sciTLPTDHB. 



working under them, the native* of the country might aim In 

 trihuUxi their ruder eflbrU toward* th name important object, and 

 thU would sufficiently aooount for the difference referred to with 

 respect to the style and treatment of the various works. 



From about 500 B.C. the succession of the great sculptors of Greece, 

 and the change* that each master and hi* achool effected in the style of 

 art, can be traced with tolerable accuracy. Sicyon and .ttgina were the 

 most celebrated schools of sculpture, and unrivalled for the high 

 quality of their broocea. After Callo, or Callon, a ncnlptor whoce 

 date is very uncertain, the .Eginetan artists of the greatest cel.-l.rity 

 aem to be n h'H-* and Onata*. Theae artists were much employed 

 by del on. the tyrant of Syracuae, and hii successors. Onatas, the 

 ncholar of Tecteus and Angelica, enjoyed a high reputation, and, 

 judging from the numerou* work* which Patuamu (lib. vi., viii. ix., 

 x.) attribute* to him, mint have had very extensive employment 

 This writer peak* of a colossal statue in bronze of Apollo, which w.-i* 

 at Pergamus, the work of thi* sculptor ; likewise a statue of Ceres, 

 which he made fonthe Phigalians. There were also several works of 

 Onatas at Olympin. One was a colossal bronze figure of Heracles, 

 placed there by Uie Thasians. For the people of Pheneos he executed 

 a statue of Hermes, dedicated also at Olympia, In thin work he hod 

 the sarirtanre of Calliteles, who was his scholar, and probably hi* son. 

 (Pan*., v. 27.) Onatas and Calamis worked together on a chariot and 

 accompaniment*, which was dedicated at Olympia, after the death of 

 Hiero, king of Syracuse ; and in another great work described by 

 Pausanias, we find Onatas associated with Calyuthus, showing that it 

 was not unusual, nor considered derogatory to either, to secure the 

 talent* of various artists in one work. According to the above- 

 mentioned writer, Onatas was a painter as well as statuary. His per- 

 formances spoken of in this branch of art were executed for the 

 Plateau* : one of his pictures, with a work by Polygnotus, was pre- 

 served hi the temple of Athene Anva. (Paus., ix. 4, 5.) Sculpture was 

 now rapidly approaching towards the perfection which it attained under 

 Polycletus and Phidias ; and an event occurred in the 5th century 

 before the Christian era, which tended to accelerate this progress. 

 This was the disastrous termination of the expedition of Xerxes 

 against Greece. The failure of this vast undertaking showed the 

 Greeks their own strength, while it also exhibited to them the immense 

 wealth of the invaders, and placed in their hands the means of effect- 

 ing the most costly improvements and decoration. It was customary 

 in Greece to dedicate a tenth of all spoils gained in battle to the service 

 of the gods ; and that proportion of what was obtained from the 

 Fenians was, as a matter of course, appropriated to that purpose. Its 

 value was expended on the construction of magnificent temples, en- 

 riched with sculpture and painting, and ornamented with vases, tripods, 

 shields suspended as trophies, and every variety of decoration. The 

 Persians, in their invading march, had destroyed every temple that 

 they met with ; but after their retreat and disgrace, they were all 

 restored with increased magnificence. The ample employment thus 

 afforded for their talents, and the high purposes to which their works 

 were destined, excited a noble spirit of emulation among the artists, 

 whose minds seemed to expand with the greatness of the objects 

 required of them. 



The gradual improvement of style in art, from the Archaic period, 

 and through the early ^Egineton and Athenian schools, is traced by 

 rome of the ancient writers. " The works of Gallon," Quinctilian says 

 <' Orat Instit.,' xii. 10), " with those of Hegesias, are hard, and ap- 

 proached what was distinguished as the Etruscan manner. Calamis 

 was leas rigid, and the style of Myron, who followed, was still more 

 softened." In Cicero we find a still more extended list, and a con- 

 firmation of the quality of improvement down to a contemporary, as in 

 tfce above instance, of Phidias, the great master of sculpture. He says 

 that statues of Canachus were more rigid and hard than was agreeable 

 to the truth of nature. Those of Calamis were also hard, but still they 

 were of a softer character than those of Canachus ; nor were the works 

 of Myron close enough to nature, though there could be no doubt that 

 they were very beautiful ; but the productions of Polycletus, he adds, 

 were still more beautiful, and were truly perfect (Cic.. ' De Clar. 

 Orat,' c. 18.) 



The history of the progress of sculpture in Greece has now been 

 earned through the earlier schools, into a period at which it may be 

 considered to have reached its perfection, as far, at least, as regards the 

 principles on which it was practised. The chief sculptors of this age 

 were Hegias, Pythagoras, Ageladas, Myron, Polycletus, Phidias, Alca- 

 menes, and others. Hegias, Egesias, or Hegesias, has been noticed 

 among the sculptors of an improving class, but whose works still gave 

 indication of belonging to the Archaic time. 



Pliny distinguishes at least three statuaries of the name of Pytha- 

 goras, but although allusion is made in ancient writers to artists so 

 called of Samos, Khegium, and Pares, it appears probable that there 

 were only two of very high reputation. The most celebrated was a 

 native of Khegium. and the scholar of, or, more correctly speaking, of 

 the school of Clearchus. (Pan*., vi. 4.) He executed, among other 

 work*, several statues of conquerors in the public games, and he 

 eminently contributed to advance the character of sculpture by his 

 success in giving expression to his statues. Till hi* time this quality, 

 BO indispensable to excellence in art, seems to have been little thought 

 vl. A work by him is particularly alluded to for its excellence in this 



respect : it was a figure of a lame or limping man, in whi.-h th>< expres- 

 sion of anguish was so admirably pourtrayed, that the spectators were 

 affected, and seemed to feel the pain he wat suffering. Pythagoras is 

 also noticed as being the first who represented vein* in his statue*, and 

 as having bestowed greater care upon the treatment of the hair, 

 these curious and interesting particulars it is easy to see in what 

 manner the dryncss and almost prescriptive character of early art was 

 giving way to* tin* bolder as well as more refined treatment of tli.- 

 1'h itl lan age. Pythagoras may be placed about 480 B.C. He h.-ul a 

 scholar called Sostratus. (Pliny, ' Hist Nat,' xxxiv. 8 ; Pan.-., \ 



Ageladas holds a distinguished rank among the sculptors of antiquity, 

 not only from the quality and number of his works, but also from tin- 

 circumstance of his having been the master of the three most eminent 

 artist* of the brightest period of sculpture, namely, Myron, IVlyl.-tus, 

 and Phidias. He was a native of Argos. There is some reason to think 

 that there were two sculptors of this name. Pausanias (iv., vi., vii., 

 and x.) alludes to various statues by Ageladas. He seems chiefly to 

 have worked in br. 



Myron was a native of Eleuthenc, according to Pliny (' Hist. Nat,' 

 xxxiv. 8), or an Athenian, according to Pausanias (vi. '2, &c.). There is 

 no artist of antiquity who is mentioned more frequently or inorr 

 honourably than Myron, and it is scarcely possible to believe that 

 such universal praise would have been accorded if his works had not 

 fully deserved it. It is unfortunate that no known production from 

 the hand of this distinguished artist has reached our times. T: 

 work of which any judgment can be formed is his famous stit 

 a Discobolus. Various copies of this figure are believed to exist 

 The best is in the Palazzo Massimi in Home. The Discobolus, in 

 marble, in the collection of sculpture in the British Museum (see the 

 article Discus), is also believed to be a copy from the same col. 

 original. A mere list of the works of this sculptor is unnecessary iu 

 this place. The chief of them are noticed under MYRON, in the Bioo. 

 Div. The peculiar characteristic of the sculpture of Myron seems to 

 have been expression. Petronius, in spite of Pliny's assertion, leads 

 us to believe that this was the great excellence of Myron ; he says, 

 " Myron qui pene hominum animos ferarumque tore expresserat" 

 With respect to his style, it seems probable, from some remarks of 

 Pliny, that his works still exhibited certain peculiarities of tr>-:it 

 mcnt that belonged to a ruder age, though he gives him the high 

 praise of superiority, in some respects to Polycletus. He c.i 

 introduced more variety into his figures, for this seems to be the true 

 interpretation of the expression of the above writer. " Primus Myron 

 multiplicasse varietatem videtur, numerosior in arte quani Polycletus," 

 Ac. (' Hist. Nat.,' xxxiv. 8.) The works of Myron were chiefly 

 executed in bronze. He used that which was made at Delos, while hi* 

 rival Polycletus preferred that of JEgina. Though chiefly cell 

 for his productions in this material, he worked also in marble, ami a 

 statue is mentioned by him of Hecate, made of wood. (I'nus., ii. .'in.) 

 Myron had a son called Lycius, also a distinguished sculptor. 



Polycletus of Sicyon was one of those who eminently contribir 

 ennoble art, and to carry sculpture to perfection in what has 

 called the sublime style. In one respect he ia said to have been supi-- 

 nor to Phidias himself; inasmuch as he was considered to have carried 

 to perfection the Toreutic art, which Phidias had only, as it \\viv. 

 commenced. Polycletus was the author of that perfect rule of pro- 

 portion called, by way of distinction, the Canon of art. [PoLYci 

 in Bioo. Drv.] 



The name of Phidias completes, or rather crowns, this list of tin- 

 originators of the highest style of sculpture. [PiuniAS. in Hioci. Div.j 

 The most splendid and the most perfect productions in the art were 

 executed by him, and as long as the principles which he taught WIT- 

 retained, sculpture seems truly to have merited the epithet of sublime. 

 Phidias was called the sculptor of gods; and the majesty of his < ilyiu 

 pian Zeus was declared, in the forcible language of an ancient writer, 

 to have added something to the beauty or sublimity of religion. That, 

 works of art are capable of exalting the mind, and rendering it sus- 

 ceptible of the most pure and elevated feelings, there can be no 

 question, and this doubtless was the effect produced by the awful 

 grandeur of this far-famed statue. Panegyric has almost been ex- 

 hausted in recording the merits of this sculptor ; but there is no reason 

 to doubt the justness of the honour paid him. Many of his finest 

 productions were in existence when, even comparatively late writers 

 were living, so that the accounts that have come down to vis are not 

 merely the repetitions of unsupported or unproved traditionary en- 

 comium. The statue of the Olympian Zeus was existing till the year 

 475 of our era. It was then destroyed by fire at Constantinople ; 

 whither it had been transported by the emperor Theodosius the First. 

 Unfortunately no remains of the greater works of Phidias have reached 

 our times ; but we have abundant opportunity of judging of hi* 

 excellence, from the sculptures which, under the title of the Elgin 

 Marbles, form a part of our national collection of antiquities. There 

 is no doubt that these are the productions of this great artist ; many 

 of them probably from his own hand, and all executed under hi* 

 immediate direction. They formed part of the decoration of the Par- 

 thenon at Athens, of the building and enrichment of which Phidias 

 had the entire direction. The architects Callicrates and Ictinus worked 

 under him. These sculptures consist of the statues and groups 

 which were placed in the pediments of the temple ; of several metopes, 



