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Obfervations on Sculpture, the great Perfection it arrived the Ancients, and the Abufes which have been made of

ble Art.

SCUL

Then Sculpture and her fifter Arts revive,
Stones leap'd to form, and Rocks began to live.

CULPTURE was the invention of the Egyptians, who made ufe of it principally to perpetuate the memory of great men. The firft monuments of this nature, we find recorded, are two coloffal ftatues ; erected by the Egyptians in honour of their King Maris, and his queen. Thefe ftatues were placed on two thrones, fupported by two pyramids, three hundred feet high above the furface of the water; for they were erected in the middle of a lake; fo that, notwithstanding the largenefs of the lake, they were confpicuous at a great diftance from its banks. Thus, the first coloffal ftatues were Jan. 1756. VOL. XI.

had,

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erected to preferve the memory of good Princes; but, in fucceeding times, they were too often erected as monuments of impiety.

The Egyptian fculptors excelled chiefly in the juftnefs of proportion; which, it is faid, they carried fo far, that, after having cut the ftones, which were to form the ftatue, these feparate pieces, fome of which were often cut by different hands, when joined together, formed as perfect and just a ftatue, as if it had been formed out of one folid piece.

The care the Egyptians conftantly took to cultivate this part of the art, we mean proportion, and which A

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is indeed the most important or effential, was probably the caufe of their neglecting what we call the fine or embellishing part, which is fo greatly admired in the works of the Greeks.

But, tho' fculpture had its birth in Egypt, it was from Greece, pro perly speaking, that it derived its luftre and perfection. Not to mention the first rude eflays in this art, which always carry with them the marks of their infantile ftate, Greece produced, especially in the time of Pericles, a multitude of excellent artifts, who laboured, in emulation of each other, to place fculpture in honour, by an infinite number of works, which have been the admiration of all ages.

Polycletus is ufually placed at the head of the Grecian ftatuaries. And ndeed, fays Quinctilian, he repreited men with finite graces, and r than they are but he did not ely come up to the majefty of gods. It is even faid, that the nly age confounded his skilful ds, for which reafon he fcarce expreffed any thing but tender th. But what Polycletus failed fell to the fhare of Phidias and Icamenes. However Phidias was udged to have reprefented the gods better than men. His imagination was great and noble; fo that according to Cicero, he did not copy their features and resemblance, from any visible objects, but by force of genius formed an idea of true beauty, to which he continually applied himself, and which became his rule and model, and directed his art and execution.

His Minerva of Athens was a mafter piece of art. It was made of gold and ivory, and was thirty-nine feet high. The Athenians chofe to have it of ivory, which at that time was much more scarce and valuable than the finest marble. But, how rich foever this statue was, the fculptor's art infinitely furpaffed the ma

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terials. Phidias carved, on the con-
vex part of Minerva's thield, the bat-
tle of the Athenians with the Ama-
zons, and, upon the concave, that
of the giants with the gods; upon the
bufkins of the goddefs he added the
battle of the Centaurs and Lapithæ ;
and on the pedeftal the birth of
Pandora, with all the fable fays of
it Cicero, Pliny, Plutarch, Paufa-
nias, and feveral other great writers
of antiquity, all connoiffeurs, and
eye-witneffes of it, have mentioned
this ftatue.

Their teftimony leaves

no room to doubt its having been one of the fineft pieces of workmanship" ever performed in the world.

Some, fays Plutarch, affure us, that Phidias put his name upon the pedestal of his Minerva at Athens. Paufanias does not mention this circumftance which Cicero intirely denies, faying exprefly, that Phidias, not being permitted to put his name to the ftatue, had cut his portrait upon the goddefs's fhield. Plutarch adds, that Phidias had reprefented himself in the form of an old man quite bald, raising a large ftone with both his hands; and had alfo reprefented Pericles fighting with an Amazon, but in fuch an attitude, that his hand, which was extended to throw a javelin, hid part of his face.

This prohibition was not general in Greece, perhaps peculiar to Athens. But, however this be, his having given these two portraits, a place on the shield of Minerva was made criminal. Nor was this all; Menon one of his pupils, demanded to be heard, and made himfelf his accufer. He alledged, that Phidias had applied, to his own ufe, part of the forty-four talents of gold, which were to have been used in the ftatue of Minerva. Pericles had forefeen what would happen, and by his advice Phidias had ufed the gold in his Minerva in fuch a manner, that it could be eafily taken out and weighed. It was weighed accordingly, and, to the fhame of the accufer,

was

OF

was found to amount to forty-four talents. Phidias, who plainly faw that his innocence would not fecure him against the malignant jealufy of those who envied him, and the intrigues of Pericles's enemies, withdrew privately to Elis; deter maning to revenge himself upon the injuftice and ingratitude of the Athenians, by imploying his whole art in making a ftatue for the Eleans that might eclipse his Minerva, which the Athenians looked upon as his mafter-piece. This he effected.

His Jupiter Olympius was a prodigy of art; and fo perfectly fuch, that, to fet a juft value upon it, it was thought that it deferved to be ranked among the feven wonders of the world. Nor had he forgot any thing that might conduce to its perfection.

juft delicacy, in not fuffering that excellent artist to annex his name or portrait to the ftatue of Minerva,

Lyfippus and Praxiteles were reckoned to have copied nature beft. For, as to Demetrius, he is blamed for having carried that care to excefs, and for having confined himfelf more to refemblance than beauty.

We have already obferved, that fculpture is indebted to Greece for the fupreme perfection to which it attained. The grandeur of Rome, which was to erect itself upon the ruins of Alexander's fucceffors, long retained the ruftic fimplicity of its Dictators and Confuls, who neither efteemed nor practifed, any arts but those which were fubfervient to war and the occafions of life. They did not begin to have a tafte for ftatues, and the other works of fculpture, This ftatue of gold and ivory, till after Marcellus, Scipo, Flaminius, fixty feet high, and of a proportion- Paulus Emilius, and Mummius, had al magnitude, made all fucceeding expofed to the view of the Romans, flatuaries defpair. None of them whatever Syracufe, Afia, Macedonia, had the prefumption to imagin they Corinth, Achaia, and Boeotia had, could even imitate it. Quinctilian that was moft excellent in the works fays, the majesty of the work equall- of art. Rome faw with admiration ed that of the god, and even added the paintings, and fculpture in brafs to the religion of those who faw it and marble, with all that serves The fpectators were ftruck with af- for the ornament of temples, and tonishment, and asked whether the public places. The people piqued god had defcended from heaven to themselves upon ftudying their beauthew himself to Phidias, or Phidias ties, difcerning their excellencies, and had been carried: thither, to con- knowing their value; and this kind template the god. Phidias himself of fcience, became a new merit, but upon being asked from whence he at the fame time the occafion of an had taken his idea of his Jupiter abufe fatal to the republic. Some Olympius, repeated the three fine time before, Mummus, after the takverfes of Homer, in which the poet ing of Corinth, in directing the perreprefents the majefty of that god fons who had undertaken the carin the moft fublime terms; fignify-riage of a great number of ftatues ing thereby that the genius of Homer had infpired him with it.

On the bafe of the ftatue was this infcription : PHIDIAS THE ATHENIAN, THE SON OF CHARMIDES, MADE ME. Jupiter feems here to glory, in a manner, that he was the work of Phidias, and to declare fo by this infcription; tacitly to reproach the Athenians with their un

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and painting of the greatest masters
to Rome, threatened them, if they
loft or spoiled any of them upon the
way, they fhould make them good
at their own coft and charges.
not this grofs ignorance, fays a Ro-
man hiftorian, infinitely preferable to
the pretended knowledge which foon
fucceeded it?' Strange weakness of
human nature! Is innocence then

infeparable

infeparable from ignorance; and cannot knowledge, and a tafte eftimable in itself, be attained, without the manners fuffering thereby through an abufe, which fometimes, tho' unjustly, reflects reproach and difgrace upon the arts themselves?

This new tafte for extraordinary pieces was foon carried to the greatest excels at Rome. They feemed to contend, who fhould adorn their houfes and villa's with moft magnificence. The government of conquered countries fupplied them with occafions of doing this. As long as their manners remained uncorrupted the Governors were not permitted to purchase any thing from the people they were fet over; because, fays Cicero, when the feller is not at liberty to fell things at the price they are worth, it is not a fale on his fide, but a violence done to him. But, when the ftate degenerated, the Governors were left at their liberty; and it is well known that many of them bought what was almost ineftimable for trifles; nay, that moft of them made their collections by force and violence.

Upon the revival of learning, this art was practited with fuccefs; and England can now boat of several pieces lately made, which, if they do not equal the ftatues of the ancients, they at least fhew that this art is arrived to a confiderable degree of perfection, and bids fair to be foon advanced to its greateft heighth.

We cannot conclude, without de ploring the abufe made of it, even by its greatest mafters. The paths of vice are more frequented than thofe of virtue; nor is there any need of guides or examples to lead us in thofe of the former. What then must we expect, when fculpture, with all the delicacy of art, is made use of to inflame a patiion, but too ready to break out, and too ardent of itself? What loote ideas do not thofe naked figures of young perfons fuggeft to the imagi

nation, which fculptors fo commonly take the liberty of exhibiting? They may do honour to the art, but never to the artists.

Without having recourse to Chriftianity, which abhors all licentious representations, the fages of the pagan world, blind as they were, condemn them almost with equal feverity. Ariftotle, in his book De Republica, recommends it to Magiftrates, as one of the most effential parts of their duty, to be attentive in preventing ftatues and paintings of this kind from appearing in cities, as they are capable of teaching vice and corrupting all the youth of a ftate.

The Inhabitants of the isle of Cos demanded a ftatue of Venus from Praxiteles. He made two, and gave them their choice. The one was naked, the other covered; but the former was infinitely the most beautiful. The inhabitants of Cos, however, had the wildom to give the preference to the latter; convinced that decency, politeness, and modefty, did not admit them to introduce a ftatue into their city, which might be of infinite prejudice to their manners. Can any thing be added to fuch an example? What a reproach will this be to us, who pretend, at least to be Chriftians, if we neglect or are ashamed to follow it!

To the Proprietors of the Magazines of Magazines.

GENTLEMEN,

Your Readers are greatly obliged to you, for that Extract from Dr. Jortin's Differ tation in your Mag. for Dec. (p. 524.) laft, and, I care fay, will be equally pleased with the following extract from bis fourth Differtation. On the Love of Praite and Reputation, and the proper Bounds of that Love.

Your's, &c. Z. K. N this differtation, the Doctor ob

ferves, that tho' the cauit, why

the

the chief rulers, who, St. John tells us, believed on our Saviour, did not confefs it, was, because they loved the praife of men, more than the praise of God," and confequently that the love of praife is a fault; yet, that it is not difficult to prove that the love of praife cannot be intirely unlawful For that the perfons mentioned by St. John were not condemned, because they loved the praife of men, but becaule they loved it more than the praise of God. This ingenious and learned writer has therefore divided this differtation into two parts: In the first of which he has fhewn, That we may love the praife of men in fome degree, and, in the fecond, That our love of it should be moderate.

I. That the love of praife feems to be natural to us, and a part of felf-love. We love ourselves; we defire therefore that others should esteem us, should think and fpeak well of us; we feem to multiply ourselves by having a place in the thoughts of fo many per ons, and to triumph in fome manner over our laft enemy, when our name furvives with honour after we are gone hence.

We read in fabulous hiftory of heroes and favourites of the gods, who, though they could not be preferved from death, were transformed into flowers, which, annually reviving and blooming, enjoyed a kind of immortality. A poetical image of the honours paid in civilifed countries to public benefactors by ftated commemorations.

Not only they who were eminent in rank and abilities, but perfons of all ftations usually love and value a good name and a fair character, and defire that their neighbours and acquaintance fhould account them to be just in their dealings, skilful in their occupations, careful of their families, faithful to their friends, and grateful to their benefactors.

This general love of praife manifeftly tends to the good of fociety. This pathion, encouraged in all polite nati

ons, hath been one of the great springs and principles of useful and commendable actions, both in the fubject and in the Magaiftrate. The defire of reputation hath taught men to defpife danger, and to expofe their lives for the public; to undergo labour and fatigue, to ftudy incefiantly, to deny themfelves many pleasures it hath made them defirous of furpaffing even the beft and the most eminent. The love of reputation is neceffarily attended with the fear of difgrace and contempt, and the fear of difgrace hath restrained fome perfons from bafe and difhoneit actions, when no other tie would hold them, and religion itself was infufficient for that purpose.

Thus hath this paffion often proved advantageous to civil fociety; for it has allured men to do thofe actions willingly and chearfully, which are never to well performed when they arife from compulfion; it has had an influence upon them when other motives would have failed, when there was no recompence to be expected, when their fervice were repaid with ingratitude. The honour which men have purfued fo eagerly coft the public little or nothing, and yet hath been more valued than riches, by those who acquired it. A picture, an infcription, a fpear, a crown of oak or of laurel, a ftatue, a public commendation,-for fuch recompences men have affronted dangers, and loft their lives. They who love to fet things in the least favourable light, may compare these heroes to the favages, often mentioned in books of voyages, who exchange theep and oxen for a few beads or ribbands, or a bit of looking-glafs.

Reputation fometimes brings with it feveral real advantages, and is more valuable to us in the effects which it produces, than it is in itself. A good character may ferve to many ufe ful pur pofes. It may raise us up friends, it may help us to acquire what is neceffa ry for our fupport in life, it may enable us to do fervice to the unfortunate and the deferving, by giving us credit

and

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