The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3MacGibbon, David
History
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3
MacGibbon, David
Church architecture -- Scotland
“I described the statues at the apex of the east gable at Melrose
as those of James IV. and Margaret (p. 53). You say ‘this is an
entire assumption’ (p. 381), and then you immediately _assume_ that
they illustrate the coronation of the Blessed Virgin. If your
interpretation is correct, the act of coronation must be indicated,
and the two figures must be correlated, Christ being turned towards
the Blessed Virgin, either to crown her by His own hand, or to
indicate His interest in the ceremony, whilst Mary is turned
towards Christ in an attitude of tenderness and adoration. These
are obvious requirements. The figures are so disposed in the
examples you cited and illustrated, and it is true of all the
examples I have studied on the Continent and in the cathedrals of
England. At Melrose the figures are not in any way related to each
other. They look straight forward, and, as I proved by the aid of a
telescope before writing my description, no act of crowning is
indicated. The male figure corresponds exactly with that on the
seal of James IV. to which I referred, and the group does not
differ from that shown in a MS. of the middle of the fifteenth
century, which represents a king and queen and their court. I
understand and appreciate the fact that you see no significance in
the angels in the niches below the central group of the king and
queen, and that it is of no importance to you that the figures
which were ranged on either side were not those of saints and
martyrs, but of Churchmen, evidently contemporaries of King James.
As the statue of an archbishop graces the apex of the east gable of
York Minster, there is nothing ridiculous, as you would wish to
make it appear, in a king and queen occupying a similar place at
Melrose. The circumstances and temper of the moment made it appear
appropriate. There is no sarcasm in the concluding paragraph of my
work, although you profess to be able to detect it. It was not
unpleasant to me to find that the point made by the author of _The
Stones of Venice_, from exactly similar exhibitions of vainglory,
could be made from the stones of Scotland.
P. MACGREGOR CHALMERS.”
TOPOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF BUILDINGS DESCRIBED IN THE WHOLE WORK.
ABERDEENSHIRE.
Aberdeen, King’s College Chapel
---- Greyfriars’ Church
---- St. Nicholas’
Aberdour, St. Drostan’s
Auchendoir Church
Deer Abbey
Deer Parish Church
Ellon Monument
Insch Church
Kinkell Church
Kintore Church
Leask, St. Adamnan’s
Lonmay, St. Colm’s
Monymusk Church
Old Aberdeen, St. Machar’s Cathedral
Peterhead, St. Peter’s
Rattray, St. Mary’s
Rathan Church
Turriff Church
ARGYLESHIRE.
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