CHRONICLE. 



327 



r.ated by Hecate (the three-formed 

 goddess) in her car, drawn by oxen, 

 descending. She is attended by 

 lady Macbeth, with the daggers in 

 her hands, followed by Macbeth 

 turning in horror from the body of 

 Duncan behind him. In the center 

 {looking towards the portico) is Mil- 

 ton, seated, contemplating Urania, 

 according to his own description in 

 the Paradise Lost. Urania is seated 

 facing him above ; at his feet is 

 Sampson Agonistes chained. The 

 remaining figures represent the 

 masque of Comus ; the two bro- 

 thers drive out three Bacchanals, 

 with their staggering leader Co- 

 mus. The enchanted lady is seat- 

 ed in the chair ; and the series is 

 ended by two tigers, representing 

 the transformation of Comus's de- 

 votees. The designs of both bassos 

 relievos, and the models of the an- 

 tient drama, are by Mr. Flaxman. 

 The models of the modern drama, 

 and the execution in stone, is by 

 Mr. Rossi. 



Statues 7 feet in height, repre- 

 senting Tragedy and Comedy, are 

 placed in niches in the wings of 

 the tlieatre. Tragedy on the south 

 wing, is a fine figure, holding the 

 tragic mask and dagger: the sculp- 

 tor is Mr. Rossi. Comedy holds 

 the shepherd's crook or pedum on 

 ber right shoulder, and the comic 

 mask in her left hand. This is 

 the workmanship of Mr. Flax- 

 man, and occupies the northern 

 wing 



The composition and executive 

 part of these bassos relievos, are 

 entitled to every praise ; the cha- 

 racters, in the main, are marked 

 with much boldness and precision: 

 there is a spirit of poetical imagery 

 in the allegorical and ideal appen- 

 dages, which gives to this sculpture 



a kind of epic dignity, not unwor- 

 thy the genius of the master, from 

 whom the general idea has been 

 caught. With respect, however, to 

 character and propriety and that 

 peculiar correctness which one ex- 

 pects to find in a work aiming at 

 refinement, there is an error of such 

 magnitude as to deserve pointing 

 out. The artist has very properly 

 introduced Shakspeare as the head 

 of the modern drama, — conjuring 

 up his Prospero, his Caliban, and 

 Ariel, and all the creation of the 

 Tempest; but Prospero, Caliban, 

 and Ariel, are real embodied cha- 

 racters — They have a dramatic, per- 

 sonal entity, and are not, like the 

 air-draivn dagger of Macbeth, the 

 mere idea and notion of the mind, 

 under the impulse of violent pas- 

 sion. 



In the sculpture of the ancient 

 drama the artist has confounded 

 the two ideas, and given a personal 

 form and representation to a mere 

 notion and affection of the mind. In 

 theChoephoroi of TEschylus, the Fu- 

 ries have no existence beyond what 

 they assume in the terror of Ores- 

 tes : he sees them in his mind's eye, 

 and in the distracted vision of his 

 fears and remorse. The fiction of 

 poetry will allow this; but the 

 sculptor must not out-Hcrod He- 

 rod. He must not play the poet 

 with the poet — he must not extend 

 the extravagance, and give flesh 

 and blood to what the poet has 

 been contented to leave mere fancy 

 and passion. This is certainly an 

 error on the part of propriety. 



The statues of Tragedy and Co- 

 medy. — We have little to remark 

 upon the statues of Tragedy and 

 Comedy. The figures are good in 

 themselves ; but if wc regard them 

 distinct from their appendages, they 



are 



