It is natural to regret, that, of the number of antique statues which have come to us tolerably entire, so great a proportion are representations of gods and goddesses. Had they been intended for real persons, we might have had a perfect knowledge of the face and figure of the greatest part of the most distinguished30 citizens of ancient Greece and Rome. A man of unrelaxing wisdom would smile with contempt, and ask, if our having perfect representations of all the heroes, poets, and philosophers recorded[5] in history, would make us either wiser or more learned? to which I answer, That there are a great many things, which neither can add to my small stock of learning nor wisdom, and yet give me more pleasure and satisfaction than those which do; and, unfortunately for mankind, the greatest part of them resemble me in this particular.
But though I would with pleasure have given up a great number of the Jupiters and Apollos and Venuses, whose statues we have, in exchange for an equal, or even a smaller, number of mere31 mortals whom I could name; I by no means consider the statues of those deities32 as uninteresting. Though they are imaginary beings, yet each of them has a distinct character of his own of classical authority, which has long been impressed on our memories; and we assume the right of deciding on the artist’s skill, and applauding[6] or blaming, as he has succeeded or failed in expressing the established character of the god intended. From the ancient artists having exercised their genius in forming the images of an order of beings superior to mankind, another and a greater advantage is supposed to have followed; it prompted the artists to attempt the uniting in one form, the various beauties and excellencies which nature had dispersed33 in many. This was not so easy a task as may by some be imagined; for that which has a fine effect in one particular face or person, may appear a deformity when combined with a different complexion34, different features, or a different shape. It therefore required great judgment35 and taste to collect those various graces, and combine them with elegance36 and truth; and repeated efforts of this kind are imagined to have inspired some of the ancient sculptors37 with sublimer40 ideas of beauty than nature herself ever[7] exhibited, as appears in some of their works which have reached our own times.
Though the works of no modern artist can stand a comparison with the great master-pieces now alluded41 to, yet nothing can be more absurd than the idea which some people entertain, that all antique statues are of more excellent workmanship than the modern. We see, every day, numberless specimens42 of every species of sculpture, from the largest statues and bassos-relievos, to the smallest cameos and intaglios, that are undoubtedly43 antique, and yet far inferior, not only to the works of the best artists of Leo the Tenth’s time, but also to those of many artists now alive in various parts of Europe. The passion for sculpture, which the Romans caught from the Greeks, became almost universal. Statues were not only the chief ornaments44 of their temples and palaces, but also of the[8] houses of the middle, and even the lowest, order of citizens. They were prompted to adorn45 them with the figures of a few favourite deities, by religion, as well as vanity: no man, but an atheist46 or a beggar, could be without them. This being the case, we may easily conceive what graceless divinities many of them must have been; for in this, no doubt, as in every other manufactory, there must occasionally have been bungling47 workmen employed, even in the most flourishing ?ra of the arts, and goods finished in a very careless and hurried manner, to answer the constant demand, and suit the dimensions of every purse. We must have a very high idea of the number of statues of one kind or other, which were in old Rome, when we consider, how many are still to be seen; how many have at different periods been carried away, by the curious, to every country in Europe; how many were mutilated and destroyed by the gothic brutality[9] of Barbarians48, and the ill-directed zeal49 of the early Christians50, who thought it a duty to exterminate51 every image, without distinction of age or sex, and without considering whether they were of God or man. This obliged the wretched heathens to hide the statues of their gods and of their ancestors in the bowels52 of the earth, where unquestionably great numbers of them still remain. Had they not been thus barbarously hewed53 to pieces, and buried, I had almost said, alive, we might have had several equal to the great master-pieces in the Vatican; for it is natural to imagine, that the rage of the zealots would be chiefly directed against those statues which were in the highest estimation with the heathens; and we must likewise imagine, that these would be the pieces which they, on their part, would endeavour, by every possible means, to preserve from their power, and bury in the earth. Of those which have been dug[10] up, I shall mention only a very few, beginning with the Farnesian Hercules, which has been long admired as an exquisite54 model of masculine strength; yet, admirable as it is, it does not please all the world. I am told that the women in particular find something unsatisfactory, and even odious55, in this figure; which, however majestic56, is deficient57 in the charms most agreeable to them, and which might have been expected in the son of Jupiter and the beauteous Alcmena. A lady whom I accompanied to the Farnese palace, turned away from it in disgust. I could not imagine what had shocked her. She told me, after recollection, that she could not bear the stern severity of his countenance, his large brawny59 limbs, and the club with which he was armed; which gave him more the appearance of one of those giants that, according to the old romances, carried away virgins60 and shut them up in gloomy castles, than the gallant[11] Hercules, the lover of Omphale. Finally, the lady declared, she was convinced this statue could not be a just representation of Hercules; for it was not in the nature of things, that a man so formed could ever have been a reliever of distressed61 damsels.
Without such powerful support as that of the fair sex, I should not have exposed myself to the resentment of connoisseurs62, by any expression which they might construe63 an attack upon this favourite statue; but, with their support, I will venture to assert, that the Farnese Hercules is faulty both in his form and attitude: the former is too unwieldy for active exertion64, and the latter exhibits vigour65 exhausted66. A resting attitude is surely not the most proper in which the all-conquering god of strength could be represented. Rest implies fatigue67, and fatigue strength exhausted. A reposing68 Hercules is almost a[12] contradiction. Invincible activity, and inexhaustible strength, are his characteristics. The ancient artist has erred69, not only in giving him an attitude which supposes his strength wants recruiting, but in the nature of the strength itself, the character of which should not be passive, but active.
Near to Hercules, under the arcades70 of the same Palazzo Farnese, is a most beautiful statue of Flora71. The great advantage which ancient artists had in attending the exercises of the gymnasia, has been repeatedly urged as the reason of their superiority over the moderns in sculpture. We are told, that besides the usual exercises of the gymnasia, all those who proposed to contend at the Olympic games, were obliged, by the regulations, to prepare themselves, by exercising publicly for a year at Elis; and the statuaries and painters constantly attended on the Arena72, where[13] they had opportunities of beholding73 the finest shaped, the most graceful74, and most vigorous of the Grecian youth employed in those manly75 sports, in which the power of every muscle was exerted, and all their various actions called forth76, and where the human form appeared in an infinite variety of different attitudes. By a constant attendance at such a school, independent of any other circumstance, the artists are supposed to have acquired a more animated, true, and graceful style, than possibly can be caught from viewing the tame, mercenary models, which are exhibited in our academies. On the other hand, I have heard it asserted, that the artist, who formed the Farnesian Flora, could not have improved his work, or derived77 any of its excellencies, from the circumstances above enumerated78; because the figure is in a standing79 posture80, and clothed. In the light, easy flow of the drapery, and[14] in the contour of the body being as distinctly pronounced through it, as if the figure were naked, the chief merit of this statue is thought to consist. But this reasoning does not seem just; for the daily opportunities the ancient artists had of seeing naked figures, in every variety of action and attitude, must have given them advantages over the moderns, in forming even drapery figures. At Sparta, the women, upon particular occasions, danced naked. In their own families; they were seen every day clothed in light draperies; and so secondary was every consideration, even that of decency81, to art, that the prettiest virgins of Agrigentum, it is recorded, were called upon by the legislature, without distinction, to shew themselves naked to a painter, to enable him to paint a Venus. Whilst the moderns, therefore, must acknowledge their inferiority to the ancients in the art of sculpture, they may be allowed[15] merit, on account of the cause, to which it seems, in some measure at least, to be owing.
The finest specimens of antique sculpture are to be seen in the Vatican. In these the Greek artists display an unquestionable superiority over the most successful efforts of the moderns. For me to attempt a description of these master-pieces, which have been described a thousand times, and imitated as often, without once having had justice done them, would be equally vain and superfluous82. I confine myself to a very few observations. The most insensible of mankind must be struck with horror at sight of the Laocoon. On one of my visits to the Vatican, I was accompanied by two persons, who had never been there before: one of them is accused of being perfectly83 callous84 to every thing which does not immediately touch his own person; the other is a worthy85, good man: the first, after staring for some time with[16] marks of terror at the groupe, at length recovered himself; exclaiming with a laugh,—“Egad, I was afraid these d——d serpents would have left the fellows they are devouring86, and made a snap at me; but I am happy to recollect58 they are of marble.”—“I thank you, Sir, most heartily,” said the other, “for putting me in mind of that circumstance; till you mentioned it, I was in agony for those two youths.”
Nothing can be conceived more admirably executed than this affecting groupe; in all probability, it never would have entered into my own head that it could have been in any respect improved. But when I first had the happiness of becoming acquainted with Mr. Lock, a period of my life which I shall always recollect with peculiar15 pleasure, I remember my conversing87 with him upon this subject; and that Gentleman, after mentioning the execution[17] of this piece, in the highest terms of praise, observed that, had the figure of Laocoon been alone, it would have been perfect. As a man suffering the most excruciating bodily pain with becoming fortitude88, it admits of no improvement; his proportions, his form, his action, his expression, are exquisite. But when his sons appear, he is no longer an insulated, suffering individual, who, when he has met pain and death with dignity, has done all that could be expected from man; he commences father, and a much wider field is opened to the artist. We expect the deepest pathos89 in the exhibition of the sublimest90 character that art can offer to the contemplation of the human mind: A father forgetting pain, and instant death, to save his children. This Sublime39 and Pathetic the artist either did not see, or despaired of attaining91. Laocoon’s sufferings are merely corporal; he is deaf to the cries of his agonizing92 children, who are calling[18] on him for assistance. But had he been throwing a look of anguish93 upon his sons, had he seemed to have forgotten his own sufferings in theirs, he would have commanded the sympathy of the spectator in a much higher degree. On the whole, Mr. Lock was of opinion, that the execution of this groupe is perfect, but that the conception is not equal to the execution. I shall leave it to others to decide whether Mr. Lock, in these observations, spoke94 like a man of taste: I am sure he spoke like a father. I have sensibility to feel the beauty and justness of the remark, though I had not the ingenuity95 to make it.
It is disputed whether this groupe was formed from Virgil’s description of the death of Laocoon and his sons, or the description made from the groupe; it is evident, from their minute resemblance, that one or other must have been the case. The Poet mentions a circumstance, which could[19] not be represented by the sculptor38; he says that, although every other person around sought safety by flight, the father was attacked by the serpents, while he was advancing to the assistance of his sons—
—auxilio subeuntem ac tela ferentem.
This deficiency in the sculptor’s art would have been finely supplied by the improvement which Mr. Lock proposed.
Reflecting on the dreadful condition of three persons entangled96 in the horrid97 twinings of serpents, and after contemplating the varied98 anguish so strongly expressed in their countenances99, it is a relief to turn the eye to the heavenly figure of the Apollo. To form an adequate idea of the beauty of this statue, it is absolutely necessary to see it. With all the advantages of colour and life, the human form never appeared so beautiful; and we never can sufficiently100 admire the artist, who has endowed marble[20] with a finer expression of grace, dignity, and understanding, than ever were seen in living features. In the forming of this inimitable figure, the artist seems to have wrought101 after an ideal form of beauty, superior to any in nature, and which existed only in his own imagination.
The admired statue of Antinous is in the same Court. Nothing can be more light, elegant, and easy; the proportions are exact, and the execution perfect. It is an exquisite representation of the most beautiful youth that ever lived.
The statue of Apollo represents something superior, and the emotions it excites are all of the sublime cast.
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1
connoisseur
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| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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aggrandized
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| v.扩大某人的权力( aggrandize的过去式和过去分词 )；提高某人的地位；夸大；吹捧 | |
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fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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acquiescing
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的现在分词 ) | |
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insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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minions
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| n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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concurrence
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| n.同意；并发 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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sculptors
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| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
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sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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sublimer
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| 使高尚者，纯化器 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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46
atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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bungling
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| adj.笨拙的，粗劣的v.搞糟，完不成( bungle的现在分词 )；笨手笨脚地做；失败；完不成 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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51
exterminate
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| v.扑灭，消灭，根绝 | |
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52
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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53
hewed
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| v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟 | |
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54
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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56
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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58
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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60
virgins
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| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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connoisseurs
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| n.鉴赏家，鉴定家，行家( connoisseur的名词复数 ) | |
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construe
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| v.翻译，解释 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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68
reposing
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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73
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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enumerated
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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80
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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81
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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82
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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83
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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84
callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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85
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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86
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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87
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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88
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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89
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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90
sublimest
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| 伟大的( sublime的最高级 )； 令人赞叹的； 极端的； 不顾后果的 | |
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91
attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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92
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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93
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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94
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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95
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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96
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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98
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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99
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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100
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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101
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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