OF THE FINE ARTS. 



xiii 



to (ireece. We are told by Diodorus Siculus 

 that in the temple of Belus, raised by Semiramis, 

 at Babylon, there were paintings of hermaphro- 

 dites and centaurs, and other strange and not 

 very poetical creations : the same writer also 

 informs us, that on a bridge which the same queen 

 threw over the Euphrates, there were " not only 

 single figures of animals represented in colours, 

 but they were also combined in groups : one, a 

 hunting piece of considerable length, wherein the 

 queen herself was represented on horseback, 

 throwing her dart at a panther ; and near her 

 Ninus striking a lion to the earth with his spear." 

 These works were painted on the bricks previous 

 to burning : enamel seems to have been well 

 known to ancient artists. 



No one has hitherto succeeded in removing 

 the veil which time has thrown over the origin 

 and progress of painting in Greece. Of all the 

 treatises written on art by Apelles, Protogenes, 

 and Perseus, not one passage has descended to 

 us, and we are obliged to accept the remarks of 

 critics, and the doubtful testimonies of historians, 

 in place of the narratives of scientific and skil- 

 ful men. The labours of Penelope, and the 

 amusements of Helen, may be the inventions of 

 Homer, and the legend of the Corinthian maid 

 who traced, by lamp-light, the shadow of her 

 lover on the wall, may be a matter of fancy. 

 We descend to firmer ground when, with Pliny, 

 we ascribe the production of outline to Saurias, 

 and of colour to Cleophanes of Corinth ; to 

 these Eumarus, the Athenian, and Cimon, of 

 Cleona, added draperies and action, with 

 natural delineation of veins and muscles. To 

 those artists no one has been so bold as ascribe 

 a period of either birth or death. They were 

 followed by Bularchus, who, seven hundred years 

 before Christ, painted, with so much success, the 

 battle of the Magnetes, that Candaules, king of 

 Lydia, thought it cheap of its weight in gold. 

 The fine arts were interrupted by the Persian 

 invasion : when the battle was fought and the 

 victory won they shone out in all their lustre. 

 Panaenus, brother of Phidias the sculptor, painted 

 the battle of Marathon, on the walls of the 

 Portico at Athens, and into the vicissitudes of 

 the fight introduced the chief leaders, Greeks and 

 Persians : beauty of colour and harmonious light 

 and shade had not yet risen in all their strength. 

 Mycon seems to have surpassed Panasnus : he 

 painted the battle of the Athenians with the 

 Amazons : likewise the war betwixt the Centaurs 

 and Lapithae, in which Theseus was represented 

 in the act of slaying one of the Centaurs : the 

 rictory was left in doubt. 



Timagoras of Chalcis excelled Pannenus, and 



bore away the prize at Delphos ; he in his turn 

 was surpassed by Polygnotus of Thasos, a man 

 of uncommon genius and application. He was 

 the first who added gaiety to action, and took 

 austerity out of female looks ; his fame reached 

 Rome, and centuries after his death inspired 

 Lucian with his idea of a perfect woman. 

 " Polygnotus," says he, " shall open and spread 

 her eyebrows, and give her that fine glowing 

 decent blush which so inimitably beautifies his 

 Cassandra ; he likewise shall give her an easy 

 flowing dress, with all its delicate wavings ; 

 partly clinging to her body, and partly fluttering 

 in the wind." These words might be applied to 

 some of the best pictures of Reynolds or Law- 

 rence. The works of Polygnotus were numerous, 

 and chiefly historical. At Plataea he painted 

 Ulysses destroying the suitors, and the expedi- 

 tion of Onatas to the Argive Thebes ; they 

 adorned the temple of Minerva, and were in the 

 vestibule : he was also employed to ornament 

 the Poecile at Athens, and the Public Hall at 

 Delphos. The pictures at the latter place made 

 a strong impression on Pausanias, who in his 

 Phocis displays their merits and meaning in a 

 long and interesting description. 

 The first of these paintings represented the 

 destruction of Troy and the departure of the 

 Greeks for their native land. Menelaus stands 

 on the prow of his ship : his pilot Phrontis dis- 

 tributes oars or poles ; boys and seamen are 

 conversing in groups : on the shore Polites and 

 his brother warriors are taking down the tent of 

 Menelaus. Briseis too is introduced, near her 

 is Diomed, nearer still Iphis : nor is Helen for- 

 gotten; soldiers are in a group admiring her, 

 and she is seated : Panthalis stands beside her 

 while her other handmaid Electra fastens her 

 shoes. " Here too," says Pausanias, " Epeus is 

 painted throwing down the walls of Troy from 

 their foundations. And the only thing above 

 these is the head of the horse Durateus. Poly- 

 pcetes, likewise, the son of Pirithous, is painted 

 having his head bound with a fillet. Acamas, 

 the son of Theseus, stands by him with a hebnet 

 on his head, and a crest on the helmet. Ulysses 

 too is present, and wears a coat of mail. Ajax, 

 the son of Oileus, approaches with a shield to 

 the altar, in order to swear before he offers 

 violence to Cassandra. But Cassandra sits on 

 the ground, holding the wooden image of Miner- 

 va, which she tore from its basis when Ajax 

 drew her from her supplications at the altar. 

 The sons of Atreus likewise are painted with 

 helmets on their heads. But on the shield of 

 Menelaus there is a dragon, viz. the one that ap- 

 peared as an omen during the sacrifice at Aulis. 



