340 THE STONES OF VENICE DECORATION

the measurement being easier and the type somewhat more generally representative of the best, i.e. broadest spurs of Italian Gothic.

§ 13. Now the reader is to remember, there is nothing magical in salvia leaves: the line I take from them happened merely to fall conveniently on the page, and might as well have been taken from anything else; it is simply its character of graduated curvature which fits it for our use. On Plate 11, opposite, I have given plans of the spurs and quadrants of twelve Italian and three

Northern bases; these latter, (13) from Bourges, (14) from Lyons, (15) from Rouen, are given merely to show the Northern disposition to break up bounding lines, and lose breadth in picturesqueness. These Northern bases look the prettiest in this plate, because this variation of the outline is nearly all the ornament they have, being cut very rudely; but the Italian bases above them are merely prepared by their simple outlines for far richer decoration at the next step, as we shall see presently. The Northern bases are to be noted also for another grand error: the projection of the roll beyond the square plinth, of which the corner is seen, in various degrees of advancement, in the three examples. 13 is the base whose profile is No. 26 in Plate 10; 14 is 24 in the same plate; and 15 is 28.

[Version 0.04: March 2008]