I I 2 THE HORSE. 



CHAPTER X. 



THE BAS-RELIEFS OF THE PARTHENON. 



It is a very important fact that there exists no trace 

 of harness or bridle upon the horses sculptured in the 

 Parthenon. Nevertheless, the movements of the 

 animals, the attitudes of the riders, and the positions 

 of their right hands, usually indicate that the mouth 

 of the horse was in communication with the rider, whose 

 elbow is bent to confirm this motion. Possibly because 

 of the height at which these bas-reliefs were found the 

 artist considered a detail useless, which was sufficiently 

 emphasized by the mass of the motion, and which the 

 harmony of this magnificent whole could well dispense 

 with. 



Champollion the younger is of opinion that all this 

 work was covered with an artificial coat of many 

 colours. According to him, as architecture was painted 

 so were the bas-reliefs of the Parthenon painted. There 

 is nothing to forbid the supposition that the bridles and 

 reins were metallic, and that the personages had a lightly- 

 tinted set-off as back-ground, but without the accentuated 

 shades of the middle ages, the discordant tones of which 

 injure monumental sculpture. I, however, believe that 

 many artists will agree with the opinion of Bernardin 

 de Saint Pierre, who, in his " Studies of Nature," thus 

 expressed himself with reference to this dissonance 

 of colour laid on the form : " Painting is fairly successful 

 in rendering the colours of the face, and sculpture in the 

 expression of the forms ; but if it be desired to unite 

 the harmony of colours and forms in a single bust, this 

 work will be very inferior to a simple picture or a simple 

 statue, because therein are encountered the especial 

 dissonances of colour and form, and their general 

 dissonance is more marked. If to them be joined the 



