The exterior of the chevet was a difficulty with the French and Germans, and, as at Beauvais and Cologne, resembles an intricate and confused mass of scaffolding. This difficulty was avoided by the English square ends, which afforded scope for the very English arrangement of the " five sisters" at York, or for a large field of stained glass in a single window.
The western portals of the French cathedrals, such as Rheims and Amiens, are among the boldest and most magnificent features of their architecture. In these the English were not far behind, as the western portals of Peterborough and York show.
The outlines of the English cathedrals are usually very picturesque and well bal anced, the western towers grouping harmoniously with the central, and in this respect the English have the advantage.
In the application of vaulting, the English carried out their own ideas. They were always fond of wooden roofs, and probably this may have ledto the invention of the many beautiful kinds of vaults which form so tine a feature of English Gothic (see VAULTING, FAN-TRACERY). In England the style lasted longer than on the continent.
The Germans were nearly a century in adopting the pointed style after its invention in France; and when it was introduced, it retained the appearance of a foreign impor tation. It never was so completely naturalized as in England. The so-called beauties of the German Gothic are, for the most part to be regarded rather as excellent speci mens of masonry than as artistic developments of the style. The openwork spires, for example, are fine pieces of construction, and have a striking effect; Let from the first there is a tendency- to commit the work to masons, who rejoice in displaying their manual dexterity. The later Gothic in Germany is the most splendid development of the stone-cutter's art and the draughtsman's ingenuity; these run riot, while the artiolP is entirely wanting.
The Gothic style forced its also into classic Italy, but there it was neve; under stood nor practiced in its true spirit. It was evidently an from the beginning. The Italian architects tried to vie with those of the n. in ths, size of their building some of which, as San Petronio at Bologna, and Milan cathedral, are enormous. The former illustrates the defects of Italian Gothic. The arches are very wide, 41 till there are few piers. There is therefore a bare and naked effect, winch is not compensated for by any richness of sculpture or color.. There is a want of scale about Italian Gothicld inns, ns there is about those of Italian classic architecture both ancient and modern.
Size alone is depended on for producing grandeur of effect. There is no attempt made to mark the size, and give a scale by which to judge of the dimensions of the buildings in those styles. A large classic temple is simply a small one magnified. In true Gothic architecture the case is different. Not only are the general dimensions magnified in a large edifice, but also the parts are multiplied. The columns and shafts remain of the same size, but their number is increased. The arches are enlarged in proportion to the general dimensions, but the caps, bases, and moldings remain of the same size as in a smaller building, and thus indicate the greater size of the arch. A true Gothic building of large dimensions thus tells its own greatness, but in a classic or Italian Gothic edifice the size has to be found out. Stained glass was little used in Italy. It may have been intended to decorate the walls with frescos—as indeed is the case in a few examples. The church of St. Francis, at Assisi, is,the most remarkable building of this kind, and is a most interesting example of fresco-decoration.
The towns of Italy, being early enfranchised, have many municipal buildings in the Gothic style. These will being treated along with those of Belgium hereafter. See MUNICIPAL ARCHITECTURE.
We Might, in the same manner, trace the Gothic style in all the other countries of western Europe; but its history is similar in all. It is in England and France that the true spirit of the style was most felt, and the finest examples remain. Our space has not permitted us to enter minutely intoThe various styles of Gothic in each country. The more important of these will be treated separately. See EARLY ENGLISH, DECOR ATED, PERPENDICULAR, FLAMBOYANT.
We may, however, state generally, that both in France and England the style had a complete existence—it was born, arrived at maturity, and died. When the spirit of the early architects had pushed the design to its utmost limits, they rested from their labors, well satisfied with their splendid achievements, Their successors occupied themselves with forms and details, and with the perfecting of every minute part. The art finally passed away, and left architecture in the hands of trade corporations—masons, carpenters, plumbers, etc.—who monopolized the whole work, and acted independently to the exclusion of one directing mind. The result was as we have seen; architecture became masonic skill, and Gothic was finally superseded by the revival of classic arch itecture in the 16th century.