adorned with Jewellery-China Figures-The Daguerrotype -Portraits of Actors in Character-Naturalness-Sculpture the most perfect of the Arts-Conclusion. JUVEN says, UVENAL'S "nequeo monstrare et sentio tantum” -the "felt but undefined"—seems at first the only account to be given of the pleasure enjoyed in the contemplation of works of art, and especially of Sculpture: but a little consideration shows it to be analogous to the pleasure derived from a simile, which Dr. Johnson defines to be "the discovery of likeness between two actions in their general nature dissimilar, or of causes terminating by different operations in some resemblance of effect." And again he "A simile may be compared to lines converging in a point, and is more excellent as the lines approach from greater distance.” Life of Addison. And again—“ A simile, to be perfect, must both illustrate and ennoble the subject; and show it to the understanding in a clearer view, and display it to the fancy with greater dignity." Life of Pope. So, under the hands of the sculptor, a block of marble, every way most unlike the living subject, becomes an enchanting object of intellectual contemplation. And this is effected (as I shall again have occasion to remark) by the influence of form alone; for in sculpture, the effects of light and shade, and of perspective, are impossible; and any attempt at a closer approach to reality by colouring, or other adventitious aids-any mistaken substitution of deception for imitation-must defeat its own purpose, and tend, like an exhibition of wax work, to surprise without pleasing the spectator, and to overwhelm him beneath an ineffectual load of detail, and lifeless exemplification. Sculpture is preeminently distinguished by its purely abstract quality—its ideality—its admitting of but one style, or, rather, admitting of none-its holding the letter in entire subjection to the spirit of the subjectits rejection of realities for the expression of essential verities. If it falls but a little short of this degree of excellence, it is at once repudiated. The sculptor who would pride himself upon his skill in the expression of detail, and rest in that as an end, thenceforwards loses caste; "Infelix operis summâ, quia ponere totum HORACE. · All tours de force-all petty triumphs—all false appliances and means, are equally unworthy of his calling. Of this false character are the three following pieces of sculpture in the Chapel of San Severo at Naples; the Modesty (so called) by Corradini; Man in the toils of Vice by Queirolo; and the dead Christ, by Giuseppe San Martino; to which we might add, the popular figures of Tam O'Shanter, and Souter Johnny, that were exhibited some years ago in our own country. It is not from such efforts as the above, but it is from the pure and abstract specimens of the art, that the mind's eye, as it were, acquires the power of restoring a mutilated statue; for, provided the relic be first-rate, however its material shape may have been injured, the spectator recals without effort the form of the original conception, as though it were immortal and indiscerptible. The Theseus and the Ilissus in the British Museum, and the Antinous in the Vatican, are grand examples of this. Further, these very qualities of loftiness and abstraction in form and character exclude nearly all expression from the countenance of a statue, except that which is given to it by the position of the head. The celebrated group of the wrestlers, in the Florence gallery, offers a well-known example. Their features are perfectly calm and unmoved, though the figures themselves appear engaged in the most violent bodily action. On the other hand, the malignant scowl of Canova's gladiators, in the Vatican, adds nothing to the expression conveyed in their attitudes, and can hardly fail to shock the spectator. Again, who, in witnessing first-rate stage dancing, ever thinks of inquiring whether the performer's countenance is beautiful or not? Such exhibitions would be equally effective though the performer wore a mask. Every one must have observed that even in grotesque pantomime, the masks then worn rarely fail to bear the appearance of varying their expression with the attitudes of the performers. Such is the all-sufficiency of the poetry of form. Hence, however, it follows that sculpture is necessarily tied down to rigorous accuracy of outline. For who could bear disproportion in a statue ? who could enter upon a physical question of thews and sinews, when called upon to feel deeply, and to generalize upon moral attributes ? Moreover, a statue, being a solid, is, geometrically speaking, of three dimensions; and is, on that very account, brought into such palpable, close, unprotected contact-such immediate juxta-position and comparison, with surrounding objects and the breathing world, that it requires to be ensured from meeting with positive contempt by the magic influence of its abstract qualities, with which, as with a kind of divinity, it must be hedged about, or perish. The unities of time and place in a piece of sculpture, are, of course, perfect; and it is further imperative on the sculptor to preserve its unity of action perfect. The roughest design ever modelledthe rudest sketch ever dashed off-will be more pleasing than the finished statue that does not quite succeed. It is scarcely too much to say that the sculptor ventures for complete success or for total failure. And since the sculptor cannot have a style, he cannot become popular. There cannot be a Hunt or a Wilkie in sculpture. In painting, the case is wholly different. A picture is a surface, and is therefore, geometrically speaking, of two dimensions only. Its unities of time and place are necessarily, as in a piece of sculpture, perfect; and so ought its unity of action to be; albeit, greater latitude is allowed to the painter in its developement. Nay, some latitude is allowed him even as regards the unity of time; for a picture may, as it often does, present circumstances to the spectator, which assist in telling the story, but which could not have occurred at one and the same instant. Besides, the painter produces his effect by a knowledge of colouring, light and shade, outline, and perspective; each indeed requiring separate study, but each contributing its distinct resources, combining at last in favour of the painter. Many faults in the above particulars are venial: nor is it true, as sometimes asserted, that false drawing in a picture is as unpardonable as false grammar in writing.* Not because the art of painting has It is possible to throw a veil even over a grammatical |