Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/164

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134 Architecture in Great Britain. intersection of the nave and larger transept, and is 400 ft. high. The interior has been injured by injudicious re- storation ; the stained glass with which the rows of cleres- tory windows were once filled, and the colouring which formerly adorned the walls, are wanting ; but, in spite of all these drawbacks, Salisbury Cathedral remains a master- piece of art. The choir and transepts of Westminster Abbey, erected by Henry III., belong to this style. The four eastern bays of the nave belong to the transition between this and the Decorated style ; they are the work of Edward III., who also built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin, which was re- moved to make way for Henry VII.'s chapel. The nave and the very elaborate west front of Wells Cathedral, in the Early English style, were commenced in 1214 by Bishop Joceline. The most remarkable feature of this celebrated structure is the variety of sculptured figures in the niches of the gallery. They have been noticed by our great English sculptor Flaxman as marking the state of art at the period of their execution. They consist of figures " in the round " (i. e. fully detached), and others in high relief. Those on the southern portion of the front represent the Creation, the Deluge, and other Old Testament incidents ; those on the northern, events in the life of our Saviour.* Above these are two rows of statues larger than life ; and near the gable is a high relief of M Christ come to Judgment," attended by His angels and the twelve apostles, — the upper arches on either side being filled with figures starting from their graves, their faces and attitudes admirably expressing hope, fear, grief, and

  • See 'Iconography of the West Front of Wells Cathedral,' hy

C. R. Cockerell, R.A.