In this hermes we have a capital representation of the features of
the rival of Sophocles. The countenance is at once noble, serious,
and expressive. It bears the stamp of the genius of that celebrated
tragic poet, which was naturally sublime and profound, though
inclined to the pathetic.
This hermes is executed in Pentelic marble, and was taken from the
academy of _Mantua_.
Since the revival of the arts, the lovers of antiquity have made
repeated attempts to form a collection of antique statues of the
Muses; but none was ever so complete as that assembled in the Museum
of the Vatican by Pius VI, and which the chance of war has now
transferred to the banks of the Seine. Here the bard may offer up to
them a solemn invocation, and compose his lay, as it were, under
their very eyes.
The statues of CLIO, THALIA, TERPSICHORE, ERATO, POLYHYMNIA, and
CALLIOPE, together with the APOLLO MUSAGETES, were discovered in
1774, at _Tivoli_, among the ruins of the villa of Cassius. To
complete the number, Pius VI obtained the EUTERPE and the URANIA from
the _Lancellotti_ palace at _Veletri_. They are supposed to be
antique copies of the statues of the Nine Muses by Philiscus, which,
according to Pliny, graced the portico of Octavia.
* * * * *
The air of grandeur that reigns in the general arrangement of the
gallery is very striking: and the tasteful and judicious distribution
of this matchless assemblage of antiques does great honour to the
Council of the CENTRAL MUSEUM. Among the riches which Rome possessed,
the French commissioners also, by their choice selection, have
manifested the depth of their knowledge, and the justness of their
discrimination.
The alterations and embellishments made in the different apartments
of the GALLERY OF ANTIQUES have been executed under the immediate
direction of their author, M. RAYMOND, member of the National
Institute, and architect to the NATIONAL PALACE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
In winter, the apartments are kept warm by means of flues, which
diffuse a genial vapour. Here, without the expense of a single
_liard_, the young draughtsman may form his taste by studying the
true antique models of Grecian sculpture; the more experienced artist
may consult them as he finds occasion in the composition of his
subjects; while the connoisseur, the amateur, or the simple observer
may spend many an agreeable hour in contemplating these master-pieces
which, for centuries, have inspired universal admiration.
These are the materials on which Genius ought to work, and without
which the most promising talent may be greatly misapplied, if not
entirely lost. It was by studying closely these correct models, that
the great MICHAEL ANGELO, the, sublime RAPHAEL, and other eminent
masters, acquired that idea of excellence which is the result of the
accumulated experience of successive ages. Here, in one visit, the
student may imbibe those principles to ascertain which many artists
have consumed the best part of their days; and penetrated by their
effect, he is spared the laborious investigation by which they came
to be known and established. It is unnecessary to expatiate on the
advantages which the fine arts may expect to derive from such a
repository of antiques in a capital so centrical as Paris. The
contemplation of them cannot fail to fire the genius of any artist of
taste, and prompt his efforts towards the attainment of that grand
style, which, disdaining the minute accidental particularities of
individual objects, improves partial representation by the general
and invariable ideas of nature.
A vast collection of antiquities of every description is still
expected from Italy, among which are the _Venus of Medicis_ and the
_Pallas of Veletri_, a finely-preserved statue, classed by artists
among those of the first rank, dug up at _Veletri_ in 1799, in
consequence of the researches made there by order of the French
commissioners. Upwards of five hundred cases were lying on the banks
of the Tiber, at Rome, ready to be sent off to France, when the
Neapolitans entered that city. They carried them all away: but by the
last article of the treaty of peace with the king of Naples, the
whole of them are to be restored to the French Republic. For the
purpose of verifying their condition, and taking measures for their
conveyance to Paris, two commissioners have been dispatched to Italy:
one is the son of CHAPTAL, Minister of the Interior, and the other is
DUFOURNY, the architect. On the arrival of these cases, even after
the fifteen departmental Museums have been supplied, it is asserted
that there will yet remain in the French capital, antiquities in
sufficient number to form a museum almost from Paris to Versailles.
The CENTRAL MUSEUM OF THE ARTS is open to the public in general on
the 8th, 9th, and 10th of each decade;[1] the other days are
appropriated to the study of young pupils; but a foreigner has only
to produce his _permis de séjour_ to gain admission _gratis_ every
day from the hour of ten o'clock to four. To the credit of the
nation, I must observe that this exception in favour of foreigners
excites no jealousy whatever.
It is no more than a justice due to the liberality of the French
republican government to add, that they set a noble example which is
worthy of being followed, not only in England, but in every other
country, where the arts and sciences are honoured, or the general
interests of mankind held in estimation. From persons visiting any
national establishment, whether museum, library, cabinet, or garden,
in this capital, no sort of fee or perquisite is now expected, or
allowed to be taken. Although it was not a public day when I paid my
first visit to the CENTRAL MUSEUM, no sooner did I shew my _permis de
séjour_, than the doors were thrown open; and from M. VISCONTI, and
other members of the Council, who happened to be present, I
experienced the most polite and obliging attention. As an Englishman,
I confess that I felt a degree of shame on reflecting to what pitiful
exaction a foreigner would be subject, who might casually visit any
public object of curiosity in our metropolis.
[Footnote 1: By a subsequent regulation, Saturday and Sunday are the
days on which the CENTRAL MUSEUM is open to public inspection.]