From Charles I., (1625), to Queen Anne, (1702), the purely Italian Renascence prevailed; the Banqueting House at Whitehall, by Inigo Jones, (1572-1652), being a fine example of this period. St. Paul’s Cathedral (1675-1710) by Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and his many beautiful churches in London, mark a distinct epoch of English Renascence; the tradition being carried-on by Vanbrugh (1666-1736) who built Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. Other architects of this period were Hawksmoor (1666-1726), Kent (1684-1754), Gibbs (1674-1754), Chambers (1726-96), who built Somerset House, and Robert Adam (1725-92), who carried on the traditional method of stucco enrichment, but in a more rigid and formal classic manner. His geometrical panelling of hexagons, octagons, and ovals, was enriched with conventional renderings of the acanthus and olive leaf arranged in small units and repeated without variation over the whole of the surface. These enrichments were cast in plaster or compo and were mechanical in treatment, lacking the beautiful decorative quality of the modelled stucco of the early 17th century. The Wellington Monument in St. Paul’s Cathedral, by Alfred Stevens, is distinguished from much of the modern work by its strong vitality and architectonic treatment of the composition, and the beauty and singular grace of its detail. [Illustration: MAHOMETAN ORNAMENT. Plate 20. ] MAHOMETAN & MORESQUE. Of mediæval history as associated with the decorative arts, the rise and development of the Arabs is the most remarkable. The wide appreciation and liberal patronage of the arts by the Khalifs; the influence of its religion and precepts upon contemporary and later periods of art; the distinct individuality and geometrical arrangement of its ornamentation; all had a most marked effect upon tradition and craftsmanship.