SCULPTURE. 



beautiful virgins, in the flower of youth, embracing each 

 other. 



The nymphs of Diana are habited like their patronefs. 

 The Furies are handfome, but with a terrific expreffion 

 of countenance ; their hair difhevelled, winged, and with 

 two fmall ferpents rifing from the tops of their heads. Their 

 drefs IS a fuccinft tunic, hke Diana's, and they have fnakes 

 and torches in their hands, to torment tlie wicked. 



What has been faid is fufficient to convey a general idea of 

 deified perfonification in Grecian mythology ; but thofe who 

 haveoccafion for a more intimate knowledge of their fyllem 

 of theology, and its different relations, as well as its innu- 

 merable allegorical forms and monfters, mult be referred to 

 their poetical and mythological writers, and the various 

 publications of ancient painting and fculpture, with their 

 illullrations by the learned. 



Concerning the Beauty of Parts in the Human Figure, its 

 Balance and Motion. — The ancients have obferved that the 

 human figure is infcribed witiiin the fquare and the circle ; 

 the fquare, when the feet are clofe together, the polhire 

 upright, and the arms extended in a parallel line ; when 

 the length from the extenfion of the oppofite finger is equal 

 to the whole height, from the crown of the head to the fole 

 of the foot ; which general obferv^tion leads to the determi- 

 nation, not only in the pofition of the bcdy and limbs, but 

 to the balance of the figure, by geometrical lines. The 

 human figure being laid upon its back, the arms and legs, ex- 

 tended like the fpokcs of awheel, may be inicribedin a cir- 

 cle, the centre of which is taken from the navel. When the 

 figure Uands upright, equally poifed upon both feet, the 

 centre of gravity falls in a perpendicular Imt- from the gul- 

 let between the two ankle;. 



When the figure reds on one foot, the centre of gravity 

 falls from the gullet, perpendicularly on the bottom of the 

 tibia bone of the leg on which it rells. 



If the figure is in equipoife, the centre of gravity falls 

 from the gullet between the legs. 



In advancing from that point before the leg, and in fwift 

 running, it is at every interchange of Hep far before the 

 fo(;t which is next to be placed on the ground. 



The figure, in bending fidcways to balance itlelf, mull ftill 

 retain an equality of weight round the centre of gravity, 

 to preferve its balance by Itretching out the oppofite leg or 

 arm. 



For further fatisfaftion concerning the motion of the 

 human figure, confult Borellius de Motu Animalium ; Cow- 

 per on the Mufcles ; and Lionardo dj Vinci on Painting. 



To obtain a more pofitive idea of the form of the 

 luimiin figure, as well as its balance, together with the 

 breadth of its parts, a reference to a geometrical figure is 

 particularly ufoful. F<;r inftance, view it in profile, and 

 we (liall fee that its column or general mafs io not perpen- 

 dicular, but confifts of undulations, through the middle of 

 which we may fuppofe the centfe of gravity pafitd perpen- 

 dicularly downwards. The head is tlu'own forward over 

 tiie neck and the breart, to ferve as a counterbalance with 

 the breall againll the projeAion of the (houlders ; and the 

 projection of the nates counterbalances that of the abdo- 

 men ; fo that the back-bone beginning from its uppermoll 

 joint, which immediately fnpports the (l<ull, after being a 

 little curved inwaids, thong's nearly (Iraight for the firil 

 feven joints, afterwards forms a bold curve outwards be- 

 tween the (houlders for the next twelve joints downward to 

 the loins, partaking in the fame hollow with the ribs, to 

 contain the organs of the thorax. 



The projeftion of the thighs in front is oppofed lower 

 down on the oppofite fide by the projection of the calves 



of the legs ; not only for a counterbalance, but alfo for 

 counteraftion ; and for the fame reafon the bending forward 

 of the body from the head downward is counteraAed by 

 the length of the foot, and its rcfiilance for fupport. 



The general form of the head, viewed from the top, is 

 circular, being larger at the back of the head and narrower 

 at the forehead. The general view of the head in front is 

 egg-formed. The fimpleft charaAer of the profile is that 

 of the nofe, little differing in (traightnef^ from the line of 

 the forehead ; the lips and chin making Imall projeAions, 

 each about a quarter of a circle. This is the moll gene- 

 ral and fimple idea of the human face, and that principle 

 upon which moil of the ancient ideal heads are formed. 

 Force and pafllon are deviations from this principle by the 

 application of curves in the outline more or lefs bold, and 

 the face of infancy is defcribcd by one portion of a circle 

 forming the forehead, and another the cheeks, with a fmall 

 nofe between. 



In the ancient fculpture, the moll perfeft necks for youth, 

 beauty, and llrength, are nearly circular, like the portion of 

 a column. The breafts are elevated and broad ; the line of 

 the ribs is nearly a portion of a circle gently exprcifed, 

 a little below the nearly llraight line, which terminates the 

 breafts above. The aMomen has a gentle channel from the 

 pit of the llomach to the navel. The lower mufcles of the ab- 

 domen to the OS pubis are a little fwclled and nearly plain. 

 The fides of the ribs under the arms are marked with gentle 

 divifions diagonally, tending downwards in front, which in- 

 dicate the ribs and mufcles which immediately cover them. 

 The back of the trunk between the neck and the loins is a 

 curve outwards, as has been already dcfcribeJ ; and the fpine, 

 or back-bone, which is the pillar of fupport to tlie upper 

 part of the body, the arms, and the head, Ihews behind as 

 an indenture between the two rounded portions of the back, 

 on which tli? blade-bones and their mufcles form a gentle 

 and rounded flattened fwell immediately below the neck. 

 The commencement of the arms, as they are afSxed to the 

 body, has a bold and rounded form, in the upper part of which 

 is united the head of the upper arm-bone, to the end of the 

 collar-bone before, and the blade-bone behind ; the arm, be- 

 ginning at the feparation from the trunk and continued to the 

 wriil, is a diminifliing cylinder. The upper arm finiihing at 

 the elbow is broader, and fideways flatter than the lower 

 arm. The lower arm is flattened the contrary way, and 

 lefs than the njijier p:irt of the limb. The wrill is a rounded 

 flattened form in youthful bodies full of flefll. The hand 

 is hollowed withinfide, and a little rounded without ; the 

 thumb extends to the firll joint of the firll finger ; the mid- 

 dle finger is the largeft ; the next finger outwardly is next 

 in length ; the finger between the thumb and the middle 

 finger next in length; and the little finger Ihorteil of all: 

 they are lefs in bulk as they are fliortcr, and diminilhed down- 

 wards cyhndrically. The male hand and finger has more 

 of breadth and ilatncfs ; the knuckles are more fquare and 

 decided even in yc.uth. The female hand is more rounded 

 and flefliy ; the fingers are more perfectly cvllndrical and 

 tapered, the knuckles lefs decided, having little more dif- 

 tindion than gentle hollows in the more conllraincd pofi- 

 tions of thofe knuckles, which unite the fingers to the 

 hand. The nails in men arc more fquared, in women more 

 rounded, long, and delicate. 



The loins of the body are in the fide view confiderably 

 curved ill from the rib«, and projeA again in a gradual ob- 

 liquity from the bottom of the ribs to the bottom ol the 

 nates. In the front of the liijure, the trunk terminates at the 

 OS ilium or bafon bone, which is marked immediately be- 

 fore the projeding mufcles, which ternunatc the line of 



the 



