SCULPTURE. 



he gives the two following reafons : firft, that as profeflions 

 in that country were hereditary, genius mu(t be wanting to 

 reprefent the human figure in perfeftion ; and, fecondly, 

 that fuperltitious reverence for the works of their anceftors 

 prevented improvement. This is an amufing but needlefs 

 hypothefis, for there are ftatues in the Capitoline mufeum 

 with as great a breadth and choice of grand parts proper 

 to the human form, as ever they reprefented in their lions 

 or other inferior animals. In addition to the other obferv- 

 ations on Egyptian ftatues, we may remark, that the form 

 of their hands and feet are grofs ; they have no anatomical 

 detail of parts, and are totally wanting in the grace of mo- 

 tion. This lalt defeft, in all probabihty, was not the con- 

 fequence of a fuperftitious determination to perfift in the 

 praftice of their anceftors : it is better accounted for in an- 

 other way : Pythagoras, after he had ftudied feveral years 

 in Egypt, facrificed loo oxen for joy of having difcovered 

 that a fquare of the longeft fide of a right-angled triangle 

 is equal to the two fquares of the lelier fides of the fame 

 triangle ; and thence it follows, the knowledge of the 

 Egyptians could not have been very great in geometry at 

 that time, which will naturally and fufficiently account for 

 that want of motion in their ftatues and relievos, which can 

 only be obtained from obfervation of nature ailifted by 

 geometry. 



The ftate of Egyptian fcience in the time of Pythagoras 

 being noticed, leads us to another confideration refpecling 

 the date of their architefture and fculpture. Moft of their 

 great works are mentioned by the ancients as done in the 

 reign of Sefoftris, and afterwards. Sefoftris Hved in the 

 time of Rehoboam, king of Ifrael, about the time of the 

 ' Trojan war, or looo years before the Chriftian era, which 

 fliews the arts of Egypt and Greece were in a progrefiive 

 ftate at the fame time. And from the Greeks refiding with 

 them to rtudy theology, philofophy, and fcience ; from the 

 great intercourfe, political and commercial, between the two 

 countries from the heroic times ; from the Greeks being long 

 fettled in the city of Naucratis, and other parts of Egypt, 

 we may fairly conclude their communication in arts was 

 juft as free as in other concerns, which feems the more 

 likely, as there is a confiderable refemblance in the features 

 and contour of the early Greek and Egyptian ftatues. 



The Egyptian baffo relievos are ( generally but not always) 

 funk into the back-ground, being left level with the liiglit-ft 

 part of the relief; for which praftice two reaions may be af- 

 figned ; firft, that as many of thefe baiio relievos were cut in 

 exceeding hard itones, bafaltes and granite ; as much time 

 muft have been confunied to clear away the ground about 

 the figure, as had been employed to cut the figure itfelf ; but 

 befides the economy of time, when fome hundreds or thou- 

 fands of figures were engraven on the fides of a lofty obc- 

 liflc, or the walls of a temple ; the far greater number of 

 them were at a great diftance from the eye 50, 60 feet or 

 more ; in this cale the ground, being left perpendicular to 

 the figure the whole circuit of its outline, gave it a greater 

 breadth of ftiadow and diftinftncfs to the fpedtator. Thefe 

 badb relievos, which we comprehend in the general term 

 •hieroglyphics, or facred gravings, reprefent dift'erent fubjcdts, 

 according to the place and purpofc for which they were 

 employed. On the walls of tombs they reprefent the pro- 

 feflions, aclions, and funerals of the deceafcd : in palaces, 

 wars, ncgociations, triumphs, procefiions, trophies, with 

 civil, military, and domeftic employment of kings. In 

 temples, tliey were the fymbolical regiftcrs of theology and 

 facred fcience. On obeliflis, they exprefs hymns to the 

 gods, or the prailes of their kings. Ammianus Marcellinus 

 has preferved part of a tranllation by Hermapion, the 



Egyptian, of the hieroglyphics on the ebelilk which for- 

 merly flood in the centre of the Circus Maximus ; and at 

 prefent before the church of St. John de Lateran in Rome. 

 It imports, that the fun, the lord of the univerfe, gives to 

 Ramefis the kingdom of Egypt, and dominion of all the 

 earth in the city of Heliopolis. This tranflation feems 

 fufficiently juftified in the upper lines of the hieroglyphics, 

 where a divinity is fitting, in the a&. of beftowing on a 

 man, who kneels before him, ftretching his hands to receive. 

 In the following line the fame man is feen again taking 

 pofleffion of an altar, on the fide of which is the ox 

 Apis, and on the top the mitred hawk, fymbol of Ofiris. 

 Thus of the facred emblems of Egypt. 



The enormous works of Egypt have ftruck every foreign 

 vifitor with wonder and awe, from Herodotus to the mem- 

 bers of the French Inftitute. Herodotus fays, one of 

 their buildings is equal to many of the moft confiderable 

 Greek buildings taken together, and M. Ripaud obferves, 

 thofe works are fo prodigious, they make every thing we 

 do look little ; and indeed, if we confider the execution of 

 a ftatue 65 feet high, in fo hard a material as granite, 

 the boldelt heart would be appalled at the incalculable 

 labour and difficulties of the work. 



In the Egyptian fculpture we fhall find fome excellent 

 firit principles of the art. Their belt ftatues are divided 

 into leven heads and one-third, or feven heads and one-half: 

 the whole height of the figure is divided into two equal 

 parts at the os pubis ; the reft of the proportions are natural, 

 and not difagreeable. The principal forms of the body and 

 limbs, as the breafts, belly, ftioulders, biceps of the arm, 

 knees, (hin-bones, and feet, are expreffcd with a flefhy 

 roundnefs, although without anatomical knowledge of de- 

 tail ; and in the female figures thefe parts often poflefs con- 

 fiderable elegance and beauty. The forms of the female 

 face have much the fame outline and progreffion towards 

 beauty in the features as we fee in fome of the early Greek 

 ftatues, and, like them, without variety of charafter ; for 

 little difterence can be traced in the faces of Ifis, in her dif- 

 ferent reprefentations of Diana, Venus, or Terra, or indeed 

 in the face of Ofiris, although fometimes underftood to be 

 Jupiter himfelf, excepting that in fome inftauces he has a 

 very fmall beard, in Ihape refembling a peg. The hands 

 and feet, Uke the reft of the figure, have general forms 

 only, without particular detail ; the fingers and toes are 

 flat, of equal thicknefs, little feparatcd, and without dif- 

 tinftion of the knuckles : yet altogether their fimplicity of 

 idea, breadth of parts, and occafional beauty of form, 

 ftrike the fkilful beholder, and have been highly prailed by 

 the bell judges, ancient and modern. 



In their baftb relievos and paintings, which require variety 

 of action and fituation, are demonftratcd their want of ana- 

 tomical, mechanical, and geometrical fcience, relating to 

 the arts of painting and fculpture. The king, or hero, is 

 three times larger than the other figures. Whatever is the 

 aftion, — a fiege, a battle, taking a town by ftorm, there 

 is not the fmallell idea of perfpeftive in the place, or mag- 

 nitude of figures or buildings. Figures in violent aftion 

 are equally deftilute of joints, and other anatomical form, 

 as they are of the balance and fpring of motion, the force 

 of a blow, or the juft variety of line in the turning figure. 

 In a word, their hiftoric.il art was informing the beholder, 

 in the beft manner they could, according to the rude cha- 

 rafters tiicy were able to make. From luch a defcription, 

 it is eafy to underftand how much iheir attempts at hiftorical 

 reprefentation were inferior to their fiugle ftatues. 



Wliat has been hitherto faid of Egyptian Iculpturc de- 

 fcribcs the ancient native fculpture of that people. After 



the 



