The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-11-22

4 adt IRIS ~ sfHfttN LFttre.
Goldsmith truly remarks that Tire early
history Of every nation is insol, .! IN fable
| and uncertainty. The same thing may be
said OF many arts and sciences. Ofpaiuting
and sculpture it will prove particularly true.
To tins day, aud notwithstanding all that
has been welt and profoundly written ON
The subject, it still rcmains question Il.
mong what people, or ~ what specific
time, the arts first dawned upon the world.
| The Greeks, ryer vain and ostentatious
people, endeavored tn claim for themselves
the ehauce--lor, even by their own showing
one cannot say merit---of 50 lclicitous an IN.
Ncntion. Their story OF the Maid of CO.
ruth, invented and iaeulcated for this pur-
posi-, il surely well known to all. Ii may,
however, be glanced nj here. The maiden
loved. Once, rs her lover was about To
part on long Journey, aud rs she gazcd up-
on the shadow Of his profile, reflected by
strong lamp light Oh the wall, the idea of
tracing the outline of the shade suddenly
occurred tn her. She succeeded in prcsct-
wing a likeness. The father, who was n
potter, filled up the lines with clay and
tins, say the Greek poets, Was the very first
ciiort of the initiative arts. The tale is
beautiful aud il is almost pity to disturb
it, To cause love, Youth and beauty Ia
preside over the birth of an art whose soul
Is love, and whose tireless pursuit is tle
! pursuit OF beauty-this is a conception full
OF poetical grace, propriety and harmony.
| let, II Il only Il delicate pfettlness, which
| must yield to the touch of serious hstor-
tal inquiry tissue, whose gossamer beat
! ~ must be brushed away with its lightness.
| We know that the flower of art, though full
| blown in the classic garland of Greece, WAS
once bud on the brow of Egypt Tacitus
asserts that the Egyptians knew the clc-
| nents of design, aud sculptprcd marble
| lons before the knowledge Of letters, which
| their dcaeendent, Cadmus, Introduced into
| Greece many ages after. And we have
better authority than Tacitus for The fact
0f the early cultivation of the arts in Asia.
| Among other Instructions given to Moses 10
build and ornament the Ar, Of the Cove
nant, he is desired 10 make angels of " hea-
ten gold, 10 b, placed in " the holy Ohio
| lies AT what time Moses and his prcde-
cossnr5 first became acquainted with the
principles which could enable him to exc.
cute ,ere,cn understand So high a command,
still remains unknown. IL Is also IA secret
whether THESE principles originated with
him ar his ancestors, or were transplan.ed
from other countries.
Again, W. fad some idea nf painting or
| sculpture among the most savage or al
Clrnt nations, totally nconnccted with each
other, aud having never been connected, rs
Gar a. we can learn. The North American
Indians carved limitations Of visible objects
on the handle ends OF tlcir spears aud 10
mahawks, long before the identity became
, nown la civilized Europe. When Tacitus
speaks OF lhc Egyptians designing figures
previous ~ their knowledge of letters, he
must mean TO refer rs To "A very remote pc
riod indeed; and one from which their hie-
roglyphie Inscriptions have most probably
been derived. Recolleetng the romantic,
and yrtastou. ding theory OF the pre- hdam-
III existence of the Chinese, il would be
U,icsi 10 attempt AN inquiry into the orr
gin d painting amonS them. Let az OBJ
srfls, however, fiat isolated az they lave
been from col 'mporancous cOmmunlilca,
it = more probable, that What they know ol
the art is Indigenous. The impcrlrctionq
of even lis % sent STATE in China, Cannot
hcan argument against it, antiquity in Chi
IA because we find fiat non-inproyemen'
in every thing, j., and for thousands Of
/, Neafs has bocu. i peculiar characteristic OF
tdai mysterious people.
When the Spaniards first landed in Amc-
! rica, Intelligence of i1c event was sent, ia
} painted characters To the old Emperor
Gortcs and hia officers viewed with aston
, ishment the various manufactures of the
country Z pictures ofanimals, trees
and other natural objects, formed with ica.
Tiers of different coiors, disposed and IniH.
gied with such skill aud rIo sance as 90 rya
a thr word Of the pencil IN tru,h aud beauty
Of lmitaton."# Thus, different countries
s,rm 10 have hid original though qDIalfct
ideas of the INITIATIVE arts from nom, o,
what derived, 81 how long acquired, w
0 know not.
Ii IS evident however, that in ancien
s. Mexico, aud up to this day III China, TN
o arts have not made ono stride beyond i'm
{, beet ". The Egyptians appear to have
pcff city understood the elemrn:s, nay, .
1 ven the powers Of design but to have al
= ways kept them subservicni tD a religious
purpose solely. Even i'm lheir most mon
strous combinations of foam, we perceive
J boldnrss and dacIslol which, employed il
other subjects, would have embodied othc
!, subjects. Some of their most famous cf
!. forts ia sculpture are al present IN The Rri
+, fish Museum, and from them the readc
may make his own comparative deductions
9 Comparative, we say COR the Elsm mar
= bics are almost the British Museum.--O
painting, the Egyptiar9 knew nothing.
Rejecting the poctieal Legend Of ih'
Greeks, Il is matter of great difficulty ever
to conjecture at what time, or under wha
circumstances, the arts, appeared anon,
them. They give the name of thcir sarl
est painter, Paamus, rs cetemporary Wit
the nneteenth oIympiad. But here PIiny
inyaIidates their evidence nv showing then