Palaces and Castles.—Among the oldest secular Gothic structures are the Palazzo Pubblico at Cremona, commenced in 1245, and the Palazzo Guinigi at Lucca. Perugia has a decoratively adorned fountain of 1280 and a Palazzo Comunale begun in 1281. The Palazzo Comunale at Piacenza CM 39, fig. 2) was also commenced in 1281; the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, at Cremona, in 1292; the Broletto at Monza in 1293; at probably about the same date the Broletto at Como and the palace of the podesta at Orvieto; while the Palazzo Connmale of Pistoja was begun in 1295. Arnolfo, the architect of the Duomo, commenced the Palazzo Vec chio at Florence in 1298, and proved himself a master in secular as well as in ecclesiastical art, producing a work time defiant severity of which, as well as the boldness of the construction, is at once imposing and surprising (fig. t). The Palazzo Pubblico at Siena and the Palazzo Buonsignori (fig. 3) show a related style. Some fountain-porticoes at Siena have also great interest. The construction of the Loggia dei Osii at Milan was begun in 1316.
The castle of the Visconti at Pavia belongs to the beginning of the fourteenth century, as do also that at Mantua and that of the Scaligers at Verona; the Palazzo della Ragione at Ferrara was built in 1326. The Palazzo della Ragione at Padua is remarkable for the vast size of its tun nel-vaulted halls, yet, notwithstanding its Romanesque features, it is a work of this period. The Broletto at Bergamo and the Loggia dei Mer canti at Bologna bear the character of the fourteenth century.
Public Town-ball of Gubbio dates from 1342--r346; in 1345, Agnolo Gaddi commenced the erection of the Bargello, the palace of the podesta, at Florence; Orcagna began the Loggia dei Lanzi at Florence in 1376; an imitation of it at Siena called the Loggia degli Ufficiali dates from 417. The Ospedale Maggiore, at Milan, begun in 1456, exhibits in the rich decoration even of its oldest parts many resem blances to Renaissance motives, as is also the case with the Albergo del Orso at Rome.
Ucnehem entirely peculiar and fancifully Oriental grace fulness is exhibited by the of Venice. Here no reminiscences of fortress-construction had to be overcome. The republic had no parties,
nor did it tolerate the opposition of individuals within it. All the citizens were compelled to live in peace and obedience to the government, every house must be always open, and the government must know what might be seen and done in each. On the absolute power of the government depended the greatness of the state and the riches and fortunate con ditions of the individuals the splendor of whose surroundings and the frankness of whose lives are displayed in the architecture of Venice. Open halls and loggias in the various storeys mirror themselves in the canals—even in the earlier period this system had developed, though with greater simplicity and massiveness—and now it unfolded itself with a splendor which was possible only under the force of the continuous impressions brought about by uninterrupted relations with the Orient and its fantastic magnificence.
The Palazzo Doge's Palace, the arcades of which, in two superimposed storeys, belong to the fourteenth century, is the grand est work in this direction. These arcades extend along the west and south sides of the palace, and are composed of a series of richly-decorated columns (thirty-six below and seventy-one above) with pointed vaulting. A later addition is the massive wall borne above the arcades. This portion is enlivened by patterns in marbles of various colors, yet it severely burdens the slender columns below 39, fig. 5). Other pal aces, most of them of the fifteenth century, are the Giovannelli (fig. 4), Foscari, Ca d'Oro, etc. Similar buildings were also erected in the portions of the coast subject to the Republic.
interest attaches to the fountains of Venice— wells in which the rain-water was collected. While in the previous period these had almost the character of a font (fig. 8), in this they have that of the capital of a column, and here and there may be seen such capitals altered for the purpose, while certain others (jigs. 9 io), were made in this form; these, in connection with the capitals (figs. 7,11, 12), offer speaking examples of the methods of ornamentation displayed by the late Italian Gothic.