SCULPTURE. 



It \» in one of thcfe chamber* where are feen the two 

 harps which were copied by Bruce. A third gallery fuc- 

 ceeds, of the fame dimenfions as the former, and leads to a 

 chamber above the level of the other apartments, which is 

 eighteen feet fquare ; from this chamber is the entrance to a 

 gallery of thirty-four paces in length. There is alfo an in- 

 clining gallery, whofe length is twenty -eight paces. At its 

 extremity is a corridor of fixteen paces, leading to a cham- 

 ber of eleven paces, which is connefted with another of the 

 fame fize, by a gallery of fix paces : a fquare faloon then 

 fucceeds, fupported by eight pillars ; its length is twenty 

 paces, and its breadth twenty : here is the farcophagus 

 which contained the mummy of the king. The Romans 

 made fome attempts to carry away this farcophagus from 

 the grotto where it is depofited ; they had even tried to level 

 the ground in order to facilitate its removal, but they very 

 foon renounced the impracticable enterprize. 



To the faloon of the farcophagus another apartment fuc- 

 ceede, of twenty-five paces in breadtli, and forty in length ; 

 the height of the tomb is feven feet, its lengtli eight, and 

 its breadth fix ; the total length of the gallery is two hun- 

 dred and twenty-five paces. The tombs of the kings, 

 throughout their whole extent, are covered with piftures 

 and hieroglyphics, but the greater part are painted in frefco, 

 and reprefeiit the moil phantaltic fubjefts. The refearches 

 into Herculaneum have difcovered a great number of paint- 

 ings executed in a finiilar talle. 



One of the moit interefting of thefe grottoes contains a 

 farcophagus that is iUU entire, and in its place ; its length 

 is fixteen feet, and height twelve, and its breadth fix ; 

 it ftill preferves the lid adorned with the figure of the king, 

 which is a fingle block of granite. How this was tranf- 

 ported acrofs the mountain, and afterwards introduced 

 through a fubterraneous paflage two hundred paces in 

 length, we can have no conception. 



From the time of Strabo there were reckoned feventeen 

 tombs of kings ; and we (hall (till find the fame number, if 

 we may comprehend in this enumeration a fnperb grotto, 

 whofe plan is equally large and beautiful with that of the 

 fepulchres of the Theban fovereigns. 



This grotto is half a league to the north of the Mem- 

 nonium, and is fcooped out at the bottom of a mountain, 

 whofe enclofure contains many other tombs : the entrance 

 of feveral of them is clofed, but the greater part of them have 

 been violated. It appears that thofe of the ancient Egyptians, 

 who had remained faithful to their worfhip, endeavoured to 

 conceal the knowledge of the fepulchres of their kings from 

 their conquerors, or from the profefTors of other religions. 



Two of thefe grottoes remain unfiniflied, and a third is 

 altogether without fculpture ; and fome others offer to view 

 feveral decorative objefts in a very unfinifhed Hate. 



The quarries of Silfilis, in Upper Egypt, prefent a fpecies 

 of fagade cut into door-ways of immenfe fize, and por- 

 ticoes, in which are other door-ways leading into tombs, in 

 the chambers and paffages of which are figures as large as 

 life, cut in the native rock, often only rough hewn, and 

 the walls are both fculptured and painted. On the borders 

 of the Nile we find thefe porticoes, entablatures, and cor- 

 niches covered with hieroglyphics cut in the rock. Beneath 

 thefe are a great number of tombs, all cut in the rock. 

 They are formed into galleries, at the end of which are 

 funeral chambers of feven feet by ten and eight feet by twelve : 

 thefe chambers, and the palfages leading to them, are orna- 

 mented with hieroglyphics traced upon th» rock, and finifhed 

 with coloured ftucco, reprefenting offerings ; the «ielings 

 are alfo ftuccoed with ornaments and fcroUs ; often they 

 are arched with an elegant elliptical arch, and painted and 



fculptured in an exquifite ftyle, difplaying an agreeable 

 afibrtment of colours, and an efFeft rich and gracenil. 



Molt of the tombs are entered by a fingle door and gal- 

 lery, and have only a fingle chamber, in which are one, two, 

 three, or four figures as large as life, cut out of the rock, 

 perhaps two brothers and their wives : the men fit in the 

 middle and the women on the outfide, with their hands pafTed 

 under the arms of their hulbands, who fit each with their 

 arms acrofs upon their bofoms. Some tombs have but one 

 figure, perhaps of one who led a fingle life ; another has 

 three figures, a man and two women ; the man in the centre 

 and the women on each fide, with their hands pafled under 

 the arms of the man, who has his arms eroded upon his 

 bolom. The figures of men have little fquare beards, with 

 head-drertes hanging down behind the flioulders ; thofe of 

 women have the fame head-dreffes, but hangisg before their 

 naked breafts. In fome chambers the floor is cut into many 

 tombs, of dimenfion and form to receive the mummies, and 

 in the fame number as the fculptured figures. Sometimes 

 the principal figure holds the flower of the lotus, an emblem 

 of death. And on the fide of the door-way, at the entrance, 

 we often fee the figure of a woman in fome attitude of 

 lamentation. Sometimes there are two galleries or entrancse 

 into a fingle tomb ; and one tomb in thefe quarries of Sil- 

 filis, the largeft and bell preferved of any, is J5 feet long 

 in front and 15 high, with an entablature having five doors : 

 the middle door is ornamented with an architrave covered 

 with hieroglyphics : within the door is a gallery or paifage 

 50 feet long and 10 wide, in the midit of which is an- 

 other door-way leading to a chamber, at the further end 

 of which are feven figures ftanding ; and on the infide of 

 the interior door are two niches, in each of which is a 

 figure alfo ftanding : other figures are alfo in the palTage or 

 gallery, all cut in the rock. In the fagade withoutfide are 

 feven niches, three large with figures, the others fmaller ; 

 thofe with the figures are all cut in the rock, the reft of 

 the rock remaining in its primitive form. 



Such are the ruins of a nation fo celebrated, that it was 

 the place where the wife men of that truly wife people, 

 the Grecians, reforted as to the fchool of fcience. 



The univerfal and profufe employment of fculpture by 

 the Egyptians, both in coloffal and minute dimenfion, for 

 public and domeitic purpofes, for the fervice of the hving 

 and the dead, all induce us to enquire into the principles 

 and quality of their produflions. ' 



We have not only the written evidence of ancient authors, 

 but the demonftrative evidence of remaining works, that 

 almott the whole of Egyptian fculpture was facrcd, that 

 is, reprefenting divine qualities, attributes, and perfonifica- 

 tions, if we except the hiftorical feries on their tombs and 

 palaces. 



The Egyptian flatiles fland equally poifed upon the two 

 legs, having one foot advanced, and the arms either hanging 

 Itraight down, each fide ; or if one arm is raifed, it is at a 

 right angle acrofs the body. Some llatues fit on feats, 

 fome on the ground, and fome are kneeling ; but the pofi- 

 tions of their hands feldom vary from the above defcription. 

 Their attitudes are of courfe fimply redtilinear, and with- 

 out lateral movement ; their faces are flattifh ; the eyebrows, 

 eyehds, and mouths formed of fimple curves, flightly but 

 fharply marked, and with little exprefCon. The general pro- 

 portions are fomething more than feven heads high ; the 

 form of the body and hmbs rather round and effeminate, 

 with only the molt evident projeftions and hollows : their 

 tunics or other draperies are without folds in many in- 

 fiances. Winckelman has remarked, that the Egyptians ex- 

 ecuted quadrupeds better than human figures, for which 



be 



