SCULPTURE. 



The head of the fphynx bears the lineaments of a Negro. 

 It is deprived of the nofe. 



Of this monument Denon fays : although the proportions 

 of the fphynx are coloffal, the contours are free and pure ; 

 the expreflion of the head is fweet, graceful, and tranquil. 

 It is the charaAer of an African ; the mouth and lips thick, 

 with a foftnefs in its movements, and a finede in its execu- 

 tion, truly admirable : it is the flefti and the life. At 

 whatever time this was produced, art was without doubt in 

 a high degree of perfeftion. If there is wanting in this 

 head that which we call (lyle, that is to fay, thofe forms, 

 juft and exalted, winch the Greeks have given to their 

 divinities ; it is but jiiftice to acknowledge, that there is no 

 great and fweet charaftcr of nature which we cannot admire 

 in this figure : if vre are furprifed at the dimenlions of this 

 monument, no lefs are we ailonilhed at its execution. 



The temples of Kariiac and Luxor, on the right bank of 

 the Nile, together with thofe of Medinet Abou and the 

 Memnonium on the left bank, are fuppofed to occupy the 

 fituation of the ancient city of Thebes. The ruins of thefe 

 temples are of vail extent. The palace of Karnac was in 

 front 240 feet, and its depth near three-quarters of a mile. 

 It confuted of four great courts of nearly equal dimenfions, 

 comprehended within a long fquare : the firll court was oc- 

 cupied by four rows of columns ; the fecond court had 

 130 columns, the largeft 1 1 feet in diameter, the fmallclt 

 7 feet ; the third court was adorned witii obeiifljs 90 feet 

 high, and cololTal flatues, furrounded by various royal 

 apartments. On each fide of the entrance to the fourtli 

 court was a falcon of granite : the reft of the fpace was 

 occupied by porticoes, colonnades, and numerous chambers 

 for officers and attendants. This palace, with four de- 

 pendant llruftures of fimilar magnificence, but inferior pro- 

 portions, was approached by four paved rdads, bordered 

 on each fide with figures of animals, each 15 feet long. In 

 one avenue were 90 lions ; in another avenue, fphynxes ; in 

 another, rams ; and in the fourth, lions with hawks' heads. 

 From the ruined ftate of thefe avenues, we have no com.- 

 putation of the number of animals by which they were bor- 

 dered ; though it is almoft certain that they were not fewer 

 than 300, and it is poflible they might be many more. In 

 this palace 22 colofTal Itatues ilill remain, and a great many 

 Itatues of granite, and fragments of the fize of nature ; be- 

 fides which, the walls were nearly covered within and with- 

 out with baflb rehevos and piftures. The lefl'er ilrudures 

 in this group of buildings were adorned in the fame manner, 

 and communicated with the other palaces of Luxor and 

 Medinet Abou, as well as the Memnonium, which was the 

 magnificent tomb of Ofymandue or Memnon. 



The Memnonium looks to the ealf : it is a palace of the 

 moll ancient conltruftion, and its dimenfions alfo colofTal. 

 In one of its courts are feen the remains of the celebrated 

 ftatiie of red granite, which may be confidered as that of 

 Memnon. Its height was 64 feet, and its remains are fcat- 

 tered 40 feet around it. One of its feet fubfiits almolt en- 

 tire, whofe breadth is 41 feet ; and one of its ears meafured 

 39 inches in length. The excavations are ftill vifible, where 

 the wedges were placed which divided the monument, when 

 it was thrown down by Cambyfes. 



Between the Memnonium and Medinet Abou, and dif- 

 tant about half a league from each of them, are the remains 

 of a great number of coloflal ftatues and traces of buildings, 

 which indicate that thefe two places communicated with 

 each other by llruftures which filled up the whole fpace 

 between them. This mafs of edifices appears to have com- 

 pofed, according to Diodonis Siculus, the tomb of Memnon 

 or Ofymandue. We are confirmed in this conjecture, by the 



conformity which cxifts between the monuments in their 

 prefent ftate, and the cxtenfive as well as precife defcrip- 

 tions which that writer has left of piftures which are found 

 in both palaces. They reprefent the fiegcs of fortified 

 towns, hoftile invafions, and viftories obtained by the 

 Egyptians. 



The Memnonium has not been fini(hed, as well as the 

 greater part of Egyptian works, where, by the fide of ob- 

 jefts but roughly hewn, are feen examples of cxquifite 

 finifhing. Between the Memnonium and the palace of 

 Medinet Abou are the largcit coloffal Itatues which now 

 remain in Egypt : thefe are the figures now called Memnon. 

 They are both fitting, with their heads looking ftraight 

 forwards ; both their hands lying equally on their knees ; 

 their feet ilraight forward, and their legs in an upright 

 pofition, and both alike. One of thefe, according to the 

 defcriptions in Diodorus and Strabo, and thofe who copy 

 their writings, was the famous ftatue of Ofymandue, the 

 largeft of all the colofles. The height of them is about 

 58 feet. Three fmaller female figures accompany each of 

 the coloffal ftatues, which are ftanding one on each fide of 

 the chair, and one between the legs of the principal figure : 

 thefe are in bado relievo ; and that on the pedeltal or chair 

 of the fouthern figure wants no charm of delicacy in the 

 execution. It is on the leg of that figure, towards the 

 north, on which the inlcriptions are written of thofe illuf- 

 trious ancient travellers who vifited the ftatue of Memnon : 

 there are innumerable infcriptions ot names of all dates, and 

 in all languages. 



But Denon gives it as his opinion, which is alfo that of 

 Ripaud, that the two ftatues now ftanding are the mother 

 and fon of Ofymandue ; the figure of Olyniandue itfelf 

 now lying in ruins, as was before defcribed. 



The great temples of Hermopolis ; the great city of 

 Mercury ; of Tentyris, or Dendera ; of Latopolis ; of 

 Karnac ; of Apolliiiopolis, or Edfu ; of the iflands of Philae, 

 and of Elephantine ; are all now in ruins, covered with re- 

 maining examples of Egyptian fculpture, both in Itatues 

 and in hieroglyphical reprelentation, on the walls, and on 

 the pillars and porticoes, within and without ; many of 

 which are works of great labour and care, as well as intelli- 

 gence in art. 



M. Ripaud fays, the execution of the figures engraved 

 on the exterior and interior walls at Dendera, is an example 

 of the highell point of perfedtion to which the Egyptians 

 attained. All the minutise of their drefs are finifhed with a 

 purity and delicacy moft admirable, confidering the imprac- 

 ticability of the Hone. The elevation of this temple is 72 

 paces in breadth, and 145 in length ; the portico is 60 paces 

 in length, and 30 in breadth. Its molt remarkable decora- 

 tion is the great zodiac, divided into two bands ; it enriches 

 the cieling of the two laft intercolumniations to the right and 

 left. The faloon fucceeds to the portico, and is fupported 

 by fix columns, whofe capitals difplay four figures of Ifis, 

 with the ears of a cat. The compartments of the walls are 

 decorated with pidtures, in which is a great number of 

 female figures. 



On the terrace of the great temple is a fmall one, the 

 columns of winch are like thofe of the portico ; this temple 

 forms a fquare of nine feet, and is the portico of a chapel, 

 of which there are no traces. In the inner part of the 

 temple is an apartment, which is adorned with a zodiac ; 

 it is circular, and occupies one-half of the cieling. The 

 apartment appears to be confecrated to aftronomy. It is 

 feparated from another allronomical fculpture by a female 

 figure in has relief, of a large fize, occupying the whole 

 diameter of the cieling ; it prefents a contour eafy, and of 



beautiful 



