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THE BROCHURE SERIES

OF ARCHITECTURAL ILLUSTRATION.


VOL. I. MAY, 1895. No. 5.

TWO FLORENTINE PAVEMENTS.


The church of San Miniato al Monte, just outside the walls southeast of
Florence, and the Baptistery, or church of San Giovanni Battista, in
Florence, are among the finest examples of the Tuscan Romanesque style,
and both probably date from about the same time--the early part of the
twelfth century--although the date of San Miniato has until recently
been referred several centuries further back.

These two churches have many points of similarity, although entirely
different in plan. San Miniato was referred to in the article upon the
Byzantine-Romanesque doorways of Southern Italy in our February number,
and Fergusson's classification of Byzantine-Romanesque was, for the time
being, adopted for lack of better authority. Later writers have,
however, generally agreed that there is little or no Byzantine influence
in these two churches; that the delicate and refined treatment of
classic forms here found is not the result of Byzantine or Greek
influence, but is due entirely to the natural refinement of the Tuscan
race. The same characteristic was again shown later in the treatment of
Gothic detail, and is evident in the Renaissance work of this locality.

The dimensions of San Miniato were given in the February number referred
to above. The interior of this church is generally considered one of the
most beautiful interiors of Italy on account of its effective basilican
plan with a crypt opening from the nave, its beautiful and rich detail,
and its fine mosaics and decorations. The pavement is not the least of
its attractions.

The Baptistery will be remembered for its famous bronze doors, the work
of Ghiberti, which have given occasion for so much discussion, favorable
and unfavorable. It is octagonal in plan, and 108 feet in diameter
externally. It was erected originally for the cathedral of the city, but
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries was so thoroughly remodeled that
no recognizable features of the old building remain.

The pavements, in point of design, appear quite independent of the other
ornamental work in the two buildings we are considering.

The motives of ornament are those commonly found in the stuffs,
especially silks, of Sicily and the East, and their use here could
easily be accounted for through connection with Sicily. It is known that
the Hotel de Tiraz at Palermo, the great royal manufactory of stuffs,
artistic metal work, mosaics, etc., established in the sixth century,
and which continued until the sixteenth, supplied not only much of the
finest textile products for all of Europe in that time, but also
furnished workmen who carried with them the designs and methods of
Sicilian textile manufacture to other countries. Such manufactories were
established in several Italian cities, among them Lucca.

The relationship seems clear, as the forms are perfectly similar. The
beasts and birds set in balancing pairs facing each other and repeated
in an all-over pattern, as in a woven fabric, strongly suggest the
Sicilian silks. Eug. Muentz in his work, "La Tapisserie," speaks of this
evident relationship. The internal evidence of the design itself would
be quite sufficient if we had no other means of tracing it.

These two pavements are practically unique, as far as we are able to
learn. They are marble inlay, the pattern having been cut out in a slab
of white marble and pieces of black marble carefully fitted in to form
the figure. This is not true mosaic, and differs essentially in design
from the mosaic work of the same period which was derived from the Roman
mosaics made up of small pieces of marble or other material. Most of the
floor mosaics in Italy have suffered from wear and tear, and have in
many cases been very poorly restored; but these two pavements appear to
be in nearly their original condition.

The design does not have the merit of belonging distinctively to the
material in all cases, and might just as well be applied to wood
parquetry as stone. In fact, it might be even more effective in this
material if the colors were judiciously chosen.




[Illustration: XXXIII. Portion of the Pavement in the Baptistery,
Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XXXIV. Portion of the Pavement in the Baptistery,
Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XXXV. Portion of the Pavement in the Baptistery,
Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XXXVI. Portion of the Pavement in the Baptistery,
Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XXXVII. Portion of the Pavement in the Baptistery,
Florence, Italy.]


XXXIII to XXXVII.

PORTIONS OF THE PAVEMENT IN THE BAPTISTERY, FLORENCE, ITALY.

One exception should be made to the remarks above in relation to true
mosaic. The lower left-hand portion of plate XXXVI is without doubt made
up of small pieces put together after the manner of the old Roman
mosaics, and it is possible that the portion shown in the upper
left-hand corner of the same plate is made in the same way. There are
several parts of the floor laid in this manner, but they are distinctly
secondary in interest to the inlaid portions.

The pavement is divided irregularly by squares and rectangles, the
portion especially rich in ornament being that between the door and the
altar. The rectangular patterns are irregularly cut into by special
pavements, placed before several of the monumental tombs in the walls.




[Illustration: XXXVIII. Portion of the Pavement in the Church of San
Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XXXIX. Portion of the Pavement in the Church of San
Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy.]

[Illustration: XL. Portion of the Pavement in the Church of San Miniato
al Monte, Florence, Italy.]


XXXVIII to XL.

PORTIONS OF THE PAVEMENT IN THE CHURCH OF SAN MINIATO AL MONTE,
FLORENCE, ITALY.

In the first of these plates there is a suggestion of the mosaic
treatment commonly seen in the pavements of Rome, Venice, and Siena.
The sort of guilloche of interlacing circles was very generally used.

Plate XL on the other hand is as plainly reminiscent of textile designs
as it well might be; and in plate XXXIII from the Baptistery the same
characteristic can be seen.




Wood Floors.


The addition which a fine hardwood floor makes to the attractiveness of
a room is appreciated by some