A Manual of Sculpture; Egyptian - Assyrian - Greek -Roman with One Hundred and Sixty Illustrations, a Map of Ancient Greece and a Chronological List of Ancient Sculptors and Their Works (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 Excerpt: ...85th Olympiad, 438 B.C., when he must have been about 58 or 60 years old, if born as presumed between the 70th and 72nd Olympiads (Raoul Koehette, Lectures); therefore it is quite possible that he might have been engaged upon the sculptures of the Theseum as a young man. That he must have acquired the reputation of being the first sculptor in Athens at the time the Parthenon was determined upon by Pericles, is only what is to be presumed; otherwise, such an important work would not have been placed in his hands. The strong action of many of the figures in the Theseum sculptures, and especially the cast of the flying draperies, would seem to be not unlike the first great work of a young sculptor in the full vigour and flush of genius. The gravity and reserve of In the figures fighting the Amazons, sculptured on the shield of Athena, alleged by his enemies to be portraits of Pericles and himself, and for which he was accused--Pheidias was represented as a bald old man. power so distinctive of the Parthenon pediment figures, and the perfect grace and dignity of the motives, would mark the work of an accomplished master well assured of his power and working well within his resources. The question whether Pheidias had any hand in the Theseum sculptures is one that is full of the deepest interest, and it has not hitherto received the attention it calls for. It will be admitted, at any rate, that some great innovator was at work upon the sculptures of the Theseum. All the archaisms we have before noticed were cast aside in favour of a direct study of nature--and this not only in representing the figure in strong action with great beauty and truth, but remarkably so in the draperies. "The sculptures of the Theseum display a wonderful advance beyond all previou...