19th Capital of the Ducal Palace Lower Arcade

This, in Ruskin’s final system, adopted from Selvatico (1847) p.128, and starting from the Ponte della Paglia, is the nineteenth of the capitals of the Ducal Palace. Series of Capitals of Lower Arcade.

• Number in Ruskin’s final system: 19
• Alternative number starting from Porta della Carta: 18
• Number, using Ruskin’s final system, of related capital, earlier model or later copy: n/a
• Subject matter: Architecture / Sculpture / Four Crowned Saints and Disciples
• Leafage 2ndB Order: Notebook M2 p.98, and compare the division into rows in Plate XX at Works, 10.431. See Works, 11.276 for a list of the buildings from which the images at Plate XX are taken, and Works, 11.276-278 for a discussion of the development of the leafage of capitals.
• Date: c. 1350
• Notebook references: Notebook M2 p.98; Palace Book pp.19-21; Palace Book p.25; Palace Book p.27; Palace Book p.28; Palace Book pp.39L and 39
• Library Edition references: Works, 10.416-7; cf. Works, 9.270 and following.

The analysis is made more difficult by Ruskin’s ignorance of the figures of the four crowned saints of the 19th capital and his confusion of the implements used by them - for example it is Nichostratus who holds the compasses attributed by Ruskin to Claudius, who in fact holds a mallet and chisel.

Detail of 1870s copy of 19th capital in its current state St. Symphorianus, one of the four crowned saints (St Symmachus, according to Ruskin), side 8, left; St. Simplicius, side 1, centre; St. Claudius, side 2, right

Detail of 19th capital in its current state St. Nichostratus, side 6.

Detail of 19th capital, Discepolo tartaro side 7 in its current state.

[Version 0.05: May 2008]