	& decidedly good but nothing striking. The anatomy of which a great deal in the naked
	figures. much more rounded than in Italian work even - & looking in some places. the
											back( restored
	of a man in lower tier on [?] rising from tomb. being much studied. The devils are clever
	but not first rate - the faces of the wicked quite poor - on the whole - the modern
											restoration
	are in their points quite as good. The hair is for the most part short and curly.
	In the [?] central tier. their St Michael. common smile on small agreeable face
	wings small & simple +. one up. one slightly depressed - the right. is in sympathy with
	the advanced [?] and [?] of right hand scale the scales of metal - St Peter is
	small and common figure [?] at the blessed at the door of a temple under which it is a
face	beautiful figure with long flowing hair & glory. doubt again Christ. who envelopes
I think	   a group of small souls in a cloth or full drapery in which he supports them .q.Robes of
restored										night[?]
in clay	   The lucifer has a double book to a broad grin - The devils are pitching souls into the
	cauldron over their heads - quite Tintoret [?]. though feebly rendered
	The group on line below. the rising is very poor: being all naked - not even
	well disposed -& tombs insipid and their lids too thin - like shutters
	Under each story a band of leafage only on simple plinth [diagram] or [diagram]
	The uppermost a flowing semi acanthus
	with two dragons [?] heads between
	The mediate. Rose. lovely and sharp
				     hawthorn
	The lowest buttercup. or sycamore and linden with
			   or
	log - and a bird  and light long stalked flower in places - heavenly
	In rolls of foliage all round between niches the cutting of the stalks for effect
lll	in the [?] by sharp edges cut deep down. a principle which givees a narrower stalk
	of light than any under cut stem however delicate - is semicircular
	I might just as well sat down to copy a real branch of hawthorn

+  not very good - has been painted red & other colours.
    Disposition of entire side of porch. very poor & bad. The usual fault of north gothic
Its six shafts carry nothing +++ only the edge of the large niches which are glued
onto the wall between them ^  being six [pantile?] and having heads for their finials
. a pinnacles utterly bad from beginning to end. Then above they are imitation temples
with little miniature balled pinnacles. all in excessively bad [?]
Note the hand blessing of Torcello. same position. forms the  upper finial of one of their gable
-	and in the same position. the sacrifice of Abel is [accepted ?] in lower bas relief
In the opposite. which Cain is [repeated?] the figure is hand is restored in clay.
and the ignorant sculptor has put it in the same position.
		   restorer

The shafts (+++) profess to carry the six rolls of leafage round vault . but do not
as these are thrust gradually from above them. to get [?] for another line of angels

							No 199          
									? Bourges.

										ADD 10

[Version 0.05: May 2008]