40S 



On Nat'tonal Monuments. 



[Jan. 1, 



barbaious, btit wliich probably gave a 

 tremendous rtaiity to (he fublmie tffigies 

 ot their denies. Thofe whohsve ietn the 

 ftaiue of Mi-erva in the colledlionot Mr. 

 Tbomas Hopt, will perhaps admit, thit 

 tlitfiivine ii.ielligerce of ihe coimttiunce 

 i: aflifred by the effeft cf the glalstyes. 

 But to leturn. — In (he mcnumens for 

 inftaiice, of Captain Burges, in ^t- Paul's. 

 Vtfiory prefeii's a fwcrd to the htrc. — 

 Thefe are both whole figures, both equal- 

 ]y imitate nature, both pofi'efs an tqual 

 mealuie of lealiiy and animation. But, 

 on the other hand, in the monument of 

 Major-General Dundas, a ftatue of Bri- 

 tarnia is grouped with a buft of the Geric- 

 ral. Tierefo'e.inalmuch as the ftatue ii 

 a rfprelerta'ion of life, the buft is only a 

 rcpiefen'ation of a buft, the ftiadow cf a 

 fliade. But thefe being of the fame fub- 

 Itvince, have tqual lealiiy ; and the buft 

 (lb to exprefs niyftll) deadens the figwe j 

 and inlieid of a divinity and a hero, 

 we are prefented with a buft and a 

 ftaiue. 



It is a very ccmmrr. fault in the em- 

 ployment of allegoiical figuns in conjunc- 

 tion with others, that their a£\ion has no 

 connexion with that cf the left of the 

 grcup. Of this defeft rumherlefs in- 

 flancts might be adiUiccd. But 1 pals 



relate to the fubjefl of commemoration, 

 whofe death (he might lament, or wrhofe 

 merit file might honour. 



The graphic perfonifications of allego- 

 iical ar.d imaginary being are denoted by 

 emblems, attributes, and infignia. The 

 hive of Indufiry,the fcales of Juftice, the 

 anchor of Hope, the cornucopia of Abun- 

 dance, are embltms ; the winged thunder- 

 bolt of Jupiter, and the lyre of Apollo, 

 are attiibuies ; the trident, the helmet and 

 aegis, the ciub and lion's fkin, are the m- 

 fignia of Neptune, Minerva, and Her- 

 cules. The balance is the emblem, the 

 (word the attribute, and the axes and 

 fafcts the infignia, of Juftice. 



Int'ignia aie better adapted for thecom- 

 pofitions of pail. til g and fculpture than 

 emblems, as they do not dictate any fpeci- 

 fic a(ftion, and are, befides, free from an 

 air of quaint vulgarity which generally at- 

 resias the latter. Emblems being them- 

 leives typ*-s of parfculu' qualities, have 

 an iridepeiident meaning i and even, when 

 united wih figures in an alhgorical group, 

 it is upon ihtm ih?t the explanation of 

 the dehgn depends. Accordingly the 

 figures become fubcrdinaie to tiie era- 

 tlems, which the;, fctm introduced for 

 the purpole rf pvitting into play, and the 

 attention is directed to thefe mean and tri- 



ovcr the piodua^ons of ordinary mafters, vial things, at the expence of nobler ob 

 where this ishut one of a thoulind objefts "'^' "^ .u, ,.►„„.. k.,„,i ™-„.. . 



of cenlure, lociiticifea work of genius, 

 whe.e we oveilook noihng. I mean the 

 monument crn'led in WeliminC.er- Abbey 

 to Lord Mans^field, by th.U diftinguifhed 

 artift Mr. Flaxnnn ; a monument which, 

 for the form of ihemafs, the grandeur and 

 be.niiy of the f:gure.«, is perhaps unequ.il- 

 leJ in th's country. Here Juftice is en- 

 gaged in weighing, and Law in reading, 

 with'iit pay.!-'!; any atiention to the fnge, 

 who is leaded in his curule chair with a 

 dignity worthy of Greece or Rome. • 



It frequently happens that the emblem 

 ufed to explain an ajiegorical figure is 

 made the motive of ?.fti< n, with a facri- 

 fice cf real propriety and con ;ruity. The 

 fcales of Jullice are metaphorical ; and to 

 employ her literally in weighing, is to fub- 

 t^itute a mean and mechanical loan intel- 

 leilual cptration. 



Even when the aclion itfelf is unexcep- 

 tionahle, it may be improperly introduced. 

 Thus, in a tingle ftatue of Urania, llie 

 \,-ould be juftly reprefented as explaining 

 the globe : this is her apprcpiisteemploy- 

 rne.-it, Bui were fhe placed as an attend- 

 ant fiourc m the monument of an aitrcno- 

 Dier, ^ihe globe might indeed he tiled to 



jefls. Oil the other hand, many figures 

 have infignia which lender them intelli- 

 gible without the aid of emblems. Thus 

 a ftatue of Minerva maybe i.ied to perlo- 

 niiy Wifdom, though her cofHime bears 

 nothing properly embLmatical of that 

 quality, but merely inligma rehiing to fhe 

 hiftory of the Goddefs. The lion's fkiii 

 and club may juflly typify Strength, 

 thoueh they only refer criguiahy to an ad- 

 venture of Hercules. Tlis iriJenr, which 

 is the fcepire of Neptune, and has no: any 

 real connexion with naval affairs, is be- 

 come the acknowledged fymbol of mari- 

 time fuperioriiy. 



Were it then afked, Would you banidi 

 emblems ? And hov.; is it poffible without 

 them to denote the perfonifications of men- 

 tal qualities ? — I would anfvver, that it it 

 be too difficult to dillincuifli hy charaile- 

 rifiic forms intellefkulbcirgs (though the 

 ancients knew very well to maik out their 

 Jupiter and ApoMo, and Bacchus and 

 Jlercules, independently of ai tributes), 

 mach rather would I fee the balance, ihs 

 hive, or anchor, engraved on the pedtHal 

 as a hierogiyph'c explan?.tion of the figures 

 to which they refer, than to h?ve the 

 compofition embarr3!r:d with thefe clumfy 



4eiienatcihe Mafe, but i'.tr aclion ihould forms and clumher conceits. 



I cannot 



