The National Register. — London, England, 1809-08-27 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. Mr. Young always performs those parts.which are less com plicated with great truth and much good acting. If he cannot rouse his feelings, he generally know. how he ought to feel, and therefore affords us a few visible signs of the emotion he means to express s this is enough for a gentle man of his respectable walk in acting. But in undertaking the character of Sky lock, lock, he has certainly walked out of his track, and if he does not speedily walk hack again. we fear that he will go step by step out of the respectable estimation in which he at present stands with the public. AUG Q 7. feet is ti:uup•nn Agonistes cha►ned. The remaining figures re pre.ent the Maquie of Como; ; the two brothers drive on three Bacchanals, w it I t their stagt.ering leader Cumus. The enchant ed Lady is seated in the chair, and the ►eries is ended by two Tygers, representing the transformations of Gowns's . devotees. The desgins of both Ilosso-relievos, and the model of the Ancient Drama, are by Mr. Flaxman The model of the Mo• dern Drama, and the execution in itone, is by Mr. Rossi. The statues representing Tragedy and Comedy, intended for the niche• in thew ings of the Theatre, are completed, and, we understand, will be put up on Monday next. Each of these figures is seven feet high. Tragedy, to occupy which the nich in the southern extre • inky o the building, or that nearest to Russel -street, is a fine figure, holding the tragic mask and dagger. The sculptor is Mr. Ito%ii. Comedy hold; the shepherd's crook or pedum, on her right shoulder, and the comic mask in her left hand. This statue, which is the workmanship of Mr. Flaxman, is to he placed in the rich in the northern extremity of the building next to Long acre. Without this explanation we should have been inclined to have given these ideal personages other names, par. titularly as there is no inscription by which the spectator is led to distinguish them fir Menander, Aristophanes, and Nesehylus. Thalia is perhaps sufficiently pointed out by her mask and crook, while the muses who follow her we ap• prehend to have been selected from the representation . of some Greek chorus t and the names assigned them by Mr. Flaxman to have been the result of those instruments, accid. dentally furnished them by the ancient Artist, We are at a loss to conceive what is meant by the ornament of pine leaves appropriated to three nymphs, who are attending the poetical steed Pegasus. We are still more at a loss to understand why these three nymphs are called the Hours of the Seasons. If they were the former, we should have had twelve of them, if the latter, at least one personage more was necessary to comPlete the group but perhaps the Artist has sacrificed propriety to effect c we shall observe by the way, the Greek or Homan Artists were never guilty of this fault. We suspect that Mr. Flaxman has borrowed this idea of the hours attending upon► Pegasus from the well know* picture of the horse leading - forth the Horses pf the Sun. The figures of Bacchus and the Fawn would certainly not strike a spectator uninformed of the intentions of the Artist. Bacchus is a gigantie figure, and Faunus, we think, is very unpoetically thrust into the group. Of the other figures Melpomene is sufficiently designated: we cannot help condemning that want of unity in th►s design which might have led us to distinguish between the allegorical allusions and those which represent the poets, and the real personages of their dramas. The composition is at once too general and too particular. This objection will ►►ot apply to the other compartment; that has defects of a different nature, but we think aot less fatal to its ranking among the higher orders of composi tion. So far as Shakespeare ►s concerned, all is very well ; but why are Otway,' Rowe, Dryden, Ben Johnson, and others we could name, to be cashiered of their dramatic fame, to make room for Milton ? Who, how high soever may be his clai►ns as a poet, hat certainly but few preten• sinus as a dramatic author; and we think that it would not have been less incongruous to have placed our first moral writer, or our greatest philosopher, than it is to have placed Milton in this situat►on. With respect to the me rits Of the execution, we consider Mr. Flaxman's compart ment, upon the whole, superior to the other. If we have objected to sonic parts, there are others which are entitled to our highest approbation ; the figures of the Furies in stigating Orestes, are animated with a boldness exceeding the usual efforts of Mr. Flaxman's powers, and are upon the whole highly honourable to his talents. The figure of Lady Macbeth is executed with great spirit, and it is no faint praise to say that Mr. Rossi has not lessened that confidence in his abilities which his formes% la bours have excited. J"LVE ARTS. Scarcely has the public curiosity been gratified by the statue of the Duke of Bedford, in Russell-square, than it is again called forth in an unusual degree, by two compart ments of relievo, from the chissels of Flaxman and Rossi. They are situated on the west front of the new Covent- Carden Theatre. The scaffolding was removed on Thurs day last, since which period they have been visited by thousands of th;s metropolis. We sincerely wish that this display orthe skill of our native artists may excite a cor responding taste in the public mind, satisfied as we are, that whatever can eleva:e the mind or improve the taste, will have a similar effect upon the morals of the rommu mity. The building itself has risen from the ashes of the former theatre, in a style of grandeur and magnificence, of which we have had but few specimens in this country. It brings to our recollection those periods in the history of architecture, when the sublime effect of a whole was not frittered away or sacrificed to an ostentatious displa v of parts. We congratulate the public, and we congratulate Mr. Sinirke upon this revival of a taste at once bold, simple, and magnificent. The public hive been favoured (we presume by the artists themselves), with the following explanation of the allego tical allusions of these. designs : TUE ANCIENT DRAMA• In the centre, three Creek Poets are sitting, the two looking towards the portico, are Aristophanes, representing the Old Comedy, and (nearest to the spectator) Menander, represent ing the New Comedy,—Before them Thalia pre.ents herself with her crook and comic mask, as the object of their imitation. She is followed by Polyhymnia playing on the f renter lyre; Euterpe on the lesser lyre. Clio. with the long pipes, and Tersichore, the Muse of Action nr Pantomime. These are succeeded by three Nymphs crowned with the leaves of the fir pine, and in succint tunics, representing the hours or seasons, governing and attending the winged horse Pega , us. The third sitting figure in the centre, looking from the portico, is Nschylus, the father of Tragedy. He holds a scroll open on his knee; his attention is fired on Wisdom, or Minerva, seated opposite to the Poet. She is distlngui•lted by her helmet and shield. Between /Eschylus and Minerva, Bacchus stands leaning on his fawn, because the Greeks represented Tragedies in honour of Bacchus. Behind Minerva stands Melpomene, or Tragedy, holding a sword and masks then follow two Furies, with snakes and torches pursuing Orestes, who stretches his bands to supplicate Apollo for protection. Apollo is repre seated in the quadriga, or four horsed chariot of the Sun. The last described figures relate to part of lEschylas's Tragedy of Orestes. THE MODERN DRAUfA• In the centre (looking from the Portico) Shakespear IA sitting the Comic and Tragic Masks, with the Lyre, are about his seat ; his right hand is raised, expressive of railing up the following characters in the Tempest:—First, Caliban laden with woad; next Ferdinand, sheathing his sword; then Miranda, entreat tug Prospero in behalf of her lover; they are led on by Arid above, playing on her lyre. This part of the composition is terminated by Hecate (the three formed Goddess) in her car, drawn hy oxen, descending. She is attended try Lady Macbeth, ith the daggers in her hands, followed by Macbeth turning in horror from the body of Duncaw behind him. In the centre, looking towards the portico, is Milian, seated, gontemplating Urania, according to his own description in the Paradise Lost. Urania is seated facing him above; at his L