OEIGIN OF CHRISTIAN ART. 21 



original wall. Greece repeated the leading stages of this 

 progress. As in Egypt and Assyria, these twin arts were 

 at first united with each other and with their parent, Archi- 

 tecture, and were the aids of Religion and Government. 

 On the friezes of Greek temples, we see coloured bas-reliefs 

 representing sacrifices, battles, processions, games — all in 

 Bome sort rehgious. On the pediments we see painted 

 sculptures more or less united with the tympanum, and 

 having for subjects the triumphs of gods or heroes. Even 

 when we come to statues that are definitely separated from 

 the buildings to which they pertain, we still find them 

 coloured ; and only in the later periods of Greek civiliza- 

 tion does the differentiation of sculpture from painting 

 appear to have become complete. 



In Christian art we may clearly trace a parallel re-gene- 

 sis. All early paintings and sculptures throughout Europe 

 were religious in subject — represented Christs, crucifixions, 

 virgins, holy families, apostles, saints. They formed inte- 

 gral parts of church architecture, and were among the 

 means of exciting worship ; as in Roman Catholic countries 

 they still are. Moreover, the early sculptures of Christ on 

 the cross, of virgins, of saints, were coloured : and it needs 

 but to call to mind the painted madonnas and crucifixes 

 still abundant in continental churches and highways, to 

 perceive the significant fact that painting and sculpture 

 continue in closest connection with each other where they 

 continue in closest connection with their parent. Even 

 when Christian sculpture was pretty clearly differentiated 

 from painting, it was still religious and governmental in its 

 subjects — was used for tombs in churches and statues of 

 kings : while, at the same time, painting, where not purely 

 ecclesiastical, was applied to the decoration of palaces, and 

 besides representing royal personages, was almost wholly 

 devoted to sacred legends. Only in quite recent times 

 have painting and sculpture become entirely secular arts. 



