In one of the shorter sides of the building is the vestibule, which is 17 feet long, by 34 feet wide, and is divided longi tudinally into three portions by two rows of columns. This gives entrance to the principal court, Ndliell is surrounded by an arcade resting on piers, ornamented with halt'. columns, and roofed with a groined ceiling. Opposite the entrance is a passage, the sides of which are ornamented with pilasters and niches, and which leads to a smaller court in the rear.
The Venetian style is characterized by its prc.eminetit lightness and elegance, and more especially by the frequent, and almost universal employment of pilasters and arcades ; it bears altogether a more lively and decorative character than either of the Another feature having a similar tendency is shown in the dose proximity of the windows, and the largo proportion of the elevation occupied by apertures. San Mi•haeli, or Sansovino, may be said to have been the founder of this school, and they n ere followed by Palladio, Scamozzi, &e. examples are, the library of St. Mark, Venice, the Pompeii palace, Verona, and the chapel of St. Bernardino.
The library of St. Mark, Venice, is by Sansovino, and consists of two stories, each composed of one order, the lower one Doric, and the upper ionic. Tee lower story is raised three steps above the piazza, and consists of a portico of twenty-one a-rches, at the bad: of which is a range of simi lar arches used as shops, and opposite the central arch is a magnificent staircase leading to the library. The piers of this story are ornamented in front by pilasters of the Doric order extending to the top of the arches, and carrying a noble entablature enriched with trig phis, and above thent with a fine cornice, with detail-band underneath. The archivolts rest on a moulded cap or impost, and have carved key stones which finish under the entablature. Above this is an Ionic order carried upon pedestals, ranging with which, and underneath the windows, is a balustrade, flanked by other smaller pedestals, upon which stand small Ionic columns placed in the jambs to support the archivolt, the win dows having semicircular heads. As below, the order extends to the top of the arches, which have ornamented key-stones, and rest on impost mouldings; the spandrels be tween the archivolt and the pilasters being filled up with sculpture. The entablature to this order is very lofty, and the frieze highly decorated with sculpture ; the cornice is bold, and highly enriched, being supported by modlllhous, and having a dentil-band underneath. The cornice is crowned by a balustrade, on every alternate pier of which is placed a statue, and at the angles of the building a pyramidal acroteral ornament.
In the same piazza is the Procuratie Veechic,also by Sanso vino. This building consists of three stories, the lowermost ()I' which has all arcade supported on piers, and the upper ones a similar arrangement on columns, the arches of these stories, however, being so much smaller than those below, as to be admitted in pairs above the single ones on the ground door. The stories are divided by plain podia, and the whole crowned by an entablature, with a frieze perforated at inter vals with circular apertures.
The Pompeii palace, by Al ichaeli, consists of two stories, the lower one of which is rusticated throughout, the aper tures, with door and window, having semicircular heads, without architrave or other decoration ; the doorway is in the centre, having three w inflows on either side. Above each of the apertures is a balustrade, and above these are the upper windows, which are of similar shape, but the piers haw een them are decorated with single three.quarter columns of the Doric order, Ni hich support an unbroken entablature over the WilldO•S.
Amongst the buildings of this class, we have to notice those of an architect. whose works may be said to comprise a new style, and which, for this reason, have been designated the Palladian style. .M any has. e existed, and do still exist, respecting the merit of Palladio's works, and the school which they gave rise to, sonic writers extolling them above all others of the Italian style, and others decrying them with equal zeal ; for ourselves, we must confess that we arc no great admirers of his school.
In Palladii I's designs, the ground stories are generally coin posed of arcades of not very ornamental design, serving as basements to the principal stories above, which arc decorated with an engaged order, and most frequently with a pediment in the centre of the building above the cornice, though some times, when a pediment is introduced, the cornice is discon tinued beneath it. Ilis buildings frequently have vestibules consisting of three arches or rectangular openings in front. The arches of his arcades are usually of the semicircular form, but sometimes the space between the piers is snb divided into three portions by two lesser piers, the central • compartment only being arched over. This form is some times cc tied out in his windows, which, however, are usually rectamoilar; sometimes also a semicircular shape is adopted, divided into three parts by vertical mullions.