The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-21
ORIGINAL LETTERS
From an american frapeiler IN Europe 10 BIS
friends in this country.
Rome, February If, 1905
DEAR SIR.


zion OF antiquities. Here are to be een the objects
OF curollty, dfeovered in Herculaneum and in POM
pea. The infpeaion of theie articles gives us more
real light respecting the fate both of the fine and
n-fu airs in Italy the time of the chriian IRA
than can be acquired by the mot digen, i,udy of all
the ancient book which have ccsped the ravages of
time and ignorance. Ii would be an endlefs ,aik 10
deierbe all or even the greater part OF thee pere r.
ing ooJects HAIL therefore make few remarks
nP0n ueh things on!y as particularly drew my atten-
tlcn.
Under. the corridor of the Mufeam are two fine
eqaeitran Estues, executed in marble. They are
lard to repreicnt the two Balbus the father and o
and are inferiour satues of the fame nature
eept the celebrated one Of Marcus Aurelius They
are the more valuable, as other equeitrian Gatues
IN rTny6Lt baye been dEeovered They were
found near two pedefals in front Of the theatre Of
iiereuiahS um and no doubt ferved as ornaments to
;hat magnificent edihce. One eircumlapce is truly
ahcnith!ng they were dug out Of a fold MATS Of
lava, rnuch harder than marble, and yet ecaped unn
luree. great variety of other flatns. and bufs,
both in marble and bronze, ALTO found in this CT
r; ous there are none, which particularly deferve
attention, at lean none, which are fupe rour 10 the
iatues found in other parts of Italy.
One Of the nloft ntereHing elsles of Objects which
the deoVery OF this ancient city has afforded u.s. and
OF which We could have formed opinion without
this Fortunate difc"very the paintings upon the
walls OF their houies, and which with infinite labour
e eAPee nave oeen cut our and transported to Por-
tei, where they fecured under gla!s cafes They
would undoubtedly have appeared to more adyan
tage, they could have been ufered remain in the
places III which they were found, and where two
thouand years or uninterrupted quiet feemed to give
them at iea't preicrP,ive and posGory title. But
twas feared, and perhaps with proprety, that al
Though they had been perfectly preferved 70 long a.,
the external air wholly excluded. vet tina, thew
would ioon fade and PERTH, when expoled to its eff
fetas.
The differences drawn from, then, by conno1eurs
and antquares with regard the degree of perfee.
ton, which the aheients had attained in the art of
painting, have, you know been very various Some
have conended that they prove the ancients to have
been almoh wholly Ignorant of perlpeaive, and ex
treneiy inferior tn the nnoderns in their KNOWLEDGE
and ale OF colours. Others, among whom YOU will
iGd Dr. Moore, allege, that fuch differences are ex
trenely unlir as much TO- as il would be to take the
specimens OF hsre ign Painting among u.s. as fair
examples OF our progreis IN the They fay fur
iher, that we ought rather to conclude that If the in
Terror painters, who were employed only in painting
N reieo Tor the ornament of their houfes, had made
ineh high attainments, Appelles and Zeuxis nun
have exceeded any ofeur boafed artiGs: and thew
have added that as we admit the fuperori,y of the
ancents in iatuary and architecture it aburd ,o
fuppeie that they had made 70 little proqrefs in .b.
Alter art Permit add 10 thefe arguments tba,
both Fierculnneum and Ponipeia were very inferior
cities, in penr both of wealth and population, and we
ought not to expetf to find in them the works of the
fra Roman and Grecian artirs.
IL has been often aer,ed tina. the anc;ants Hal T.,
tie or no knowledge of the principles of perfpeive
from my own obervatiou,I enabled to contradi9
the univeraiiy OF this propolition but it nluft be
ADMITTED, that 1t rs the point in which they appear
4 TO fail mott. In the deGtin" and drapery as well
as in giving durability to their colours they are allow
ed by all parties to excel celebrated French wri-
ter makes ioyle obfervatons on this fubjetf which
think will be nterefting YOU He fays that all
the paintings OF Hereulaneum prove that the authors
CT them were not great Painters that they wore sno-
rart OF the natural effect of vion and were not fulfil
eently acquainted with the rules of perfpeeive We
know, however, tina, thefe rules were known to the
aneents. Vituvus, in the preface to his With book
iays poityely, that Democritus and Anaxaporas had
treated OF peripc9!ve in their account of the Gcenery
OF the Greeks On the whole he remarks that thefr
ancient paintings have eafy, bold and free Ryle
that the manner is light, very much after the faion
OF cur modern heatrca! decorations and that every
thing indicates great praee in the artiit. and an e.
dueston in good fchool.
lhall bring home or three good fpecinens
by which tou may be able Judge how far thee OPT
hons are correct.
The Mufeu-n contains val rumber and variety
OF the articles Of furniture, and moveabIes in uie A.
noug the Romans. There is one roem which is fit.
red up as it is prefumed Roman kitchen would have
BEEN and all the culinary and other utenf. of donei-
re ule are naturally arranged in it. vs. allure
you, very curious and interening dlplay. The
earthen and glais vei-s in perfea late of pre-
fervation thofe Of copper conideraby TO- Wide thole
of iron are very much impaired. The ancient Ro-
mans made ufe Of baked earthen velIelB for almof
every culinary and houfehod purpofe The forms of
them 70 finar TO thoie Of the moderns that YOU
can entertain no doubt the uies 10 which they
were applied. The quality and colour of the earthen
ware are almoa the fame thofc Of our common
ware, manufactured at Char!elown. There are no
fpecmens Of proc claim, and theie would have more
eaily reed the eeels Of time, think there is good
reaon to conclude, that the aneents ignorant of
the art Ut making this article. The mof perfect ear
then vdies of the auc;ents the celebrated Efynan
Yates, d which vsit numbers have been found in Her
tulane in and the forms and drawings of which are
much admired by antiquaries Their form is gene
rJly that Of an earn, though infinitely varied they
have commonly two handles, oppoiite each other,
aud externally ornanlcnted with figures of men or
animals, executed with tale The outer iuraee tho
hard, has that glazed furface, which 70 much df
figures earthen vslfelS. They are not painted in
colours The ground is Of a dark brown approach
ing black and the figures of lighter brown, and
appear as If the colour had been produced hmpiy by
covering the figures, during the operation Of baking
them.
The copper kettles faucepans and kitchen s.eufils,
have undergone in modern times bat little improve
Rent, indeed alteration The iron tools Of hufban-
dry for different and manufactures are very
little changed Leaf among the defendants of the