The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish ConquestVillari, Luigi
History
The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish Conquest
Villari, Luigi
Dubrovnik (Croatia) -- History
The courtyard beyond is a square space surrounded by two tiers of round
arches. The whole effect is graceful, attractive, and airy. Both the
loggie are vaulted, but the arches of the upper story are twice as
numerous as those of the lower. The columns of the latter are of plain
classical design, with carved capitals and shallow abaci, of which
the foliage is so simple as to recall Romanesque work. The arches are
plain and without mouldings. The upper arcade is formed by square piers
of masonry, alternating with twin columns, one behind the other. This
part of the building is the work of Orsini, but on the wall behind
the arcades there are doors and windows in the pointed style of the
earlier edifice. Two open-air staircases lead from the courtyard to the
upper stories. The principal one, to the left of the entrance, is poor
in design, but the general effect is large and stately. The smaller
flight to the right leads to the little terrace on the mezzanine
floor. The latter has low round arches, but the balustrade is adorned
with a Gothic frieze, like that of the seats, “sotto i volti.” At the
head of the stairs is a sculptured capital representing the Rector
administering justice (the officer here is wearing the traditional
_opankas_ or sandals still common in Dalmatia); and opposite is a
symbolical female figure of Justice, the “quædam justitiæ sculptura” of
De Diversis, holding a scroll with the words, “Jussi summa mei,” and
two lions. The draperies are flowing, and not, I venture to think, at
all Düreresque, as Mr. Graham Jackson considers. The two lions’ heads
and part of the scroll-work has been very clumsily restored. This,
again, is Onofrio’s work. In this same loggia is a sculptured group
in a niche representing Samson breaking a column, which is probably
early quattrocento work, or perhaps even of the end of the fourteenth
century. Here and there are other good fragments of carving.
The interior calls for little mention, having been completely restored
and modernised. There is, however, one small room on the ground floor,
with a wooden ceiling charmingly painted with arabesque designs
and gilding, dating, I should imagine, from the sixteenth or early
seventeenth century. Below the small loggia is the entrance to the
state prisons, very gloomy dungeons indeed, in some of which prisoners
were walled up alive. But the worst cells are those under the theatre—a
strange contrast; they are below the level of the sea, and flooded at
high tide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account