92 An Attempt to draw 
abandon it for a moment. From the hair of the head to the sole 
of the foot, how many touches of the chisel does it not require 
to render a piece of sculpture sublime! 
The two arts cannot pay too much attention to the subject 
of draperies. We might make a long dissertation on the abuses 
in this department : but sc ulpture requires in this respect still 
greater pains than painting. Bernini, whose talents are un- 
questionable, has given much amplitude and flow to his draperies. 
This novelty has been productive of bad consequences. In or- 
der to avoid the difhculties of forming the naked figure, an ex- 
cess of drapery has been resorted to by the followers of Bernini: 
they have forgotten that the clothing ought always to recall the 
idea of the form of the parts under it; latterly, in Italy as 
well as in France, statues have been cov ered with a multiplicity 
of large folds, and have exhibited motions which nature never 
dictated. Thus stepping from abuse to abuse, the draperies have 
been composed separately with great nicety, andfrequently di- 
rectly against the natural effect a the weight and movement of 
the figure which they are intended to clothe. This is not asto- 
nishing, since they are intended to be fixed upon a lay-figure, 
and adjusted at pleasure. ‘The ancients are still our masters in 
this respect: it was not through ignorance or idleness that they 
made choice of light draperies, which have been erroneously de- 
nominated moulded draperies ; but the dresses which they re- 
presented being composed of gauze or muslin, preserved the 
naked shape, and.conveyed the idea of all the movements of the 
body in a manner so agreeable, that the eye was always satisfied, 
and nature gained in some respects from voluptuousness. 
It is scarcely necessary to say that this proposition cannot be 
general ; and that decency requiring a great degree of modesty, 
the figures which belong to religion in particular cannot admit of 
much nakedness. But would it be impossible to dress them in- 
thinner clothes, less ample, and less loaded with great folds? As to 
those which we borrow from fable, we have too many reasons for 
following the examples which the ancients have given us. 
It cannot be said in favour of the sculptor that he has the ad- 
vantage of moulding the parts. Without entering into a detail by 
which painting may equally profit, it would result from this 
operation that all statues would be excellent, because there is 
no part of the human body which cannot be moulded and copied 
by the compass ;' nevertheless the contrary is too well demon- 
strated: in fact, not only does nature sometimes present imper- 
fections, but all the parts selected and moulded do not agree. 
with each other. The joinings at least must be supplied: be- 
sides, the character of a moulded part is generally frigid, and does 
not accord with the subject intended to be represented: and 
lastly, 
