FINE ARTS.
WORKS OF ART IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
THE want of some intelligent account of the various contents of the British Museum, deprives that magnificent assemblage of the works of art and nature of much of its utility in a popular point of view. So far as the sculpture is concerned, however, this deficiency has been supplied by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowlege, under whose superintendence two volumes descriptive of the Elgin Marbles were published some time ago, which are now followed by two others giving a history and description of the Townley Gallery of Sculpture. Though the superior beauty and grandeur of the sculptures of Pin- DIAS and his contemporaries make the defaced and mutilated marbles of the Parthenon eclipse the lesser and more finished specimens of the Townley Collection in the eye of the lovers of art,—for going from them into the Elgin Gallery is like passing through a crowd of mortals to au assembly of the gods,—yet the number, variety, and restored completeness of the sculptures in the Townley Collection, give them an interest in the eyes of the multitude surpassing that of the majestic fragments of the golden age of Greek art. The Townley Gallery includes specimens of almost every style of Greek sculpture —including, some of Etruscan origin—from the crude and rigid character of the early age to the degeneracy of the art under the Roman influence, when ornament and high finish suc- ceeded to the nobler simplicity of the Phidian xis. The inherent elegance and naturalness of Greek art is not, however, hidden even under the false refinements of Roman luxury. The human form is seen to be indeed divine, in the beauty and grace of the statues and the truthful character of the busts; where the dignity, amounting to gran- deur, of some heads, vindicates the art from the reproach of littleness and meanness, that might attach to it in others. In each and all, how- ever, the intellectual perception of the beautiful that is the distinguish- ing characteristic of Greek art, informs alike the rudest and the most artificial examples with the charm that mind alone can give to the sculptor's creations. '1 he two volumes before us consist of a classed catalogue raisonn6 of the marbles known as the Townley Collection—including several additions by other persons—preceded by a Memoir of Mr. TOWNLEY, and an account of the formation of his Gallery ; a sketch of the history of sculpture from the time of PHIDIAS to the extinction of the art under the Roman influence ; and a view of the revival of the taste for antique sculpture in Europe. The sculptures are classed as terracottas, statues, groups, heads and busts, bas-reliefs, vases, ornaments, &c. Each specimen is described separately; and some no- tice is given of the sculptor, (where he is known,) of the person repre- sented in the case of a bust or statue, and of the mythological origin of the ideal design. The text is illustrated by an immense number of wood-cuts, almost every characteristic example being given ; but their value does not extend beyond such a general idea as will serve the visiter to recognize the originals, and refresh the memory of those better acquainted with them. To any one who has not seen them, and who is not conversant with the antique, they convey but a faint and imperfect, nay, sometimes an erroneous, idea of the sculptures. They are in many cases not.only feeble, but inaccurate ; giving a hard and crude character to works remarkable for softness and delicacy ; tidsely representing the shadows and folds of drapery, and even giving the contour and proportions of the form incorrectly in some instances. This is a serious drawback on the value of the book as a work of art; but its utility as a popular guide to the marbles is only slightly impaired by it. The defect that we feel in the descriptions is the want of a classification of styles, and a scientific criticism of the merits of the most remarkable works. Without going into minutiae, the leading points of excellence in each sculpture might have been briefly indicated; and the cause of any imperfection traced to its origin. Such remarks would have added greatly to the value of the work as a guide to the taste of the public. Too many persons who visit museums of art require spectacles to discriminate their beauties and defects ; and the best-informed may be enlightened by an intelligent opinion. Notwith- standing these deficiencies, however, the information contained in these volumes is valuable both to the student and the amateur; and it evinces extensive and minute research, classical learning, and good taste on the part of the compiler.
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