Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul Part 10

N. S.

{ W.: Cyrus (who figures W. } { in Isaiah xliv. as a } { predestined Temple-builder) } _Clerestory_ { points over his shoulder to } Bezaleel and { returning Jewish captives. } Aholiab, { } artificers of the { E.: Alexander (who E. } Tabernacle (Exodus { indirectly prepared for the } x.x.xvi. I).

{ First Advent by spreading { the Greek language and { opening out the Far East) { leaning on his sword, with { Greeks bearing olives.

_Inscription { "O Rex gentium desideratus "O Emmanuel, Rex et beneath_ { earum, veni, salva Legifer, veni ad { hominem." salvandum nos."

_Triforium_ { Sea Leviathans and Fish. Sea Leviathans and Fish.

{ The Annunciation. The Temptation. Adam, { W.: Gabriel. with warning angel { E.: The Virgin at above. The nude _Spandrels_ { the door of her house. figure of Eve, with { Nazareth in background. Satan, as a fallen { The Holy Dove between. angel, pointing to { the forbidden fruit.

EAST BAY.

{ Creation of Birds. First of these circular sections of { spheres to be taken in hand. Details more minute than _Roof_ { the two others. Yet the effect, even at so great a { height, is not wholly lost, as a play of colour and a { certain sense of mystery, are afforded. It is better { to overdo than to underdo detail. Many of the birds { are outlined with silver. The leaves have veins of { silver, and the edges are touched with gold. As with { the two others, a successful attempt is made to { increase the real elevation, which is only three feet { at the apex. Inscription: "Et volatile sub firmamento"

{ (Gen. i. 20). Date, 1892.

_Pendentives_: Angels, with inscriptions above from Isaiah ix.

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{ W., Persian, and E., W.: Solomon as a young { Delphic Sibyl. A somewhat man. E.: David as an old { far-fetched design man with an air of { borrowed from mediaeval melancholy, thinking { art. Angels from above of the Temple of which _Clerestory_ { delivering their message. he may only get ready { Architectural background, the materials and { Persian and Doric plans. Meditating about { respectively. his preparations under a { tree; court of palace { in the background.

{ "O Sapientia, veniad "O Radix Jesse, veni ad _Inscription { docendum nos. O, liberandum nos. O Clavis underneath_ { Oriens Splendor, veni David, veni et educe { et illumina nos." vinctum."

_Triforium_ { Peac.o.c.ks of the bird Peac.o.c.ks.

{ creation.

N. S.

{ Two mail-clad Angels of Two Angels of the { the Crucifixion, one with Pa.s.sion, one with the { the spear and the other pillar at which Christ _Spandrels_ { with the nails. Blue was scourged; the other { background in centre, with the cup of { "Gloria in excelsis." suffering. Much later { First put into position. than the opposite, and { Work done on slabs in the cubes put into { studio, and slabs fixed position one by one.

{ with bronze nails in lead { sockets.

The great transverse arches are inscribed on their western sides from the _Benedicite_: "Omnes volucres coeli." "Omnia quae moventur in aquis." "Omnes bestiae et pecora." "Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, Domino." Looking from the east, the other faces have the Latin of Romans i. 20: "Invisibilia ejus a creatura mundi." "Per ea quae facta, sunt intellecta." "Conspiciuntur." "Sempiterna ejus virtus et divinitas."

=The Reredos Arch.=--In the triforium stage over the entrances has Melchizedek on the north and Noah on the south. The High Priest, in a long robe, blesses Abraham, in armour and with sword at side. Eight figures of servants are behind; and so minute is the treatment that the loaves of bread in the basket are depicted. The original design of this is at South Kensington. Noah, with a rainbow offering as he came out of the Ark, faces; and both are suggested by the neighbouring altar. Above, the subject is the Sea giving up its Dead, and the words "Alleluia," "Sanctus."

The work in the =Apse= is difficult to describe. Above all, in the crown of the vault, is a sun with golden rays. The chief figure is Christ seated in judgment. The expression is of mingled firmness and pity; and the crown has thorns bursting into flower. The upper robe, fastened round the breast by a jewelled buckle, has red lining; and the long robe beneath is white. To the right are two angels with the Book of Life; and behind, two more holding crowns and inviting to come. On the left, two more hold the scroll of the rejected, and the angel of wrath, supported by weeping figures, holds out both hands to repudiate. The pilasters by the windows have representations of Hope, Fort.i.tude, Charity, Truth, Chast.i.ty, and Justice.

But we have already exceeded our limit in describing this effort to carry out Wren's conception on a large and well-organised scale.

Nothing approaching to it has ever been attempted in this country before; it is "a new art acquired, a new craft learnt." Had not the artist been constantly on the spot to see that his own thoughts were reproduced, the work must have suffered. Sir William Richmond may safely leave posterity to thank him. We notice with satisfaction that before his labours on the choir were quite finished, the Royal Academy co-opted him a full Academician, and the Crown bestowed a Knight Commanders.h.i.+p of the Bath.[109]

THE MONUMENTS.

For the sake of simplicity these are taken together. Not till some eighty years after the completion of the building was any monument placed in it: another instance of how the intentions of the architect were ignored. In 1795, John Bacon, R.A. (1740-1799), finished the Howard and Johnson statues, and that of Sir William Jones four years later. The Reynolds statue, by John Flaxman, R.A. (1755-1826), was added about the same time; and these four memorials occupy what Milman calls the four posts of honour in front of the great supports. Then came the wars not only with France, but in all parts of the world; and while some of these heroes by land and sea to whom monuments were erected are immortal, others are now so forgotten that even the date of their birth is difficult to obtain. Yet their general claim is that they were killed in the service of their country; and no one need grudge them this honour. I cannot but think that a certain amount of indiscriminate amateur criticism has been expended on the earlier works. Johnson is represented partially draped in a toga; and there is a sequence of nude or semi-nude Victories and Fames with or without wings. The taste of to-day has changed, and but few people approve of the typical design of the reign of George III. Yet it is necessary to state that besides four by Flaxman, six bear the imprints of the genius of Sir Francis Chantrey, R.A. (1782-1831), not to mention five by E.H. Bailey, R.A. (1788-1847), and six by Rossi. Not only were Flaxman and Chantrey artists and not mere masons, but examples of both Bacon and Bailey are among the very few sculptures in the National Gallery. The asterisk affixed to the number indicates that the remains slumber in the Crypt.

NORTH AISLE OF NAVE.

1. Officers and men of the Cavalry and 57th and 77th Foot (now 1st and 2nd battalions of the Middles.e.x Regiment) who died or were killed in the Crimea, with old colours of Middles.e.x Regiment carried in the Crimea. (Marochetti.)

*2. =Wellington= (1769-1852). Sarcophagus of white marble with ornaments in bronze. The rec.u.mbent effigy in bronze rests upon this.

The canopy supported by Corinthian columns of white marble, which are carved with foliated diaper pattern. The bronze groups represent Valour, with Cowardice at her feet, and Truth plucking out the tongue of Falsehood. The canopy arch supports a great pediment intended for an equestrian statue, and the faces have the Duke's arms and the Garter. The chief battles are inscribed at the base. (Alfred Stevens.)

3. =Gordon= (Major-Gen. Chas. Geo., C.B., 1833-1885). Admirers of this Christian hero constantly bring fresh flowers, which the attendants remove when withered. Gordon's head was exhibited by the Mahdi, and his trunk thrown into the Nile at Khartoum. A rec.u.mbent figure on a sarcophagus, the features beautifully chiselled. One of two by that great sculptor, Sir Joshua Edgar Boehm, R.A. (1834-1890).

4. Mural tablet to the officers and men of the Royal Fusiliers (7th Foot) who perished in Afghan Campaign, 1879-1880.

5. =Stewart= (Major-Gen. Sir Herbert, K.C.B., 1844-1885). Killed in the abortive attempt to relieve Gordon. A mural tablet behind Gordon's monument. (Boehm.)

6. =Torrens= (Major-Gen. Sir A. Wellesley). Died in the Crimea.

(Marochetti.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WELLINGTON MONUMENT.]

7. Mural tablets in bra.s.s on either side of the Melbourne monument to the crew of H.M.S. _Captain_. Constructed in the early days of ironclads, this vessel foundered in 1870 through a mistaken calculation about the metacentre, with the designer, Captain Cooper Coles, and a son of the First Lord on board.

8. =Melbourne= (William Lamb, Viscount, 1779-1848), with his brother Frederick, a diplomatist (d. 1853). Prime Minister at the accession of Queen Victoria. Black marble representation of "the gate of death,"

with angels of white marble. The complete darkness with nothing beyond is more appropriate to the Premier's religious views as stated in the _Greville Memoirs_, than to the inscription from the Collect for Easter Eve. (Marochetti.)

SOUTH AISLE OF NAVE.

9. Officers of Coldstream Guards killed at Inkerman, with old colours of regiment above. Vesey Dawson, Granville Elliott, Lionel Mackinnon, Murray Cowell, Henry M. Bouverie, Frederick Ramsden, Edward Disbrowe, C. Hubert Greville, with inscription, "Brothers in arms, in glory and in death, they were buried in one grave." (Marochetti.)

10. =Burgiss= (Captain Richard Rundle, R.N., 1755-1797). Killed at Camperdown in command of the _Ardent_. Almost undraped, and out of proportion about the shoulders and bust, as is also the figure of Victory giving him the sword. Group in lower part of sarcophagus difficult to interpret. (J. Banks, R.A.)

11. =Middleton= (T.F., d. 1822). First Bishop of Calcutta. (Lough.)

12. =Lyons= (Captain, R.N., d. 1855). (n.o.ble.)

13. =Westcott= (Captain Geo. Blagdon, R.N., 1743-1798). Killed in command of the _Majestic_ at the Nile. Expression of the face too young. The bas-relief has the Sphynx, the Nile, and the _Orient_ blown up. (Banks.)

14. =Loch= (Captain, R.N., d. 1853). (Marochetti.)

NORTH TRANSEPT.

15. =Faulknor= (Captain Robert, R.N., 1763-1795). He was called the "Undaunted" by Jervis; killed off Dominica in command of the _Blanche_, and while las.h.i.+ng his bowsprit to the _Pique_, a French frigate of superior size. Falling into the arms of Neptune, with Victory about to crown him. (C. Rossi, R.A.)

16. =Mackenzie= (Major-Gen. J.R.), =Langwerth= (Brig.-Gen. E.). Both killed at Talavera, July 28, 1809. Above Faulknor's. Two sons of England bear trophies. The figure of Victory not remarkable for good proportions. (C. Manning.)

*17. =Reynolds= (Sir Joshua, P.R.A., 1723-1792). Draped in the robes of a Doctor of Laws; in right hand the Discourses to the Royal Academy; beneath the left hand is a medallion of his master, Michael Angelo. A pity that Bacon and others did not follow a like natural style of design. The special preachers are advised to preach at him, so that their voices may travel across the dome. (Flaxman.)

*18. =c.o.c.kerell= (Chas. Robert, d. 1863). An accomplished successor of Wren as surveyor. (F.P. c.o.c.kerell.)

19. =Hoghton= (Major-Gen. Dan., d. 1811). Killed at Albuera. A tabular monument; the embroidery on the uniform, the line of bayonets, and the colours excellent. (Chantrey.)

20. =Elphinstone= (Hon. Mountstuart, d. 1859). Lieut. Gov. of Bombay, and thrice refused the Governor-Generals.h.i.+p. (n.o.ble.)