Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/418

402 ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE. Pakt IL 832. Portion of the Nave, Moureale. (From Hittortf aud Zaiitli. ) subordinate to the color — more so per- haps, as a general rule, in these Sicilian examples than in the ISTorth. Jn fact, the architecture Avas merely a vehicle for the display of paint- ing in its highest and most gorgeous forms. Besides the mo- saic pictures which adorn the upper part of the walls of these Palermitan churches, they possess another kind of decoration almost equally effec- tive, the whole of the lower part of the walls being reveted with slabs of marble or j)orphyry disposed in the most beauti- ful patterns. The Martorana depends wholly for its effect on this S2:)ecies of decoration. In the Capella Palatina, and the church at Mon- reale, it occupies the lower part of the walls only, and serves as a base for the storied decorations above • but whether used separately or in combination, the re- sult is perfect, and such as is hardly at- tained in any other churches in any part of Europe.