New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
,,,rcHELI,s HISTORY OF ANCIENT sCULPT-
URE.

Win numerous illustrations Including six plates
in phototype. PIP. 766. Dodd, Meao q d.
No satisfactory work on ancient sculpture can DC
written without long preliminary study and orig
;nal observation and research. rms truth mas
h.en fnlv realized by Mrs. Mitchell, who has made
a vary honest and thorough endeavor to unite the
ret fullest and freshest views of the German ana
English psychologists and art critics with the re-
sults of careful and extensive personalexamlnaVloo
art works And she has also adopted the only
method which can produce Trustworthy results IN
researches of this character namely, the hstorlcal
method. The attempt to build up any connected
or consistent theory of the development OF art out
of the scattered and unrelated examples winch 700
often are alone available, must always fail, unless
tbe student seeks in the history of the people and
of the age illustrated two conditions and tenden-
cies which found expression IN art work. Mrs.
Mitchell laws much but we do not think overmuch,
stress upon the influence of geographical
position upon art-growth. This and climate I'M
doubtedly have been very potent agencies. Then
it is apparent that the topography and climate OF
the Nile valley had much to do with the evolution
of Egyptian art and the strange capitalization
which that art underwent. The simple, natural
forms surrounding them, the moDotony OF the SKY
the permanence of all their external conditions sug
gested and developed the passion for magnitude
which is so marked characteristic OF Egyptian
architecture and sculpture. and the tendency to
rigid Journalism which subsequently dwarfed Egypt
ian culture. In the same way the scenery and eli
mate of the Grecian isles must have inspired the
people with that appreciation of and reverence for
beauty and that impatience of lmperfeetlon when
could alone have carried Greek art through the long
period of growth between its first crude manipula-
tons and its glorious contamination in the Perclean
Age. But, of course, race tendencies and tempera-
mental differences also exercise their full influence
Inffa HnpC M
TO the benefit of both
Mrs Mitche begins with Egypt, to whichs she gives
four chapters. She then proceeds to Western Asia,
taking Chaldea, Assysa, Persia, PhGnicia and its
dependencies and the early monuments OF ASIA
Minor in succession. The tenth chapter brings
her to Earliest Art on Greek Soil" and two chap
tiers are devoted to HOmeric and pre-Homeric art,
the materials for which are much more plentiful
than they were twenty years ago. Archaic Greek
Sculpture occupies five chapters. The so-caled
"Tbird PERIOD Mrs. Mitchell has preferred to
name 1.-The Age of Pheidias and Polycleitos," and
bestows upon il six of his most interesting chapters
Then follows "The Age of ScOpas, Praxiteles
and LysipposD and to this succeeds 1.-THE HELEN
istic Age ofSculpture," which brings the narrative
OfGreek art tOa close. DISCRIMINATING three chapters
deal with Sculpture in Ancient Italy and under
Roman Dominion" 1t will thus be seen that the
work has been carefully and judiciOusly arranged
and propOrtOncd and if the execution is equal 10
the preparation the result should be book OF more
than ordinary merit And we need not hesitate to
express the opinion that the execution is all that
should have been expected from the conscientious
and thorough studies undertakenby the author. Mrs
Mitchell has very pleasing STYLE lucid, expressive
elastic and easy. She has so absorbed the ideal of
ancient Greek art that her comments upon it are
sympathetic and ntellgently appreciative. She
has no crude theories to sustain but builds
upon the best accredited conclusions of the most
learned critics such as Brun and Furtwangler and
Milchh0fer. The tracing out of the growth and eX-
pansion of theartOf sculpture is when thus assisted
very interesting and Indeed fascinating occupa-
ton When reinforced, as in the present instance,
by profuson of, for the most part. good illusra-
TONS it takes on new value. But it is perhaps
difficult to express doubts whether the masterpieces
of the old Greek sculptors, of which have
survived, did not owe at least some part of their
renown to local enthusiasm not entirely critical
and impartial. No doubt the Elgin marbles present
evidences of artistic attachments which remain the
envy and despair of modern art, but there are eX-
pressions in ancient authors concerning the works
of Pheidias Praxiteles and Others, which entirely
suggest exaggeration.
One thing is specially inculcated by the study of
ancient art, namely, the need of religious enthu
siasm as an incentive and stimulus to the highest
production. The Zeus of Pheidias, which caused il
to be said that mo other man had even seen the
gods ;" was the idealZatiOn of the best religious i'm
aginatiOn of the period So also with the noble mOu
uments of Egypt, and with the architecture and
sculpture of Assyria, Chaldea and India. Mrs.
Mitchell has not included the latter country in her
study though she would have found some good
amples there ButeverywheTe the religious spirit ee-
vatesart at later period, when force hadnearly
extinguished civilization the wondrOus stone poems
ro4 ~ III
the records of sOrdd and turbulent age the sign
manual of a heavenly inspiration. So with the
Greeks the love of the Beautiful became religion.
aud the works of their greatest sculptors were
bodments of a sublimated ideal of Humanity, such
as the devout Positivist might contemplate with
congenial rapture
Mrs. MitchelPs History is very well printed, and
it is fully provided with indexes and tables of mu-
seums and lists oflustrations In fact both author
and publishers have done their whole duty to the
public in the composition and preparation OF the
work and it deserves high place in the ranks of
contemporary art publications.
GOD AND THE FUTURE LIFE. The Reasonablencss of
Christianity. BY CHARLES NORDHCFF 16mo. PIP. 22s.
Harper q Brothers
MIR. Nordhofr addresses this little essay especially
10 the young bat he is not without reasonable
hope that il may attract the attention of older per-
sons also. Indeed, there is great deal in it which
will meet the requirements of everybody interes ed
in the great question of which it treats, and es-
pecally of those who troubled by the sceptical
tendencies of modern thought and the apparent
fct between faith and science; while in its style
and matter il is neither too simple for the class
of readers too severe for the other. Mr.. Nord-
hof writes with evident sincerity, honesty and feel
ing. His method Is substantially that of Paley,
whose Natural Theology" he regards as valuable
work deserving of much more respectful
treatment than the critics of our days
are disposed TO give it. But Paley, although
according to author his main argument is
sound has been to some extent pushed aside by the
promess Of recent discovery and the present argn