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SCULPTURE. 



SCULPTURE. 



art 



nation. There IB however nothing in any of the monuments that 

 remain which is evidence of this influence. In the treatment of the 

 termination of the hair in small [round shell-like knobs, and in the 

 parallelism and uniformity of the long draperies, there is a strong 

 resemblance between the styles of the Persian and early Greek and 

 \n monuments. If this is anything more than a general 

 characteristic of primitive art, it only proves that the Persians were 

 at one period not far inferior to their neighbours, but failed to make 

 that progress in design and execution wliich eventually led to the 



tion of art in Greece and Asia Minor. 



In Egypt, on the other hand, distinct as is the quality of its art 

 from that of Greece, sculpture was practised on a scale and for 

 purposes that give it an irresistible claim to our interest. From all 

 we read in ancient authors, and from all that modern research has 

 brought to light, the Egyptians were learned, intelligent, industrious, 

 and wealthy. Neighbouring nations considered Egypt as the centre 

 and the source of all knowledge ; and " the wisdom of the Egyptians " 

 passed into a proverb. Of the power and the ingenuity of the 

 Egyptians, even in the most archaic times, some idea may be formed 

 from the magnitude and character of their remaining monuments of 

 architecture and sculpture, some of which, of a finished style of art, 

 are considered to be not only of a much earlier date than any known 

 works of other countries, but older than any historical record that we 

 possess. The date of the foundation of Thebes, the capital of Upper 

 Egypt, and of Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, is undetermined ; 

 but it must be of a very high antiquity. At Karnak (a portion of 

 Thebes lying on the Arabian side of the Nile) there are remains of 

 sculpture which bear the name (Osirtasen) of a monarch supposed to 

 have been: contemporary with Joseph : and many of the ruins are 

 attributed by archaeologists to a date long antecedent to that king. 

 These monuments are mentioned merely in proof of the great 

 antiquity of sculpture among the Egyptians, and as affording the 

 opportunity of comparing the peculiarities of the style of art at that 

 early time with that of works of later date. 



Winckelman, Millin, and Fea have thought it possible to distin- 

 guish different periods, or epochs, in the history of Egyptian sculpture ; 

 but they have not agreed in their classification. This is not to be 

 wondered at, when the general resemblance of etyle that pervades all 

 ian design is considered. In the course of ages, and especially 

 ' *>me of the more ambitious and enlightened of their kings, a 

 i.-r style of form and greater variety of composition were indulged 

 ^till, the very slight variations that were made (for, considering 

 the space of time over which the history of Egypt, as a flourishing 

 nation, extends, they may truly be called slight) render any attempt 

 at a satisfactory classification, or reduction of changes to chronological 

 , almost hopeless. The only division of epochs of art in 



Egypt which is not open to dispute is, first, that of an original and pre- 

 served standard which, with slight variations and modifications, existed 

 from the earliest date of art in the country down to the time of the 

 arrival of the Macedonian Greeks in Egypt, that is, till about 330 B.C. 

 The Greek dominion in Egypt constitutes the second period ; and the 

 style of art may perhaps not inappropriately be called Grteco- Egyptian, 

 a* it certainly was influenced by the taste introduced by that people. 

 The next and last period may be termed the pseudo-Egyptian, or 

 imitative t >eriod ; and date* from the time of Hadrian, or about A.I>. 

 13ii, when the Romans adopted many of the superstitions of the 

 Egyptians, and added some of their divinities to their own extensive 

 mythological calendar. This love of novelty, or subserviency to the 

 caprices of their emperor, tilled the cities and villas of Italy with 

 statues of Isis, Osiris, and other personages and objects of Egyptian 

 worship. No advantage, however, was gained by Egyptian art in con- 

 sequence of the springing up of this fashion in Home. The great 

 endeavour was rather to give all design an Egyptian character, than to 

 elevate the character of Egyptian art by the introduction of a superior 

 taste either in form or composition. The most favourable specimen 

 of the mixed style is the fine statue of the Egyptian Antinous, as it is 

 called ; but, founded on caprice and false principles, the Roman or 

 pseudo-Egyptian manner soon fell into disuse, and has never been 

 resumed. It will be remarked that in all the changes of circumstances 

 to which we have referred, and by which the political condition of 

 Egypt was materially affected, no sufficient alterations occurred to 

 destroy the peculiar and distinctive character of Egyptian art, which 

 exist* in all its force, whether the works be of the most remote archaic 

 period and of the whole range of time to Alexander the Great, of the 

 time of the Ptolemies, or even the still more modern period of 

 Hadrian. 



It U indeed matter of surprise that a nation so celebrated as the 

 Egyptians for superior intelligence, and of such long experience in the 

 practice of the arts, should have made so little progress in them ; and 

 the phenomenon would be quite inexplicable if we were not acquainted 

 with the nature of their institutions, and the check which was thus 

 opposed to their advancement beyond a certain limit. The common 

 speculations that have been offered with the view of accounting fur the 

 acknowledged inferiority of the Egyptians to the Greeks are altogether 

 unsatisfactory, even if the facto upon which they are founded could 

 be admitted. Some have supposed the absence of grace and the stiff 

 uniformity of action in Egyptian design to be owing to the want of 

 beauty in the natives of Egypt. Others have imagined that the artists' 



want of knowledge of anatomy, arid there being no public games in 

 which they could study the human figure, are sufficient to account for 

 this inferiority ; attributing to physical causes alone that which was 

 effected by very different influences. The art of sculpture especially 

 seems to have been employed exclusively for religious purposes. 

 The priests, an hereditary body, systematically enforced the pre- 

 servation of ancient usages, and confirmed their hold upon the re- 

 spect, obedience, and veneration of the people by not suffering any 

 innovation upon old established forms. The whole population was 

 divided into castes, and a calling or profession was exercised from 

 generation to generation. The sons were all obliged to follow the 

 steps of the father. The order of these castes is variously stated by 

 different writers. The sacerdotal, of course, ranked first. Accord- 

 ing to Synesius, the profession of an artist was not exercised by 

 common or illiterate persons, lest they should attempt anything con- 

 trary to the laws and regulations regarding the figures of the gods ; 

 and Plato, in his second book of Laws, says, "they never suffered 

 any painters or statuaries to innovate anything in their art, or to 

 invent any new subjects or any new habits. Hence the art remains 

 the same; the rules of it the same." Here, then, we see the real 

 cause of the duration through a series of years of one unchanged style 

 of art. The origin of the form preserved through so many ages is 

 declared by its extreme simplicity. The earliest attempt at repre- 

 senting the human figure would be marked by the absence of action ; 

 and this is the characteristic of all Egyptian statues. The figure in 

 upright, or kneeling, or sitting. The legs are close together, and the 

 arms are attached to the body. This, then, became the established 

 type ; and though some slight movement was occasionally allowed, as 

 in advancing one foot before the other, it hardly can be said to relieve 

 the so improved figure from the stiffness of the more primitive stan- 

 dard. That there was a capability in the artists for mechanical excel- 

 lence is amply proved by the more elegant forms that sometimes are 

 met with even in Egyptian statues, but more especially in those works 

 where they could without impropriety indulge their fancy. The heads 

 of divine personages occasionally beam with majesty and grace ; and in 

 the examples in the British Museum of Egyptian monuments, whether 

 in the head of the so-called Young Memnon, or in the Prudhoe Lions 

 and other representations of animals, or in some of the compositions 

 portraying scenes of active life, the student will perceive that some 

 other cause than want of feeling or skill must have operated to pre- 

 vent the sculptor of Egypt from arriving at the same eminence in art, 

 that was attained by the artists of Greece. The stiff and limited 

 action of Egyptian statues has already been noticed. To this must be 

 added, that the figures of men are usually naked, excepting that a sort 

 of apron is folded across the loins ; while those of women are repre- 

 sented dressed in a long and simple garment fitted close to the body. 

 This covering has no folds in it, and can only be distinguished from 

 the figure by a slightly raised border at the neck and feet. The form 

 of the breasts is sometimes indicated on the dress by their natural pro- 

 jection being circumscribed by an indented line. One of the most 

 interesting specimens of Egyptian sculpture is now in this country. 

 It is generally known as the head of the Young Memuon, though it 

 has no claim to that title, which was given it from a mistake made by 

 Norden,the tnivellrr, who visited Egypt in 1737. This bust is formed 

 of a single block of fine-grained granite, containing two strata of colour, 

 one portion being of a red, the other of a gray (or blue) cast. Though 

 it possesses all the characteristics which so eminently distinguish 

 Egyptian sculpture, the flat eyebrows, projecting eyeballs, the 

 rounded nose, thick lips, and the ears placed high up, this head 

 claims admiration for beauty of outline and the peculiar sweetness of 

 its expression. It offers a remarkable exception to the general rule of 

 Egyptian design, and shows, what has before been hinted at, that there 

 was the power of representing beauty both of form and sentiment, if 

 room had been allowed for its exercise. In working basso-rilievo (and 

 pictures) the Egyptian artiste decidedly ventured beyond the limita- 

 tions to wliich they seeui to have been confined in representing insulated 

 figures. Almost all the temples and tombs that have been explored 

 are richly decorated with sculptures in the peculiar style of rilievo to 

 which allusion has been made in the introductory part of this article ; 

 and although they do not materially differ in the general style and 

 character of art, they are sufficiently varied in the mode of treatment 

 to warrant this distinct notice of them. The most striking difference 

 from the insulated figures consists in the superiority, as well as extent, 

 of design and composition. This is particularly observable in the 

 Theban remains, to which attention has been directed by Wilkinson, 

 RoseUini, and others who have illustrated the history, arts, and cus- 

 toms of the ancient Egyptians. Wilkinson, speaking of Luxor and 

 Karnak, observes as to the decorations of the temple, " The principal 



historical sculptures are on the exterior of the great hall The 



upper compartment represents the king attacking a fortified town 

 situated on a rock, which is surrounded by a wood, and lies in the 

 immediate vicinity of the mountains." In another compartment the 

 king is again the hero, and is represented slaying the chief of the 

 enemy with his sword, having first wounded him with his spear, and 

 entangled him with his bowstring. The author observes here that 

 the drawing of these figures is remarkably spirited. After other 

 series or compartments, tin which the Egyptian monarch is seen 

 scattering death among his enemies, is a representation of his return, 



