Dissertation on the Paintings of the middle Age, 3/ 



tercourse by the medium of the Red Sea with Persia and 

 India ? 



The Egyptians seem therefore to have been indebted for 

 their arts to more ancient nations, and they profited by 

 them to a certain degree : perhaps, if they had not studied 

 60 much to exalt themselves, they would have carried the 

 arts thus acquired much further; and in spite of their cli- 

 mate, their manners, their religion, and many other causes 

 which might be advanced to justify their neglect, they 

 would have produced chefs-d'oeuvre, if they had "been better 

 able to lake advantage of the doctrines of the ancients. 



If we pass on to Greece, we shall find that her inhabi- 

 tants were indebted to Egypt for the rudiments of the arts. ' 

 If their admirers are unwilling to admit this, it cannot be 

 denied that they derived great advantage from their first 

 masters, and among all the favours which Heaven bestowed 

 upon them, that conferred by the Egyptians was the greatest. 

 The Greeks seem to have been fired with the same ambi- 

 tion as the Egyptians. Sculpture and painting, accord- 

 ing to some of their historians, originated among them. 

 The historians cited, without regard to method, in Pliny's 

 works, announced the origin, progress, and perfection of 

 the arts in Greece. If we can believe them, nothing was 

 borrowed ; all was created, even to the first elements, and 

 from the fabulous effort of Dibutades down to the miracles 

 of Apelles every thing belcngs to them. Sycione and 

 Corinth in particular disputed The glory of having invented 

 painimg. Even the authors of the inventions are named : 

 It was, according to them, Cleanthes of Corinth who in- 

 vented the art of drawing (piciura linearis). Thelephanes 

 of Sycione added the perfection of shading. Ardices of 

 Corinth shared this merit with him. It was Cleophanes 

 of the same citv, as it is said, who invented monochromous 

 pamtings, or the art of filling up the various contours with 

 one and ihe same colour. Dinias, Carmidas, and Eumarus, 

 were also inventors. Cimou of Cleona was the first who 

 traced tlie tmiscles and blood-vessels, despised (he rou- 

 tine of profile drawings called catagrapha, and first de- 

 scribed the folds in draperits. At this sera we begin to 

 believe the written authorities ; and when afterwards" bio- 

 graphers ipakc us acquainted with the Barlarchi, ihe Pulig- 

 iinti, and other subse<juent painters, we participate in thTir 

 admiration of the cflbrts and genius of the Greeks : but if 

 the latter were surpassed t)y any other nation, they were 

 dissatisfied, and accused Minerva of having bestowed the 

 arts upon others in preference to her legitimate worshippers. 

 C 3 I,. 



