IV. ST. THEODORE THE CHAIR-SELLER 243

the Twelve Apostles, these nevertheless are sacred letters for the bearers of the Gospel of Peace.¹

Of such men Venice learned to touch the stone;-to become a Lapicida,² and furrower of the marble as well as the sea.

Now let us go back to that panel on the left side of the central arch, in front.*

45. This, you see, is no more a symbolical sculpture,³ but quite distinctly pictorial, and laboriously ardent to express, though in very low relief, a curly-haired personage, handsome, and something like George the Fourth, dressed in richest Roman armour, and sitting in an absurd manner, more or less tailor-fashion, if not cross-legged himself, at least on a conspicuously cross-legged piece of splendid furniture; which, after deciphering the Chinese, or engineer’s isometrical, perspective of it, you may perceive to be only a gorgeous pic-nic or drawing stool, apparently of portable character, such as are bought (more for luxury than labour,-for the real working apparatus is your tripod) at Messrs. Newman’s, or Winsor and Newton’s.

Apparently portable, I say; by no means intended as such by the sculptor. Intended for a most permanent and magnificent throne of state; nothing less than a derived form of that Greek Thronos, in which you have seen set the cross of the Lamb. Yes; and of the Tyrian and Judćan Thronos-Solomon’s, which it frightened the Queen

* Generally note, when I say “right” or “left” side of a church or chapel, I mean, either as you enter, or as you look to the altar. It is not safe to say “north and south,” for Italian churches stand all round the compass; and besides, the phrase would be false of lateral chapels. Transepts are awkward, because often they have an altar instead of an entrance at their ends; it will be least confusing to treat them always as large lateral chapels, and place them in the series of such chapels at the sides of the nave, calling the sides right and left as you look either from the nave into the chapels, or from the nave’s centre to the rose window, or other termination of transept.

¹ [Isaiah lii. 7; Ephesians vi. 15.]

² [Compare below, p. 438.]

³ [See Plate LVI.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]