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feveral cathedrals bviilding at that time in dlffLM-tfrit parts of 

 Italy. He was affilled by his fon John, and amontj other 

 p'jpils, by two who feem to have been particularly clleemed, 

 Arnolpho and Lapo. Beiides being architect to feveral ca- 

 thedrals in Italy, Nicolo, with the affiltance of his. pupils, 

 tarvtd fome baflb-rehevos in marble ; which were works of 

 wonderful merit in that age, and would certainly deferve 

 confiderable admiration and rcfpt-ft in any other time or 

 country, for fublimity, feiitimcnt, truth, and beauty of exe- 

 cution. The following deferve particular notice: Stories from 

 the Life of our Saviour, on the pulpit and baptillery of Pifa; 

 fimilar fubjetto on the pulpits of the Duomos of Siftuia and 

 Piftoia. But the greatefl and moll cllimable of thele works 

 is on the front of the cathedral of Orvieto. This front is one 

 of the moll fpleiidid, both for materials and art, tluit the 

 mind can conceive, or the refources of nature furnifh. It is 

 built of ftatuary marble, wrought with t'lc nitell care, and 

 ornamented with the moil delicate labour; the bolder mould- 

 ings and fmallcr pillars arc itlieved by Mol'aic lillels of the 

 mod iplendid colours and j^o.djand n:;'.gnificent Mofaic paint- 

 ings of facred fubjefts fini'.ii the decoration immediately undtr 

 the cornice. The hafement between the great and two fide 

 doors, from the height of f;x feet to that of twenty feet, is 

 covered with fuhjecls from the Bible in a great number of di- 

 vifions reprefenting all the prir.cipal facts, and concluding 

 with the Rcfurredlion, fuclgnient,and tinnl dellination ot the 

 good and vricked ; the fubjefts are divided by running or- 

 naments of vine, and other foliage, of uncommon delicacy and 

 fancy. There is an alto-relievo by Nicolo, on the church of 

 St. Martin at Lucca, of the Defcent from the Crofs, which 

 is extremely pathetic and fimple. The baffo-reiievos on the 

 oldell bronze gate of the baptillery of Florence, by Andrea 

 Ugolino of Pifa, after defigns by Giotto, of l!ie Life of St. 

 John the Baptill, are iimple and grand. Donatello, born in 

 Florence 1393, executed bron/e baffo-relicvos on the two 

 pulpits of St. I.,orenzo in that city : the principal fubjefts 

 are the Crucifixion and Interment of our Saviour, in which 

 the expreflion is admirable. Vellano of Padua, his fcholar, 

 made iome tine balTo relievos of broa/.e in the church of St. 

 Antony in that city. But the work of ihisdefcription which 

 obtaii'.ed the highell reputation in that age, was the fecond 

 bronze gate, executed by Lorenzo Ghibcrti, his f:;lhsr, and 

 other aflillants, for the before-mentioned baptiftery of St. 

 John in Florence. O:; it, ten compartments are tilled with fp.b- 

 jefts from the Old Teftament, begiiming with the Creation 

 and ending with the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of 

 Sheba ; the fpaces between the pannels are adorneH with 

 foliage, heads, and beautiful figures of prophets and fybils ; 

 the architrave is ornamented with feftoons of flowers and 

 birds, of fo perfeft an execution that they fecm to be caft 

 from nature : the whole is of gilt bronze, ^'afari relates 

 that Michael Angelo faid, " It delerved to be the gate of 

 Piuadile." Certainly an admirable fancy, delicacy, expref- 

 fiou, grace, and execution, are to be found in every part of 

 it ; but its general charafter is rendered trivial by the intro- 

 ducftion of fo many plans, 10 much landfcape and architetiure 

 in peripedlive, with the affeclation of piiftureique effett in 

 the chiaro fcuro. But this fault mull be paihated by the re- 

 membrance, that perfpeftive Was a new difcovery to the 

 moderns, wonderfully admired at the time : it -had turned the 

 brains of Paolo UcccUo, a painter of great merit ; and it is 

 not to be wondered at, if Lorenzo Ghiberti, who had practifed 

 painting, fhould have fallen into the delufive hope of adding 

 a new charm to fculpture, which in faft belongs to painting 

 exclufively From this time little can be faid in commenda- 

 tion of the praftice of bafl'o-rehcvo. Memory was iubilituted 

 for imitation, fancv for nature ; and the confequence was, 

 Vol. III. 



thofe various fpecic? of affeftation which are called manners. 

 The fchools of John of Bjlogni, Algardi, Bernini, will jullify 

 this remark; and wlioever takes the trouble to examine their 

 produftions in this department of fculpture will fee, that art 

 more than nature has been their object. — Within the lail 

 centuiy a number of circumllances have combined to de- 

 velop the principles of fculpture, and a confiderable emula- 

 tion has been excited to attain its real pei-feftions. A prodi- 

 gious number of ancient ftatues, groupes, bulls, and baflb- 

 rclievos in m-.rble and bronze, as well as pidlures, have been 

 difcovered; thefe have been magnificently andjudicioufly ar- 

 ranged, not only in the public mufeums of Italy, but in 

 private colledtions of the different countries of Europe. Suck 

 admirable works have excited univerfgl curiolity and intereft ; 

 the number of books on the fubjcil have been increaied by 

 learned men and elegant critics ; Itudeiita have repaired ia 

 greater numbers than formerly from all parts to copy thofe 

 v>orks with great diligence ; the number of contenders has 

 produced emulation, each one endeavouring to diflinguifli 

 himfelf above his competitors : thus they have hiid up a large 

 (lock of ability for employment in their own coun-tries, where 

 taftc for the arts of d.-fign has been gradually increafing ; f» 

 that now there are fcidptors in Italy, France, E-.igland, Ger- 

 many, &c. who have produced balTo-relievos of great merit, 

 as well as other works of fculpture. ' 



Winkelmann has faid, "that Sculpture, like an elder filler, 

 has introduced and led her younger filler. Painting, into the 

 world:" this is elegantly faid, and on that account is likely to 

 obtain currency more than tor the certainty of its truth. What 

 additional value does one art acquire over the other by being 

 older? Both aits are noble and virtuous purfuits ; the fine pro- 

 duftions of both afford intelleftual an4 rational delight ; and 

 there is difticulty enough in the way to excellence in both, to 

 exercife the utmoll llretch of the moll powerful geniufes who 

 have engaged, or may engage, in the fludy of ihem. It fhould 

 feem by Pliny's account, lib. 35, c. 3. and c. 12. that the 

 beginning of painting and baiTo-relievo were alike; for the 

 firll advances towards baflb-relievo were nisde by Dibutades's 

 taking the imprefhon of an outUne. Ardices the Corinthian, 

 and Telephanes the Sycionian, made the tirfl effays towards 

 painting, before colour was ufed,by outline alfo. — But to leave 

 this quetlion of little moment, let us go to thofe confidera- 

 tions which are of real im.portance to the fubjeft we are treat- 

 ing. It has already been fliewn, that baiTo-relievo, from the 

 earlieft ages, was ufed as reprcfentative writing ; r.nd the right 

 and only good purpofes to which writing as well as ipeaking 

 can be appliedis to honorGod, and to recommend and diffemi- 

 nate whatever is virtuous in public or private, and ufeful 

 among men. Thus was baffo-relievo employed in the bell ages 

 by the ancients, according to their feveral fyftems of theology, 

 phdof jphy, and ethics : and thus only it fiiould be employed; 

 for when it is applied to other purpofes, it is a devip.tion from 

 the original inteiition, ceafes to be ufeful, and mull engage 

 the artill in the reprefciitation of perfuns and things below 

 that flandard at v.'hich he fliO'jld conilantly aim. Piiidias 

 gave a pcrfcdion to his Jupiter which ailonifncd all men, and 

 induced them, to btlieve he had been favoured with a revelatiod 

 of the god, by the human reprefentation of power, majefty, 

 benignity, and wildom. And we fhall find that whatever ap- 

 pears admirable, perfetl, or lovely, in the rcprefentations of 

 the ancient deities or heroes, is fome mental or bodily per- 

 feftion. The Cliriftian religion prefents perfonages and 

 fubjtcls no lefs favourable to painting and fculpture than the 

 ancient ciaffics : angels and archangels ihould be as perfeft in 

 youth and beauty as the youthful divinities of Greece. The 

 heroes of the Old Teilameut bear fo ftriking a refemblancc 

 to thofe of Greece, that eminent moderns have miftaken 



!r E them 



