CATACOMBS OF ALEXANDRIA. 



ms 



of torches and lamps,, when the relatives ol" the deail paid tlieir 

 visits to the tombs, the colour of them must have been such as 

 admitted of a strong contrast. , ,. 



The custom of painting tombs, statues, and temples was common 

 in many parts of the east. Various animals were drawn on the 

 bricks employed in building the city of Babylon ; these were painted 

 before they were burnt. (Diod. S. vol. ii. 121.) In the sepulchres of 

 Sidon cut out of the limestone rock, Hasselquist perceived that red 

 colours had been used. Small statues of Isis and Osiris are 

 frequently found in Egypt covered with a green substance. The 

 colours which were applied to the sphinx were very plainly seen in 

 the time of Abdallatif in the 13th century. * On voit sur la figure 

 une teinte rougeatre et un vernis rouge qui a tout I'eclat de la 

 fraicheur. (C. iv. lib. 1.) The painting on the walls of the temples at 

 Tentyra, Thebes, Diospolis, and PhiliB is brilliant and Iresh in 

 appearance. Le coloris est si vif, si frais, et si brillant, qu'il semble, 

 disent les habitans du pays, que I'ouvrier n'a pas encore lave ses 

 mains depuis son travail. ((Toguet. iii. vol. 68.) White paint, as 

 well as yellow, red, and green has been employed ; for the white in 

 the great temple at Philte is not the colour of the stone, according 

 to the remark of Lancret. The grottoes of Thebes and Eleithias 

 have been also adorned in a similar manner. Many of the paintings 

 in Egypt have been destroyed by the zeal of the Coptic and other 

 Christians, who have substituted in the room of Isis and Osiris repre- 

 sentations of the Virgin Mary, Apostles, and Saints. 



The custom of painting tombs and statues, and the walls of 

 temples was also practised by the Greeks in the most flourishino- 

 periods of the arts. Strabo, lib. viii. mentions the assistance which 

 Phidias derived from his brother Pansenus in painting the statue of 

 .Jupiter. Near Tritrea in Achaia, was a tomb remarkable for its 

 paintings, executed by Nicias, (Paus. lib. vii.) and another near 



* See the version by S. de Sacy. The colours have been also observed by Maillet, 

 Grobert, Mr. Hamilton (-'Egy- p- 329.) and Dr. Ciari<e. 



