SCULPTURE. 



to his compofitions, a grace to his groups, a foftnefs to 

 flefh, and a flow to draperies, unknown to his predeceflbrs, 

 the charafters of whofe figures were llifT rather than dig- 

 nified ; their forms either meagre or turgid ; the folds of dra- 

 pery parallel, poor, and reprelenting geometrical lines, rather 

 than the fimple but ever varying appearances of nature. 



The difcourfas of contemporary philofophers on mental 

 and perfonal perfeiftion, affifled him in feledting and com- 

 bining ideas, which (lamped his works with the fublime and 

 beautiful of Homer's verfe. 



How this fculptor was efteemed by the ancients will be 

 underftood by the following ihort quotations. Phny fays, 

 '< Phidias was mod famous through all nations." And when 

 enumerating the moil celebrated fculptors of antiquity, he 

 fays, " but before all, Phidias the Athenian ;" and Qiiintilian 

 fays, that " his Athenian Minerva and Olympian Jupiter, at 

 Elis, pofleffed beauty which fecmed to have added forae- 

 tliing to religion, the majefty of the work was fo worthy of 

 the divinity." 



After fuch pofitive and magnificent teftimony, there will 

 be ftill room for our furprize, in the delcriptions, fragments, 

 and other authentic memorials, of fome works only which 

 he condufted and performed ; fuch as the temple of Mi- 

 nerva, and the Acropolis of Athens, ercfted by Iiflinus 

 and Callicrates, under the diretlion of Phidias ; and to 

 him it is we likewife owe the compofitions, llylc, and 

 charafter of the fculpture, in addition to much affillance 

 in the .drawing, modelling, and choice of naked figures 

 and draperies, as well as occafional execution of parts in the 

 marble. 



PUny fays, the emulators of Phidias were Alcamenes, 

 Critias, Neilocles, Hcgias ; and twenty years afterwards, 

 Agelades, Gallon, Polycletus, Phradmon, Gorgias, Lacon, 

 Myron, Pythagoras, Scopa.";, Parelius. In this lilt we cer- 

 tainly have the names of the fculptors employed on the 

 temples of Minerva and Thcfeus ; and as the (lyles of dif- 

 ferent hands are fufficiently evident in the alto and baflb re- 

 lievos, fo there might perhaps be no great difliculty in 

 tracing fome of the artifts by refemblance to others of their 

 known works.. 



The two pediments of tlie temple of Minerva were each 

 eighty-eight feet long, filled with compofitions of entire 

 groups, and ftatues from eight to nine feet high. The llory 

 of the wellern pediment related to the birtli of Minerva, or 

 rather perhaps reprefented her introduftion among the gods. 

 The eallern pediment was occupied by the contention of 

 Neptune and Minerva for the patronage of Athens. Forty- 

 three metops were charged with combats of the Lapithoe and 

 Centaurs, and a frieze of three hundred and eighty feet 

 round the wall of the temple, under the portico, was deco- 

 rated with the proceflion of the Grecian llates, in honour of 

 Minerva, in chariots, on horfeback, leading animals for fa- 

 crifice, bearing offerings, and prefenting the facred veil, in 

 prefence of the gods, fitting on thrones to witnefs the folemn 

 ceremony. 



The marquis Nanteuil had a drawing made of the wellern 

 pediment of this temple, when the (latues were all, exceptmg 

 one, in their places ; and notwithllanding fome mutilations of 

 parts, the whole was lufficiently entire for the compofition 

 to be perfeftly underftood from the marquis Nanteuil's 

 Iketch, carefully compared with the original fragments in 

 the earl of Elgin's mufeum. In the centre, Jupiter fits hold- 

 ing his fccptre in his right hand, the thunder in his left ; on 

 the right of Jupiter, in an advancing pofition, Minerva takes 

 poffefiion of her car, while the reins are governed by Themis 

 and Mars ; from beliind Themis, a genius leads Viftory for- 

 ward to attend the patronefs of Athens ; on the left of 



Jupiter, Vulcan (lands by his mother Juno ; Amphitrite 

 fits next, whofe foot refts on a dolphin ; Latona fucceeds, 

 with her infants Apollo and Diana, beautifully implying that 

 the maturity of divine wifdom was older than the fun and 

 moon. The lail group is Venus fitting on the lap of Ocean ; 

 the figures at each end of the pediment are not (hewn, be- 

 caufe they are mere contingents, fpeftators only ; not par- 

 taking in the aftion. 



The idea of this compofition feems to have been fuggelted 

 by Homer's hymn to Minerva, a (hort poem, but one of the 

 author's highell flights ; in which he defcribes Pallas in full 

 flature, and completely armed, iffuing from the head of Jove ; 

 Olympus, the whole earth, and furrounding fea, trembling 

 at the vibration of her fpear ; the fun (laying his courfers in 

 their race, and partaking in the fame amazement with the 

 other immortals. 



The ilatue of Minerva, in the Parthenon at Athens, one 

 of the mailer-pieces of Phidias, is thus defcribed by Pliny, 

 Paufanias, and other ancient authors. It is in height 

 twenty-fix cubits, formed of ivory and gold, ilandmg up- 

 right, her tunic reaching to her feet, holding a vidlory fix 

 feet high in her right hand, and a fpear in her left ; the 

 drapery is of gold ; the uncovered parts of the (latue are of 

 ivory ; the head of Medufa on the breall-plate of the goddefs 

 is of ivory ; at her feet is her (hield ; in the convex part of her 

 (hield tlie Amazonian war ; in the concave part is the war of 

 the gods and giants ; in the bafe Pandora's hiftory : the gods 

 are here prefent thirty in number ; the Lapithoe and Cen- 

 taurs are fculptured on her fandals ; a ferpent at her feet ad- 

 mirably executed ; a fphynx on the top, and a griffon on 

 each fide of her helmet. The quantity of gold in this (latue 

 was forty talents. Plato fays the eyes were of precious 

 ftones. 



There was alfo, in the citadel of Athens, another Ilatue of 

 Minerva by Phidias, thus defcribed by Paufanias. Of the 

 fpoils taken at Marathon from the Perfians, Phidias made 

 Minerva's (latue of brafs, in whofe (hield the battle of the 

 Lapitha: and Centaurs was engraved by Mys, and painted 

 by Parrhafius, the fon of Evcnor. The top of the fpear, and 

 crell of the helmet, might be feen bv thofe who fail by Su- 

 nium. 



But the great work of this great mailer, the ailoni(hment 

 and praife of after ages, was the Jupiter at Elis ; thus 

 defcribed by Paufanias. The god is feated upon his throne, 

 made of gold and ivory, a crown of olive branch on his head ; 

 in his right hand bearing a Vittory, alfo of ivory and gold ; 

 (he bears a fillet, and is crowned ; the left hand of the god 

 holds a fceptre of various coloured metals, an eagle of gold 

 fitting upon tlie fceptre ; his garment is of gold, and on his 

 g.irment are wrought animals and flowers, particularly the 

 lily ; his fandals alfo are of gold ; the throne is varioufly 

 ornamented with gold and gems, and alfo with ivory and 

 ebony : on it animals are painted in their proper colours, 

 and fculptured with great labour. Four viftories, as in the 

 dance, are on the hinder feet of the throne, two on each fide ; 

 and on the front the children of the Thebans taken away by 

 the fphynx ; and beneath the fphynxes, Niobe and her 

 children flain by Apollo and Diana ; on the frames that join 

 the feet of the throi:e ornaments are carved ; on that in front 

 Hercules warring with the Amazons. Paufanias numbered 

 upon them all together twenty-nine figures. Among Her- 

 cules' companions was alio Thefeus. There were alfo pillars 

 which adjoined to the feet fupporting the throne, equal 

 in fize to the feet. There is not an entrance underneath the 

 throne, as under that of Apollo at Amyclis. It is hollow, 

 but the fpeclator cannot enter, becaufe a wall includes the 

 throne. Of this wall, that part wliich fronts the door is 

 6 painted 



