\HERCULANEUM. 
bronze. They represent all different objects, divinities, 
heroes, or distingui persons ; and in the same sub- 
ronze, there are the figures of many 
stration, that the reputation of their celebrated artists was 
not overrated. _ Paintings are interesting, but the small 
portion of the object represented, renders them far less so 
than statues which afford complete imitations, and are 
- thence.to be xanked,as the most precious relics of an- 
tiquity...Here,there.are two statues seven feet high of 
Jupiter, and,a. woman, in. clay ; and two of gladiators, 
in bronze; about to combat,.are much admired. The 
same may be said of Nero in bronze, naked and armed 
“\ as a Jupiter donans, with a thunderbolt in his hand, 
A Venus pudica of white marble in miniature, is exe 
tremely beautiful, and.also the statue of a female leaving 
the bath. In’ the year,1758, a fine bronze statue of a 
naked, Mereury,. supposed to have beeu the work of a 
Greek artist; was discovered: and in, the course. of the 
excavations extending beyond the confines of the city, 
a Silenus, with. a tiger, sometimes his attribute, was 
found,, which had formerly adorned a fountain, Se-« 
yeral,, fauns.or. other sylvans, with vases on their 
shoulders, .were obtained in the vicinity, of Silenus, 
which are of bronze ;;and it is singular to, observe, that 
the younger figures have silver. eyes, a disagreeable de- 
formity,. sometimes . adopted in, marble. statues. .. The 
figure and attitude of a/drunken, faun, \stretclied ona 
lion’s skin; and, supported by one-full of liquor, pre- 
sents all that vacuity of thought and sensation of animal 
pleasure which accompany ebriety: another faun asleep, 
as large as life, presents a state of absolute . We 
have: named two fine equestrian \statues ‘of full size. 
There is also a bronze equestrian statue of an armed 
Amazon, only.16 inches high. . There are many elegant 
statues of the and graces only 8 or 10 inches 
in‘height: and. we likewise see some’ of the monstrous 
Egyptian diyinities with which the Herculaneans were 
acquainted. Several fine busts or simple heads of the 
ancient philosophers, as, Zeno},or. Epicurus, stood. in 
the houses ; the,name being inscribed ‘below, or on a 
pedestal. .Bas-reliefs likewise occurred, but few coins 
or medals, . Gold coins of Augustus were found, and 
silver medallions, two or three inches in. diameter, bear- 
ing uncertain devices...) )),: tide 2293 ofe! 
4» The ancient pictures..of Herculaneum .are of the ut- 
most interest, not-only from the freshness.and vividness 
of colour, but from, the nature of:the subjects 'they.re- 
present. /All are-executed in fresco; they are’ exclu- 
sively onthe walls, and generally on a black. or red 
ground. -»It;has, been supposed, from: passages-in_ the 
classics, that’ the| ancients used only.four colours, white, 
black, yellow;;and red;,but. here are added blue and 
green.” . Some are'of snieneten vernepolange Ave, but 
the majority are in. miniature.‘ Every different subject 
of antiquity is, depicted {here :, deities, human figures, 
animals. 
, landse: ‘eign and domestic, and,a variety 
obpowqne aang imes, 
01 
Sports, and. pastimes, theatrical 
- tec tn gaa catalogue. . Ha- 
_, ving occasion afterwards.to, speak cursorily, of some of 
» these subjects, we shall content ourselves with observing 
that they are more, remarkable for variety than for their 
intrinsic quality, One of, larger-size found in a temple, 
TAl 
and the most celebrated, represents Theseus vanquishing 
the Minotaur, which lies stretched at his feet, with the 
head of a bull and the body of aman. A female, sup- 
posed to be Ariadne, and three children, form 
the p- This, along with a picture, com of se- 
veral figures as large as life, of which Flora is the most 
conspicuous, adorned a temple of Hercules ; each is six 
or seven feet high and five road. Another represents 
Chiron, teaching Achilles the lyre ; and female centaurs 
are seen suckling their young. The interior of a shoe- 
maker’s shop is ex on a smaller scale ; a feast, bas- 
kets of fruit, a grasshopper driving a parrot yoked to 
a car, a. cupid guiding swans in the same manner, and 
many allegorical subjects are represented. It is impos- 
sible within these limited bounds to enumerate their va- 
rieties, but’ we shall immediately refer the reader to a 
specific work upon the subject, from which much en- 
tertainment will be derived. The king, desirous of 
preserving these pictures, directed them to be sawed 
out of the walls, a work of great labour and perseverance, 
after, which they were put in shallow frames and kept 
in the museum. 
Herculas 
neun. 
of Paintings 
It is said that a triremis or vessel, with three banks of Triremie. 
oars, was discovered with the iron or tackle, and 
wood work complete, and that a drawing was taken of 
it ; but the more material parts immediately fell to dust, 
A sea piece with vessels is among the paintings. 
It is | extraordinary 
» that. numbers of perishable State in 
substances. should have resisted the corrosions.of time, Which dit- 
Many, almonds in the shell, imprinted, with all the lines 
and furrows characterising their ligneous envelope, were 
dug out) of the ruins of Hefalinenm ; figs and some 
kinds of wild apples were in preservation ; and a sort of 
pine cone yet growing in the woods of Italy, the seeds 
of which are. now.ate, or used for culinary purposes. 
Grain, such,as barley, and also beans and pease, re- 
mained entire, of a b colour, and ‘offering resistance 
to pressure. The ‘stones of peaches, and apricots are 
common; thus denoting, the frequency, of two’trees, re- 
puted, indigenous in Armenia and Persia. But what is 
still more singular, a loaf, stamped with the baker's name 
in Roman characters, or the quality of the wheat, was 
taken from an ovenand was apparently converted to char- 
coal. Different parts, of plants pre for pharmacy, 
were obtained from the dwellings of those;who had been 
ferent fruits 
were found, 
apothecaries, .After such an amazing lapse of time, li- Se of & 
quids have been found 
instance of which cannot be sufficiently admired in a phial 
of oil conceived to, be that of olives.) It is white, greasy 
to the touch, and emits the, smell of rancid oil. An 
earthen vase was,found in, the cellars containing wine, 
which now resembles a lump of porous dark violet.co- 
loured gre hag migrant yah Ao meen is 
great. difficulty ..in. comprehending, how thi ge 
Should. haratien place.,,. The ancients speak of y 
thick, wines, requiring dilution previous to use, whi 
would, keep (200 tyears,, and would then acquire the 
consistence of honey.; :Eggs.are also said to have been 
found whole and empty, Solid pitch was found at the 
bottom. ofa vessel, wherein it had probably melted, as 
it afterwards/did from heat,in the museum at Portici, 
which stands near the entrance to the subterraneous city. 
aperomching toa fluid state—an 7 
_ An entire set of kitchen furniture has been, collected, Kitchen 
which displays.several utensils exactly similar to our utensil>. 
own, , The copper pans,, instead of being, tinned, are 
internally coated, with, silver; probably’ a better precau- 
ify orlg® See Sir ‘Humpbry,D. *s interesting paper,on the colours used by the ancients, inthe, Ail, Trans, for 1S Lae BD. 
