New-York tribune., 1878-11-08
rnR CHARACTER OF rHGxIcrAN ART.

THR CHARACTER OF PHGNICIAN ART
As the purple dye was the characteristic produe-
tiOn OF Tyre, 80 was glass that OF sidon
TO BidOn also il attributed the prominence In
the plastic and gyptc ats, especially The manufac-
ture Of vessels Of gold and silver; but nOtlIug
remains to Justify its reputation and the gold objects
now in the Metropolitan Museum OF Art. which dis
covered At Curium may he due TO the Ph1nicians OF
Cyprus. and not to those OF Sidon. Yet the
tists whom Hiram furnished 20 Solomon must
have represented the skill Of the whole ma
ton. not OF Tyre only, though Tyre had
then acquired the asceEdaneY bdon aud II cOmpre
hended every branch OF arworklng In Eold and in sill
yrr Ia brass or bronze In iron, IN purple and in blue
IN stone and IN timber, n HE linen, ard the engraving
OF precious stones.
he description ~ the works In brass alone Is sufi.
Client 70 show thGt PhTnica deserved its Homerc
epilhet, Sidon. aboundDE iu works OF brass"
10 cast pillars Of ht0nzr twenty seven feet high
and eighteen feet clrcum ereBcc with capitals OF the
same metal seven and hall feet high q molten sea
supported by twelve oxen, berides ten movable
of bass, Win thcir bases ana brazen wheels
wonId he no slight task evOn for cur great American
If o may Judge Of the shetic character OF Phcnclou
arr from that OF rams works at u appears
10 have been national and local IL very PROBABLE
that mechanism may have been derived from Egypt
deficient IN wood, but abounds in gran
ite stone, impeiishablc by its hardness.
abcunds also IN limestone easily quarred into blocks
the largest for ntcrGr construction, and massive
piles Ike the p rGmd requiring elaborate nish; and
the whole systJm of EGY ptn hits ctura construction
and adornIent adapted ibis great abundance of
stone and scarcely uf wood. PLgulcIa, the other
hand, had neShaut tblc supplies OF cedar ana nr, hut
little stCuc, and u- much Inferior for architectural
pnrpOscs the limestone OF Lower Egypt Hence
ii W0s natural that wood should be tie PREVAILING mHtc
rial OF PhuniCHn architecture; and, VA this We have
ptopgUy tho explanation Why In the PhGIlclan cities
Of Cyprus, architectural remains have thus
far hccu discovered. in the construction OF
Solomon TcInc only The foundation and three courses
above II appear have been OF hcwn stone Btama nf
cedar supplied the place Of hc enormous H.chrnves
Egyptian palaces and tenn les. and AL tine Internal dec
urtm was carved WCik " olive wood, cedar gold
the enumeration Of The materials prepared for
DaVa's palace, may COnc!Udc Thar precious stones
of various cUlOs. oil as marbles were employed for
iucTustin- or mIyng the walls. The chaIac, cistic
ornaments oI native origin. The pOmegfa anato
not an Egyptian flower and the palm aud the lily belong
duiie "a mach 10 PbOn Cid IA tO Egypt.
Within p limits Oi PhgniCii, n no afchnOlc icll
caVatons auy Importance have been made 40 aTcA
trctural leuuils have been brought to light except
foundatiuus OF valis which from the cyei.lug OF tie
Joints supposed to bo PLGnicln The architects and
scuiptors however WhD could nave the wood stone
work OF s0ioDons Temple prepared beforehand. that
ue her axe nor hummer needed in the erection
must nave been indeed great mastels Ui their artB.
Jud ding from The accounts Of Scripture they had r
rived at great perfection IN Their works OF ivory,
which they Grst used in tho construction Of
musical Instruments. s0lOnons throne was OF
ivory and god, and the beds OF ivory OH
which the luxurious Inhabitants Of samarla rrcDcd.
probably the work Of Ph0uGian and not OF jewish
Gricrr TCc various articles ~ female luxury, which
the indignant Prophet enumerntes, remind us Of those
irinEets, without uuIsbsr by which the Phgncian
doubt from the Same manufactures.
In Phmnicia Itself before sad, no discovery has
yet bren made which could illustrate the fGet-rins and
the net works. and the ereseens, the pendants and the