PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 13

Gothic, but only as one among many early schools. My reason for devoting so much time to Venice, was not that her architecture is the best in existence, but that it exemplifies, in the smallest compass, the most interesting facts of architectural history. The Gothic of Verona is far nobler than that of Venice; and that of Florence nobler than that of Verona. For our own immediate purposes that of Notre-Dame of Paris is noblest of all; and the greatest service which can at present be rendered to architecture, is the careful delineation of the details of the cathedrals above named, by means of photography.¹ I would particularly desire to direct the attention of amateur photographers to this task; earnestly requesting them to bear in mind that while a photograph of landscape is merely an amusing toy, one of early architecture is a precious historical document; and that this architecture should be taken, not merely when it presents itself under picturesque general forms, but stone by stone, and sculpture by sculpture; seizing every opportunity afforded by scaffolding to approach it closely, and putting the camera in any position that will command the sculpture, wholly without regard to the resultant distortions of the vertical lines; such distortion can always be allowed for, if once the details are completely obtained.

It would be still more patriotic in lovers of architecture to obtain casts² of the sculptures of the thirteenth century, wherever an opportunity occurs, and to place them where they would be easily accessible to the ordinary workman. The Architectural Museum at Westminster³ is one of the

¹ [In the 1880 reprint of a portion of this preface in an Appendix, this passage reads: “... the careful delineation of its details from the beginning of the twelfth to the close of the fourteenth century, by means of photography.” Ruskin himself carried out what he here advises, in the cases of Amiens and Giotto’s tower at Florence. Detailed photographs of the former were taken under his orders in connection with The Bible of Amiens; photographs of the latter were published in The Shepherd’s Tower (1881).]

² [As Ruskin desired to do in the case of St. Mark’s, Venice: see Circular respecting Memorial Studies of St. Mark’s, Venice (1879-1880).]

³ [The Royal Architectural Museum, at 18 Tufton Street, Westminster, was founded in 1851; it is now (1903) amalgamated with the Westminster School of Art. Ruskin himself presented to the Museum some casts which he had procured of the original sculptures of the north-west door of Notre-Dame: see Fors Clavigera, Letter 41.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]