the work of an early Flemish painter; and if the stalls at Santa Cruz
are not by this same Master Vlimer, the intertwining branches on the
cresting and the sharply carved leaves on the panels show that he had
followers or pupils.

Like most Flemish productions, the reredos is wanting in grace. Though
it throws a fine deep shadow the great arch is very ugly in shape and
the great canopies are far too large, and yet the mass of gold, well lit
by the windows of the lantern and rising to the dim blue vault, makes a
singularly fine ending to the old and solemn church.

More important than the reredos in the art history of the country are
some other changes made by Dom Jorge, which show that the Frenchmen
working at Santa Cruz were soon employed elsewhere.

On the north side of the nave a door leads out of the church, and this
these Frenchmen entirely transformed.

At the bottom, between two much decayed Corinthian pilasters, is the
door reached by a flight of steps. The arch is of several orders, one
supported by thin columns, one by square fluted pilasters. Within these,
at right angles to each other, are broad faces carved and resting on
piers at whose corners are tiny round columns, in two stories, with
carved reliefs between the upper pair. In the tympanum is a beautiful
Madonna and Child, and two round medallions with heads adorn the
spandrils above the arch. Beyond each pilaster is a canted side joining
the porch to the wall and having a large niche and figure near the top.
The whole surface has been covered with exquisite arabesques like those
below the reredoses in the cloister at Santa Cruz, but they have now
almost entirely perished.

Above the entablature a second story rises forming a sort of portico. At
the corners are square fluted Corinthian pilasters; between them in
front runs a balustrading, divided into three by the pedestals of two
slender columns, Corinthian also, and there are others next the
pilasters. The entablature has been most delicate, with the finest
wreaths carved on the frieze. Over the canted sides are built small
round-domed turrets.

Above this the third story reaches nearly up to the top of the wall. In
the middle is an arch resting on slender columns and supporting a
pediment; on either side are square niches with columns at the sides,
beyond them fan-shaped semicircles, and at the corners vases. Behind
this there rise to the top of the battlements four panelled Doric
pilasters wi