The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-02-02
As~yrian Bas-ReIiefs Mt Rome-wor'is
Strange TO Eminent Scholars.


I have been enabled by special perlnis-
sion TO inspect personally the Assyrian pas
veliefs which were casually discovered In
Che subterranean vaults below the Vatican
library in seven cases. They bad been
given TO Plus TX. by Signor Giovanni
Renni. first dragoman OF the French con-
smIate at Mossul In 1855, and had been alto
gether forgotten. They are placed In
long gallery OF the library Of the Vati-
can. where so many priceless manuscripts
arc preserved, and are inserted into the
wall spaces beneath the windows. They
are altogether sixteen In number, OF which
two are inscriptions. One OF the latter. Is
especially interesting to students OF ORR
entail archaeology, inasmuch as it contains
words strange to such eminent authori-
ties as Professor Sayce, Of Oxford, and
Canon Fabiani, Of Rome. The for
mer gentleman (who is at present In
Tuns. and is expected to make some in
teresting studies at Carthage, visited the
Assyrian bas-reliefs In the Vatican short
Zine ago, when he was on his way to Afri-
en-. The Commentators c. NJ. Descemet,
to whose courtesy and intelligent explana-
fions / am much indebted, during my visit
this morning told me that Professor Sayce
Began to read the larger OF the two inscrlp-
lions in his on. Descemets) presence, and
soon remarked that there were in it forms
and words unfamiliar to him. and pointing
to u hitherto unknown idiom or variety Of
Che Assyrian language. Canon Fabiani is,
unfortunately, not well enough at present
to VISIT the Vatican, but traciDgs of the |
two inscriptions were submitted to him, |
and he at once made a remark similar to |
that OF Professor Sayce. The smaller in
scrptIon IL more legible. Both are cunei-
forra, but the larger differs in the form OF
the letters, as well as of the words, from
those with which the erudite are familiar.
Copies Of them. Us well as of what may be
called the pictorial bas-reliefs, have been
sent to the well-known NJ. Oppert, ut Paris,
who considers them OF high interest.
was accompanied this morning by an
artist, whose painters eye was immediately
struck by the spirit and faithfulness OF
many OF the delneations. There is, among
many other instances, the outstretched arm
Of an archer who has just shot off his arrow
and is grasping his bow, admirable for
yigor aud truth Of modelling. Also, a
kneeling camel-a most difficult animal to
draw, as all painters know who have tried
him-ls portrayed to the life.
The first bas-relief we come to on enter
ing the gallery represents the Assyrian Di-
yinity Nisroc. The god, who is eagle
headed, bears the symbols Of the four ele-
ments. He carries pine cone in one hand
to represent fire, a sort of bucket for water
In the other, has large wings to indicate
The dominion OF the air, and the earth is
beneath his feet. Another sculpture repre-
SCENTS king adoring the sacred tree, or tree
Of life, the leaves on which are identical in
form with those on similar tree depicted
In the illustrations to Sir Henry Layard's
Well.known work ON Nineveh. Also, a
group OF grooms, or servants, holding
horses, bear many points of resemblance
TO the illustrations in Sir Ii. Layard's book.
For example, the trappings and adorn-
ments OF the horses are nearly identical In
both. There is an interesting group OF
persons passing river-presumably the
Tigris--on q raft. 1t consists OF two wo-
men, a soldier, and the ferryman. All
the passengers sit with their faces
forward, seen in profile by the spec
tator, while the ferryman stands be-
hind them and steers with long pole or
oar. Another group seems to represent
travellers on journey. The foremost fig
sIrc carries a sack or bag slung behind him
and something like small chest on his
head, while his companion-a female--bears
a child astride her shoulders in the exact at
tbukC WIFI WHICH I-dsttfn tIdtcuPTS are
familiar at the present day. Both figures
are nude. The sculpture In which the kneel-
ing camel occurs represents field of bat
lie after the fight is over. Dead and
wounded lie on the ground, and the
camel is about to be laden with their spois.
TO the same category of warlke repre-
Sensations belong the archers alluded to
above, Of whom some are shooting off az
rows, while another man holds a huge (,
clypeus, or shield, behind cover OF which |
Che bewmen take aim, and also the very
remarkable bas-relief portraying the siege Of
a city, with scaling ladders, and spirited
presentment OF the killed and wounded {
being hurled from the battlements. In
the costume and armor of the soldiery.
and the general conception OF methods OF 4
warfare, this sculpture singulDrly reminded
me OF some OF the scenes on the Empress
Hatilda's famous tapestry at Bayeux. But
the superiority OF design and 4
perspective is largely on the side Of the As {
syrian artist. II is noticeable that several {
Of the faces portrayed belong to high and I:
oven beautiful type Of humanity-especiaily
fine specimens, one might saw, of the Cau-
casian raee-whiIe others show a more
Arabian or Semitic type. In fact, NJ. Des-
cemet considers one OF the faces TO be dis
finctiveiy Jewish.