Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-08

| properly be considered the eliminating sue
| cess of the whole work AS the rotunda
Is to serve as the public reading room of
| the library, the light effect was a prime
consideration both in it's construction and
adornment; and in fully meeting this re-
qulrement, in a way never before ATTEMPT
ca, mes the last surprising merit Of this
pullolnS OF thousand excellenceS The
room Is octagon shaped. 100 feet In diane
ter and 123 feet HIGH lighted by eight semi
circular windows ~ feet wide. The walls
are screened in variegated Siena marbles
yeilow, maroon, orange and gold, with nu-
merouS groined arches and balustrades
Eight enormous piers of two shades of red
Num1dian marbles, resting upon. bases of
chocolate Tennessee marble stand out bold
ly against the background of mixed vel
low, and rise forty feet to the main en-
tablature. This latter Is highly ornament
ed with friezes, cornices and sculptured
ngures. and above 1t yawns the marvellous
concave Of the DOME at first colored white
Here the great problem devolving for So
luton upon Garnsey as the decorative
painter was to unite and harmonize these
var-colored marbles, stucco, iron work.
ngure decoration and white dome into one
coherent whole that would simultaneously
grove softly luminous and hence grateful
70 the eye and remove the idea of a gi-
gantlc mass bearing down upon the base
The means at hand to compass this were
simply the strategy of color and the subtle
necromancy of lines: but with these means
missy has oSOlNtU more IMAM q mere o.
luton OF the problem: he has won, per-
maps, the most decisive triumph visible in
the entire edtffce-a triumph solely of color
IN connection with lines and masses
Marble Effects.
The deep pomegranate-colored marbles of
the bases and columns had to be merged
into lighter scheme to carry up the dome
instead OF weighing 1t with heavy color
and making it seem to bear down upon its
Go
tone OF the Siena marbles is a rich tawny
yellow, Garnsey adopted as the keynote
CT MS color scale certain of their paler
notes. ana carried them upward lighter
ana more delicate, into the white of the
dome proper. The richness of the marbles
demanded corresponding richness-obtain-
aple only with gold-in the decorations
above them, and hence enough gold has
peen used as accent to support the in
herent richness Of the marbles, while not
enough to overload them. The background
OF the entire wall spaces of the rotunda
ne carried around in a deep Pompeiian red
suggested by the pomegranate tones OF the
Numidian piers, 1t being also the tradi-
tional color of great wall spaces handed
Gown from Rome. Byzantium and Egypt
Again, 1nasmuch as the tone Of old ivory
resembles closest the lighter tones Of the
Siena marbles, that tone was used with
many variations. in frieze. Golfer and cor
nice; and although a score of different col
ors and tints have been actually employed
yet the general effect is exactly that Of an
ancient ivory carving "
Above each OF the great piers are triangu-
lar spaces. technically termed "penden-
tives." formed by the lines of the arches.
Embraced within them are wreaths figures
ana stucco ornaments; and these also have
been treated in soft tones of old iyory
against a background of old red recalling
again the color of the Numidian marbles In
the piers below and anording an accent of
color as valuable as it Is unique. Each of
the pendentives. by reason of Its isolation
and peculiar COlOriD0 IL made IN
positive influence on the eye and BRAIN and
supplies rest from previous color impress
sons and a new incentive to further ex-
cursions into the closely woven harmony Of
which 1t IL a part.
Carrying the Eye Upward.
Then the eye, tracing Its way up still
higher. Is carried unconsciously to the great
entablature whereon the dome rests A
band Of eagles bearing garlands, appearing
against golden background, first nxes the
attention.; and from this entablature the
great dome springs up into space, divided