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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Dec. 



great masters. We cannot understand Egyptian art, unless we see it in 

 it» bolder works, and then we acknowledge its sublimity. The smaller 

 tablets and statues, the lines of hieroglyphics, and the grim figures, would 

 give us too low a standard of Egyptian skill. In these smaller works 

 they show only their weakness ; in the larger works they show their 

 strength ; and they have left few rivals. Such a work as the Alexander 

 statue at St. Petersbiirgh, sinks into insignificance in the presence of the 

 vast outlines of a Itameses, or a Sesostris ; and what we now call colossal, 

 measured by the latter standard, becomes unworthy of the name. 



The history of some of the monuments in the Museum has often points 

 of interest. Thus, No. 23, the chest of a large sarcophagus of Hapimen, 

 a royal scribe, was brought from Grand Cairo, where it was used by the 

 Turks as a cistern, and named " The Lovers' Fountain." Death had evi- 

 dently lost its tenors, and in the lapse of ages awe had given way to love. 

 The origin of the modern legend would be curious if it could be traced. 

 The colossal scaraba;us (No. 74), removed from Egypt to Constantinople, 

 was brought by Lord Elgin to London. Thisscarabajus was siicred to the 

 god Tore or Cheper, and was at a later period the emblem of the world. 

 It is a right kingly emblem for the modern Babylon. No. 10, a large 

 chest of the sarcophagus of the king Necht-her-hebi, Her-necht-hebi, or 

 Amyrtieus of the 28lh dynasty, was at one time in the mosque of Saint 

 Athanasius, at Alexandria. 



Beneath No. 43, is one of the casing stones of the great pyramid at 

 Gizeh, showing the angle of inclination of the sides ami the miiterial. It 

 is a calcareous stone. It was brought home by Colonel Howard Vyse in 

 1838. 



M'hat cannot fail to be noticed in many of the larger monuments, is the 

 high polish of the granite, porphyry, or serpentine, which has been well 

 preserved during so many ages. It excites wonder that so much should 

 have been done with the rude means at the command of the Egyptians. 



The number of sepulchral monuments belonging to the Egyptians has 

 adorded large supplies for the Museum. These record priests, judges, 

 scribes, and officers of all kinds, and are rather of an inscribed than of an 

 artistical character, though they supply many useful illustrations. A mo- 

 dern cannot but be struck on seeing such proofs of the respect paid by the 

 Egyptians to their dead, of how much behindhand are the English in this 

 respect. Large sums are lavished by us on the idlest and meanest shows ; 

 the hire of black carriages with hearthbrushes on their tops, or black horses 

 with long tails, and of blackguards of drunken and dissolute appearance; 

 while the object for whom this unpicturesque and unmeaning procession is 

 got up is consigned to a common grave, and left without the slightest me- 

 morial of his existence, or of the regard of his friends. So far is this real 

 disrespect of the dead carried, that the metropolitan cemetery companies 

 have been obliged to put a check on an economy of the rites of sepulchre, 

 which is exercised at their expense and in favour of the undertakers ; for 

 it was no uncommon event for a procession of mutes, hearses, carriages, 

 and horses, to consign a bedizened coffin to a common grave. 



The money which is spent on funeral show is one of the greatest op. 

 pressions of the widow and orphan, who, in compliance with the con- 

 ventions of society, in order to do as their neighbours do, are forced to 

 spend money on cloaks, feathers, hat-bands, and coffin-trimmings, which 

 they can worst aflford in the moment of their severest bereavement. The 

 abolition of this show by those who are above the fear of idle clamour, 

 would render a great service to those classes of the community whose 

 means are limited, while it would allow of the disposal of funds in a 

 manner much more respectful to the deceased, and much more useful to 

 society. 



Whoever has observed, has had reason to regret that in later times sepul- 

 chral memorials of inilividuals, even of eminence, are rare in England, and 

 this at a time when there is enough of public and private wealth. Our 

 great show tomb-houses of Westminster and St. Paul's, flatter us that we 

 are not wholly forgetful of duty towards the departed ; but we have only 

 to look elsewhere to witness the general disregard of sepulchral monu- 

 ments : old ones are suffered to fall into decay, and new ones are not raised. 

 The peer, the bishop, or the judge, leaves large wealth behind him, and 

 ungrateful heirs. It is true, public feeling ha? been better shown towards 

 public men, and officers of the army raise regimental monuments to their 

 deceased brethren ; but there is no proper public provision for monumental 

 comraecnoration, and little private feeling in its favour, although the ceme- 

 teries have made some improvement. We want, first of all, a public fund 

 for monuments, and we want next the disbursement by the wealthy classes 

 of some portion of those moneys now wasted upon undertakers. This ap- 

 plied in monuments would give us many valuable works of art, and would 



be a most laudable exercise of patronage in favour of sculpture, a branch 

 of the arts much and undeservedly neglected in this country, though its 

 cultivation is to be desired. The successful study of sculpture would not 

 only give an impulse to architectural decoration, but it would have its 

 pecuniary bearing on our pottery, our glass manufactures, and on many 

 branches of trade in which the plastic arts exercise an influence. 



In the upper Egyptian Room the visitor has his attention drawn to the 

 many articles of glass or glazed ware. As the Etruscans are characterised 

 by their painted vases, so may the Egyptians be by their blue glazed ware. 

 The eases are tilled with figures of this material, which are found by 

 thousands in the tombs, being attached to the network or the necklaces of 

 mummies. This alone must have constituted a large branch of manufac- 

 ture ; but the ornaments in the cases in the middle of the room are no less 

 remarkable. Beads and drops, of c'ear and coloured glass, formed a great 

 part of Egyptian jewellery, and there are many good designs of bead and 

 bugle work, which might be thought to be modern, so neatly are they 

 carried out. Although liglit blue or bluish green is the favourite colour, 

 yet there are beads of black, white, red, yellow, and scarlet, allowing of 

 great variety in the patterns and designs as worked. The beads and 

 bugles are likewise of many sizes, from the smallest bead now made to a 

 large bugle or eardrop. 



The cases in the upper room contain a great variety of objects ; they 

 form, indeed, an ethnographic museum of the Egyptians, alTbrding speci- 

 mens of many domestic objects — indeed, as copious illustrations of Egyptian 

 life as the general student could well desire. The practical man will 

 likewise find particular interest in the tools and materials here collected, 

 and which show the advancement of the Egyptians in many branches of 

 manufacture, not generally supposed to have been then successfully culti- 

 vated. In some, the workmen seem not to be surpassed in modern times, 

 and they certainly prosecuted with success most of the useful arts. 



The general character of Egyptian workmanship is neatness, and this 

 will be seen in the wove cloths, mats, beadwork, jewellery, cabinet-making, 

 glass-work, and other articles. The Egyptians were very precise in re- 

 peating a pattern, so that some complicated designs are carried out with 

 all the accuracy of modern machinery. In this respect the Greeks and 

 Romans were not so proficient ; neither are other modern nations so profi- 

 cient as the English. Even the mat-work is well finished, and the 

 cloth is as well woven as could be desired. Some of the mummy cloth is 

 very good. The inlaying in the chairs and other cabinet work is very 

 fairly done, and the wood work is well finished off in most cases. The 

 metal wares are likewise v\ell wrought, and the bronze kettles are as finely 

 turned as could be desired by the most fastidious. Alabaster vases formed 

 a very successful branch of Egyptian manufacture, and the many which 

 are to be seen in the Museum are cleanly finished inside and out, seemingly 

 by the lathe. The Egyptians supplied plain and coloured glass to the 

 Greeks and Romans, and there are some bottles in the Museum, with 

 broad bottoms, which are of very fair size. The glass articles are, how- 

 ever, generally small, being phials, beads, and articles of ornament. The 

 specimens of Egyptian crystal in the Museum are not so good as those in 

 the Roman collection, but which it may be presumed are likewise of 

 Egyptian workmanship. 



Some of the specimens of enamelled portraits are among the most inter- 

 esting relics of Egyptian art, and it is to be regretted that we have not 

 more of these relics, which are of a durable character. One figure, in low 

 relief, in which the colours of the head dress are well burnt in and ena- 

 melled, is particularly to be admired. 



The glazed earthenware figures are generally covered with hieroglyphics 

 in black, and glazed with blue. The Egyptians had the means of be- 

 ginning the porcelain manufacture in Europe, but though there are speci- 

 mens of plates with designs, the Egyptians did not prosecute this manu- 

 facture to any extent, or the demand for decorated pottery would have 

 been large among the Romans. It was left for modern times, after the 

 introduction of Chinese porcelain into Europe, to carry out the porcelain 

 manufacture. As the Egyptian decoration was chiefly confined to hiero- 

 glyphics, there seems to have been no demand for their glazed figures 

 among other nations. 



