every part of the dome of St. Peter's, at the imminent danger of his life, as he was obliged to lie on his back on a ladder slung horizontally, without cradle or side rail, over a void of three hundred feet." At the age of twenty, he returned to London with his taste highly cultivated. Wyatt was President of the Royal Academy. Among his principal works, are the Palace at Kew, Fonthill Abbey, Huntworth Church, Doddington Hall, &c. He was invited by the Empress of Russia to settle at St. Petersburg, but declined the offer. He died at the age of seventy, in 1813. Sir John Soane: this eminent architect was a native of Reading, in Berkshire, England. He was born, September 10th, 1752, and died, January 20th, 1837, in his eighty-fourth year. Soane was the son of a bricklayer. He early discovered genius for architecture, and was placed at the age of fifteen as a pupil with Mr. Dance to learn the art. In 1772, he was a student of the Royal Academy, and received a silver medal for a drawing. Four years afterwards, he obtained the gold medal for the best design for a triumphal bridge. He was introduced to George III., by Sir William Chambers, and soon after was sent to Rome to pursue his studies for three years. After his return, he was appointed clerk of the works of St. James's Palace, and subsequently architect to the Royal Woods and Forests, Professor of Architec ture to the Royal Academy, &c., &c. In 1831, he received the honour of knighthood. He bequeathed his large collection of works of ancient and modern art, (The Soane Museum,) to the British nation, said to have been worth 60,000 pounds sterling. In 1835, the architects presented him with a splendid medal, in token of their respect for his talents and munificence. His love for his art was extraordinary, and almost to the last moment, he was engaged in the study of it. The illness that terminated his long and useful life, was of short duration, and he died apparently without the slightest pain. John Linnell Bond, of England, died November, 1837. As an architect, he was in knowledge, judgment, and taste, inferior to none of his contemporaries. NOTE. It would be very desirable to add here, a list of eminent American architects, but so many of the most distinguished are still living, that we must deny ourselves the pleasure. A GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURE.* Abacus. The upper member of the capital of a column. Abutment. The extremity of a bridge. Acanthus. The leaf which forms one of the ornaments of the Corinthian capital. Acanthus. Acropolis. A citadel, a Greek stronghold or fortress. Acroterium. A pedestal or base placed on the angle, or on the apex of a pediment. Adit. The approach or entrance to a building. Admeasurement. Adjustment of proportions. Adytum. A retired or sacred place in ancient temples, which no one but the priest was permitted to enter. Affectation. In architectural composition, an unnatural or overstrained imitation or artifice. Aisle. When a church is divided in its breadth into three parts, the two extreme outward divisions are called aisles, and the central division, the nave or middle aisle. A passage left open for walking through. * Principally abridged from Stuart's "Dictionary of Architecture." Alcove. A recess. Altar. A place on which offerings or sacrifices were made to the gods. Alto-relievo. High relief. Sculpture projecting nearly as much as if the objects were isolated and complete. Ambo. A raised platform; a marble pulpit. Amphiprostylos. A temple which has a portico in both fronts. Amphitheatre. An edifice formed of two semicircles united, with seats arranged all around it, and an area in the centre called the arena. Anchor. An ornament shaped like an anchor or arrow-head, used with the egg ornament to decorate mouldings. The anchor or arrow and egg ornament is peculiar to the Ionic and Corinthian orders. Angels. Brackets or corbels with the figures or heads of angels. Annulets. The fillets or bands that ornament the Doric capital. Ante. Pilasters attached to a wall. Aperture. A small or large opening. Aqueduct. An artificial channel made for conveying water from one place to another. Arabesque. A building after the manner of the Arabs. Sentences from the Koran, interwoven with foliage and geometrical figures for ornament. Arcade. A series of arched openings, with a roof or ceiling. Arch. A mechanical arrangement of separate inelastic bodies in the line of a curve, which preserves a given form when resisting pressure. Circular arches are called arches by old writers by way of eminence. A Rampant or Stilted Arch, rises from imposts. Circular Arch. D Rampant Arch. A Saracenic Arch. Commonly called a horseshoe arch. Horseshoe. Pointed or Gothic Arches, are mostly formed by the intersection of two arcs of a circle; among these are the Lancet Arch. Formed on an acute-angled triangle, and the arch formed upon an equilateral triangle. The Tudor Arch. Used during the reigns of The Ogee Arch. Used frequently in the Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic. The Cinquefoiled Arch. Met with occasionally in the Early English. Lancet. Equilateral Tudor Ogee. Cinquefoiled. |