BASS-RELIEF. 



441 



Basso repieno (Ital ) ; the bass of the grand chorus ; 

 that bass which joins in the full parts of a composi- 

 tion, and, by its depth of tone and energy of stroke, 

 affords a powerful contrast to the lighter and softer 

 passages or movements. 



BASS-RELIEF (in Italian, basso-relievo), as applied 

 to sculpture, signifies a representation of one or 

 more figures, raised upon a flat surface or back 

 ground ; in such a manner, however, as that no 

 part of them shall be entirely detached from it. 

 Alto-relievo, again, or high relief, in which the figures 

 project half ot their apparent circumference from the 

 back ground. Mezzo-relievo, a middle relief, is the 

 third species, between the two. But, generally 

 speaking, the first term is made to comprehend both 

 the others. The term itself was invented in Italy 

 about the eleventh or twelfth century, on the revival 

 of the arts ; for the Greeks called such works simply 

 carved (anaglypta) ; and to what is now called high 

 relief, they"only applied the term rounded (toreu- 

 ticen). 



Basso-relievo is particularly allied to architecture, 

 and under its dominion, as any considerable work of 

 this kind must be made for the pediment, freize, or 

 pannel of a building, or for some other portion of 

 architecture, such as a tomb, sarcophagus, pedestal, 

 or column. Basso-relievos seem to have been in- 

 vented in the earliest ages by the Egyptians, for the 

 whole of their ancient monuments are covered with 

 them, being identically the same as the hieroglyphics 

 on their sepulchral chambers, and obelisks, and 

 temples. This has been finely illustrated by the 

 drawings and models of the Egyptian tomb, disco- 

 vered near the ancient Thebes, by Belzoni, and which 

 has become familiar to thousands in this country. All 

 the walls of that extraordinary excavation being 

 covered with thousands of figures in low relief, 

 coloured, and exhibiting the religious and warlike 

 ceremonies of that wonderful people. Basso-relievos, 

 too, are found in India, decorating the subterraneous 

 temples of Elloro and Elepliantis, in an astonishing 

 profusion. The subjects are, of course, sacred, and 

 the style of drawing resembling very strongly those 

 of the Egyptian monuments, but evidently inferior, 

 having larger heads and disproportioned bodies and 

 limbs. Both these temples have been well illustrat- 

 ed and described by Mr Thomas Daniell, R. A., and 

 captain Scaley ; and for further information, their 

 respective works may be consulted. The Persians, 

 loo, like other ancient nations, employed basso-relie- 

 vo, as a figured writing, thereby recording and 

 representing the symbols of the power and energy of 

 the Divinity, their own religious ceremonies, and 

 warlike achievements. The sculptures still existing 

 on the ruins of the palace of Persepolis, and the 

 royal tombs, accord, in many striking particulars 

 with those brought to this country by Belzoni. In 

 both, the figures are arranged in lines, either hori- 

 zontal or perpendicular, to suit the double purpose 

 of decoration and description. In both of them, the 

 natives of Egypt are distinguished by the hood with 

 lappets, the mitre, the full hair artificially curled, the 

 close tunic, the apron of papyrus ; the Hindoos, by 

 the necklaces, bracelets, and ancles ; the Hebrews, 

 by their long beards, and hair in spiral ringlets, their 

 caps, full tunics, witli regular folds, and large sleeves. 

 The Medes, again, by their close tunics ; while the 

 Persians themselves, in many particulars, are drawn 

 to resemble the Hebrews. The comparison may be 

 easily made, by looking over the prints in Sir Robert 

 Ker Porter's Travels in Persia, ami those in Le 

 Bniyn's Travels, and then the engravings of Denon's 

 and Belzoni's large works. 



Since it has been well observed, that the Greeks 

 eomnienml in works of art precisely where the 



Egyptians left off, we find that the early basso-relie- 

 vos of Greece resemble pretty accurately those oi 

 Egypt. The objects are represented in the same 

 simple and gross manner, and the marbles brought to 

 this country from the temple of yEgina, serve to fill 

 up the history of sculpture, in the interval between 

 its first introduction into Greece, and its full develop- 

 ment under Phidias, at Athens, when tliat glorious 

 work, the Parthenon, was produced under the auspi- 

 ces of Pericles. 



The draperies in these early bass-reliefs are thin 

 and meagre, showing the forms of the body and 

 limbs, the folds regular, small, and distinct, consisting 

 chiefly of perpendicular and zig-zag lines. Some of 

 the head dresses consist of small curls, very like the 

 fashions of barbarous nations; and in a bronze 

 patera, in the British museum, the club of Hercules 

 is ornamented with spiral flutes, like one brought 

 by captain Cook from the Sandwich islands. 



The best examples of basso-relievo now in exis- 

 tence, are to be found within the walls of the British 

 museum. We mean, of course, those of the Elgin 

 marbles, which are executed in this manner. And 

 in the same collection are the tombstone of Xan- 

 thippus, and a man curbing a horse, both conjectured 

 to be of the age of Phidias, and which formed part 

 of the Townley collection. In the collection of the 

 marquis of Lansdown, is a Greek bass-relief of Chalcas, 

 the size of life. At Wilton, there is a beautiful re- 

 presentation of the death of Meleager, and a small 

 but curious Hercules and ^Egle; a basso-relievo 

 composed of mosaic in natural colours, which is sup- 

 posed to be unique. The celebrated Berberini vase, 

 formerly in the possession of the duke of Portland, is 

 of dark blue glass, bearing figures in basso-relievo of 

 white enamel or glass of admirable workmanship. 

 Fragments of basso-relievos of similar materials have 

 been found in the ruins of Caesar's palace, at Rome, 

 where they liad been fixed in the walls. John Haw- 

 kins, Esq. the Grecian traveler, possesses a beautiful 

 small bronze basso-relievo of Paris, Helen, and two 

 genii, brought by him from Greece. 



At Rome, the most celebrated antique basso-relie- 

 vos are a sleeping Endymion, in the gallery of the 

 Campidoglio, Perseus delivering Andromeda from 

 the rock, in the same collection. In the villa Bor- 

 ghesi, a group of nymphs dancing. In the villa Al- 

 bani, a large fragment of an Antinous. In the palace 

 of Santa Croce, a most beautiful frieze, representing 

 Neptune and Amphitrite, with sea nymphs, Tritons, 

 and sea animals. Ami in the palace Delia Valle, a 

 Victory sacrificing bulls to Mithras. Here is also a 

 fragment of a freize still in existence, on the temple 

 of Minerva, in the forum, which is beautiful, and has 

 been engraved in the work called " Admiranda Ro- 

 manorum," by Bellori. The two triumphal columns 

 of Trajan and Antonine, are covered with basso- 

 relievos, containing several thousand figures (the first, 

 indeed, has 2,500 human figures, according to Vasi), 

 without reckoning horses, elephants, mules, and the 

 implements of war. 



Marble sarcophagi do not appear to have been 

 much used in Rome before the time of Crassns, 

 whose wife, Cecilia Metella, was buried in one. The 

 fronts and ends of these coffins, from that time for 

 many ages afterwards, were decoiMled witli figures, 

 and some of the finest compositions of the ancient 

 sculptors are to be found upon them, most probably 

 copied from the Greek originals by Roman maimfac 

 turers. Statuaries, one of whom lived upon the 

 Appian way, and occupied an extent of two miles 

 witli his works, as lias l>een supposed, from the quan- 

 tity of sculpture, finished and unfinished, found on the 

 spot, as well as an inscription confirming the fact. 

 The sublimity of the subjects hus led to tiie supposi- 

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