Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/83

Bk. IV. Ch. V. STRASBURG CATHEDRAL. 67 is of an earlier age, everything we see in Strasburg being of an older style than anything in that church. Be this as it may, the details are pure and beautiful, and the design of singular boldness. The central aisle is 55 ft. wide from centre to centre of the piers, and the side-aisles 33 ft. wide, while the corresponding dimensions at Cologne are only 49 ft. and 25 ft. respec- tively. Notwithstanding this, the vault at Strasburg is only 101 ft. in height against 155 ft. at Cologne. The consequence is, that measured from centre to centre the central aisle at Cologne is more than three times as high as it is wide, while at Strasburg it is less than twice. The whole width of the more northern example is practically equal to the height — at Strasburg it is one-fifth less; but the one having only three aisles, while the other has five, makes all these discrepancies still more apparent. Had the architect of Cologne, instead of intro- ducing an external aisle, only increased the dimensions of Strasburg by one-fifth, retaining all its proportions, he would botb externally and internally have produced the noblest building of the Middle Ages. As it is, the smaller nave of Strasburg is infinitely superior in projiortion and apparent dimensions to that of the larger building. This comi)arative lowness of the nave, at Strasburg is greatly in its favor, as the lengtli, which is only 250 ft., is made the most of, and the shortness of the cathedral is not jierceived. It does not appear that Erwin von Steinbach had anything to do with this i)art of the structure, beyond repairing the vault when damao-ed by fire in 1298, at which time he also introduced some new features of no great importance, but sufticient in some degree to confuse the chronology. What he really did, was to commence the western facade, of which he laid the foundation in 1277, and superintended the erection till his death, 41 years afterwards, when he was succeeded by his sons, vvdio carried it u]) to the i)latform in 1365. The Germans, however, wishing to find a name to place in their Walhalla, and mistaking entirely the system on which buildings were carried out in the Middle Ages, have tried to exalt Erwin into a genius of the highest order, ascribing to him not onlf the nave, but also the design of the spire as it now stands. If he had anything to do with the former, he must have been promoted at a singularly early age to the rank of master-mason, and have lieen a most wonderfully old man at the time of his death; and if he designed the spire, he must have had a strangely prophetic spirit to fm-esee forms and details that were not invented till a century after his death ! The fact is, Erwin did no more than every master-mason of his age could do. There is no novelty or invention in his design, and only those mistakes and errors which all Germans fell into when working in pointed Gothic. In the first place, the facade is much too large for the church, which it crushes and hides ; and instead of using the resources of his art to