CA R V ED WORK, all those planes, or other surthces which are cut into ornaments, representing, in relief or in recession, foliages, animals, utensils, historical events. &c.
Mouldings are generally carved with leaves, honeysuckles, lions' heads, beads, egg and tongue, egg and dart, guilluches, reeds, flutes, &e. Tori are carved with guilloehes, reeds, and flutes. Astragals are carved with beads, of various forms, strung together.
Ovolos, with egg and tongue, and at the corners with honey suckles, as in Grecian architecture; or with egg and dart, and sometimes with leaves, as in Roman architecture.
Sima-reetas, with honeysuckles, of various forms, con nected with scrolls and lions' heads at certain intervals, as in Grecian architecture ; or with leaves of various kinds, as in Roman architecture. Sima-inversas, with leaves, stalks, &c., enclosed in borders.
Facias and large surfaces, with foliage interwoven or wind ing. or with historical subjects from the heathen mythology, and sometimes with flutes, fillets, &c.
But of all carved work none is so beautiful as that left us by the Gothic architects. Of the styles comprised, under this denomination, carving is one principal feature, and it is surprising to what perfection the art arrived ; during this period of the dark ages, as they are called, it advanced gra dually, and passed through many stages ere it arrived at its full maturity, from the simple and somewhat barbaric mould ings of the Normans, to the luxuriant foliage of the Deco rated. or the elaborate richness of the Florid styles; and yet even the carving of the earlier periods is by no means to be despised ; the specimens belonging to the Early English style, although somewhat still' and harsh, possessed a sim plicity and chasteness which was never afterwards surpassed.
The Decorated style lays claim to the highest rank in carved enrichment, it approaches nearest to nature ; indeed, it is almost nature herself, only changed in substance; connected with this period is full of grace and eegance. In the next, or Perpendicular style, the flowing lines of the pre ceding period were deserted for the straight; or if curved lines were introduced, they were of a character purely geometrical ; the method adopted was rather artificial than natural, and we see but few examples of foliage such as is found in the pre vious styles ; there was, however, an elaborateness and exuberance at this period never before attempted ; in some instances, to such an extent was carved enrichment employed, that scarcely any portion of the plane surface was discernible. This is very conspicuous in the fan-work, as it is termed, which was introduced into the vaulted roofs; we would espe cially cite. as an example, the roof of henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster, than which, we suppose, there exists not a more elaborate specimen of carving, at least in a work of such magnitude. The light and beautiful pendents of this chapel afford a magnificent specimen of the most enriched and delicate sculpture. Other examples of the same kind, are St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and the Chapel of King's College, Cambridge. Equally beautiful specimens of carving, sometimes even of a more minute description, may be seen in works of a smaller kind, such as fonts, altar-sereens, &c., more especially in the latter, in some of which the elabo ration is carried to so great an extent, that nothing less than a close and diligent inspection will suffice to unfold its beauties.