The Brochure Series
OF ARCHITECTURAL ILLUSTRATION.
| Vol. I. | MAY, 1895. | No. 5. |
TWO FLORENTINE PAVEMENTS.
The church of San Miniato al
Monte, just outside the walls
southeast of Florence, and the
Baptistery, or church of San
Giovanni Battista, in Florence, are among
the finest examples of the Tuscan Romanesque
style, and both probably date from
about the same time—the early part of
the twelfth century—although the date
of San Miniato has until recently been
referred several centuries further back.
These two churches have many points
of similarity, although entirely different in
plan. San Miniato was referred to in
the article upon the Byzantine-Romanesque
doorways of Southern Italy in our
February number, and Fergusson’s classification
of Byzantine-Romanesque was, for
the time being, adopted for lack of better
authority. Later writers have, however,
generally agreed that there is little or no
Byzantine influence in these two churches;
that the delicate and refined treatment of
classic forms here found is not the result
of Byzantine or Greek influence, but is due
entirely to the natural refinement of the
Tuscan race. The same characteristic
was again shown later in the treatment of
Gothic detail, and is evident in the
Renaissance work of this locality.
The dimensions of San Miniato were
given in the February number referred to
above. The interior of this church is
generally considered one of the most
beautiful interiors of Italy on account of
its effective basilican plan with a crypt
opening from the nave, its beautiful and
rich detail, and its fine mosaics and decorations.
The pavement is not the least
of its attractions.
The Baptistery will be remembered for
its famous bronze doors, the work of Ghiberti,
which have given occasion for so
much discussion, favorable and unfavorable.
It is octagonal in plan, and 108
feet in diameter externally. It was erected
originally for the cathedral of the city,
but in the eleventh and twelfth centuries
was so thoroughly remodeled that no
recognizable features of the old building
remain.
The pavements, in point of design,
appear quite independent of the other
ornamental work in the two buildings we
are considering.
The motives of ornament are those
commonly found in the stuffs, especially
silks, of Sicily and the East, and their use
here could easily be accounted for through
connection with Sicily. It is known that
the Hotel de Tiraz at Palermo, the great
royal manufactory of stuffs, artistic metal
work, mosaics, etc., established in the
sixth century, and which continued until
the sixteenth, supplied not only much of
the finest textile products for all of
Europe in that time, but also furnished
workmen who carried with them the
designs and methods of Sicilian textile
manufacture to other countries. Such
manufactories were established in several
Italian cities, among them Lucca.
The relationship seems clear, as the
forms are perfectly similar. The beasts
and birds set in balancing pairs facing
each other and repeated in an all-over[69]
pattern, as in a woven fabric, strongly
suggest the Sicilian silks. Eug. Muentz
in his work, “La Tapisserie,” speaks of
this evident relationship. The internal
evidence of the design itself would be
quite sufficient if we had no other means
of tracing it.
These two pavements are practically
unique, as far as we are able to learn.
They are marble inlay, the pattern having
been cut out in a slab of white marble and
pieces of black marble carefully fitted in
to form the figure. This is not true
mosaic, and differs essentially in design
from the mosaic work of the same period
which was derived from the Roman mosaics
made up of small pieces of marble
or other material. Most of the floor
mosaics in Italy have suffered from wear
and tear, and have in many cases been
very poorly restored; but these two pavements
appear to be in nearly their original
condition.
The design does not have the merit of
belonging distinctively to the material in
all cases, and might just as well be applied
to wood parquetry as stone. In fact, it
might be even more effective in this material
if the colors were judiciously chosen.
XXXIII to XXXVII.
PORTIONS OF THE PAVEMENT IN THE BAPTISTERY,
FLORENCE, ITALY.
One exception should be made to the
remarks above in relation to true mosaic.
The lower left-hand portion of plate
XXXVI is without doubt made up of
small pieces put together after the manner
of the old Roman mosaics, and it is possible
that the portion shown in the upper
left-hand corner of the same plate is made
in the same way. There are several parts
of the floor laid in this manner, but they
are distinctly secondary in interest to the
inlaid portions.
The pavement is divided irregularly by
squares and rectangles, the portion especially
rich in ornament being that between
the door and the altar. The rectangular
patterns are irregularly cut into by special
pavements, placed before several of the
monumental tombs in the walls.
XXXVIII to XL.
PORTIONS OF THE PAVEMENT IN THE CHURCH
OF SAN MINIATO AL MONTE, FLORENCE, ITALY.
In the first of these plates there is a
suggestion of the mosaic treatment
commonly seen in the pavements of
Rome, Venice, and Siena. The sort of
guilloche of interlacing circles was very
generally used.
Plate XL on the other hand is as plainly
reminiscent of textile designs as it well
might be; and in plate XXXIII from the
Baptistery the same characteristic can be
seen.
Wood Floors.
The addition which a fine hardwood
floor makes to the attractiveness of a room
is appreciated by some architects, but
good floors are not by any means as
common as they should be. The expense
of hard wood is not so much more than
that of a cheap floor as to stand in the
way of its use when the final result is
considered.
It is generally admitted that a floor
entirely covered with a carpet is in many
ways undesirable, especially from a sanitary
point of view; while a hardwood
floor, wholly or partly covered with rugs,
has every advantage. Furthermore, the
fashion, which has a great deal to do with
what shall be used, aside from any question
of intrinsic merit, has set strongly in this
direction, and in many cases old floors are
replaced with new ones of hard wood for
the sole purpose of giving a chance for
the use of rugs in place of carpets. This
is one, even if it be a rare instance of the
agreement of fashion and good taste. In
working over an old floor a plain or ornamental
border can usually be laid at no
great expense by using the thin wood carpet,
manufactured by all the best makers of
parquetry, and the centre can be laid with
a pattern or with narrow strips such as the
“roll goods” which are manufactured by
S. C. Johnson of Racine, which are made
up of strips usually one and three-eighths
inches wide and five sixteenths of an inch
thick, glued to a backing of canvas.
Patterns of all descriptions made from
all the best foreign and domestic woods
can be obtained, as the designs of the
best manufacturers include an almost
unlimited choice, and there is no end to
the combinations which can be made
from the stock patterns. As an instance
of this, the catalogue of J. W. Boughton
of Philadelphia contains a remarkably
fine selection of borders which can be
combined and adapted to almost any[71]
requirement, while the designs for the field
or centre of the floor are fully as varied
and usable. These designs are made in
such shape that they can be easily
adapted to any shape of room and fitted
to all sorts of irregular niches and jogs at
slight extra expense.
Owing to the economy of manufacturing
floors made from pieces which can be
put together on a system of squares, hexagons,
or octagons, most of the patterns
in common use are made up of these
units, or of triangles or rectangles combining
to form these figures. Curved
forms cannot be used to good advantage
in this way as it is difficult and expensive
to cut or join them properly. Nevertheless,
all the principal manufacturers will
execute to order any design desired.
When placed in a new house floors
of 7/8 inch or 1-1/4 inch are usually to
be preferred, and are made in sections
of convenient size for shipment at the
factory, and finished after they are in
place.
Most of the makers nail thin parquetry
work through from the surface and fill the
nail holes with putty, although in some
cases blind nailing is used.
Western manufacturers have in the last
few years been making rapid progress in
this industry. While J. W. Boughton,
who is one of the oldest and best known
makers of ornamental flooring, is still
doing a large and increasing business,
Western houses are catering to and obtaining
a great deal of the best trade. The
Interior Hardwood Company of Indianapolis,
under the business management of
its vice-president, Mr. Charles Hinman
Comstock, has doubled its capacity in the
last year and shows commendable energy
in pushing its business. S. C. Johnson of
Racine, Wis., is also in the front rank
in first-class trade. The Wood-Mosaic
Company of Rochester should also be
considered as one of the leading and
reliable houses. Its collection of designs
is full and varied and its work of
the best.
Architects will find the catalogues of
these firms most valuable reference
books.
The finishing of a good floor requires
care and attention as well as special
knowledge. Oil, varnish, shellac, and wax
are the finishes ordinarily used, but wax is
usually the most satisfactory.
The floor should be carefully and thoroughly
smoothed, so that no waves or
plane-marks will be seen, and then filled
if the wood is at all porous or open
grained. This is done with preparations
manufactured by any of the firms mentioned
above, or with fillers specially made
for the purpose such as those sold by
Harrison Brothers & Company of Philadelphia,
or the Chicago Wood Finishing
Company of Chicago. The wood filler
made by the latter firm is especially
adapted for this purpose and will give
excellent results. The finish is then
applied in one or more coats as required,
oil and shellac finishes usually requiring
more than one application and an intermediate
rubbing down with fine sandpaper.
Shellac and ordinary varnish are usually
unsatisfactory from their tendency to wear
unevenly. The Chicago Varnish Company
of Chicago supplies a varnish under
the name of “Supremis,” which has proved
by years of use under trying conditions,
such as those of asylums, hospitals, and
public buildings, to be of exceptional
merit. It is elastic, tough, and gives a
fine waxy surface which can be rubbed
and will preserve its finish. It has the
additional merit of being easily applied.
It dries quickly and is remarkably durable.
Wax should be carefully applied and then
polished to the required finish with a
weighted brush.
Of wax finishes one very largely used is
that made by the Butcher Polish Company
of Boston. It has all the best
qualities of other wax finishes and has
stood the test of time and experience.
There are numerous variations in the
products referred to above suited for
different purposes. The Wood-Mosaic
Company makes end-wood mosaic 7/8
inch thick made of small blocks joined
by means of a lead tongue; wood carpet
similar to that of S. C. Johnson; and
thick and thin parquetry. S. C. Johnson
also makes a flooring of 1/4 inch face
glued to a backing of pine to make 7/8
inch, 1 inch, or 1-1/4 inch stock which is
found to stand the changes of temperature
in American houses remarkably
well. The thicker floors of 7/8 inch
and upwards are frequently made with
tongued and grooved joints and blind
nailed.
These patterns when properly chosen are
just as appropriate for stairs, walls, or even
ceilings, as for floors, and are frequently
used for these places.
Modern Mosaic Floors.
The use of mosaic floors, especially for
corridors and entrances of public and
business buildings and in some positions
of private residences, is rapidly increasing,
and every specimen of work gives
this art impetus. The laying of a mosaic
floor is not so simple a matter as it appears
to many architects, and the fact that anyone
cannot do it is proven by the bad
work one constantly runs across. It is,
therefore, advisable that work of this sort
be entrusted to a concern that can be
found after the job has been finished and
paid for, and that has a reputation to maintain
and a willingness to make good any
imperfection that a few months’ wear will
bring to light. As this number of The
Brochure Series will often be referred to
where ornamental floors are being designed,
we take pleasure not particularly in recommending
a house for executing such
floors, but rather in calling attention to
some of the work executed, inspection of
which will be the strongest endorsement
possible. We refer to the Murdock
Parlor Grate Company of Boston, a house
known by name at least to every architect
and builder of New England.
Organized over forty years ago, and
with prospects of active existence for as
many or more years to come, their contracts
contain the element of responsibility
that is the best guarantee an architect
can have that his client’s interests are
in good hands.
The mosaic and terrazzo flooring department
of the Murdock Parlor Grate
Company already has a list of over fifty
public buildings in which important work
has been done. The terrazzo floors so
much admired in the new Public Library,
covering a surface of 60,000 square feet,
the mosaic floor of the Members’ corridor
in the Massachusetts State House, and
especially the entrance to the Members’
vestibule, a part of this floor, and the
lobbies to the Bowdoin Square and Keith’s
Theatres, Boston, also mosaic, are examples
easily inspected by Boston architects.
Other public buildings in New England
in which this company have done admirable
mosaic work are the new McLean
Asylum buildings, the Arlington (Mass.)
Public Library, the Exchange Club, Boston,
and a number of bank buildings.
Throughout the Back Bay district there
are numberless vestibule and hall floors in
fine residences, many of which are gems
in color and design.
We have mentioned only a few examples,
but almost every New England architect
can, by writing to the Murdock Parlor
Grate Company, be referred to examples
of their work in his neighborhood, and we
think he will find their estimates as low as
it is safe to accept, and their responsibility
is beyond all question.
Books.
A Handbook of Architectural Styles:
Translated from the German of A. Rosengarten
by W. Collett-Sandars. New
edition, 639 illustrations. New York:
C. Scribner’s Sons. 1895. For sale
by Bates & Guild, Boston. $2.50.
A review of the contents of this work is
scarcely necessary, as it is already recognized
as a standard by all who are at all
familiar with architectural literature. As
compared with other books upon the history
of architecture, the point of view
from which the subject has been looked at
furnishes the main distinction. This cannot
be better stated than in the words of
the editor of the present edition, Professor
T. Roger Smith. He says: “It is essentially
that of an academic and classical
professor, and one brought up not only
in familiarity with the best examples of
ancient art, but with the habit of mind
which recurs to classic and especially to
Greek originals, both as a standard of
taste and as models for treatment of modern
works. This feeling, which held sway
in England in the day of Chambers, of
Soane, and of Cockerell, has now almost
died out from our practice and our literature.
The works of the contemporary
English and French writers on architecture,
which are now widely known and read,
proceed avowedly and unmistakably on a
different basis. Such writings as those of
Street or Scott, Viollet-le-Duc, and Ruskin
breathe a totally different inspiration;
while even the valuable series of architectural
writings which we owe to the pen of
Mr. Fergusson are too cosmopolitan in
range and too impartial in tone for such a
peculiarity as is here traceable to be
visible in them.”
The illustrations show some of the wear
and tear of former editions, but are still of
great value.
The Brochure Series
of Architectural Illustration.
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY
BATES & GUILD,
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dozen out of the hundred plates are worth
buying to a subscriber his year’s subscription
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the advantage of a compact and uniform
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It is now too late for those who have
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little inquiry among one’s friends will
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The large circulation of The Brochure
Series among the younger members of
the profession furnishes an excellent opportunity
for the interchange of ideas with
men who are all working with the same
end in view—the advancement of the
profession of architecture. There may be
a wide difference in their aims, influenced
by personal considerations, the various
differences of training and environment;
but all are looking forward to increased opportunities
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The experience of many young men will
be found of value in shaping the course of
those who have not yet won their spurs.
It is the purpose of The Brochure
Series to furnish information as far as
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end is earnestly solicited. Our pages will
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of vital interest to young architects,
and we shall hope to see the opportunity
largely taken advantage of.
American School of
Architecture, Rome.
A recent circular issued by the committee
of the American School of Architecture
at Rome contains a general description
of the organization of the school and
its work. On the twelfth of last June, at[77]
a meeting held in New York, it was
decided to found such a school, and a
committee of control was selected including
the chiefs of the schools of architecture
at the different American colleges
where such exist. We give below some
quotations from this circular which will be
found of interest.
The school is founded for the benefit of
advanced students only, and is designed
to further the more disciplinary work of
other institutions by opening to young
men, already well trained by them in
drawing and design, certain special lines
of study, which at present can be pursued
only under great disadvantages. Beginners,
accordingly, will not be received.
Such work is not suitable to their condition,
and it would be a mistake to encourage
them to devote their time to it. But
to the holders of traveling scholarships,
to those who have acquitted themselves
with distinction in the competitions for
these scholarships, and to members of the
Ecole des Beaux-Arts of at least three
years’ standing, it offers opportunities for
the completion of their professional training
which students thus equipped will, it
is believed, find of inestimable value.
Other well-accredited students may be
admitted to certain hospitalities of the
school, at the discretion of the secretary.
Hitherto the holders of traveling scholarships
have followed very largely their own
judgment as to their travel and study, and
have produced, as required, a certain number
of carefully measured drawings, which
have borne testimony to the diligence of
their authors, their facility with pen, pencil,
and brush, and the evident seriousness of
their intentions; but the work has necessarily
shown no common purpose and little
consistent prosecution along carefully
chosen lines. This being their common
experience, the past holders of traveling
scholarships are general in their approval
of the effort to direct foreign travel and
study hereafter to more definite and specific
courses.
The school is one of observation and
research rather than of design, aiming to
form a correct taste and to impress upon
the mind, by daily contact with great
examples, those principles which are essential
to the enduring quality in architecture,
be the style what it may. To
this end the founders of the school believe
it to be of the utmost importance
for an architect, before he begins his
professional career, to study thoroughly
and on the spot the monuments of ancient
architecture and such works of the Italian
Renaissance as are worthy of being considered
their successors. The monuments
best suited to this purpose are those of
Greece and Italy, and the headquarters of
the school are established at Rome rather
than at Athens, because of the greater
amount of material there at hand of use
to the modern student not only in the art
of architecture itself, but in that of mural
painting and in the decorative arts, including
architectural sculpture.
The school was formally opened under
the charge of Mr. Austin W. Lord, as
secretary, on the first of November last,
in temporary quarters in the upper story
of the Palazzo Torlonia, on the southwest
corner of the Via dei Condotti and the
Via Bocca di Leone, between the Corso
and the Piazza di Spagna; but a permanent
home has now been secured in the
building known as the Casino dell’Aurora,
occupying a part of the grounds formerly
belonging to the Villa Ludovisi. This
building is situated upon an isolated plot
of ground, raised fifteen or twenty feet
above the surrounding streets, and comprising
about eighty thousand square feet,
which is the size of the enclosed space in
Gramercy Park in the city of New York.
It is on the Pincian Hill, not far from the
French Academy in the Villa Medici.
The building contains about thirty rooms;
some of these are decorated with well-known
frescoes, among which is the Aurora
of Guercino. The grounds, which
were laid out by Lenôtre, are well covered
with trees and shrubs, and afford
ample space for the erection of additional
one story buildings, should such be required
at any time for workrooms or
studios.
Personal.
Mr. A. L. Nicholson, formerly with
Davis & Von Storch, architects, Scranton,
Pa., has accepted a position with De
Lemos & Cordes, Fulton Building, Fulton
and Nassau Streets, New York.
Mr. Dwight H. Perkins, of the firm of
Perkins & Selby, Marshall Field Building,
Chicago, opened a new office on
May 1 at 1107 Steinway Hall Building,
Chicago.
[79]Mr. Myron H. Hunt, recently returned
from an extended trip abroad, has gone into
the office of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge
in Chicago.
Mr. F. N. Reed, who has distinguished
himself in the Rotch Scholarship competition,
having been given second place each
time in the last three years, is now with
Cabot, Everett & Mead of Boston.
Brochure Series Competition No. 1.
Program: The Henry F. Miller Piano
Company of Boston, with the idea of
turning the attention of designers to
the problem of artistic piano cases, has
placed in the hands of publishers of
The Brochure Series $50, to be awarded
for sketches of piano cases. Three prizes
of $25, $15, and $10 will be given for the
three best designs submitted, the judges
to be the officers, of the company, assisted
by an architect who shall be appointed by
the publishers.
It is not the idea of the Henry F. Miller
Piano Company to secure designs for actual
use, as their work in special case
design is almost entirely to order, carrying
out designs for architects and decorators.
Therefore, only sketches are required
which may be executed in any medium
the designer may choose, although due
regard should be paid to the reproductive
character of the drawing. A perspective
sketch, showing the right end and front of
the case, is required to be made on paper,
not exceeding 8×12 in. in size.
The diagram above gives the necessary
dimensions. In designing the end the
only thing to be borne in mind is the construction
of the case, the front telescoping
into the back or frame, as shown by the
plan of the end. The quarter round
finish of the back is not necessary, the
treatment of the end being optional so
long as dimensions and construction are
regarded.
The arm or end of the keyboard (c), the
foot (a), the “truss” (b), which supports
the keyboard, are all left entirely to the
designer, the only dimensions to be
regarded being the height of keyboard
from the floor (2 ft. 1 in.), the top of the
keys (4-1/2 in. higher), and the space
(4 ft.) occupied by the keys. The arm
projects 1 ft. 1 in. beyond the front.
Drawings must be sent carriage paid so
as to reach the editor of The Brochure
Series on or before July 15, 1895.
The prize designs will become the
property of the Henry F. Miller Piano
Company. The other designs will be
returned to their authors. It is to be
understood, however, that any or all
designs may be exhibited or published,
and that they may be retained a reasonable
time after judgment for these purposes.
The details and management of the competition
are left entirely to the publishers
of The Brochure Series, and it is hoped
that this, the first of a number of competitions
they will endeavor to arrange, will
bring out the work of the best designers.
If there is any portion of this program
not clearly understood, the publishers will
explain more in detail upon request.