The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-20 00:00:00

presented to the institution by Mr. John Foster, jun.

" The former collection was discovered in the year 1811,
by Messrs. Cockerell, Foster, Haller, and Linckh, at the tem-
ple of Jupiter Panhellenius, in the Island of iEgina, in the
Saronic, Gulf, and, although every endeavour was made by
Messrs. Cockerell and Foster to obtain them for this country,
they were ultimately purchased by the Prince Royal of Bavaria,
and are now in the Gallery at Munich.
" The discovery of the latter collection was made by the
same party in the year 1812, at the temple of Apollo Epicurus,
situate on Mount Cotylins, near Phygalia, in Arcadia, and
were fortimatelv purchased by the Government of this country,
and added to the collection in the British Museum.
" PEDEsTAT,, No. I.—This pedestal contains such of the
statues of the ./Egina collection as were situated in the west pe-
diment of the temple, and are placed on the pedestal precisely
in the saute manner they originally stood in the tympanum ;
which was fully ascertained by the height being found from
admeasurement to admit the centre figure of Minerva, and the
remaining figures to correspond with the angles of the tympa-
num under which they were discovered.
" The figures on the Pedestals, Nos. 11, 111, IV, and V
adorned the tympanum of the cast pediment, and were all that
were discovered belonging to that part of the temple; although
there is no doubt but that the east pediment was as fully, if
not more, occupied with sculpture than the west ; and, judging
from the specimens remaining, was evidently of a higher de-
gree of merit.

" The twi small female figures over the fire-place, at the end
of the room, stood on each side of the apex, orsummit, of the
pediment of the temple.
" Much has been said on the subject of these statues, but
nothing definitive has yet been adduced. They arc, however,
valuable on account of their date, being the only complete ex-
ample of the school of /Egina, whose early progress in art is
much spoken of by Pliny, Pausanias, Sco. &c., and the pro-
ductions of which were distributed throughout Greece, and
paved the way for the success and fame of the arts in the time
of Pericles.

No. Vl.—This pedestal contains the casts
from the Elgin collection, of the principal flgures which adorn-
ed the tympana of the Cast and west pediments of the Par-
thenon, or temple of—Minerva, at Athens and were thrown
down by the bursting of a bomb at the siege of Athens, by the
Venetians, In the year 14117.
" Figures No. I and 2. This group is meant to represent the
Car of the God of Day rising from the Sea, and was placed at
one of the extreme angleti of the cast pediment. The heads of
the horses arc full of animation, and display the great anatomi-
cal skili of the artist. _
" Figure N 0.3. This statue is intended to personify the river
Mont, which runs under the Hymettus, on the south side of
the plain of Athens, and was situated in the west pediment of
the Parthenon. • In point of merit it ranks quite as high as the
Thesseus ; and the front of this statue, like the back of the
Theseus, is considered a master-piece of anatomical skill.
" Figure No. 4. -This group is supposed to represent. Ceres.
and Fraserpp
-pine, and was situated in the east pediment of the-
temple. As in the group of the, Fates, the skill shown in the
arrangement of the draperrii very great.
" Figure No. sis the back of the Torso of Neptune which
stood nearly in the centre of the west pediment, and 'displays
equal knowledge of anatomy with the other naked figures.
" Figure No. 1. This group was placed at the opposite angle
of the east pediment to that- of Ceres and Proserpine, and- is
supposed to represent the-Fates. The entire group consists of
three figures, one of which is wanting to this collection. The
folds of the drapery, though numerous and minute, arc beau-
tifully detailed. - •

" figure No. 7 is the cast of the flare of Theseus, and be.
figure is considered wonderfully grand,
longed to the cast pediment of the temple. The back of this
and not surpassed by
any specimen of sculpture now extant.
" kigure No.B. This fine.specimen is supposed to belong to
the Car of Night, and was situated at the opposite angle to
the group of Hyperion, in.the east pediment, and by all, con.
noisettrs and artists is considered a nustchless work of art..
. " PEDESTAL, No. VII.—This beautiful figure of Cupid
did not belong
.to .the Parthenon, although it wag discovered
by Lord Elgin in the Acrnpolis of Athens, nor is it yet known
to what situation or building it originally did belong.
• " PEDESTAL, No. Vlll.—Gladiator. Deposited in the in-
stitution by the late A: Littleciale, Esq.
44 PEDESTAL, No. !X.—Apollo di Belvedere. Depoicited
by thelate A. Littledal_,e. Esq.
" PEDESTAL, No. X....-Diana. Deposited by the late A.
Littledale, Esq. _ •
__

" PEDESTAL, No. XL—Venus tie Medicis. Deposited
by the late A. Littledale, Esq."

" METOPES
" COMMENCIWO OVER TUE XNTRANCE: POOR: . •
" The lower range of this wall colludes casts from the Elgin
collection of several of the Metopes, (the divisions between the
triglyphs in the exterior frizeof tlw temple,)' and represent the
saute subject as the first part of the Phygalian friae, 'namely,
the combat between the Lapitlia; and Centaurs at the marriage
of Piritbous.

The remainder of-the lower range, which continues round
the room, consists of casts, from the same collection, of the
Lanathenaic procession, which took place in honour of Minerva
every fifth year at Athens. The inn, of which this is only
part, extended round the whole temple, and formed an unin-
terrupted range at the Kane height as that of the Pronaos.
" The has-reliefs in the upper range consist of the casts of
the Phygalian frize.
• " These bas-reliefs occupied the whole of the frize round the
four sides of the interior of the walls of the cella of the temple,
and were supported by simi lonic coital:lmi PiPiecting from the
walls, and were about. 23 feet' from the floor ; and
.what adds
'materially to their value is, the whole subject being Preserved,
twit was built by Ictinua,.
and the. knowledge of the precise time when it was executed.
I:ila.uutainnioaar,eocewh,ospzaks of this temple as one of the. most
cOnsequently
beautiful
theic-
tare,lt.hcn Ititistayearbtsern
,74recreetceed the same
architect who erected the Partheon, at 'Athens. . It own,
iwnerteheattiulthee°lifigPlicesritelpees4ection. The
whole frize represents two subjesfs : the battle between the
Centaurs and Libithts, and the contests between the Greeks and
Amazons. The first subject Is comprised in the gluts Nos. 1 to
11, and the latter is comprises) M the slabs ,Nos, 12 to 23.
." The story of the Centaur in too well. known to require any
particular account of their origin.; it is only,therefore, neces-
.sary'btiefly to add, that the Centaurs were invited to the null,
tial of ririthons king, of the_ I,ipithast and that, during the
marriage feast, Eurython, the chief of the Centaurs, becoming
intoxicated, offered violence to.the person of, the bride Hippo.
darnia. - This act WAS resented by Theseus, the friend of 'Pin.

ous, who threw a vessel of wine at the offending Centaur, and
brought him lifeless to the (ground. A general engagement
then ensued, and which is the sub, of the first part of the
firize. •
" The Amazon were a warlike race of females, originally
inhabits,-.13 of Sarmatia ; afterwards spread themselves over
Asia, and finally settled and built many cities Greece. The
battles of the Amazons were favourite subjects with the Greeks,
and, like those of the Centaurs, were very frequently repre-
sented by them in sculpture. The subject chosen for the se-
cond part of this frize is the battle between the Amazons arid
Athenians, as may be inferred from a variety .of circum-
stances, particularly the 'similarity in the form of the shields
and the costume of the male warriors to those of those of the
Parthenon. The Amazons were famous for their skill in
managing horses, end are here sometimes represented fighting
'on horseback."