872 SCULP 
times. Yet so well was sculpture, even while thus imperfect, 
encouraged, that, according to Pliny, the picture of the battle 
ofMagnete, painted by Bularchus, was paid for, with its 
weight in gold, by Candaules, king of Lydia. 
From the few historical observations now offered, it is 
conjectured by historians that sculpture was eight hundred 
years from the age of Daedalus, to the time immediately pre¬ 
ceding Phidias, in attaining a tolerable representation of the 
human form. 
About 490 years before the Christian era, Phidias flou¬ 
rished at the same time with the philosophers Socrates, Plato 
and Anaxagoras; the statesmen and commanders Pericles, 
Miltiades, Themistocles, Cimon and Xenophon, with the 
tragic poets iEschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. This 
period was as favourable in its moral and political circum¬ 
stances, as in the emulation of rare talents, to produce the 
display and encourage the growth of genius. 
The city and citadel of Athens had been burnt by the 
army of Xerxes; but the Greeks, being conquerors, raised 
more stately buildings in the room of those destroyed. 
Phidias was engaged by Pericles in the superintendance and 
decorations of the temple of Minerva, and other public 
works. 
Superior genius, in addition to his knowledge of paint¬ 
ing, which he practised before sculpture, gave a grandeur 
to his compositions, a grace to his groups, a softness to 
flesh, and a flow to draperies, unknown to his predecessors, 
the characters of whose figures were stiff rather than dig¬ 
nified; their forms either meagre or turgid; the folds of dra¬ 
pery parallel, poor, and representing geometrical lines, rather 
than the flowing curves of nature. 
How this sculptor was esteemed by the ancients will be 
understood by the following short quotations:—Pliny says, 
“ Phidias was most famous through all nations.” And when 
enumerating the most celebrated sculptors of antiquity, he 
says, “ but before all, Phidias the Athenian;” and Quintilian 
says, that “ his Athenian Minerva and Olympian Jupiter, at 
Elis, possessed beauty which seemed to have added some¬ 
thing to religion; the majesty of the work was so worthy of 
the divinity.” 
Pliny says, the emulators of Phidias were Alcamenes, 
Critias, Nestocles, Hegias; and twenty years afterwards, 
Agelades, Callon, Polycletus, Phradmon, Gorgias, Lacon, 
Myron, Pythagoras, Scopas, Parelius. In this list we cer¬ 
tainly have the names of the sculptors employed on the 
temples of Minerva and Theseus ; and as the styles of dif¬ 
ferent hands are sufficiently evident in the alto and basso-re¬ 
lievos, so there might perhaps be no great difficulty in tracing 
some of the artists by resemblance to others of their known 
works. 
The two pediments of the temple of Minerva were each 
eighty-eight feet long, filled with compositions of entire 
groups, and statues from eight to nine feet high. The story 
of the western pediment related to the birth of Minerva, or 
rather perhaps represented her introduction among the gods. 
The eastern pediment was occupied by the contention of 
Neptune and Minerva for the patronage of Athens. Forty- 
three metops were charged with combats of the Lapithae 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 procession of the Grecian states, in honour of 
Minerva, in chariots, on horseback, leading animals for sa¬ 
crifice, bearing offerings, and presenting the sacred veil, in 
presence of the gods, sitting on thrones to witness the solemn 
ceremony. 
The Marquis Nanteuil had a drawing made of the western 
pediment of this temple, when the statues were all, excepting 
one, in their places ; and notwithstanding some mutilations of 
parts, the whole was sufficiently entire for the composition 
to be perfectly understood from the Marquis Nanteuil’s 
sketch, carefully compared with the original fragments in 
the Earl of Elgin’s museum. In the centre, Jupiter sits hold¬ 
ing his sceptre in his right hand, the thunder in his left; on 
the right of Jupiter, in an advancing position, Minerva takes 
possession of her car, while the reins are governed by Themis 
T U R E. 
and Mars; from behind Themis, a genius leads Victory for¬ 
ward to attend the patroness of Athens; on the left of 
Jupiter, Vulcan stands by his mother Juno; Amphitrite 
sits next, whose foot rests on a dolphin; Latona succeeds, 
with her infants Apollo and Diana, beautifully implyingthat 
the maturity of divine wisdom was older than the sun and 
moon. The last group is Venus sitting on the lap of Ocean ; 
the figures at eacli end of the pediment are not shewn, be¬ 
cause they are mere contingents, spectators only ; not par¬ 
taking in the action. 
The idea of this composition seems to have been suggested 
by Homer’s hymn to Minerva, a short poem, but one of the 
author’s highest flights ; in which he describes Pallas in full 
stature, and completely armed, issuing from the head of Jove; 
Olympus, the whole earth, and surrounding sea, trembling 
at the vibration of her spear ; the sun staying his coursers in 
their race, and partaking in the same amazement with the 
other immortals. 
The statue of Minerva, in the Parthenon at Athens, one 
of the master-pieces of Phidias, is thus described by Pliny, 
Pausanias, and other ancient authors :—It is in height 
twenty-six cubits, formed of ivory and gold, standing up¬ 
right ; her tunic reaching to her feet, holding a victory, six 
feet high in her right hand, and a spear in her left; the 
drapery is of gold ; the uncovered parts of the statue are of 
ivory ; the head of Medusa on the breast-plate of the goddess 
is of ivory ; at her feet is her shield; in the convex part of her 
shield the Amazonian war; in the concave part is the war of 
the gods and giants; in the base Pandora’s history : the gods 
are here present thirty in number; the Lapithae and Cen¬ 
taurs are sculptured on her sandals ; a serpent at her feet ad¬ 
mirably executed; a sphynx on the top, and a griffon on 
each side of her helmet. The quantity of gold in this statue 
was forty talents. Plato says the eyes were of precious 
stones. 
There was also, in the citadel of Athens, another statue of 
Minerva by Phidias, thus described by Pausanias:—Of the 
spoils taken at Marathon from the Persians, Phidias made 
Minerva’s statue of brass, in whose shield the battle of the 
Lapithse and Centaurs was engraved by Mys, and painted 
by Parrhasius, the son of Evenor. The top of the spear, and 
crest of the helmet, might be seen by those who sail by Su- 
nium. 
But the great work of this great master, the astonishment 
and praise of after ages, was the Jupiter at Elis; thus 
described by Pausanias:—The god is seated upon his throne, 
made of gold and ivory, a crown of olive branch on his head; 
in his right hand bearing a Victory, also of ivory and gold; 
she bears a fillet, and is crowned; the left hand of the god 
holds a sceptre of various coloured metals, an eagle of gold 
sitting upon the sceptre ; his garment is of gold, and on his 
garment are wrought animals and flowers, particularly the 
lily; his sandals also are of gold; the throne is variously 
ornamented with gold and gems, and also with ivory and 
ebony : on it animals are painted in their proper colours, 
and sculptured with great labour. Four victories, as in the 
dance, are on the hinder feet of the throne, two on each side ; 
and on the front the children of the Thebans taken away by 
the sphynx; and beneath the sphynxes, Niobe and her 
children slain by Apollo and Diana ; on the frames that join 
the feet of the throne ornaments are carved; on that in front 
Hercules warring with the Amazons. Pausanias numbered 
upon them all together twenty-nine figures. Among Her¬ 
cules’ companions was also Theseus. There were also pillars 
which adjoined to the feet supporting the throne, equal 
in size to the feet. There is not an entrance underneath the 
throne, as under that of Apollo at Amyclis. It is hollow, 
but the spectator cannot enter, because a wall includes the 
throne. Of this wall, that part which fronts the door is 
painted blue; the sides have the pictures of Pansenus. 
Among these is Atlas sustaining Heaven and Earth. Her¬ 
cules stands near him lifting off his burden. Here are also 
seen Theseus and Perithous. Grsecia and Salamis, two 
figures; the last of which carries a rostrum in her hand. 
Hercules’strife with the Nemean lion. Ajax under the re¬ 
proach 
