STATE PAPERS. 



455 



though the execution is rated as 

 inferior to that of the Elgin mar- 

 bles. In the fabulous stories 

 which are represented upon both^ 

 there is a very striking similarity ; 

 and it may be remarked in passing 

 that the subjects of the metopes, 

 and of the smaller frize, which is 

 sculptured witli the battle of the 

 Amazons, correspond with two 

 out of the four subjects mention- 

 ed by Pliny, as adorning the 

 shield and dress of the Minerva; 

 so that there was a general uni- 

 formity of design in the stories 

 which were selected for the in- 

 ternal and external decoration of 

 the Parthenon. The taste of the 

 same artist, Ictiaus, probably led 

 him to repeat tiie same ideas, 

 which abound in graceful forms, 

 and variety of composition, when 

 he was employed ujjou the temple 

 of another divinity, at a distance 

 from Athens. 



The statue of Minerva within 

 the temple, was the work of Phi- 

 dias himself, and with the ex- 

 ception of the Jupiter which he 

 made at Elis, the most celebrated 

 of his productions. It was com- 

 posed of ivory and gold: with 

 regard to which, some ^ery cu- 

 rious anecdotes relating to the 

 political history of that time, are 

 to be found in the same writers : 

 tlie earliest of which, fiom a pas- 

 sage in a cotemporary poet, Aris- 

 tophanes, proves that the value of 

 these materials involved botli Pe- 

 ricles and the diiector of his 

 works in great trouble and jco- 

 par<ly ; upon which account the 

 latter is said to h;ive withdrawn 

 to Elis, and to have ended ills 

 days there, leaving it doubtful 

 whether liis death was natu/al, or 

 in consequence of a judicial sen- 



tence: but Plutarch places his 

 death at Athens, and in prison, 

 either by disease or by poison. 



It has been doubted whetTier 

 Phidias himself ever wiought in 

 marble ; but although, when he 

 did not use ivory, his chief ma- 

 terial was unquestionably bronze ; 

 there are authorities sufficient to 

 establish, beyond all controversy, 

 that he sometimes applied his 

 hand to marble. Pliny, for in- 

 stance, asserts that he did so, and 

 mentions a Venus ascribed to him, 

 existing in his own time in the 

 collection (or in tlie portico) of 

 Octavia. Phidias is called by 

 Aristotle, a skilful worker in 

 stone ; and Pausanias emmierates 

 a celestial ^"enus of Parian marble 

 undoubtedly of his hand : and 

 the Rhamnusian Nemesis, also of 

 the same material. Some of his 

 statues in bronze were brought 

 to Rome byPaulus .^milius, and 

 by Catulus. 



His great reputation, however, 

 w'as founded upon his i-epresen- 

 tations of the Gods, in which he 

 was supposed moi'e excellent than 

 in human forms, and especially 

 upon his works in i^oi'y, in w hich 

 he stood unrivalled. 



Elidas the Argive is mentioned 

 as the master of Phidias : which 

 honour is also shared by Hippias. 

 tlis two most celebrated scholars 

 were Alcamenes an Athenian of 

 noble birth, and /igoracritus of 

 Paros ; the latter of whom was 

 his favourite ; and it was report- 

 ed, that out of affection to him, 

 Phidias put Ins scholar's name 

 upoii scAcial of his own works; 

 among Avhich the statue called 

 RhanmusSan Nemesis is particu- 

 larized by Pliny and Suidas. 



In another passage of Pliny, 

 Alcamenes 



