1842.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



249 



Poets and painters may invent, we grant. 

 So, too, were their invention not so scant, 

 May architects ; yet not play such queer triclis, 

 As tacli Greek columns to a box of bricks ; 

 With Parthenon for moiiel, build what looks 

 As if just sent home from the pastry-cook's ; 

 Crowd Roman porticos with London sashes, 

 Or show such dogsrel taste as was great Nash's. 



LITHOCROMY. 



Report of the Commillee appointed to examine the Elgin marbles, in 

 order to ascertain rchether a7ry evidences remain as to the employment 

 of Colour in the decoration of the Architecture or Sculpture. Read 

 bij W. R. HANnLTON, Esq., Honorary Fdlon; at the closing ordinary 

 JWetting of the Session 1S36-7, held Monday, 2ith July, IsS". 



(From the Transactions of the Royal Inst, of Bnt. Architects.) 



Committee appointed by resolution passed at the ordinary meeting 

 held Monday, the 5th December, 1S3G, to examine the Elgin marbles 

 in the British Museum, in order to ascertain whether any evidences 

 remain as to the employment of colour in the decoration of the archi- 

 tecture or sculpture, and to report the result of their examination. 



The Committee to consist of \V. R. Hamilton, Esq. Foreign Sec. 

 Roy. See. of Literature ; R. Westmacott, Esq., R. A. ; C. L. Eastlake, 

 Esq., R. A. ; C. R. Cockerell, Esq. R. A., Hon. Fellow ; Dr. M. Fara- 

 day, F. R. S., Hon. Member ; and Messrs. Angell, Donaldson, and 

 Scoles, Fellows. 



Elgin Room, British Museum. — At a meeting held on Tuesday, 

 the 13th of December, 183G ; present, R. Westmacott, Esq , R. A. ; 

 C. Eastlake, Esq. R.A; Dr. Faraday; Messrs. Angell, Donaldson, 

 and Scoles ; as also Messrs. Forshall and Hawkins, officers of the 

 Museum ; T. L. Donaldson stated that Messrs. Hamilton anil Cockerell, 

 being at Cambridge, had written to say they could not attend. 



The attention of the Committee was first directed to fragments 

 Nos. 127 to 130 inclusive, in black, being Nos. 252 to 255 red, portions 

 of the Ionic antas capital and continuous mouldings of the hexastyle 

 portico of the Erectheum. The object was to ascertain whether the 

 inequalities of the surface of certain portions of the plain faces arose 

 from a coating of some substance originally placed upon the surface 

 of the marble, for the purpose of receiving the colour or paint, or 

 ■whether it resulted from the action of the weather. 



It appeared, upon examination by a powerful glass, that the raised 

 portions, which remained in some parts, and which had a deeper 

 ochrish tone than the rest of the marble, was the original surface 

 highly polished, and that the general surface of the marble had been 

 pretty equally worn away to the depth of about ^'- part of an inch by 

 corrosion. 



The ochrish tint also seemed the result of the weather, as upon 

 examining portions of this and other blocks of marble which were 

 broken, the fractured surface presented in some parts a like colour, 

 produced evidently by the action of the weather, or other accidental 

 circumstances, such as contact with the earth, &:c. 



The committee then proceeded to examine the fragment marked 

 No. 154 in black, and No. 260 in red ; No. 2G0 being a portion of one 

 of the beams of the propylea of the Acropolis at Athens. The fascia 

 presented evident marks of coloured meandering ornament, and upon 

 washing the surface the outlines of the meander were found to be 

 marked or indented with a sharp tool. The whiter part has the sur- 

 face polished, but the surface of the darker portion is rough. The 

 committee could not decide whether the darker tone resulted from 

 the stain produced by the atmosphere, or rather the dust and dirt of 

 the air, which would adhere more to the rougher surface of the marble, 

 or whether it arose from the original application of paint or colour ; 

 but the presumption is in favour of the atmosphere or dirt, as the dirt 

 or colour readily washed off with a sponge. 



The committee were unable to decide whether the parts now 



smooth and rough were originally in that state, or whether the part 

 now rough has become so in consequence of the action of the atmo- 

 sphere upon it, the sniooth part having been protected from that 

 action by gilding or colour. 



No. 308 in black, now 131 in red, at the north, end of the Elgin 

 room, and upon which the capital from the propylea of the Acropolis 

 of Athens is placed, is a larger fragment of the same part of the pro- 

 pylea as No. 2G0, and the ogee bed moulding is preserved entire, with 

 the leaves distinctly apparent on the surface. Upon being moistened 

 with a sponge, it was evident that the outlines of the ornamental 

 leaves and stems were engraved with a too!,* and that the darker 

 parts of the ornaments were rough on the surface. 



Sarti the modeller being present, who has been employed for many 

 years by the trustees of the British Museum, being now engaged in 

 taking moulds of the whole series of the Elgin Marbles belonging to 

 the Parthenon, stated to the committee that he had never been able 

 to discover traces of paint or artificial colour on any of the figures of 

 the bas-reliefs, metopes, or sculptures of the pediments, although his 

 attention having been originally drawn to the subject, he had carefully- 

 examined every portion of the surface of each figure, for the purpose 

 of ascertaining whether any traces or signs of colour were to be found. 

 He stated also that the whole surface of the marbles had been twice 

 washed over with soap leys, subsequently to their having been moulded 

 on former occasions, as that or some strong acid is necessary for the 

 purpose of removing the soap which is originally put on the surface 

 in order to detach the plaster of the mould. Dr. Faraday was of 

 opinion that this circumstance was of itself sufficient to have removed 

 every vestige of colour, which might have existed originally on the 

 surface of the m.arble. 



The committee then proceeded to examine two Athenian tiles in 

 Room VI. of the Townley Collection, their attention being directed to 

 them by Mr. Hawkins. 



They are of terra cotta, covered with a thin coating of fine stucco, 

 the surface of which is decorated with the meandre, and honeysuckle, 

 and lotus-leaved ornament. The surface being moistened with a wet 

 sponge, three ditierent colours were perceptible, a white (or tone of 

 the ground or plaster), green of a darkish untransparent tone, and 'a 

 deep red in small portions, of unfrequent recurrence in the pattern or 

 composition. 



It occurred to the committee that where these architectural enrich- 

 ments were employed in large quantities, it is probable that the mode 

 of forming them might have been similar to that adopted by decorators 

 at the present day, known by the term stencilling. The fragment in 

 question was hardly of sufficient length to enable the committee to 

 decide whether this method was adopted, or whether the enrichment 

 was done by hand. 



\st Jane, 1S37. — At a meeting of the committee held in the Elgin 

 room of the British Museum, present, Messrs. Hittorf,Hamilton, West- 

 macott, Angell, and Donaldson, the minutes of the previous meeting 

 were read, as also the following letter: — 



Atherstone Hall, April 17, 1837. 



" Mr. Bracebridge is happy to forward a memorandum of patterns 

 and colours from the Erectheum ; they are drawn from the northern 

 portico of that conjoint temple of Minerva Polias, Pandrosus, and 

 Erectheus, so well known in the Acropolis. This side of the temple, 

 being so well sheltered from the sea breeze, has presented its sculp- 

 tured ornaments as fresh and sharp as if lately finished ; and the 

 columns of this portico being fluted with capitals elaborately worked 

 and well sheltered, have retained remains of colour. At the top of 

 the flutings especially, a thin coat of slate-coloured paint is visible, at 

 other points yellow and red color may be traced ; but the remaining 

 pieces are so small, and the colours so much faded, as to leave the 

 subject in dispute ; this being alone certain, that there was colour 

 once carefully applied (at all events to the intaglio parts of the relief 



" Mij»ht not this mode of engravinjj; the outline have been for the purpose 

 of prevemirig the colour from spreading beycnd the pattern, as well as for 

 giving a bliarp and distinct outline to the ornament V 



