750 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION H. 
On the other hand, neglected detail is often more offensive than 
that excessively finished, by reason of its want of harmony and its 
rudeness. 
Materials . — Much might be said of materials themselves. Of 
course white marble is looked upon as the ideal, but much admirable 
work has come down to our time executed in coarser stones, metal, 
and clay, both glazed and unglazed. These are all procurable in 
Australia, so I feel sure the materials will not be found wanting when 
the designers and workmen and the desire for beautiful work are 
born amongst us. Sculpture cannot look better than when executed 
in the same material as the building itself. If some other be desired, 
let the choice be of richer material — stone on a brick building, 
marble, or metal on a stone one. In all cases the treatment should 
conform to the nature of the material worked in ; for instance, clay 
and metal should have quite a different treatment to stone. It is in 
this direction that moderns, since the time of late Eenaissance, have 
commonly failed. The deeply cut and flowing draperies continually 
seen remind us of the fact that they have been worked from clay 
models, and are not suitable for execution in stone. 
Again, the limitations of the material must be recognised, and 
compositions must be restricted to one plane. Perspective and dis- 
tance, such as Ghiberti and many smaller men have tried for, are 
beyond the range of sculpture. As regards leaves and foliage, 
never try in stone to emulate the delicacy obtainable in metal or even 
in wood, but let the stone govern the execution. The hardness of stone 
occasionally regulates its treatment ; see, for instance, how flat and 
conventional the sculpture, if any, and how simple the mouldings 
worked in granite. 
Kepose and balance are very desirable qualities in sculpture. ^ Par 
better err on the side of quiet reserve than allow a suggestion of fussi- 
ness, especially in the lower forms, as in foliage and draperies. Of 
course, an expression of growth in foliage and of life in figures is 
desirable so as to avoid meagre, straggling effects in the one, and 
stiff perpendicular effects in the other ; but it will be found easy 
to give an impression of unrest by exaggerated action, which will 
clash with architectural surroundings, besides distressing the mind 
with the fear of instability. 
* On similar grounds 1 should be inclined to question the propriety 
of using caryatides and similar forms. The more finished and natural, 
the worse they look. A conventional treatment and a calm, noble face, 
however, rectify the evil to an extent. 
Equilibrium is especially necessary to terminal statues against 
the 3 ky, where, the profiled mass alone being seen, the slightest want 
of balance is noticeable. 
Sobriety is often accentuated by facial expression, the face being 
such a readable index. The Greeks evidently recognised this, as we 
find the stolid nobility of a good natural type continually portrayed in 
their work. Such refinements, however, should only be resorted to in 
special cases, and where mere representation has proved insufficient. 
The next point for consideration is scale; the most important 
factor to be appreciated in respect of it being that magnitude is 
relative rather than actual, so that by carefully proportioning the 
parts and details with which the eye is acquainted (the human figure, 
