on his right arm, in which he probably held a cup (σkúpos), and had the left doubled over his head. The most celebrated statue of Hercules is the so-called Hercules Farnese, which bears the name of the sculptor inscribed on it-Glycon, the Athenian. From its frequent repetition in bronze and marble, on gems and coins, it must have been universally admired in ancient times. It represents Hercules resting on his club. It is chiefly remarkable for the anatomical detail displayed in the body and the limbs. Flaxman remarks that statues of much earlier date have the proportions of common men, and that a series of them may be found in various collections, gradually increasing to the terrific strength of the Glyconic statue.

The Farnese Hercules. Naples.

The Torso Belvidere. Vatican.

Hercules and Anteus. Pitti Palace, Florence.
Small statues in the British Museum.

THESEUS.

In sculpture, not less than mythology, the heroic form of Theseus was, as early as the Phidian school, fashioned after after that of Hercules; he received, however, a less compact structure of body, one which especially indicated activity in wrestling, a less compressed and more graceful form of countenance, and short but less crisped hair; his costume is usually the lion's hide and club, sometimes also the chlamys and petasus, after the manner of Attic ephebi. His contest with the Amazons, and his vanquishing the Minotaur, form the chief subjects of his myth.

STATUE:

Theseus, from Pediment of Parthenon. British Museum.

AMAZONS.

In statues and reliefs they were represented in simple light drapery, and with strong rounded forms of the limbs, which

were given to them at the Polyclitan period. They are usually represented in the Doric chiton. In mytholo

gical accounts, they are said to have had their right breast cut off, but Winkelman remarks that among the statues of Amazons known to us, there is not a single instance in which the breast is wanting.

STATUES:

Amazon, with arm
uplifted. Vatican.
Capitol.

BAS-RELIEFS:-
Phigaleian Frieze.
Front of Sarcopha-
gus. Capitol.

ACHILLES.

The hair reared up like a mane, the nos

trils swollen with cour

AMAZONS.

age and pride, a slender pillared neck, and thoroughly noble and powerful forms of body belong to the character of Achilles, according to ancient testimonies, with which such at least of the monuments as are authentic and more carefully handled, are in accordance; a certain heroic attitude, in which the one leg is quickly advanced, and the himation falls negligently over the thigh of that limb, is also at least frequently introduced in Achilles; when he is seated, the himation is

R

drawn, in the same way as in Zeus, around the lower portions of the figure.

Meleager appears in a celebrated statue as a slender but powerful youth, with broad chest, active limbs, curling hair, and a chlamys thrown back and wrapped round the left arm, after the manner of hunters; he is a huntsman among heroes; the boar's head, on which he leans, points him out unmistakeably.

The Thracian Orpheus appears as an inspired Citharœdus, with a certain effeminacy of conformation, in tolerably pure Hellenic costume in earlier art; it was at a later period that he received the Phrygian garb.

PERSEUS.

Perseus appears very like Hermes in configuration and costume. He is frequently represented with talaria, and sometimes holds the head of Medusa in his hand.

THE DIOSCURI.-CASTOR.-POLLUX.

To the Dioscuri, who always retained very much of their divine nature, belong a perfectly unblemished youthful beauty, an equally slender and powerful shape, and, as an almost neverfailing attribute, the half-oval form of the hat, or at least hair lying close at the back of the head, but projecting in thick curls around the forehead and temples. The distinction between Polydeuces the boxer, and Castor, in his equestrian costume, is only to be found where they are represented in heroic circumstances, not where they are exhibited as objects of worship, as the Athenian Anakes and as genii of light in its

rising and setting. The most celebrated statues of these horsetamers are the two on the Quirinal Hill at Rome; though styled the works of Phidias and Praxiteles, they are supposed to have been executed at Rome, probably after the time of Augustus, from Greek originals; they are of colossal proportions, being 18 feet high.

STATUES:

Castor and Pollux.

Quirinal Hill, Rome.

BAS-RELIEFS.

BAS-RELIEFS are works of sculpture in which the objects are not isolated, but are attached to a background, or to a plane surface, on which sometimes the sculptured figures were placed, or as is more generally the case, the entire background and figures were formed of the same material. The term altorelievo is used when the figures seem almost entirely detached from the background; mezzo-relievo when the figure projects from the background by about a half; basso-relievo, or basrelief, when the figures project slightly from the background, and seem, so to say, flattened on the background; but common use has given to all these works of sculpture the general name of bas-reliefs, or basso-relievo. By the Greeks the term anaglypta was used for all works in relief in general. “Ectypa scalptura" is applied by Pliny to engravings in relief.

The work of the sculptor in bas-reliefs presents greater difficulty in proportion as the projection of the figure is less; for it requires consummate art to give size and natural proportions to a figure slightly relieved.

In bas-reliefs the composition, the picturesque arrangement, and the grouping of the figures, are principally studied, and here another difficulty presents itself, as the sculptor has but one background, and not several, each distant from the other, as is the case in painting. In bas-reliefs the study of the light it receives is of the greatest importance, for the shadows are real shadows, not artificial or imitated, and consequently the effect ought to be carefully calculated. The alto-relievo is calculated for a high light, and the basso-relievo for a subdued light. The metopes of the Parthenon received the light from on high, the full light of the sun; the Panathenaic frieze its light from below, the reflected light from the basement.

Egyptian.-Bas-relief was in general use among the Egyptians. It was employed to decorate the front of the propyla of their temples and of their tombs. The style of relief peculiar to the Egyptians was the intaglio relievato, or koilanaglypha, as termed by the Greeks. The flat surface of the stone was cut into, and thus formed the outline of the object to be represented. Within this sunk space the Egyptian artist contrived to raise the figure by cutting it deepest all round the edge, and allowing it to rise in a curved form towards the central parts, so that there was no salient point beyond the original plane. The degree of elevation given to this sunk relief is very different in various specimens; in some it is scarcely perceptible, while in others the central parts of the relief are almost on a level with the tablet. The figures were always sculptured in profile. The sepulchral tablets frequently afford examples of bas-reliefs. An example of alto-relievo will be found in a stele, or sculptured monument, in the British Museum, which represents the monarch Thotmes III., supported by the God Mentu, and the goddess Athor.

Etruscan.-The earliest known examples of Etruscan basreliefs are the cippi, or so-called "altars" of fetid limestone, from Chiusi and its neighbourhood. They show an archaic style of art. Bas-reliefs also of an archaic style are found on the façades of the rock-hewn sepulchres, but chiefly on sarcophagi and cinerary urns. The cinerary urns of Volterra and Perugia are of a later period, and have more of a Roman than a Greek character.

Greek and Roman.-Bas-reliefs were executed by the Greeks from the earliest period of art, and by the Romans especially in the early period of the Empire. The same diversity of style will be found in these, according to the period of their execution; the same attributes, the same traditions in connection with gods and men; what has been said with regard to the characteristics and distinctive styles of statues and busts, can be equally applied to bas-reliefs. Bas-reliefs were generally used for the purpose of adorning temples, altars, the bases of statues, and also sarcophagi and tombs. In general, some well-known myth of a god, or hero, was traced on them.

The finest existing examples of alto-relievo are those metopes which adorned the temple of Parthenon.* As they were destined

* See pages 166 and 232.