The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-06-02

The Decorations of st. Paul's Cathedral.
1t is not often that critic is called
upon to judge of work Of such mag
nificence and Importance as the newly
uncovered decorations which Mr. Rich
mond has designed and carried to COM
pletion in the choir of st. Paul's cathe-
dral. Magnificent they certainly are
AS one sees them for the first time as
whole from the center of the nave, a
brute feeling of delight in their blazing
color seizes one-it is impossible not to
revel in a spectacle of such Oriental
richness and splendor. Surely nowhere
in Europe has the art of mosaic been so
superbly manifested. In Italy--its
home, so to speak-it has long since
sunk to the level of mere pictorial re-
production. To Mr.. Richmond belongs
the credit Of having recreated forgot
ten art; going to the Oldest and best ex-
amples to discover the secret of It's
greatest capacity; allying with himself
the best that England has of artistic
feeling and training in the glass-mak-
| ers' craft, to found school of mosaic
workers such as the world has not
seen for many hundreds of years 1t
| is no small thing that has been accom-
plished by Messrs. Powell Of Whitefri-
| ars and Mr.. Richmond; for If the Me-
| tropolitan cathedral has been enriched
with many unique works of art the ma
| ton owes debt of gratitude for being
richer by the art itself
akpn ipdiyiduoJJy tba doc;oru ava
singularly fine. No other living En-
glishman could have surpassed Mr..
| Richmond either in his mastery draw
! ing, his genius for glowing color, or his
serious artistic intention There is a
nobility and dignity about each figure
and each group that speaks of man
instinct with the gravity the impor-
lance of his task. And beyond this,
there is so clear a knowledge Of what Is
| best calculated in the design to bring
out the greatest possibilities of his me-
dunn that every portion of the whole,
no matter under what disadvantages of
light, shows to the greatest advantage.
Except for ten spandrils, the choir is
now complete. The apse and sanctua-
ry bay have for some time been famil-
lar to the public and the most easterly
of the choir bays--that devoted to the
creation of the birds-was also uncov-
| cred some two years ago. But so en-
| tirely does this last depend for its eff
| feet on its relation to the other two
that for purposes of criticism one may
| say the whole of the choir bays are now
seen for the first time. Those that
know St. Pauls will remember that the
parts to be decorated are briefly these:
First, on either side there are the span
drills above the arches. OF these only
the two on the north side nearest the
altar are complete, and if they are an
index to what the others are to be, the
whole will form a singularly beautiful
series. Two angels, in golden mail and
| flowing cloaks, repose on either side,
| their wings almost meeting above the
keystone of the arch. They are Mi
chael Angelesque in design-resplen-
dentin color-the incarnation of repose-
full watchfulness. Above the spandril
is the superb moulding that runs round
the whole building. Except for liberal
gliding, this is untouched by the deco
rator. Above this, again. is that por-
ton of the building which flor want of
| better phrase) will call the cleresto-
ry In this Mr.. Richmond has pre-
served Wren's panels. and put into
each a richly carried out design in har-
mony with the subject to which the
bay in which it occurs is devoted. We
then come to the windows with the
large wall surface on either hand. The
windows are filled with very elaborate
designs, but their significance unintelli-
gible from the choir. One only remarks
that the light is tempered by delicately
tinted and well-harmonized stained
glass The roof consists of a saucer
dome to each bay, and below each
dome four great pendentives to the
bases of the arches from which they
spring These saucer domes are filed
with designs of great beauty and origi-
nality-they represent the creation Of