1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



223 



was used. When several colours were employed, the term used was * polychromlc* It is 

 not easy for us in ttiis climate to judge of tlie probuble ffl'ecl of richly and variously co- 

 loured architectnre and sculpture ua it wouhl appear against a bright blue sky, and in a 

 dear, transparent atmosphere. Such applications to an art like sculpture, niilltale against 

 our notions of good taste. But when we recollect that the greatest artists of the period 

 of the tinest art— in a country, too. In which sculpture was best understood and appre- 

 ciated— had recourse to this practice. It becomes us to pause before we venture to impugn 

 their taste, or pronounce judgment upon the propriety of their using such an accesamy to 

 hdghten the ellcct of their woiks. Tiie colours that are lound most commonly used are 

 red, blue, and yellow. Gilding, also, of the hair was not iiucommou. Remains of colour 

 have been found ou the Elgin marble:), 



Mr. Weslmacott delivered his second lecture at the Royal Institution, on the 15th April. 

 He commenced by slating that In the introductory lecture he bad insisted upon the inte- 

 rest Sculpture was calculated to awaken ' Independently* of its recommendutiun as an art 

 representing beautiful forms. For, though it would be his object also tu dwell upon its 

 oharm in this point of view. It was Important In the hrst place to attract attention to Art 

 upon higher grounds. 



Hut few persons Iiavc time or opportunity to become Intimately acquainted with the 

 structure, the real beauty of form of the human figure; or with the giadations from manly 

 strength to the exlremM of female delicacy. The contemplation of Art was capable of 

 alfording even more pleasure to those who regard it eestheticaily, that is, for Us seiui- 

 ment, intention and purpose, than to those uho, mistaking means for ends, ate too fre. 

 quently In the habltof judinglt by amerely 'technical* standard. The sculptors oi Greece 

 most happily united the two qualities ; for, in their works, sentiment of liie moat elevated 

 character la found expressed by the most exquisite form. 



The earliest distinct allusions to imitative art appear in the sacred writings. The Is- 

 raelltes, after the Exodus, are warned to "put away false gods; and Rachel "stole tlie 

 ' Images' that were her father's." There are some curious details of the practice of the 

 IJabylonians in the arts in the time of the prophet Baruch (tJU/ IJ.C). " Now shall ye see 

 in liabylon gods of silver, and of gold, and of wood, borne upon men's shoulders. They 

 are gild*d and laid over with gold, and covered with puvple raiment"— precisely as the 

 art was prnclised in Groece, for there also real drapery wus sometimes used to decorate 

 siatues. The Persians seem to have contributed bo little to the advancement of Art tliat 

 they scarcely merit any notice. One powerful reason for their Art not attaining any great 

 excellence, arose from the strong prejudice entertained by the Persians against statues as 

 objects of worship, or representations of divinity. When sco'pture is found In Persian 

 buildings, it is remarkable that the naked human form is never exhibited. The sculptures 

 found in the ruins of Persepolis consist of figures enveloped in long and heavy draperies, 

 and the ligures themselves are totally delicient In graca and variety. 



• Egj'ption sculpture' was next brought under consideration, as affording n subject of 

 great interest. It was obser\*ed that when It Is recollected that the history of the country 

 Is so Involved ia the obscurity of ages, that the dates of the foundations of its two capitals, 

 Thebes and Memphis, are unknown ; that sculptures- of a finished style of art— exist 

 older than any historical record we possess, the imagination is troubled, and it almost 

 seems to be hopeless to attempt to become acquainied with the history of a people appa- , 

 -enUy placed so far beyond our reach. Modern activity and research seem, however, to 

 be opening, by degrees, the hitherto sealed book of Egypt. It must be remarked as a 

 fact, which gives Egyptian Art Its just claim to rank as a school, that, whether the works 

 found be of the most ancient and, so to say, pure period of Egyptian history, or of the 

 time of the Ptolemy's, or of that of Adrian, there still is a pervading, unmistakeable cha- 

 racter in the art that stamps it as Egj'ptian, and distinguishes it from allother. The cha- 

 racteristics of its sculpture are, first, a simplicity so severe, that it at once affects us as 

 siiblim**. The drapery of female figures has no folds. It can scarcely be called drapery, 

 but that a slight edge or border appears near the feet. The colossal head of the so-called 

 young aiemuon In the British Museum merits all the admiration that it has met with, for 

 its simj)licity, its grandeur, and the mildness of it expression. In working basso-relievo 

 and pictures, the Egj-ptians ventured beyond the limits to which they were confined in 

 their sculpture. It was thought likely that prescribed forms were adhered to, in con- 

 formity wiih the types established and insisted upon by the priesthood, au influence that 

 was probably exercised elsewhere in the same manner. 



The principle of the arts of imitation never was the same In Egypt that it became in 

 Greece. Their object was the «spression of a certain order of ideas. It never was re- 

 quired to perpetuate the memory of forms, but that of persons and things. The gigantic 

 colossus, and the minute amulet were ' equally' and ' only' signs of a fixed idea. But in 

 Greece, when Art was fully developed there, the representations of * the beautiful forms 

 of nature' was the especial, till at last it became almost the only object and purpose. 



No precise date could be assigned to the earliest Greek sculpture. Dtedulus is one of 

 the first names met with in the history of early Greek art ; but it probably was a general, 

 and not particular, appellation applied to a skilful man. The forms of the earliest sculp- 

 tures—those found in iEgina, and those of Selinunte, in Sicily, as well as in other places 

 — «re short and thick, and there Is not the slightest hint of, or feeling for, beauty. In 

 Etrurian archaic sculpture, and in that of other countries, a somewhat slighter character 

 of form seems to have been employed. The sculptors of /Eglna seem to have been the 

 first to step beyond the limitations to which Art had been confined, as may he seen in the 

 sculptures brought from the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, now at Munich, 

 but of which there are casts in the British Museum. In these there is considerable im- 

 provement in the forms, a display of anatomical knowledge, and varied and expressive 

 attitudes. The heads, however, are in the early archaic character, as if there had been a 

 prescriptive form, which, in this respect, could not safely be departed from. Mention is 

 made of ' bronze autues' at HW B.C. These were probably in hammerwork. The revolt 

 against Darius changed the promising condition of Art in Asia; but as it fell there, it 

 seemed to acquire fresh vigour in Europe. It was then that the great schools of ^gina, 

 fticyon, and Corinth arose; and a new feeling began to display itself. The Selinuutine 

 sculptures, discovered at SeUnus, in Sicily, offer curious examples of the archaic style of 

 art. 



The history now approached a people who, equally with those already described, looked 

 with awe and reviTen;:e upon an art which was associated with their religiuus creed and 

 system ; but in whose hands it eventually became a study of the highest refinement, and 

 was endowed with such beauty of form, and such spirit of lite, that the mere images them- 

 selves have become as it were immortal, whea the gods they represented have imsaedavvay, 

 and are foegotten as a dream. 



• Grecian Sculpture.'^ — From about 500 B.C. the succession of sculptors in Greece, and 

 the changes effected in the art, can be traced with tolerable accuracy. In the fifth cen- 

 tury before our era aa everit occurred which had a great Influence on the Arts. 'I'his was 

 the failure of the expedition of Xerxes against Greece. Enormous wealth fell into the 

 hands of the Greeks ; and, as was customary, a tenth of all spoil was dedicated to the 

 gods. Temples that had bet n destroyed by tlao Persian invaders had to be rebuilt ; others 

 were erected, u d all were splendidly decorated with sculpture. 'Uhe occasion called for 

 ability and exi-r.ion, and the artists vied with each other in doing honour to it. 



At so late n p' riod as 5U0 B.C., and after some improvements had been introduced, es- 

 pecially by Ag^jaUas and Myron, a certain character still pervaded such art as was em- 

 ployed to reyresent sacred personages; and wheteer It arose from popular prejudice, or, 

 as ha« been hinted, from the resolution of the priesthood, primitive types were siill, in a 

 degree, preserved. But suddeidy — for certainly It was suddenly that so * complete* a re- 

 volution was effected — a new light burst upon Greece : — Phidias appeared. He was tlie 

 scholar of Ageladas ; and, having been educated In a school that had already effected im- 

 provements by giving more refinement and character to sculptured torms, he dared the 

 greatest, the boldest innovation. In his ?tatue of the tutelary divinity of Athens he de- 

 lighted the notion, a people peculiarly sensible of beauty, by showing how the grand and 

 beautiful Id form might be made tlie true outward sign of godlike qualities. This statue, 

 thirty-nine feet hiKh. was made of gold and ivoryj and ng less tbtta forty talents' weight 

 of gold are said to have been employed in It. i 



The sculptured decorations of two remarkable temples In Greece ore preserved in the 

 British Museum, and form what are known us the Elgin and Phigalian marbles. The 

 former are from the Parthenon at Athens ; the latter from a temple of Apollo at Bssste. 

 lae same architect, Ictinus, is known to havebuiil both temples; and as Phidias was ap- 

 pointed to superlnted all the works of the former, It Is natural to believe that he also sug- 

 gested the compositions for the decoration of the temple of PhJgalia. The similarity of 

 design that is observable In these latter and In the metopes of tjie Parthenon leaves no 

 doubt that both were conceptions of the same master mind; though the different degrees 

 or merit in the execution suggest tha notion that they were not worked Immenlateiy under 

 the eve of Phldlaa. Whether regarded for simple and severe dignity of character, forpro- 

 tound knowledge of the structure of the human figure, for various and expressive action, 

 lor harmonious combinations, or for most skilful execution and treatment, they claim tlie 

 highast admiration that can he bestowed upon them. They also offer the finest examples 

 ot the technical In Art. Tlie * round,' the various kinds ot * relief,' the distinct character 

 and treatment of the naked aa contrasted with drapery, are all in their way excellent. It 

 is also worthy of remark, how finely treated the animals are whenever they are Introduced. 

 Art had now been relieved from the dry and hard manner of the iEglnetan school, and 

 Phidias produced out of it the grand style that marked his period ; but some severity of 

 character still remained. Under an artist, immortal In the annals oK ancient sculpture, h 

 fuller change was efteeted. The grand, the sublime, characterized the school of Phidias. 

 Next appeared the lolty, the flowing, and the graceful in Art. Praxiteles may be called 

 the founder of this school. He lived about 300 B.C. He chiefly delighted in the round, 

 full forms which Nature exhibits in youth of both sexes; and Cupid, Bacchus, Apollo,' 

 anU lemale figures charmed the Greeks by their appeal to the senses. Praxiteles executed 

 many works in bronze, but he is said chiefly to have excelled In marble. In this age it Is 

 believed statues of females were first represented undraped; but the innovation was not 

 immediately allowed ; and though the Greeks were alive to the exquisite beauties of form 

 thus exhibited, the practice was not at first fully admitted ; and a sort of compromise 

 seems to nare been made. Statues of females were represented nude down to the middle ; 

 and the lower part of the figure \vas as usual enveloped in drapery. But soon after this,' 

 we find mentiou of numerous statues of the female figure, displaying all the exquisite 

 beauty of form which is its admitted and peculiar cJiaracteristic. Execution was the 

 ' forte' of Praxiteles. Of this period Is the well known series of statues known as Nlobe 

 and her family, attributed t» to Scopas, although by some thought to be the work of 

 Praxiteles. 



I-ysippu3 was the next leading sculptor of the great Greek school. A statue which 

 many believe to be a work of this master was referred to as a good example of the style 

 which he introduced. It Is a small bronze statue of Hercules, in the British Museum, 

 He may be considered to have carried the art or style of Praxiteles to Its extreme bounds, 

 — within the limits of the grand style. Lysippus had the fortune to live in the age ot aa 

 ambitious and vain prince, Alexander the Great, who gave this, his favourite sculptor, 

 ample opportunities ef exercising his art In his service and honour. He allowed no one to 

 make statues of him but Lysippus. There was the same limitation In painting, and in 

 representing him on gems. Apelles alone was allowed the former honour, and Pyrgotelcs 

 was the favoured artist in the latter branch of Art. 



In concludipg this portion of the history of Greek sculpture, Mr. Mr. Westmacott ob- 

 served he thought the leading characteristics of the schools, omitting the archaic style, 

 niight be thus described. • Tlie first, that of Phidias,' was marked by sublime grandeur. 

 ' The second, of Praxiteles,' by richness of form with voluptuous expression. • The last, 

 of Lysippus,' by force and energy. These were practised by all three within the limita- 

 tions of the finest style. Their lespectivo art was the full and perfect development of the 

 qualities described ; which none before them had reached, and which certainly none after 

 them have surpassed, 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



(Under this head we propose giving abstracts of the specifications of ail the most im- 

 portant patents as they are enrolled. If any additional information be required as to any 

 patujt, the same maybe obtained by apolyiug to Qlr. LAXTON at the Olhce of tiiis 

 JOUnNALO 



MATERIAL FOR PAVING, &C. 

 Edwtn Edward Cassel, of Millnall, Poplar, merchant, for, ".•/ mnterial or 

 combination suitable for paving, piping, roofing, and most other purposes to which 

 wood and iron are cppticable."—Gi-3.nled Sc[ilcDiber 26, 1844, ; Enrolled JIarch 

 26, 1845. 



This invention consists in forming an elastic compound, of four descriptions, 

 to le used for a variety of purposes as hereafter descnted. No. 1 compound is 

 prepared manner following: — Saturate a quantity of chalk, or marl, or lime, or 

 loamy clay, or sandy earth, previously reduced to the state of a fine powder, wiih 

 oil of tar, or mineral tar, or vegetable naphtha, or any other resinous, oily, 

 or fatty matter. Take one cwt. of rosin, and melt it in a cauldron exposed 

 to a gentle fire, until all the water in it has evaiiorated. Then throw into 

 the cauldri.n two cwt. of the saturated chalk or other earth, and mi.\ it well 

 with the melted rosin. Next add from 3 to 6 lb. of liquid caoutchouc, or 

 from 1 to 3 lb. of essential oil of tar, or turpentine or some other oily, or 

 tatty, or cementitious substance, (varying the quantity according to the de- 

 gree of elasticity desired to be given to the ultimate compound,) and after 

 that from 3 to 5 lb. of sulphur ; and finally, two cwt. of fine dry grit, keeping 

 all the while the contents of the cauldron well stirred, till the whole are tho- 

 roughly amalgamatoil. When cool this compound is of a slatish grey colour, 

 and of a close granular texture. No. 2 compound is prepared in the same 

 way as No. 1, and composed of the same materials, and in like proportion, 

 excepting only that the rosin vegetable pitch is substituted, and a larger pro- 

 portion of sulphur is used, say frrm 6 to 8 lb. No. 3 is also prepared in the same 

 way as Nos. 1 and 2, and composed of the same materials in the like propor- 

 tions, excepting that instead of the rosin or vegetable pitch, equal parts of 

 rosin and Stockton tar are used, and the quantity of sulphurreducedtoabout41b. 

 No. 4 compound dilfers from No. 3 in the substitution of equal pans of rositj 

 and mineral, or coal tar for the equal parts of rosin and vegetable pitch." 



Fot forming piping, such as water pipes, drains, sewers, &c., I make use of 

 any of the four compounds before described' combined with wood in irannec 

 ollowing : 1 place tw cylinders on en I one within the other, the inner being 



