Northern Porch

West front. The northern or fifth porch. In St M. Book, and the related Sheets (1850), Ruskin studied the five porches of the western facade from the south numbering them 1 to 5 as he worked his way to the north. As Unrau states: ‘the ground plans and tables of measurements [Ruskin] prepared for publication take the reversed order (numbering the porches 1 to 5 from north to south).’ Unrau (1984) p.75. A small sketch plan of St Mark’s reproduced by Unrau (p.147) shows the porches numbered from left to right 1 2 3 4 5. This is pasted into Album 1641 p.6.

In Albums 1639 and 1642 are pasted four remaining (out of a probable ten or eleven) lower ground plans of the west front of St. Mark’s, each carefully drawn by Ruskin. The plans are drawn to a standard required for illustrative Plates. For example one has written above ‘3rd Porch. Plate 3rd’. These Plates cover (with gaps) columns 2 to 49. Ruskin began with the northern portico and column No 1 supporting the arch. He then numbered the lower columns from north to south. This is made clear by some (incomplete) additional related pages of notes with diagrams and measurements also pasted into Albums 1639 and 1642. These give details of the columns up to number 65 the last column of the porch next to the south west portico. Album 1642 p.21 and Album 1642 p.38 are concerned with the upper story columns.

Plan of the north-west portico and northern side of the first porch.
Plan of the north-west portico and northern side of the first porch.

Plan of first storey of the northern half of the second porch.
Plan of first storey of the northern half of the second porch.

Plan of the first storey of the northern half of the third porch.
Plan of the first storey of the northern half of the third porch.

Plan of the north half of the fourth porch
Plan of the north half of the fourth porch

John Ruskin. Plan of St Mark’s
John Ruskin. Plan of St Mark’s

Album 1639 p.14 ‘First Porch Continued’ (the 5th porch in St M. Book).

Album 1639 p.20 ‘First Porch’ (the 5th porch in St M. Book).

Album 1642 p.20 ‘St Marks 2nd Porch Plate 2nd’ (the 4th porch in St M. Book). This is concerned with columns 12 to 25.

Album 1642 p.6 ‘Third Porch Plate 111: Circumferences’. It covers columns 26 to 39.

Album 1642 p.7 ‘4th Porch ‘1V’ (the 2nd porch in St M. Book). It is concerned with columns 40 to 55.

Album 1642 p.31 ‘St Marks Plate 5th 5th Porch’ (The first in St M. Book). This covers columns 56 to 65.

St Mark’s Fifth Porch (1st) west front. Fifth to the left from SW Portico
St Mark’s Fifth Porch (1st) west front. Fifth to the left from SW Portico

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[Version 0.05: May 2008]