1807.] 
Christina, on this, blushed, and con- 
cluded as follows: 
‘‘T have always thought that this sin- 
gular connection of events did not origi- 
nate in chance alone, and I have been 
more than once tempted to believe in the 
existence of a tenebrous association, 
which sports at the same time with both 
governments and people, and which to a 
profound audacity unites unbounded 
means.” 
It is well known that’ the Swedish 
queen possessed a taste for literature and 
the fine arts, and protected both while 
on the throne: nay, when she quitted it, 
it was under the pretext that her resigna- 
tion arose solely from a wish to dedicate 
herself entirely to the study and cul- 
tivation of both. Accordingly, during 
her travels, her majesty did not confine 
her enquiries to war, and the art of go- 
vernment; she also went in search of 
men of learning, and artists. These 
well known facts furnished the author 
with the means of treating his readers 
with several chapters replete with in- 
terest. : ‘f 
Accordingly we are presented with the 
result of ai interview with the celebrated 
painter Poussin, in the course of which 
Christina and the Cardinal Colonna ad- 
mire and describe the principal works of 
that great master. We are next fur- 
nished with a dialogue with Casimir, re- 
lative to the state of astronomy in France ; 
then follows an account of Marseilles, 
recounted by the historian of that ancient 
city. ; 
In the workshop of Puget an interest- 
ing discussion takes place relative to 
ideal beauty in sculpture, and the rules 
observed by the ancient statuaries. 
“ The Greeks (says this artist to Chris- 
tina) have not created those fine propor- 
tions which you admire in their statues ; 
and the ideal system was to them enurely 
unknown. It may be useful, I think, to 
remind you of the means afforded by the 
manners and institutions of that day, im 
respect to sublime models; it was in the 
exactitude of nature that they discovered 
those fine symmetrical connections, which 
established a perfect uniformity. Ob- 
serve, that all their statues were of dif- 
ferent proportions: those of Venus are 
not those of Diana. Apollo does not 
resemble Bacchus. It is evident that 
aman of agility has not the same form as 
a strong man; the oneis pliable through- 
out, while the inferior part of his body is 
longer than the supersor; the other is of 
@ more square construction, The an- 
Retrospect of French Literature—LMistory. 
me 
2 
cient athletes, who were daily exercising 
themselves, presented models which are 
no longer to be found, unless it be in 
those countries where they still retain the 
saine games, &c. as the Greeks.” 
Christina.—“ But the fine male and 
female heads which those statues present, 
are, as I suppose, of their creation ?” 
Pujet.—“ No more than their bodies ; 
they are meve portraits: and if they had 
invented, instead of imitating, they would 
not have been at this day our masters.” 
“That Jupiter of Phidias, of which 
the ancients have boasted so much, 
would not have obtained the admiration 
of such a people if he had not resembled » 
a being superior to mortals.” 
- Pujet.— You have seenat Marseilles 
a considerable number of the country- 
men of Phidias. You have, doubtless, » 
perceived also, the difference that there 
is between them and us in respect to 
beauty and dignity. Very well! those 
very Greeks to whom I allude are simple 
merchants, subjugated by the Turks: 
imagine for a moment, what a fine cha-- 
racter would be imprinted on the counte- 
nance of a Miltiades ora Pericles, a ma- 
sistrate deciding in the tribunal of jus- 
tice, after having vanquished at Mara- 
thon: conceive whatsoever of beauty the 
climate could confer; whatsoever dignity 
could arise out of bravery, independence, 
and eminent employments, and you will 
then be convinced that the Jupiter of 
‘Phidias was imitated after nature, in a 
country where the artist could be at no. 
loss to find sublime models. 
“Tn addition to this (adds he), they 
always took care to make choice of the 
most favourable moment. Every living 
thing has its beginning, its middle, and 
its end. The beauty of a youth, of a full 
vrown person, and of an old man, hath 
each its proper and peculiar period, and 
this was the precise epoch that the Gre- 
cian artists made choice of. Permit me 
also here to intimate to you the means 
that an able artist may recur to. Ima- 
gine to yourself a very well made man, 
for instance, one of whose limbs or fea- 
tures is inferior to the other parts of his 
body. ‘his imperfection, which can 
never escape the prying eye of a skilful 
observer, is by him instantly corrected. 
I do not mean to say that he absolutely 
invents a fine part, which is wanting in 
his model, but that which is beautiful in~ 
dicates how to amend whatsoever is de- 
fective; and he gives to his statue that 
conformity which composes the beauti- 
“Twill 
Sul. 
4P 2 
