Palace—especially those of the lower arcade, on the side toward the Piazzetta—are among the finest in the world.
There was never any important development of sculpture in Spain. The statues that adorn some of the Gothic churches in that country were, like the architecture itself, copied without genius from the sculpture of France. The figures of the portals of the Cathedral of Santiago, which are said to date from the close of the twelfth century, are among the most important, and are, according to Mr. Street, really fine. But the employment of such sculpture was not general even in the great Gothic buildings. The façade of the Cathedral of Burgos, for instance, has no figure sculpture whatever.
Foliate sculpture in Spain is no more original or important than that of the figure. The capitals and string-courses of the Gothic buildings exhibit French motives with little modification. The design of the cornice of the choir of Burgos, for instance, might have been taken directly from Paris or Amiens, as might also those of the capitals and bases which adorn the angles of the buttresses.
