FINE ARTS.
MR. LUCAS'S MODELS OP THE PARTHENON.
Or the multitudes who have visited the British Museum and gazed with wonder and admiration on the Elgin Marbles, but a small proportion are aware of the way in which they were arranged on the temple that they adorned. Even of the more intelligent visiters only a few of the most stu- dious have been able, from an attentive examination of the majestic frag- ments, to conceive a definite idea of the sublime effect of these unrivalled sculptures, as they appeared in the freshness of their beauty and the ful- ness of their grandeur, crowning with the glories of art the noblest edifice ever raised by the hands of man. War and weather combined have not been able in two thousand years to efface the impress of grace and great- ness stamped upon them by the genius of Phidias: the mutilated marble still lives and breathes the inspiration of the sculptor in every fragment of form. But though some of the characters are legible and instinct with eloquent meaning, the full import of the whole inscription (so to speak) could not be understood for want of the connecting links to the broken sentences. These are now supplied, from the best authorities, by means of two models of the Parthenon, constructed by Mr. Lucas from the most authentic data; one showing the Temple of Minerva restored to what it is supposed to have been left by Phidias; the other, exhibiting its ruined condition after the ex- plosion during the siege of Athens by the Venetian forces in 1687, when its centre was blown to pieces. The models are both on the same scale; and their size, about twelve feet by six, is sufficient to represent the effect of the ensemble, and also to display as much of the details of the sculpture and ornaments as might be expected in a sketch compiled from imperfect resources. The model of the Parthenon in its perfect state conveys a dis- tinct idea of the structure in respect of completeness; and its value in as- sisting the mind to realize the vast conception of Phidias may be inferred from this circumstance: it produces a vivid impression of the unity and magnificence of the whole design, and exemplifies in a striking manner the chastened richness resulting from this combination of sculpture with Gre- cian architecture. On looking at the model from a point of view cor- responding with that under which the edifice itself would have appeared to the eye of an Athenian ascending the steps leading to the principal or Western entrance of the temple, the consummate skill and judgment of the great artist become manifest. Between the massive Doric columns of the portico is visible the processional frieze that surrounds the cella or en- closed part of the temple; the figures in low relief on a pale blue ground, which renders their outline conspicuous and masses the groups. Imme- diately above the frieze, the strong projecting line of the architrave prepares the eye for the bolder and more animated groups of the metopes; which, separated by the triglyphs, produce a lively effect, and, aided by circular shields of gold hung one beneath each metope, vary the horizontal and ver- tical lines of the architecture. The projecting moulding of the cor- nice forms a line of demarcation between the architrave and the grand design of the pediment; and the sloping lines of the roof conduct the eye gradually upwards, from the acute angles of its extremities to the apex, where it rests on the central group of a composition of figures in high relief filling the pediment with an animated assemblage of deities. Thus, step by step, we scale the height of this sublime work of art; the mind expand- ing with the comprehension of its grand design, and the sense entranced by the deep and solemn harmony of all its parts. As an instance of the profound study of effect in the ensemble, it should be noticed that the me- topes at the sides are much bolder in relief than those at each end; because in a side view of the edifice the metopes are the principal features of the sculpture, while at the ends they become subordinate to the groups on the pediments.
After contemplating the complete structure sufficiently to take in the whole of the grand idea in its perfection, or as nearly as we can now attain it, the visitor should turn to the model of its shattered condition. It fur- nishes a key to the recognition of those fragments of its sculptures which here surround the gallery; and enables one to identify each portion with its corresponding part in the perfect work, and thus to supply in imagina- tion what is wanting of each group and figure. That these restorations of the compositions on the pediments will satisfy the critical student in every particular, cannot be expected; for although there is sufficient authority for the attitudes and arrangement of the figures in the Western pediment, there is little or none for the principal group of the Eastern. Mr. Lucas appears to have come nearer to what may be conjectured was the design of Phidias; but neither the action and air of his forms nor the distribution of the masses harmonize with the rest of the composition. It would require another Phidias to model a group representing the birth of Minerva in sculpture worthy of the subject; and of this important group only the feet of Minerva and a shoulder of Jupiter have been found. Such an approximation has been made in the model, however, as may suggest the general effect of the temple viewed as a whole; helping both learned and unlearned to imagine what the Parthenon was like, and whereabouts upon it were originally placed those grand sculptures, broken and battered bits of which constitute the greatest treasures of the British Museum.
The models are not yet open to public view, but they are so nearly finished that it may be expected they will very shortly be visible. Mean- while, Mr. Lucas has set forth the authorities for his restorations in a little volume of Remarks on the Parthenon; in which he describes the building, and sketches the history of.its dilapidations, and recounts the result of re- searches by learned travellers into its past and present condition. It is Illustrated by slight and imperfect etchings of fragments and restorations; too deficient in drawing to represent the forms of the original sculptures, but serving to explain the text.
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