co-operated with his own estimate of church duty to keep him for the most part happy and satisfied, it was in vain to look for a clearer appreciation of the career which might otherwise have been opened to him. Doubtless the excellent old man was at heart the friend of all the good; but many bound aries hedged him round, and he knew but little of the actual world. In his particular scientific department, we believe, he has left a name which the world will not suffer to die,-and to this will ever be appended the renown of a pure, loving, and conscientious spirit. THE INTERNAL DECORATION OF ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. A VERY interesting discussion has been raised at the Royal Institute of British Architects with respect to the internal decoration of St. Paul's Cathedral, a work which now appears likely to be prosecuted to some efficient conclusion, as it at length seriously occupies the attention and consideration of the constituted guardians of our great metropolitan Church. The subject was introduced at the Institute in an able paper by Mr. Francis Cranmer Penrose, which our space will not permit us to insert at length; nor will it even be necessary to give large extracts from it, as the more material points were repeated in the course of the opinions expressed by subsequent speakers. But in order to present our readers with the merits of the question, so far as they are hitherto developed, we shall first state that in 1849 Mr. Cockerell, the eminent architect, who has for more than thirty years been the surveyor of the Cathedral, made known his own views upon the subject in an Address submitted to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, and the Lord Mayor of London. In this appeal Mr. Cockerell remarked, "In the fabric of St. Paul's Cathedral, ranking third amongst the European Christian Temples, as respects magnitude and architectural magnificence, it was clearly intended, but for the political troubles of the time, that beauty as well as strength should be found in the sanctuary of the Lord.' The shortcomings in this respect, arising from political and other causes, have ever been with foreigners, as well as our own people, a subject of national reproach and estrangement, as unworthy of a religious and wealthy people, and of an endowed clergy; and have been the fertile occasion of those almost daily attacks and scandal issued by the press, against the administration of the Cathedral Church and its pious ministers. Meanwhile, the Very Rev. the Dean and Chapter have annually expended money in adornments to the extent of their means, especially in 1821, when a very large sum was defrayed by them in the choir and communion end, as well as other parts of the church, under my superintendence; and I think it would not be difficult to show that more has been done in these respects within the last thirty years, by that venerable body, than had been previously accomplished since the completion of the fabric. "The intentions of the Right Rev. and Hon. the Commissioners of the Fabric, and of their architect, Sir C. Wren, respecting the decorations of this noble pile, are recorded,* and portions, as of the communion end and the ornaments of the dome, "The twenty-four cupolas of St. Paul's are formed of brick with stone wreaths, the brick invested with cockle-shell lime, which becomes as hard as Portland stone, and which, having large planes between the stone ribs, are capable of further ornaments of painting if required." Parentalia, p. 291.-" The judgment of the surveyor was originally, instead of painting in the manner it is now performed, to have beautified the inside of the cupola with the more durable ornament of mosaic work, as is nobly executed in St. Peter's at Rome, which strikes the eye of the beholder with the most magnificent and splendid appearance, and which, without the least decay of colours, is as lasting as marble, or the building itself. For this purpose he had projected to have procured from Italy four of the most eminent artists in that profession; but as this art was a great novelty in England, and not generally apprehended, it did not receive the encouragement it deserved; it was imagined, also, the expense would prove too great and the time very long in the execution; but though these and all objections were fully answered, yet this excellent design was no further pursued." Parentalia, p. 292."The painting and gilding of the architecture of the east end of the church over the communion table was intended only to serve the present occasion, till such time as materials could have been procured for a magnificent altar-piece, consisting of four are still before us; the latter, at present and for some years past, has been in a ruinous and discreditable state. It is also plain, from the very mean quality of the glazings, that it was the intention subsequently to have used painted or other glazings, suited to the dignity and style of the more substantial decorations of the building. "It is very remarkable that recently, while the clergy of this country, by their pious efforts, have found the means of erecting and endowing the unprecedented number of 1400 new churches within the last thirty years, viz. up to A.D. 1849, and while the public has responded with promptness and liberality to extraordinary demands for the supply of the spiritual necessities of the people, that demands for the restoratson of the old cathedral and other churches have been no less liberally met by the public, the diocesans, and the deans and chapters, under circumstances of diminished revenues from the Church, not only have those substantial repairs and completions (which will secure their endurance to future centuries) been effected during these thirty years, but also very extensive decorations in the style and spirit of the original design. Witness Canterbury, York, Westminster Abbey, Ely, Winchester, Wells, Temple Church (in which seven churches not less than 175,0001. must have been expended), and many others-to which almost alone the metropolitan Cathedral Church of St. Paul, situate in the greatest capital of the Christian world, aud singularly blessed by Almighty God during a long series of years, with prosperity, commerce, power, wealth, and dominion, beyond any nation of the earth, forms a rare exception." Mr. Cockerell then adverted to the manifestation of the like spirit in France and in Germany, particularly at Cologne; from which, and other propitious circumstances, he was led to " presume that a well-devised scheme for the proper and becoming decoration of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul would not only be respected, but hailed by the good wishes and subscriptions of a large portion of the public;" and he concluded by advancing the following propositions :-" First. To restore the painting and gilding of the dome, and parts adjacent thereto, as part and parcel of that magnificence designed and directed by Sir C. Wren himself; as, however different in style from that at present approved, it is highly decorative and appropriate to the architecture, and is too far removed from the eye to challenge minute criticism. Secondly. To carry out the gilding and painting of the symbols and ornaments of the choir, as already commenced at the communion end, together with all the becoming ornaments to the gates, the pulpit, the stalls, the organ, the communion rail and table, &c. Thirdly. To re-glaze the whole of the twenty-three lower windows on the floor of the Cathedral with Scripture subjects in coloured glass." We next give some extracts from Mr. Penrose's paper :— The exterior of St. Paul's is tolerably well completed. There are some points which Sir C. Wren intended, and it would be well if they had been supplied; but it is not attention to the exterior that is so much wanted,-it is to the interior, which is in a lamentably deficient state, not only from the greater part of the decorations that were intended by him having been left undone, but because there has never been, since the building was concluded, a proper feeling of public spirit to maintain it in the state in which it should be kept. There has not, for the last 140 years, been so hopeful a time for bringing this subject forward as the present. The authorities, generally, of St. Paul's have hitherto discouraged any attempt at moving in the matter; but now they are very desirous that something should be done to put the building in a more satisfactory state as regards decoration: the Dean, especially, appears to have the well-being of the church more at heart than any of his predecessors since the time of Sancroft, who was Dean in Wren's time. The present Dean of St. Paul's has kindly encouraged this attempt to bring the present subject before your notice. The main object to consider is, what decorations are suitable to the building; and, in determining this, the views of Wren, so far as they are known, should be considered first, and should carry more weight than any others. (Mr. Penrose then read some extracts from the Parentalia, the most important of which are already extracted in the note to the preceding page.) pillars, wreathed of the richest Greek marbles, &c. for which the respective drawings and a model were prepared. Information and particular descriptions of certain blocks of marble were once sent to the Right Rev. Dr. Compton, Bishop of London, from a Levantine merchant in Holland, and communicated to the surveyor, but unluckily the colours and scantlings did not answer his purpose. So it rested in expectance of a fitter opportunity, else probably this curious and stately design had been finished at the same time with the main fabric." The first stone of the new cathedral was laid in the year 1675. The walls of the choir and side aisles were finished 1685. The church was carried on with every attempt to make it as rich and perfect as the funds would possibly allow, in the time of the Stuarts. At the accession of William III. both he and Queen Mary were well disposed to carry on the building; but they seemed to wish to get over it quickly; they did not, like the Stuarts, treat it as a work of love, but as a piece of business. Still they were great friends to Wren; and the queen, herself a Stuart, was his great patron after the deposition of James II. After her death, in 1695, his enemies began to get the better of him; and in 1696, in an act of the 9th William III. "for completing and adorning the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, London," a clause was inserted to suspend a moiety of the surveyor's salary till the church should be finished, "thereby the better to encourage him to finish it." When we consider that his salary was only 2007. a year, and that he received no other advantage besides that, we see that he was rather in bad case towards the end of William's reign. The king was not inimical to Wren, and seems to have been pleased with what he did at Hampton Court; but he was immersed in politics to an extent beyond that which other kings have been before or since. In Queen Anne's reign the church was still carried on, but more or less with the same wish to get it over, and to that fact we may ascribe what is said in the "Parentalia" as to the mosaics. These Wren certainly intended, and they were no doubt practicable. In this reign, however, Sir James Thornhill obtained the commission to decorate the church, and there can be little doubt, from some prints published at the time (and from the model), that Wren in tended a coffered ceiling, and, generally, a thoroughly architectural design. There is still a good deal of architectural device in the present cupola, and we cannot much blame that. So that, for the first years of Sir James Thornhill's commission (till about the year 1712), they must have worked pretty well together; but after. wards-if any faith be placed in a print by Wale and Gwyn-the paintings were to be sprawled about over the architecture, much as they are in the late Borrominesque churches. Therefore, it must be supposed that, as Wren's hold relaxed, Thornhill's became firmer, and the painter got the start of the architect; so that it is in some degree fortunate that these lower parts of Thornhill's design were not executed. They would have interfered with the architectural character of the building; but if we can eliminate from them the ideas of Wren, we may do much to form a consistent scheme of decoration. In a print engraved by Wren's permission and authority, figures are shown in the spandrels of the dome, somewhat as in the pendentives of St. Peter's, but much smaller; in the small cupolas of the nave there are coffers, with figures in the spandrels, in due subordination to the architecture. There is a passage in which Wren complains of the painting being taken out of his hands. He had applied for the moiety of his salary, but was told the building was not done. He replies:-"Nothing can be said to be unperfected but the iron fence round the church, and painting the cupola, the directing of which has been taken out of my hands; and therefore I hope I am neither answerable for them, nor that the said suspending clause can, or ought to, affect me any further on that account." This was undoubtedly very different treatment from that which such a man deserved. Moreover, we have seen that the surveyor's salary was only 2007. per annum. By the accession of George I. all the old intention of carrying on the building as it should be was lost sight of. After some further historical details, Mr. Penrose stated that the restoration of Sir James Thornhill's cupola had now become a practical question with the Dean and Chapter, and no pains would be spared on their part to get the whole of the cupola and the drum effectually restored. The restoration of the cupola in chiaro-scuro, with a large amount of gilding, must be taken as the starting point for other decorations of the cathedral. He thought that colours would be out of place, with the exception of the windows, which should be of stained glass. Where the walls of a building and the windows were alike highly coloured, there was a want of harmony. With respect to the choir he stated his views more fully. The apse was already ornamented with a sufficient or satisfactory amount of gilding; but a certain amount of chiaro-scuro decoration was wanted (as in the cupola) to bear out that gilding. He pointed out the architectural features of the vaulting, consisting of three small cupolas with their spandrels, separated by a magnificent guilloche. If the depths of the latter were increased by a little chiaro-scuro, and a great deal of gilding, that, he thought, would be sufficient for it. The spandrels were evidently intended by Wren for some coloured decorations, and they furnished admirable situations for the introduction of single figures, or small groups. In the small cupolas, however, figures would be objectionable, and therefore those surfaces would be better ornamented architecturally with painted coffers, slightly differing in shape from the actual coffers to the eastward, but brought into harmony with them. The spandrels of the main arches of the choir were admirably adapted for painting in monochrome. It might be fitting to insert coloured porphyries or marbles into the panels beneath the windows, or even to paint them, as the pilasters in the apse were already most effectively painted in imitation of lapis lazuli. He had not yet considered the decoration of the aisles, his object being merely, by these observations, to elicit the opinions of members. After the reading of Mr. Penrose's memoir, an extra meeting of the Institute was appointed for the discussion of the question. It was fixed for the 5th of July, when Mr. Cockerell was the first speaker. He said it had been his own peculiar happiness to have the care of St. Paul's Cathedral for very many years, and the contemplation of that building had been a constant source of delight and reflection to him. The whole scheme of the work, the structure, the beauty of proportion, and the admirable contrivance of every part, were perfect. It was like a work of nature; every exigency of the building, and everything belonging to climate and circumstances had been so carefully and skilfully considered, that it was the very exemplar of all that Vitruvius had said of the great elements of architectureeconomy, structure, proportion, and beauty of detail. They must all admire that genius which seized, as Wren had done, the beauties of Sienna, and afterwards the admirable contrivance of Adam Walsingham at Ely, and the skill with which he had avoided that constant intersection of nave and transept which limited the perspective in so painful a manner, but which had been so eternally adopted, even from the Roman times. The plan of St. Paul's was unfortunately influenced by James II. who desired to restore the Roman Catholic worship, and, above all things, to retain the old cathedral fashion, and to preserve the aisles as well as the nave, to the injury of the novelty and beauty of the original or "coloss" plan of Sir C. Wren, which could never be sufficiently commended. That plan, as the model of it showed, was adapted to the Anglican form of worship, and for a large congregation. Its beautiful perspectives had been well described by Mr. Penrose, and he could not but consider it as the earliest and the most truly Protestant cathedral church that had ever been designed. He hoped the day would come when Wren, and the style he adopted, would be duly estimated. As architects, they were all more or less the victims of fashion, ephemeral education, and early prejudices-their notions were cramped before they knew how to think or originate. At one time they were told that Greek was the only architecture to be practised; at another time Italian or Palladian; and at another time Gothic. It was deplorable that they should imbibe prejudices of this kind for particular styles; but it appeared to be a necessity of their birth, education, and position. Great things might be accomplished if they could lift themselves above such prejudices; and he looked to an institution like this for such fruits; and they could not be more effectually produced than by discussing, in connection with a subject like the present, the great principles of the art. The principle of economy is admirably displayed in St. Paul's. Mighty as it is, it was executed in thirty years, and at a cost of only 750,0007. (A.D. 1710), whereas Waterloo Bridge cost 1,100,0007. (A.D. 1816). It was raised by a very small tax upon coals, which caused no inconvenience to the public; and he was quite sure a competent jury of Europe would pronounce it to be the most perfect of all the family of domes; and, in its general design, and all its parts, the most admirable building in Europe. Wren, following like others the model of his time, adopted the Gothic as the principle of his structure. St. Paul's is Gothic in plan, in section, and in construction; but he clothed the skeleton with a coat of the style which was most admired in his day. Bernini was then triumphant, and gave the fashion to Europe. Wren visited him at Paris, but his own works were much less exaggerated; he was in fact Bernini purified in the fire of reason and logical judgment. The western towers of St. Paul's were copies on a smaller scale of those designed by Bernini for St. Peter's at Rome; but the latter (inasmuch as the Italian architects were rather painters and sculptors) soon began to fail, and were taken down, and no attempt was made to rebuild them. Although, as stated in his report, 1,400now 1,500, churches had been erected in England since the year 1818, the restoration of St. Paul's Cathedral had been neglected; and whilst the most lavish expenditure was bestowed on Houses of Parliament, Museums, and upon all temporal objects, he regretted to say that what had been done to the honour of God had been niggardly and paltry beyond measure. This was derogatory to the honour of the country, and contrasted most unfavourably with the liberality displayed on such ob jects in France. At Westminster Abbey a great deal had been done, with the very best effect, in restoring and improving the fabric, and chiefly through the zeal and taste of the Rev. Mr. Milman, now Dean of St. Paul's, from whom similar results might be expected for the metropolitan cathedral. After some other gentlemen had given their opinions, Archdeacon Hale said his own connection with St. Paul's Cathedral had existed nearly as long as that of Professor Cockerell, and they had each in that period risen in their respective professions. In no respect however had their course of life been more parallel than in the continual affection they had both shown towards the Cathedral Church of the metropolis. Confining himself to the internal decoration of the Church, he would commence with the dome, the restoration of which there was now every prospect of accomplishing. He believed, until that should be done, no person would be thoroughly able to judge what ought to be done to the rest of the building. Many years ago Mr. Cockerell had lent him an old book, in which that dome, now so dirty and dingy, was described as so splendid in appearance, from the quantity of gold that shone upon its walls, that it was compared with the aurora borealis in splendour and brilliancy. When, therefore, the restoration of the dome had taken place, those who undertook the remainder of the edifice, instead of having to contend with a dark and gloomy recess, would find that part of the building come forward with the greatest brilliancy, and it would be necessary to decorate the rest of the edifice very highly to accord with it. He was sorry to say he differed, toto cælo, from Mr. Cockerell and Mr. Penrose on the question of painted glass. On that subject he had had some experience, having worked with Mr. Winston, and devoted much consideration to the effects produced by that branch of art, and to its present condition. One of his objections to that mode of decoration was, that he believed we had yet to see the art of staining glass fall into hands much higher in the scale of art than any that had yet exercised it. When the pigment which the ancients possessed should be discovered,* and when the artist could work his colours on glass with the same facility as oil and water colours now flowed from his pencil, so that the highest artists would not consider it beneath them to practice it, then, and not till then, would be the time to introduce stained glass in the windows of such a Cathedral as St. Paul's. Moreover, he was of opinion that when stained glass was employed, it became the whole and absorbing point, and attracted people from picture to picture in the windows, to the disregard of the architectural beauties and the form and majesty of the building. In a communication to the Builder of August 14, on the practice of Glass Painting with reference to St. Paul's, Mr. C. Winston has remarked, "The lost pigment to which Archdeacon Hale alluded, is the enamel brown, used for painting the shadows and outlines upon glass executed like that in the windows of Brussels and Lichfield Cathedrals, in King's College Chapel, and St. George's Church. It is true, as stated by the Archdeacon, that the enamel brown now used is, in certain respects, inferior to that of the sixteenth century; but this inferiority is really so trivial that I was surprised at hearing it made a ground of objection to having windows for St. Paul's executed at present. The only real obstacles to the production of windows in all respects equal, and in point of drawing superior to the windows at Brussels, are-firstly, the difficulty of obtaining a material equal in tone and hornlike texture to that of the sixteenth century, a difficulty which, I may say, is now quite overcome in consequence of the experiments mentioned by me in the paper (printed in our last Magazine, p. 155); secondly, the difficulty of procuring artists to execute painted windows; and thirdly, the difficulty of procuring judges capable of appreciating artistical windows when painted, or of causing them to be painted. The second difficulty would vanish on the removal of the last; for there must be, amongst the eight hundred exhibitors at the Royal Academy, some, at least, ready to respond to a call for really good windows if such call were made." Mr. Winston afterwards adds, "If I might hazard a remark on so large a subject as the painting the windows of St. Paul's Cathedral, a subject which involves the consideration of the whole question of decorating that building, I should say that if there is to be any pictorial mural painting, the glass in the windows should display but little positive colour, an opinion which by no means would exclude picture glass paintings from the windows. On the other hand, if the walls were decorated with pattern work, which would admit of bright colouring, variegated marbles, and gilding, the windows might be richly coloured. It should, however, be most carefully borne in mind that in painting either windows or walls, we are decorating St. Paul's as Wren designed it, and left it to us; and therefore, that no design should in either case be tolerated that would be more severe in character than the building itself, or than is prescribed by the conditions of the means of decoration adopted." 2 M GENT. MAG. VOL. XXXVIII. |