Chapter IX: Palace Architecture of the Renaissance in North Italy

Marked local character of the palace architecture of
Venice--Façade of east side of court of the Ducal
Palace--Irregularities of its composition--North side of the
same court--The Giant’s stair--Façade of the Scuola di San
Marco--Composition of the main portal--Notable refinements of
execution in this portal--Façade of the Scuola di San
Rocco--Unique architectural character of the palaces of the
Grand Canal--Those of the mediæval period alone have the
distinctive Venetian character--Neo-classic details used
sparingly in the early Renaissance palaces of Venice--The
Palazzo Corner-Spinelli--Disposition and character of its
windows--Questionable propriety of the panelling of its
pilasters--The beauty of the façade independent of its
neo-classic details--The Palazzo Contarini--The varied
proportions of its pilasters--The Palazzo Vendramini--The
distinctive Venetian character altered by the application of
complete orders--This character largely lost in the palaces
of the Roman Renaissance--The Palazzo del Consiglio of
Verona--Its mediæval scheme--The Palazzo Comunale of
Brescia--The Ospedale Maggiore of Milan--Its lack of distinctive
character--The later palace architecture of north Italy 154

CHAPTER X

ARCHITECTURAL CARVING OF THE RENAISSANCE

Little architectural character in the sculpture of the
Renaissance--Close imitation of Roman models--Great delicacy
of design and execution in much carving of the
Renaissance--Lack of vital beauty in this carving--Comparison
with Greek conventional ornamentation--Exceptional beauty of
foliation in the reliefs of the Lombardi--Lifeless character
of the scroll leafage of Filarete--Artificial convolutions of
Renaissance ornamental designs--Artificial and inorganic
composition in the works of Benedetto da Maiano--Representation
of artificial objects in Renaissance ornamentation--Disordered
composition in the borders of the Ghiberti gates--Comparison of
Greek leafage with that of the Renaissance--The grotesque in
Renaissance ornamentation 167