The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-02 00:00:00

ROYAL INSTITUTION.

The usual meeting of the members of the Royal Institu-
tion, on Friday evening, was crowded to overflowing to
hear a lebture by Cardinal Wiseman, " On the points of
contact between science and art." He commenced by re
lating an anecdote of Hannibal, who, when an exile in a
foreign country, had attended a lecture, and on being
asked what he thought of it, replied, " That he .had heard
many old dotards in the course of his life, but the greatest
dotard of all was the man who had ventured to
deliver a lecture on war in the presence of Hannibal."
He feared a similar opinion would be entertained of
him for venturing to lecture on science and art in the pre-
sence of some of the most eminent men of science and of
some of the most distinguished living artists. Cardinal
Wiseman considered the subject in its relations separately
to painting, sculpture, and architecture, each of which de-
partments of art, he said, is intimately connected with the
progress of science. The first representative man in whoni
science and art were combined in the greatest perfection
was Leonardo da Vinci ; for, though little is generally
known of that great artist's scientific acquirements, ho
wrote thirteen folio volumes on matters relating to
science, and he had brought that knowledge to bear in
executing his works of art. The man of modern times who
had done most to connect science with art was the late
Prince Consort, whom Cardinal Wiseman eulogised in high
terms, and mentioned the many successful endeavours
which had been made by the lamented Prince to promote
science in connection with art. The relation of painting
to science was, he observed, shown by the rules of perspec-
tive, which are founded essentially on scientific principles ;
and the absence of the knowledge of perspective by the
ancients was exemplified by the Assyrian marbles, on
which the most absurd placing of objects in wrong places
is shown. Though some great painters, by close observation
of nature, succeeded in representing the objects of different
distances correctly, yet there were ne rules of perspective
established until so recently as the middle of the last cen-
tury. Art came to the aid of science in giving atmospheric
effect by diminishing the brilliancy of the colouring of
distant objects, but the preparation of the colours de-
pended in a great degree on the application of science ; and
thus, in the production of a perfect painting, science
and art are combined. Even the feeling for natural
beauty, which is more strongly experienced by the people
of this country than of any other, and which develops
itself on the admiration of landscape painting, may be
said to be in a great degree attributable to the applications of
science, by which locomotion has been so greatly facilitated
that all can be transported readily to scenes of natural
beauty. Cardinal Wiseman related two anecdotes to illus-
trate the natural appreciation of good works of art; one of
them relating to sculpture, the other to painting. A York-
shireasked horsedealer, on looking at a marble group of a cha-
cc'reufenrte7mincerto ex-
claimed, cha-
rioteer driving two horses, closely examined all the points
of the animals, and then patting one onanimtheaniecaks, sthaiadi"wTihthis
is a splendid animal ; but I don't think much of tether," the
other having been a restoration. The second instance oc-
curred at the Manchester Exhibition. Two
t ea suspended
v outt a°o nunnof
fbrcountrymen
casts,analogy theel
were looking at a picture of Absalom,
hair of his head, and the mule on which he had ridden
elliptical curves and the orbits in
was galloping away. Oneillus troaftedthbey
The relation
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edi
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curves
the form of the human body is
sculptor, h—o,dbeyardinathat means Wisemanand thep
composed,
forcible between
which
‘e‘'.l'inVinhYensto service to the
the aplanete revolve round the sun. The
was enabled to ascertain the external forms and workings
of the muscles, which in the early ages was chiefly known
by keen '
observation of the action of the muscles of gladia-
tors in their fatal conflicts ; and the Cardinal took occasion
science was
t
language such a combat in the pre-
sence of thousands of spectators, and noticed the vast im-
provement in the state of society by which such horrible
sights were abolished, and the sculptor obtained a know-
ledge of his art by the pursuits of science, instead of by
witnessing such barbarities. The relation between archi-
tecture and science is so intimate that the operations of the
architect are entirely founded on a knowledge of the prin-
ciples of mathematics. To illustrate the importance of the
application of science to architecture, Cardinal Wiseman ex-
plained, in considerable detail, the manner in which the dome
of St. Peter's at Rome had been repaired when in danger of
falling. The lecture was not concluded till nearly eleven
o'clock—one hour longer than usual. The Cardinal, indeed,
I does not appear to possess the art of condensation, for the
lecture might have been brought within the hour, and the in-
terest in it would have been well maintained, but towards
the close many of the audience became wearied, and retired.
The applause, however, at the end was very load and hearty.
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