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Thirty-six beautiful Engrav- ings, and 2 Maps. Lodge's Portraits of Illustrious Per- sonages of Great Britain, with Memoirs. Two Hundred and Forty Portraits, beau- tifully engraved on Steel. 8 vols. LECTURES ON SCULPTURE, AS DELIVERED BEFORE THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. BY JOHN FLAXMAN, ESQ., E.A., PROFESSOR OF SCULPTURE IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF GREAT BRITAIN, MEMBER OF THE ACADEMIES OF ST. LUKE, ROME, FLORENCE, CARRARA, ETC. WITH AN INTRODUCTORY LECTURE, AND TWO ADDRESSES TO THE ROYAL ACADEMY, ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS BANKS, IN 1805, AND OF ANTONIO CANOVA, IN 1822, AND AN ADDRESS ON THE DEATH OF FLAXMAN, BY SIR RICHARD WESTMACOTT, R.A. WITH FIFTY-THREE PLATES. NEW EDITION. LONDON: BELL & DALDY, 6, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, AND 186, FLEET STREET. 1865. LONDON: PRINTED BY "WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. CONTENTS. PAGE Memoir of the Author ....... 1 Address . . ' 17 Introduction 19 Lecture I. English Sculpture 32 II. Egyptian Sculpture .... 54 III. Grecian Sculpture 78 IV. Science 101 V. Beauty . 125 VI. Composition 143 „ VII. Style . . . . .168 „ VIII. Drapery .198 IX. Ancient Art . 215 X. Modern Sculpture 240 Address on the Death of Thomas Banks . . . 275 Address on the Death of Canoya .... 300 ADVERTISEMENT. Mr. Flaxman's Lectures on Sculpture having been long out of print, and become very scarce, the Publishers have been induced to undertake a New Edition, in a reduced form, and at a price within the means of every Student of Art. In preparing this Edition, a few minor errors have been corrected, but the Lectures are in every other respect the same as when first delivered by the illustrious Author. vii EXTRACTS FROM SIR RICHARD WESTMACOTT'S FIRST LECTURE, DELIVERED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, Ox his Succession to the Chatr of Professor of Sculpture, AFTER THE DEATH OF FLAXMAX. "But, gentlemen, I feel that I should be justly accused of want of duty, and of inattention to the Eoyal Academy, to you, and indeed to our national glory, if I were to suffer this introduction to pass without offering publicly that tribute to the memory of your late lamented Professor which his great talents so eminently call for. His works are before the world ; and his excellencies and defects now await that public decree which is to assign him his just place in the Eepublic of Art. " If to have procured esteem whilst living, and to have rendered himself useful to his fellow-labourers, both by his practice and the examples he has left us, demand applause, few men have died with stronger claims on posterity. " The chief qualities which distinguished him as an artist were feeling and purity of style : he was skilled in the intellectual part of his art, and never suffered unnecessary display to weaken the effect of his conceptions : emulous of fame, he sought it on the unerring principles of the best models of antiquity, the only legitimate road by which it could be attained. His whole life was devoted to his pre- viii Westmacotfs Lecture. fession ; lie early habituated himself to the study of nature, and few applied that study more success- fully, or directed his art more happily to those appeals for which it is more particularly suited; none excelled him in the learning of his art ; and from his study of the best authors of antiquity, his mind became stored with their images, and imbued with their sentiment. During his studies at Eome he produced those masterly illustrations of Homer, Hesiod, and iEschylus, which place him as the first Designer since the revival of Sculpture : these works evince a thorough knowledge of the princi- ples of his art, and whether considered for compo- sition, and the laws which govern it, for their acquaintance with the usages and customs of the ancients, or for their erudition, afford most valuable examples, and must always be consulted with ad- vantage. "In a very short period classical sculpture has been deprived of two of its brightest supports, and you, gentlemen, have lost a most able instructor; but neither Italy nor England, in deploring the loss of Canova or Flaxman, can consider them exclusive privations. All Europe justly claims the kindred, and acknowledges the loss. " To Canova Italy owes her emancipation from those false perceptions which had, from the influence of the Bernini school, so long diverted the current of pure taste. The evil was felt, but the genius was wanting to establish the true style : the works which followed the Bernini school were powerless imitations, without either character or decision, and from their sameness were equally intolerable with the fantastic conceits and exaggerations of the former. Westmacotfs Lecture. ix " Canova's Daedalus, though a youthful produc- tion, showed the value of attention to nature ; but his statue of Theseus re-established Sculpture on its true basis, and he was hailed as the restorer of legitimate art. " To Flaxman the art owes equal obligation. Banks had corrected the grosser impurities, and successfully stemmed the torrent of false taste ; but Flaxman not only supported the purity of Sculpture, but carried us within the dominion of Poetry, and taught us its value in art; he boldly passed the barrier which had so long encircled sculpture, and walked freely into the regions of invention. His admiration of simplicity made him regard it in whatever age or examples he discovered it, and gave a general character of originality to his own works, but which it must not be denied sometimes carried him into too close a resemblance of the productions of the earlier revivers of the art. " But the faults which may be imputed to him are indeed no others than the excess of great and acknow- ledged beauties ; such as a poetical imagination, a devoted admiration of purity, and a warm and enthusiastic genius inspire. " In comparing and estimating artists who have made the higher department of the profession their study, we ought not to oppose them by forming a judgment of the whole from any particular passages in their works, but to consider their distinguishing characters, and weigh the aggregate of their respec- tive qualities. "No modern Sculptor has entered so deeply into the recesses of ancient art as Flaxman. His style was founded upon their principles, combined with the X Westmacotfs Lecture. simplicity of the Pisani, and others of the fourteenth century ; whilst that of Canova was an union of the ideal with Nature. The one attracts us by the originality and sweetness of his invention, the other delights us with a delicacy and beauty peculiar to himself. Execution was with Flaxman subservient to invention, whilst Canova suffered invention to be subordinate, and seduces us by the luxuriance of execution. Each equally felt what belonged to the dignity of Art : simple in their arrangements, sparing in ornament, so that the eye should not be dis- tracted by the pomp of extraneous or unnecessary matter. 44 We have two eminently successful examples in Sepulchral Monuments by these Sculptors ; the one to a Pope the other to a Judge, in which this prin- ciple of feeling is obvious. The class of composi- tion is the same ; both are pyramidal, the subject or principal figure occupying the upper region or apex of the triangle, the accessories forming the base : here no more is done than is intended to convey to the spectator the qualities which distinguished the great men whose characters were proposed to be recorded ; and if we are arrested by the power and freedom of execution in the principal statue, or by the grace of the accessories in Ganganelli's monu- ment, we are not less charmed with the noble sim- plicity and classical forms in that of Lord Mans- field. " The most distinguished proof of Flaxman's powers in Heroical Composition, and the strongest mark of his genius, may be discovered in the colossal group of " St. Michael subduing Satan," now in the gallery of the Earl of Egremont at Pet- Westmacotfs Lecture. xi worth, an attempt as successful as daring in colum- nar grouping, and which affords an example of the difficulties imposed not only by material, but by the nature of the subject, being overcome without a recourse to adventitious aid, by which the eye or mind might be diverted from the impression pro- posed, and is strictly within the limits enjoined by Sculpture. I consider it indeed a work not less skilful in the arrangement of its composition than great in its conception. The Archangel is pro- duced in the spirit of the art itself ; his countenance denotes a generous indignation tempered by angelic nature ; there is an ardour and energy revolving around him which might be supposed to influence him in the execution of his Divine mission ; we want no type or wings, but at once admit his pre sence. The character of the whole is finely marked, and possesses in the choice and structure of form, and in the unity of expression and action, all the ideal qualities appropriate to the exalted subject. " In the personification of Satan he has been not less succesful. Half-monster and half-man, with all the characterists of mighty stature and Titanic strength, in the malignant subtlety and inflexibility of purpose, in expression, and in the writhing action of the demon, we see him evidently withheld by the presence of a Divine power, in which he is no longer able to sustain himself. "In alto- or basso-relievo, Flaxman, since the revival of the art, stood pre-eminent. The illus- trations from the Lord's Prayer are fine examples of his talents in the simply natural, and in the heroic style in the former ; whilst the latter is powerfully displayed in the unrivalled composition of the Shield xii Westmacotfs Lecture. of Achilles. If examined as compositions by the test of analysis or separation, they will bear the strictest scrutiny ; if contemplated for the character each bears to the subject, we would not desire more perfect harmony ; if regarded for form, grace, and the taste which pervade the whole, we may pronounce it a work worthy to be ranked with the distinguished discoveries at Dodona." In a subsequent Lecture delivered by Sir Bichard Westmacott, at the Boyal Academy, occurs the following passage relating to Flaxman : — 4 'But the greatest of modern sculptors was our illustrious countryman, John Flaxman, who not only had all the fine feeling of the ancient Greeks (which Canova in a degree possessed), but united to it a readiness of invention, and a simplicity of design, truly astonishing. Though Canova was his superior in the manual part, high finishing, yet in the higher qualities, poetical feeling and invention, Flaxman was as superior to Canova as Shakspearc to the dramatists of his day." LIST OF PLATES. Frontispiece. — A Portrait of the Author, from a Model by himself. 1. Bishop Wulstan, in Worcester Cathedral. 2. Creation of Eve, from Wells Cathedral. 3. Death of Isaac, do. 4. An Angel, do. 5. Queen Eleanor, from her monument in Westminster Abbey. 6. Virgin and Angels, a Key-stone, entrance to the choir, York Cathedral. 7. St. John, from Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster Abbey. 8. Statues in the Architecture of do. 9. Plan of the Palace of Carnac. 10. Figure of Bubaste or Isis, in the character of the Terrestrial Diana, who is also Cybele or Earth ; and, like the Diana of Ephesus, crowned with Towers. 11. The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Memphis. 12. Sculpture at Persepolis, most likely Cambyses or Darius Hystaspes from Le Bruyn's Travels. 13. Vishnu, Creating Agent of Brahma, Attitude of the Emblem of Eternity, from Moore's " Hindu Pantheon." 14. Lions over the Gate of Mycense, mentioned by Pausanias as being done by the Cyclops, a work of the Heroic age — the meaning is symbolical, Lions support and protect this pillar of the people of Mycenae or of Achaia. xiv List of Plates. 15. A bronze figure of Minerva, found in the barrow of Achilles, described by M. Chevalier. Sphinxes, besides the astro- nomical symbol of Leo and Virgo, are symbolic of wisdom — Homer's Heroes called Horse-tamers. 16. Daedalian Figures from Bronzes. 17. Minerva, from a Bronze by Dsedalus. 18. Tydeus. 19. Minerva, by Phidias, thirty-nine feet high. 20. Jupiter Olympius, at Elis, by do. 21. Venus ( Aphrodite), by Alcamenes. 22. Venus of Cnidos, by Praxiteles, drawn from an Antique Statue found near Kome. 23. Venus of Cos, by Praxiteles. Medals of the Empress Lucilla, perhaps from, this Statue. 24. Discobolus, by Myron, from a Gem, an Example in the British Museum. 25. Statue on the Pediment over the West Front of a Temple at Egina. 26. Circle and Square of the Human Figure. 27. Extent of Motion, one Figure. 28. Do. shown in two Figures. 29. Do. front and side view equipoised, supported on one Leg, with its proportions. 30. Preparing to run ; running ; striking. 31. Bearing a weight ; raising a weight ; preparing to jump, and alighting. 32. Leaning, flying, and falling. 33. Brazen Serpent, from Michael Angelo. 34. Charity, from do. 35. The Nativity, ) from Greek Paintings in the Libra- 36. The Transfiguration, 1 ries of Austria and France. 37. Part of the Last Judgment, by Michael Angelo. 38. Holy Family, from do. 39. Last Judgment, south entrance to Lincoln Cathedral. 40. Figure, Gateway of the Bishop's palace, Peterborough Cathe- dral, towards 1400. 41 . An Apostle, from Albert Durer. 42. Drapery. 43. Drapery on the Bosom and Legs. List of Plates. xv 44. Drapery, four Figures, a Bacchante and three from Nature. 45. Callirrhoe, from a Gem. 46. Iris. 47. Juno Lucina. 48. Head of the Colossus of Khodes. 49. Head of Our Saviour, from Arringhi's " Roma Subterranea." 50. Specimens of two Heads, Chapter House, Cathedral of York, time of Edward the Second or Third. 51. Monument of Sir Francis Vere, in Westminster Abbey. 52. Tomb of Langhahn. The anecdote concerning this monument is this : — M. Ver- schoffel, a Prussian Sculptor, was on a visit to the Rev. M. Langhahn in Switzerland, when Madame Langhahn died on Easter Eve. M. Verschoffel, to console his afflicted friend, immediately carved the lady and her new-born infant, bursting the tomb in the resurrection of the just. It has been introduced on account of the pious and affectionate sentiment it contains. A BEIEF MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. THE best history of the talents of an artist is to be found by the study of his principal works ; for in those are usually displayed the qualities of his mind, the nature of his studies, and the depth of his know- ledge ; and when the subjects are chosen by himself, they are fair transcripts of his thoughts and affec- tions, and present as true a reflex of his heart and feelings as a clear mirror would the features of his face. Never was this more strongly exemplified than in the present instance. Wherever in the works of Flaxman are found the representations of wisdom, magnanimity, piety, or any of the Chris- tian virtues and charities that exalt human nature, they were the personifications of similar qualities in himself. This excellent man and admirable artist was born on the 6th of July, 1755, in the city of York, where his father at that time resided, but which he quitted while his son was yet an infant. He very early gave indications of that observation and love B 2 A Brief Memoir of the Author. for works of art, which distinguished him in maturer life. One of the first instances was shewn on the coronation day of his Majesty George the Third. His father was goirjg to see the procession, and the child begged very earnestly that he would bring one of the medals which were to be thrown to the popu- lace ; he was not fortunate enough to get one ; but, on his way home, happening to find a plated button bearing the stamp of a horse and jockey, rather than wholly disappoint his little boy, who then was in a very delicate precarious state of health* he ventured, though unwillingly, to deceive him, and gave him the button. The young virtuoso took it and was thankful, but remarked, it was a very odd device for a coronation medal. He was then five years old; at this age he was fond of examining the seals of every watch he saw, whether belonging to friend, or stranger, and kept a bit of soft wax ready to take an impression of any which pleased him. These trivial circumstances are only men- tioned to shew how early he began the practice of seizing every opportunity of improvement in his art, and of acquiring any knowledge it was right for him to possess ; indeed, it was a maxim of his, that " we never are too young or too old to become wiser or better." While yet a child he made a great number of small models, both in plaster-of-Paris, wax, and clay ; * A very short time previous to this he had been so ill that he was supposed to be dead, and was laid out under that impression. A Brief Memoir of the Author. 3 some of which are still preserved, and have consi- derable merit, and were certainly promises of that gen ins and talent which he faithfully kept in after- years. When he was about ten years of age, his health had greatly improved ; and, though not strong, he had become a lively active boy, with great enthu- siasm of character, which chiefly displayed itself on subjects of generosity, courage, and humanity : this enthusiasm was called forth, in a peculiar and some- what diverting manner, by reading Don Quixote. He was so much delighted with the amiable, though eccentric hero, and with his account of the duties and honourable perils of knight-errantry, that he thought he could not do better than sally forth, to right wrongs and redress grievances ; accordingly, one morning early, unknown to any one, armed with a little French sword (not better than a toy), he set out, without a squire, in quest of adventures which fortunately he did not find. After wandering about Hyde Park the whole day without meeting enchanter or distressed damsel, not even a castle or drawbridge, he (being rather hungry and more ashamed of his romantic flight) returned home, where his unwonted absence had caused great alarm to his parents, who had sought and inquired fruitlessly for him till evening. He never again emulated the exploits of the knight, though he always retained a great admiration of his character. He now modelled and drew most assiduously, but 4 A Brief Memoir of the Author. never received more than two lessons from a master, being hurt at having (according to rule) a drawing of eyes only given him to copy, which having done, he shewed them to Mr. Mortimer, a very clever artist, who asked if they were flounders ? — this jest not being at all encouraging, his father allowed him to choose his examples, and pursue his studies in his own way, which he did so successfully, that at the age of eleven years and five months he gained his first prize from the Society for the Encourage- ment of Arts, &c. (which was the silver pallet), for a model. At thirteen he had another ; and the fol- lowing year was admitted a student at the Eoyal Academy, then newly established ; and the same year received their silver medal. About this time he made an acquaintance equally agreeable and serviceable ; it was with a very worthy clergyman, whose wife was one of the most highly- gifted and elegant women of that day ; she was the intimate associate of Mrs. Montague, Mrs. Barbauld, Mrs. Chapone, Mrs. Brooke, &c, At this house, where he was for many years a welcome visitor, he passed frequent evenings in very enlightened and delightful society ; here he was encouraged in study- ing the dead languages, so necessary to him in his profession : by acquiring these he learned to think with the authors, and to embody the ideas of Homer, Hesiod, and JEschylus, in a manner that no modern artist has exceeded.* * During his intimacy with this excellent family Mr. Flaxman A Brief Memoir of the Author. 5 Amongst his other engagements in art, he was much employed by Mr. Wedgwood, in modelling for his manufactory ; and from the good taste and persevering spirit of the one, and the genius, ability, and industry of the other, was produced that great improvement, in every description of vase, dish, cup, &c, whether for use or ornament, which has been acknowledged throughout the civilised world. A set of chess-men were the most beautiful things of the kind ever produced. A very highly-finished drawing of all the pieces, by Mr. Flaxnian, is in the possession of the Wedgwood family. One of his most admired works, previous to his going to Italy, was a beautiful group of Venus and Cupid, which was executed for Mr. Knight, of Port- land-place ; another was a monument in Gloucester Cathedral to the memory of Mrs. Morley, who, with her infant, died at sea ; the mother and her babe are rising from the waves, and are received by descend- ing angels ; it is an exquisite thing, full of that more than mortal beauty so proper to the subject, and at the same time affecting, from the sentiment and ex- pression of the composition. In 1782 Mr. Flaxman married Miss Ann Denman, an amiable and accomplished woman, who accom- panied him to Italy in 1787. Fortunately, his wife possessed that intelligence of mind, and love of art, painted several pictures in oil, one of which was sold at an auc- tion a short time since ; the subject was " GEdipus and Antigone," but was ignorantly described in the catalogue as " Be^anus/' by Domenichino. 6 A Brief Memoir of the Author. that her society assisted, rather than impeded, the progress of the artist through the studies and diffi- culties of his profession. It was not known to any but Mr. Flaxman's near- est connexions, what circumstance determined him to visit Eome. The fact was this : when Sir Joshua Reynolds heard, from himself, that he was married, he exclaimed, "Oh, then you are ruined for an artist !" This observation (which was really un- worthy of the man who uttered it) decided what had hitherto been with him a question, whether he should quit England and study for a time in Italy. He was aware of the advantages attending it, and still more convinced that it was considered by the world as essential. He therefore began to contemplate it as a thing to be done, and commenced finishing the works he had in hand, without undertaking others. At length everything was concluded, and knowing that his pecuniary resources would allow him to go without imprudence, he resolved on an absence of two years, a period he thought would be sufficient for his purpose. But when two years had passed away, he found that the business he had under- taken * would not, as yet, permit him to leave Eome ; and one engagement succeeded another, until the intended absence of two years became seven. Throughout this interesting journey, as well as during his residence in Eome, Mr. Flaxman's appli- cation was incessant ; whether he was drawing from * The large group for Lord Bristol. A Brief Memoir of the Author. 7 the antique, or making studies from the living groups and figures abounding in the venerable city and its environs, each object, animate and inanimate, was to him beautiful or noble and all-inspiring ; no day was lost ; and, except his health and strength failed, no hour of the day was suffered to pass without some improvement. Here he executed a group, of colos- sal size, consisting of four figures, for the late Lord Bristol, Bishop of Derry. The subject was the fury of Athamas, from Ovid's " Metamorphoses." For :his great work he received a sum so small that he was a considerable loser by it ; indeed, the great .OSS and vexation this commission brought, made the mention of the subject disagreeable to him. This group, after several removals, first from Kome to Leghorn, and afterwards to Ireland, has at last found its place in Ickworth House, Suffolk, the seat of the present Marquis of Bristol, but, unfortunately, it is but little seen. He also finished an exquisitely beautiful group, of smaller size, of Cephalus and Aurora, for Mr. Thomas Hope, which remains in that gentleman's collection. In Eome he made those designs from Homer, iEschylus, and Dante, so much known and admired throughout Europe, more particularly on the Con- tinent. The " Iliad and Odyssey " were for the late Mrs. Hare; the " Tragedies of ^Eschylus" for the excellent Dowager Countess Spencer ; and the "Dante" for Mr. Thomas Hope. These were all 8 A Brief Memoir of the Author. admirably engraved in outline by Thomas Piroli, and published in Eome in 1793, and subsequently in London. In 1794, Mr. Flaxman and his beloved companion returned to their native land,* where his first work was the monument of Earl Mansfield, for West- minster Abbey, the order for which he received previous to his leaving Eome. The figure of the earl is in his judicial robes, sitting, and in the act of giving judgment ; he is supported on each side by Wisdom and J ustice, as represented by the ancients ; the youth behind the pedestal with the invertec torch is a classical personification of Death. About the same time he erected a monumenta figure of Sir Eobert Ladbroke in Spitalfields church. In Westminster Abbey is a noble monument, witt a statue of Captain James Montague, crowned by a Victory, which possesses an unusual combination of aerial grace with dignity. The lions on the base are admirable portraits of the magnificent animal from which they were studied, at that time living in the Tower ; the flags behind the statue were added by Mr. Flaxman at his own cost, as he found they * It is not generally known in England that Mr. Flaxman, upon his return from Italy, having paid the duties upon several articles he had brought for his own study, interested himself so warmly for his brother artists, that, through his representations to the proper persons, the duties were taken off all future importa- tions of that kind. This disinterested conduct was acknowledged by the gentlemen then studying in Kome by a letter of thanks bearing all their signatures. A Brief Memoir of the Author. 9 would greatly improve the composition, the excel- lence of the work being always, with him, a prior consideration to the profit. The removal of this monument from its original situation in the Abbey, was considered by Mr. Flaxman as nearly destruc- tive of its effect. In St. Paul's, the monument of Lord Nelson has a striking portrait of the hero, wrapped in a pelisse, and leaning on an anchor ; Britannia is pointing out the glorious example to two young sailors. In the same cathedral is a monument to Earl Howe : above is a sitting figure of Britannia hold- ing a trident, the earl stands below her, on her left ; the British lion is watching by him on the other side ; Fame is recording the achievements of the admiral, while Victory, leaning over her, places a crown on the lap of Britannia. To the memory of Captain Millar there is a basso- relievo of Britannia and Victory raising a medallion of the Captain to a palm-tree. There is likewise in St. Paul's a fine statue of Sir Joshua Eeynolds. Perhaps the most striking family monument ever executed by Mr. Flaxman, was to the family of Sir Francis Baring, in Micheldever church, Hants ; it consists of three distinct parts, making an extremely beautiful whole. In the centre is a sitting figure of " Besignation," inscribed "Thy will be done;" on each side is a very fine alto-relievo, also from the Lord's Prayer; the subject of one, — " Thy kingdom 10 A Brief Memoir of the Author. come the other — ' ' Deliver us from evil." The tranquil piety of expression in the single figure is finely contrasted with the terrific struggle on the one hand, and the ecstatic joyfulness of the female, who is assisted in rising by angelic beings, on the other. There are two very interesting monuments in Oxford to Sir William Jones, one at University College and one in St. Mary's Church, both erected by his lady. At Christchurch, Hampshire, there is a group, of the late Lady Fitz-Harris and her three children ; a most lovely representation of maternal tenderness, which has been much, and deservedly, admired. This was put up in 1817. A monument to the Yarborough family, at Street Thorpe, near York, is an alto-relievo of two females relieving several poor persons of different ages ; it is a singularly fine composition, and remarkable for the natural expression of each individual. In the same county there is a beautiful monument to the memory of Edward Balme, Esq. — " Instruct the Ignorant." It is a group, in alto-relievo, of an aged man holding a book, in which he reads while a youth and a young female are attentively and affectionately listening. The memorial in Brighton Church, Northampton- shire, put up by Earl Spencer, to his excellent mother, the late dowager countess, is a proof of how much beauty and real sentiment may be introduced A Brief Memoir of the Author. 11 into a simple composition. The monument consists of a tablet, having a figure of Faith at one end, and a group of Charity at the other ; this last is one of the most lively conceptions of that virtue ever seen in marble. A figure of Mrs. Tighe (the authoress of Psyche) merits the same kind of praise, as it possesses the same character of beauty. This went to Ireland. In Cookham Church, Berks, the monument of Sir Isaac Pocock is a peculiarly affecting representation of the death of that gentleman, which took place suddenly in a boat on the Eiver Thames. " The good Samaritan," in Layton Church, Essex, to the memory of — Bosanquet, Esq., and a monu- mental bas-relief to the late Mrs. Bosanquet, are very admirable for feeling and execution. Equally excellent in both is an alto-relievo in St. John's Church, Manchester; and it has the peculiarity of being erected in the life-time of Mr. Clowes, the clergyman of that church, who having been fifty years their exemplary pastor, his parishioners wished in this way to express their love and veneration while he was yet with them ; — he is represented instructing, in their religious duties, Childhood, Maturity, and Age. In the cathedral at Winchester there is a fine monument for Dr. Wharton. Salisbury Cathedral has two Gothic monuments, extremely elegant in design and delicately executed. In Chichester Cathedral there are many of Mr. 12 A Brief Memoir of the Author. Fiaxman's works : amongst others, a small but very interesting monument to the memory of the poet Collins. In the city of Glasgow there are two statues larger than life, of Mr. Pitt and Sir John Moore, in bronze ; and in Edinburgh the statue of Eobert Burns is to be placed in the library of the University. Many statues and other works he executed for the East Indies. One was a large figure of the Eaja of Tanjore ; a monument to the missionary Schwartz, in the Eaja's territory ; two to Lord Cornwallis ; and many more for private gentlemen, as well as for the Honourable Company. And it is but justice to men- tion, what Mr. Flaxman frequently declared, that in all the works he executed for India, he constantly experienced the most liberal treatment, not only in pecuniary concerns, but in the handsome manner his employers expressed their entire approbation of all he did. The last of his works for that country was a statue of the Marquis of Hastings, upon an embel- lished pedestal, now on its way to Calcutta. This was done by private subscription, and was not quite finished in marble at the time of Mr. Fiaxman's decease, but has been completed under the in- spection and care of Mr. T. Denman, his pupil and brother-in-law ; who has also erected the statue of Mr. Kemble in Westminster Abbey, which was one of the works in hand when the artist was taken from this life. Mr. Fiaxman's grandest work in this country was A Brief Memoir of the Author. 13 the group of the Archangel Michael and Satan, for the Earl of Egremont, and was one of the last pro- ductions of the sculptor. This is a work which, in after ages, will be a glory, to the nation, to the memory of the artist, and to the name of the truly noble proprietor ; who, besides this group, has a pas- toral Apollo, the size of life, the grace and beauty of which are admirable. The shield of Achilles is a proof of the high classical knowledge, the perfect acquaintance with the human figure, and the truly poetic spirit of him who made the composition. For the variety of its beauties, and its skilful execution, it is unrivalled, and truly worthy of adorning the palace of a sove- reign. It reflects infinite credit on the taste and spirit of Messrs. Eundell and Bridge, to have been the means of producing this magnificent work of art. The friezes on the front of Covent Garden Theatre were designed by Mr. Flaxman ; one of them and the figure of Comedy were executed by him. It is not possible to give a list of all the produc- tions of Mr. Flaxman : those above enumerated were selected as having most interest, though a great num- ber of admirable works must necessarily be omitted.* * Among the latter works of Mr. Flaxman are two small but beautiful figures of Cupid and Pysche, done for Mr. Eogers ; and two others, of equal beauty, though different style, for Sir Tho- mas Lawrence, of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle: with these should be mentioned two exquisite bas-relievos from Milton, the models for which were finished by Mr. Flaxman ; one of them is in a state of considerable forwardness in marble. 14 A Brief Memoir of the Author. It will be right to mention in this place, that the very last work of his hand was making the drawings for all the principal embellishments on the exterior of Buckingham Palace, and had his life been longer spared, he was, at the particular desire of His Ma- jesty, to have executed as many of them as he could undertake, and to have directed the remainder. He took great delight in making the designs, and looked forward with an anxious pleasure to his task — but Infinite Wisdom ordered it otherwise. In 1797 Mr. Flaxman was elected an Associate of the Eoyal Academy; in 1800 Academician; and in 1810 he was appointed Professor of Sculpture* in the Eoyal Academy, where he gave his lectures every season, with but few omissions, until the last year of his life, 1826, when his health only per- mitted him to deliver one. He had, however, written a new one, " On Modern Sculpture," which it has been judged right to publish ; it is the tenth and last in the volume. During the peace of 1802, when Paris was visited by a great number of English, Mr. Flaxman went * The Professorship of Sculpture was the first in this country, and instituted expressly for Mr. Flaxman, who dedicated most of his evenings to writing the Lectures and making the drawings for them. Few persons can conceive how much time and study he devoted to that purpose. The drawings remain in the pos- session of his family, as well as a great number of others, studies from nature, and designs from various authors, some of them beautifully finished. A Brief Memoir of the Author. 15 also, for the purpose of seeing again those fine things, he had studied with so much advantage in Italy. Many of his countrymen were at that time intro- duced to the First Consul ; but he refused being one of the number, as he could not submit to pay homage (even for a few minutes) to the man who was the enemy of his country and his king. He also de- clined, while in that capital, meeting a celebrated French artist, whose talents he admired, but of whose political conduct and principles he had an abhorrence; indeed, it was an invariable rule with him, abroad and at home, to shun, with the greatest care, the society of persons, however brilliant and clever, when he was once convinced that their religious and moral opinions were inimical to the laws of their God and their country. By this con- duct he preserved a purity of heart and character rarely to be met with : it was this purity of heart which inspired the delightful cheerfulness and amenity of manner that won the affection of the young and gay, as well as the respect and friendship of those of equal years ; the more intimately he was known, the more he was beloved.* Well might Sir Thomas Lawrence say, in his most eloquent and feeling address to the students, that the death of this exemplary man was " a deep * In 1820 Mr. Flaxman lost his wife, which was the severest trial he ever experienced, and called for all his pious and humble submission to the will of Providence to support as became his character. 16 A Brief Memoir of the Author. and irreparable loss to Art, to his country, and to Europe." But still deeper and more irreparable was this loss in the little "circle of affection" in which he lived and died. He was always prepared for the termination of his mortal pilgrimage : this (for him) happy change took place on the 7th of December, 1826, having entered the seventy-second year of his age. 17 ADDEESS. Mr. President and Gentlemen, It is not unknown to you that, by the institution of the Royal Academy, the cultivation and encouragement of painting, sculpture, and architec- ture, were proposed to be supported from means derived through the public exhibition of original works in those arts. Schools were formed for their practice, and lectures appointed for instruction in their principles ; but as the study of sculpture was at that time confined within narrow limits, so the appointment of a professorship in that art was not required, until the increasing taste of the country had given great popularity to the art itself, and native achievements had called on the powers of native sculpture to celebrate British heroes and patriots. The members of the Royal Academy in this, as in all other public acts, have proved their liberality and patriotism ; and it will be no easy task for the person, called tc this situation, to prove himself o 18 Address. worthy of the confidence he has been honoured with : it remains with him, however, to exert his best endeavours, in a full reliance for support on the same kindness and indulgence which raised him to an exercise of the duty. 19 INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. Education may be distinguished into theoretical and practical. Theory supplies our minds with the principles of science, from which rules are de- duced for our future practice ; and, indeed, the latter must be considered as immediately succeeding the former by natural connexion and certain conse- quence, rather than as distinct and independent of theory. In a general view of human knowledge and exer- tion, we shall find they have invariably co-operated in whatever has been done most useful and most excellent. In universities, and the greater public schools, science and literature are taught upon a scale suffi- ciently extensive to furnish principles and theory for the practice of every useful art and employment; for the same reason in colleges and institutions esta- blished for less general purposes, and confined to the cultivation of particular sciences or arts, their systems of education become more valuable and 20 Introductory Lecture. effective as they promote a diligent and successful practice, upon the principles of a sound and rational theory. The Eoyal Academy established in this palace, by the munificence of our revered Sovereign, King George III., has continued its exertions, without ceasing, for the improvement of the schools, by supporting its funds, by supplying the best living models, casts from the finest specimens of antiquity, for the student's imitation and practice, and by rewards for the encouragement of distinguished merit. To these advantages a noble library has been added, containing the most approved works on painting, sculpture, and architecture, which is opened twice a week to the members and students ; and to render this system as perfect as possible, and unite the most approved principles, with a diligent practice, professors of eminent merit in painting, architecture, perspective, and anatomy, have been appointed to deliver public instruction : the profes- sorship of sculpture has been added within these few years, which, in relation to the value and beauty of the art it is intended to illustrate, may be justly considered as a valuable addition. It may be anxiously hoped that whoever may be raised to this office, may be capable of honouring his art by the eloquence and precision of his discourses, and the excellence of his practice. As materials for study constitute one of the chief Introductory Lecture. 21 means of improvement, sentiments of gratitude will be renewed towards our patron, the Prince Kegent, for His Koyal Highness's munificent gift of the extensive, magnificent, and invaluable collection of casts from the most sublime works of Greek sculp- ture. This collection was executed with great skill and precision from the original marbles, to supply their places on the pedestals of their prototypes, when those originals became the prey of barbarous rapa- city. The pillage was restored by the interference of British justice, and the Eegent's magnanimous coun- cils. The Sovereign Pontiff, in acknowledgment, presented the casts to the Kegent. His Eoyal High- ness, preferring public advantage to individual gra- tification, bestowed them on the Schools of Design, to disseminate taste and promote knowledge : thus affording gratification to the artist and connoisseur, and an invaluable subject of contemplation and study to the painter and sculptor. Permit me to deviate from the direct scope of my subject a few moments, into short but important arguments on the equal injustice and impolicy of removing the works of ancient sculpture from Italy. — We will begin with the injustice, as the more atrocious, although the consequences of such acts will generally prove they were counselled by folly. The city of .Rome, since Constantine removed the seat of empire to Constantinople, has been burnt 22 Introductory Lecture. seven times, which, in addition to the several cala- mities of famine, pestilence, sieges, tumults, with the natural decay produced by time itself, was reduced to a condition so despoiled and ruinous, that only six statues were enumerated by a diligent observer, Poggi, in the beginning of the 15th century, within the walls ; the rest had long been buried under the mouldering fragments and rubbish of palaces and temples, once decorations of the Imperial City in her splendour. From the latter end of the 15th cen- tury, the pontiffs, Italian princes, and nobility have, with great labour and expense, rescued these won- ders of ancient art from the bowels of the earth, restored their mutilated forms, placed them in gal- leries and museums, and, with a liberality which the real love of knowledge alone inspires, have given the learned traveller and artist, of all conditions and couutries, free access to their treasures. Let it be remembered that the ancient Eomans, despoilers of Greece, having long since quitted this stage of life, — the despoiled Greeks have also long since been swept away in the lapse of time, so that their suc- cessors, in name and territory, of the present day (a various mixture of barbarous nations), neither appreciate the possession, nor remember the suffer- ings of their long past predecessors : the changes and destruction of succeeding years, have enveloped the memory of their descendants in such impene- trable darkness, that we are uncertain whether any race, or even particular family now living, can fairly Introductory Lecture. 23 claim the distinction of being their direct repre- sentatives. As they cannot now be restored to their original owners, who can justly and reasonably plead so good a claim to their possessions, as those whose intelli- gence, exertions, and benevolence have rescued these precious remains from their graves, and generously given them to the public ? These remains were not obtained by the Italian nobles without considerable expense. The Medici family appear to have paid 1800 crowns for the Group of Boxers, when it was first found, one of the figures being headless, which sum is more than equal to 2000Z. value of our money in England at this day ; and Cardinal Borghese built the front of a church in recompense for the beautiful statue of Hermaphrodite, lately in the Borghese Villa, on the Pincian Hill. "We may form some opinion of the sums expended in restoring the works of an- tiquity from the following instance. A beautiful and extensive Mosaic pavement, con- taining two very large circular friezes of figures, — the subject of one, the Battle of the Lapithae and Centaurs, the subject of the other, Tritons and Sea Monsters, — this was brought to Kome by order of Pope Pius VI., laid down and restored in the great hall of the Vatican, at the expense of 60,000 crowns, about the value of 30,000Z. of our present money in England. Every person desirous to complete a liberal edu- 24 Introductory Lecture. cation, receives the rudiments in a school, prepara- tory to finishing his studies in an university. A I ke proceeding is requisite to educate a painter or sculptor: he commences his studies in his native academy, and afterwards goes to Italy to make him- self acquainted with the originals of those casts and prints he has copied in his own country, there he sees such an accumulation of classical works in the sister arts as cannot fail to decide his choice, form his taste, and lay the certain foundation of a good practice. The claims of Italy to be considered an university for the arts of design are indisputable, for the number and character of her galleries and collections, for the stupendous works of Michael Angelo, Kaffaelle, Titian, and the restorers of paint- ing : all of which are painted on walls and cannot be removed, the architectural remains, the relations of those with the classical literature of the country, and of Greece, the warm climate favourable to the study of the human figure, and that general state of tranquillity, and freedom from those dissipations which infect some of the capitals in Europe ; all these advantages are peculiarly enjoyed in Borne, Florence, Pisa, and throughout the Pontifical and Tuscan States, and thus possess a union of advan- tages not possible to be concentrated in any other country in the present state of the world, for com- pleting an education of principles in the arts of design. Here we will finish the digression and return to Introductory Lecture. 25 the royal donation, and speak of its extent, cha- racter, and value. The groups, statues, basso-relievos, busts, and fine fragments were sufficiently numerous to have furnished an extensive range of study, supposing there had been no previous collection in the royal schools : the character and value will be best un- derstood by an enumeration of the principal articles, accompanied with such remarks as may imprint on the younger student a strong sense of the excellence which may be transplanted into his own mind from such examples, by diligence and labour. Let us begin with the Laocoon, which in the time of Pliny was accounted the most consummate work of painting and sculpture ; its sentiment is sublime and pathetic, the forms are noble and ex- pressive, the whole is composed into a continued and varied series of undulations, in agreement with the movements of the serpents which assault Lao- coon and his sons, and the writhing agonies their venom has caused. Laborious treatises have been written on this group ; but it is one thing to fill a volume, which captivates by the appearance of enthu- siasm and show of learning, and a totally different task to convey sound instruction. Mr. Fuseli in his lectures has given a description of this group equally worthy of a great poet and a painter. The Apollo Belvidere, so called from the garden of the Vatican, but in reality, the Deliverer from Evil, has been both philosophically and popularly 26 Introductory Lecture. considered as a form animated by such a sentiment as might become a supernatural power revealed to mortal sight. Hints are not wanting in ancient monuments and authors, which lead us to believe that the archetype of this statue was by Phidias. The Venus of the Capitol, an example of more dig- nified and less insinuating beauty than the Venus de Medicis, — this statue is certainly a copy from one of the three enumerated by Pliny among the works of Praxiteles.* The Apollo Sauroctonos, or Lizard Killer, from an antique bronze in the Villa Albani, likewise copied from a work of Praxiteles.* The Satyr by the same sculptor.* In the hall are five of these statues, and one group, which may be described in succession. The colossal statue of Minerva, placed opposite the fire, was discovered twenty-four years since. A duplicate of the same statue has since been found in the neighbourhood of Eome. A bust of the same figure was in the Albani Villa, and another dupli- cate of the head is in the Marquis of Lansdowne's collection. The frequent repetitions of this statue, the estimation in which it was held by the ancients, may reasonably lead us to believe they are all copies from one by Phidias, mentioned by Pliny, in the enumeration of that sculptor's works : the severe and simple beauty of its character, together with the resemblance to a figure on the reverse of an * In the Council Koom. Introductory Lecture. 27 Athenian coin, published by Dr. Coombe, in Hunter's collection, gives additional countenance to this opinion. On the left of this statue sits Menander, and on the right Posidyppus, both comic poets. The learned Visconti has offered arguments, which appear to be unanswerable, for believing them to be the portraits of those authors, which were in the Theatre of Athens. On the side of the steps next to the window stands a Eoman, whose head is covered by his toga, which descends to his feet in majestic abundance. His countenance resembles the Scipio family, and answers in dress to a description of Scipio Nasica, quoted by Ferrarius de re Vestiaria. The figure of Juno has an air of sublime dignity, the original is in the Capitol. The Achilles, which faces the Minerva, is an ex- ample of heroic strength, in grand and decided form. This statue was in the Borghese Villa ; it is now in Paris, with the whole of that collection, which once belonged to the Borghese family. The group commonly named Papirius and his Mother, but much more likely to be Electra and Orestes, or Penelope and Telemachus, of a pure style and natural sentiment. The group generally known as Psetus and Arria, but more likely Macareus, son of OEolus, and Canace his wife, or Flanion and Antigone. The sentiment is despair and union ; the male figure, whilst he inflicts 28 Introductory Lecture. the mortal wound upon himself, supports with des- perate energy his beloved wife, sinking to the ground in death. The lines of this group unite the charms of harmony and force of contrast in the power of expression. We shall now notice eleven statues in one para- graph, as being one family : they are Mnemosyne the mother and her daughters, the nine Muses, and Apollo their leader. Thalia has the beauty of early youth in modesty ; Melpomene is known by an heroic attitude, similar to Egeus, the father of Theseus or Jason ; Euterpe is distinguished by a regal grace ; Calliope and Clio by Doric simplicity and mental occupation in bodily rest; Apollo, the leader of the Muses in this series, is known for a celebrated statue among the ancients by some re- verses of Nero's coins. Besides the purposes of study for which these statues are highly valuable in a school of design, their presence has converted the Council Chamber into an Homeric Olympus, where none approach without the mingled sentiment of delight and awe. In the Plaster Academy is the group of Pylades and Orestes, offering sacrifice ; also the statue of Germanicus delivering an oration. The Colossal Barberini Faun, remarkable for the terse, elastic forms of muscle and tendon, proper to the mountainous and sylvan habits of the race. These cursory notices shall be closed with the Diana discharging an arrow, from the original marble Introductory Lecture. 29 in the Gallery of Paris. This beautiful and inte- resting statue has long been the rightful property of the French monarchs : it has been considered by some learned men and professional judges, as nearly resembling the Apollo Belvidere in countenance and general character, to a degree that may warrant opinion that they are both the production of one sculptor. It is also possible the archetypes of these two divinities were introduced in the destruction of Niobe and her family, on the throne of Jupiter, at Elis : the sanction of ancient authors and monu- ments is not wanting to countenance this supposi- tion. In this enumeration a beautiful modern statue must not be forgotten — it is Paris, by Signor Canova, Marquis of Ischia, and perpetual President, or (in the Italian language) Prince of the Eoman Academy ; his moral qualities and rank in his art are equally honourable to his country and to himself; gratitude would be wanting not to acknowledge he has mani- fested a passionate desire to serve and respect the Eoyal Academy of London, and his attention has been prompt and unceasing to the English at Rome. By such a donation as that we now contemplate, the donor secures to himself satisfaction increasing in proportion to the accumulated advantages result- ing from the use of the gift, the diffusion of know- ledge and taste, the elevation of national character in noble and useful arts ; disseminating their advan- tages in a thousand different currents, connected by 30 Introductory Lecture. the united interests of letters, science, and civiliza- tion; the honest wealth of the country promoted; and by the innocence of such employments, and the beneficence of their nature, a permanent addition will be acquired in the general fund of happiness and contentment. Long may the Eegent enjoy the delights of such patriotic reflections; and may the rising talents within these walls satisfy the wishes of their patron, and fulfil the sanguine expectations, and ardent hope of this institution and our country. The object of these lectures has been to lead to more extensive views in the arts of design, and espe- cially in sculpture. In the early ages of the world, tents, and the slightest structures were thought sufficient for the purposes of habitation ; but temples for worship were raised, or excavated in stone, and adorned by sculp- ture with the emblems of Theology, and symbols of Divine Wisdom. In India the sculptures were mystical attributes and manifestations. In Assyria they had relation to the heavenly bodies, and government of the universe. In Egypt they were hieroglyphical memorials of divine and human knowledge : this was the earliest as it will always continue the most important em- ployment of this art, debased indeed according to the corruptions of systems : — but in that nation which received the law with signs— wonders to enlighten a darkened world ! — the Almighty directed the figures Introductory Lecture, 31 of Cherubim to guard the Ark of the Covenant ; but the Ark, the Tabernacle, the first and second Temple, and all their glories have been removed by Divine appointment, and we must look to systems more questionable and less pure for such perfection as we are acquainted with in this art : yet we must not be led to suppose that any art, dependent on intellectual knowledge, can arise to any height of excellence without the assistance of its efficient cause ; and the arts of design in Greece were improved by the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophers, the most enlightened which the heathen world possessed. Less will be said of Grecian art in this place, be- cause it supplies so large a portion of the following discourses, while we turn our thoughts to the more general application and utility of the arts of design, and more especially of sculpture. 32 LECTUKE I. ENGLISH SCULPTURE. The arts of design, considered as portions, extend their relations and use through the whole circle of knowledge ; they embody ideas, demonstrate the affections and passions; they exhibit the human figure in the highest state of conceivable perfection, and in all of its varieties and gradations. The more common purposes of these arts are to illustrate the several branches of science, from the simplest elements to the most complicated forms and exer- tions ; but their superior concerns appeal to the intellect and the reason, by the representation of superior natures, divine doctrines and history, the perpetuation of noble acts, and assisting in the ele- vation of our minds towards that excellence for which they were originally intended. Painting is honoured with precedence, because design, or drawing, is more particularly and exten- sively employed in illustration of history. Sculpture immediately follows in the enumeration, because the two arts possess the same common principles, ex- English Sculpture. 33 pressed by painting, in colour, and by sculpture, in form. This art, in early ages of most nations, has been chiefly employed in the service of religion, as the symbolical representations of Divine attributes and characteristics abundantly testify, in Egypt, Ethio- pia, India, Persia, and ancient Greece ; even among the Jews, who were particularly restricted concern- ing the use of images, on account of their proneness to idolatry, two figures of cherubim were placed by Divine command in the " Holy of Holies," extending their wings over the ark, which contained the cove- nant between God and man. If any other testimony were requisite concerning the estimation in which painting and sculpture were held among the ancients, it might be summed up in these observations, — that Plato studied painting, Socrates was a sculptor by profession, and Aristotle may be numbered among the patrons of art, as well as his pupil Alexander, as we learn from the philo- sopher's will, that he ordered various monumental statues to be made of his friends and relations. This esteem was so general, that not only the best, but the worst characters of antiquity (Nero and Corn- modus), sought reputation from affecting to encou- rage, and even to practise them. A further con- sideration of the state and employment of sculpture among the ancients, particularly the Greeks and Eomans, will be necessarily connected with its com- pendious general history and principles in future D 34 English Sculpture. discourses, and which may be introduced in the present lecture, by a sketch of its progress in our own country. Among the ancient Britons, whose dress was a bonnet, hair-cloak, tunic, and long drawers ; whose dwellings were nuts, and whose cities were woods enclosed by ramparts and ditches, little progress could be expected in the art of sculpture ; and in- deed no other proofs are come down to us that they had any, excepting some rude coins, apparently imitations of those of Tyre or Carthage, with whicn countries they had commercial intercourse. When the Romans had conquered the island, the inhabitants, in imitation of their conquerors, built temples, courts of justice, baths, and all other struc- tures, both public and private, the magnificence of which is not only learned from historians, but proved from immense remains of foundations and mosaic pavements found in various parts of the kingdom, with fragments of statues, groups, sarcophagi, and sepulchral stones, of different ages and workman- ship ; on which, however, these remarks may be offered, — that all those works found in Britain, and which we believe were actually performed here, are inferior, both as to principles and execution, to those done by the Romans in their own country at the same period, which is to be accounted lor thus ; the inhabitants of Britain were instructed in the arts of peace by soldiers, whose knowledge of them was very inferior to their military skill, or by such English Sculpture. 35 artists of little estimation as could be well spared from Borne or other Italian cities. Two heads of bronze statues, a Minerva and Diana,* found in Bath, are examples of sculpture here during the Eoman dominion. The statues, to which these heads belonged, are believed to have been the objects of worship in temples dedicated to those goddesses, formerly existing in that city ; nor is it impossible that they were British sculpture, as they are certainly indifferent copies from fine ori- ginal busts. The Britons continued to practise the art of cast- ing magnificent works in bronze upwards of 200 years after the departure of the Eomans, according to Speed, who says, a that King Cadwollo being buried in St. Martin's Church near Ludgate, his image great and terrible, triumphantly riding on horseback, artificially cast in brass, was placed on the western gate of the city, to the further fear and terror of the Saxons !" We must not, however, understand, from this bold and poetical description of Cadwollo's statue, that its expression was the result of its excellence. If it was terrible as well as great, that characteristic was the consequence of its barbarous workmanship: for in the year 677, when Cadwollo died, the Goths, Franks, Lombards, and other uncivilized nations, had nearly exterminated the liberal arts in Europe. The following general miscellaneous remarks on * A oast of this head is in Sir John Soane's Museum. 36 English Sculpture. Boman-British Antiquities may be properly offered in this place. Of the Boinan altars and sepulchral tablets, found in Britain, carved in native stone, the workmanship is extremely rude, like that done in Italy under the Gothic and Lombard kings. This observation will include the architectural fragments, as well as human figures in basso-relievo, found at Bath, and belonging to the temples of Minerva and Diana in that city ; notwithstanding these temples must have been raised before the time of Constantine the Great, when the Christian religion became the religion of the empire, after which, it is not likely pagan temples of any consequence were erected under the Koman government, if we except the short reign of Julian. In most of the Koman mosaics found in Britain, the principal object of the design is a Bacchus, or an Orpheus playing on his lyre ; those mosaics with the Bacchus are of the best design and workmanship, for which this reason may be given, — that the Bacchus Musagetes was frequently introduced, before the time of Alexander Severus, in sarcophagi and other works, that Divinity being much liked by the Eomans, as patron of the drama ; consequently, those mosaics are likely to have been done in the course of 170 years, between the reign of Domitian, when the Britons adopted the buildings and decorations of the Eomans, and the year 240, when the Orphic philosophy spread its influence in the Koman English Sculpture. 37 empire. From this period, to the year 336, the representations of Orpheus may be dated, after which time they were succeeded by Christian characters and symbols. Fragments of cups and pateras have been found in Cambridge, Colchester, and other places, made of fine red clay, baked and glazed, adorned with basso- relievos, beautifully modelled, of Mercury, Apollo, Venus, and other heathen deities, from large statues still existing, with fine scenic masks, boars, dogs,