New-York tribune., 1880-02-22

was to allegorze the triumph guncd over the par
barons Gauls, and the consequent maintenance Oh
Hellenic culture in Asia Minor. More specihcaN,
it was dedicated to the cutus OF Zeus and Athepe
Ii is natural therefore, that these two deties snou'u
form the central point of the composition :
and il ia fortunate circumstance that the
groups in which they figure are compare
lively the best preserved of all the fragments
On one series of the marble tablets Zeus, brahdIsn-
ing The iegs with his left hand. is hurting MS 'un
derbOts with tho right while MS sacreu e"R'o
plunges its claws into the snake-llke eXtren'uts VI
one of the eiants. On another Palas Athene, hav-
ing seized youthful Titan by the hair Is entwh-
ing it with the serpents of her shield While
Nike darts forward to crown the victorious god-
dess Beyond Gea az she emerges from the
earth seems TO implore the pity OF these
powerful and angered deiiies Near by, Hercules
stretching forth his lions skin shield, has
Vrasped the busby head of one OF his adVersarlcs'
On another series Of tablets, Helios, mounted on MS
chariot which is drawn by four horses, rnshes
fuliousy into the fray and is followed
by Artemis riding upon lion. O'her
parts OF the composition show Us Vulcan
Bacchus accompanied by an infant Satyr'
Boreas, and what looks like Neptune. The action Is
everywhere animated, and iseven sometimes VloIenf'
as where one of the cnraged F0ddesses hnrls vase
at an opponent. The Workmanship Is often OF the
most pdnstakiug character, tie legs and rect Of
Apollo for instance, although covered by the front
portion of his chariot, beng completely and hon
esty wrought out. Some of the folds of the loose
floating robes are six or seven nchcsin depth while
the woven and embroidered stuG Of the garments,
the sandals with their rich onamenation, the tu-
crng hair the scales Of the fishes, the coils OF tho
scrpents, the feathers of the wrgs are repro
duced with an almost fabulous eXactitude But
tins careful technical elaboration is not the sole
merit of these works. The composition IS a triumph
of genius the execution Il victory of thOnght over
marble The grouping is eflectivc the figures are
real The gods are actual gods, the giants actual
| monsters Not only is The flesh vislbly before us,
sometimes youthful and firm aud sinewy, some
tunes old aud fat-like and soft bat the very soul
looks out of the decp-suukcn eyes Of the Tltans and
| the flashing or supr ,mciy paSsoninl orbs OF the
Olvmpian heroes 1t is all a marvellous afteT-bloom
of the springtimc oi Hellenic genius late-iinger-
ing flower of Hellenic art.
pO>siBLn ADDITIONS TO THE CuLLECrION
| Above this broad lreze ran cOlonnade adorned
with statncs and above that again a narrower
freze -four and half feet high) fragments OF which,
seemingly representing the myth of Tclephos. the
son of lleraeles have also been recovered Portions
ofthe columns between the two frezes II is expected.
will be added 10 the collection, and perhaps some OF
| the statues The number of large blocks or tablet
| already secured amounts to more than ninety of
smaller fragments there upward of l 300 1t Is
proposed to reGrect the frieze but many months OF
| divining study. and many more OF technical laoor
with the chisel and Uowel, will he required before
such task can be accomplished. Even then many
of these muscular bodies will continue to be toisos-
! suggestions of "A beauty once perfect.
Many readers of The TRIBUNE Will learn
with regret that the excavations at Olympia are to
! be definitely suspended Professor Curtius informs
me that he has just been told by the Nlce-Chau-
cellor, Count Stolbere-WernigcrOde, that the Gov
ernment will not recommend the appropra ton asked
| for 600 marks. The only possible hope OF their
| continuance is in raising the necessary means by
voluntary subscriptions The total cost of the Per
| CANON marbles including the ship-load not yet ar
rivel has been 100000 marks-a trie more than
$40 900 and never was an art-treasure so valuable
/ acquired for a sum so small W.
B,TIiu Feb. ], 1880