Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-18
MARBLE VESTlLS FOUND.
TWEyTY STATUES UNEARTHED.
Work, BIZ the Best TALENT In the Fines,
mnrb,e-A Fearful Tale OF Art Massacre |

Tpe treasure, In the form Of sculpture
and inscriptions, found Ia the course OF the
excavations In the House OF the Vestlls has
been altogether Unprecedented. The re-
cords Of the Roman excavations that have
come down to w. from the earliest left by
Aidroandi and Faminius Vscca, may be
searched in vain for any parallel instance.
IL l. the first time, however, that anything
like sculpture gallery has been discovered,
for the Atrium Yes.a, peopled as 1t must
have been, with statues OF the Grand
VestaIs, may fairly be considered in
that light. As the works OF eXcava-
ton were continued along the SOUTH
west portico OF the atrum, fIom the point
marked Nv viu the annexed plan, no few
or than sixteen marble statues IN different
states Of preservation and eight pedestils OF
statues were found within very short dis
tances OF each other--in fact, some OF I'll I'm
unite close together; andlyIng among them
large fragments OF broken columns, pieces
OF architectural detail. and innumeraole
bits Of wall pauolling OF various coiored
marbles. For more than fortnight each
days work generally ended with the
sight OF the head or the feet OF another
statue, the base Of column, or the corner
of pedestal projecting from the bank side
OF the accumulation, 10 be completely dis
inferred the next morning. But, alas
there have also been found within aud
among the remains OF the house and It's
atritIm no fewer than four llme.kilns.
They tell aiearfuf tale Of art massacre.
which was probably arrested at the spot
where the last OF these kiIns was Gu,
through, at the height OF about three
metres above the level Of the a,rium. close
10 where the statues OF Vestals were lying
huddled together, and they add further to
the abundant proof already possessed that
thousands OF priceless works o. sculpture
which adorned the ancient city perished IN
this way 10 provide line for the builder OF
medieval Rome. They fully account also
for the complete nudity Of the northeast side
OF the atrium. or the marble slabs which
formed it, pavement aud panelled IT, walls,
of the many columns that extended along
il, or OF the statues and their pedestals tint
stood within Il, nothing was found rem1in-
ing bat two or three small fragments OF
columns OF brcccia corslllna, the cushions
or foundation stones, flush with the ground
on which the columns OF the Dortico stood
and the three pedeStals first discovered
which had been used in the building Oi
some later edifice At he north extremity Of
the atr.um, close under the Church OF SIntl
Maria LiDeratrce.
The statues of the Vestal virgins are al
works of the third century OF the Chris.
tian era, but they are Of exceptional i'm
portapce ~ illustrating the decline OF art
Very little has been hitherto known re-
gfrding the exact state Of the scuiptOr's arr
hnf ~
discovered constitute q series placing W. II
possession Oi ample information on tn,
subject. Independently o. heldles'
statue OF a magistrate or consular person
age found lying among them, but which
had evidently been brought by tht
lime-burners from some other place
they number twenty pieces in all
namely. three statues OF Ncstal Virgin
in 4 comparatively perfect condition; siI
Of which the heads are wanting; one
with the head in 4 beautiful state OF pre-
seryation, hut wanting the lower porilOr
from below the hips, Tour tOrsos. the
lower portion Of three statues from below
the knees, and three detached heads o.
Vestals. There can be no question rs e
the date to which the sculptures belong
IL is abundantly evident that they are thu
works OF the best talent OF the period
They are wrought IN spotless marble OF tn
finest quality the Grecian quarries coulC
produce. In that respect there il notbin.
10 compare with them in either the Natica;
or Captoline Museums, and they givt
most interesting proof OF the existence o
much true artistic vitality still REMAINING
after the time when it was supposed q
have become extinct.
IT must be remembered that the Atriun
VestI was destroyed in A. ID. l9l. dnrin.
a confederation so great that the neighbor
ing Temple OF Peace, one OK the largest II
Rome, and many other OF the tines
buildings Of the city, persisted a. th'
same time. That The destruction d
the house and atrium, or, at any rate
OF their contents, was complete, /
established by the fact that among
the thirty inscribed pedestalS OF statue
found since the fourteenth century and tn
beginning Of the works in progress there
is not one bearing date anterior to 4. u
pol; and il the earlier pedestalS were
consumed, 80 also must have beer
the statues they supported. ThOSo now
found must date, therefore, from abou
that year onward. II is, indeed, wei
known that about this time ii was com
mon thing TO take earlier works and pn
portrait-headS Of living persons on T. them
the necks being lifted mo cavity h0i
lowed between The shoulders OF the Oldei
statue: but Of SUCH readaptation. these
statues only include one example, which
appears to have been originally a statue OF
9 Muse. Among the others, which are al
undoubtedly pCTtrait-slatUcs OF Nettls
there are only Two which have similar cNi'
ties between the shout jcrs, and % these
shall refer further on. That The s,atuc' arr
assurediy those Of NcStalS is proved by Ga,
pecul!arities OF the dress, which not Onl,
corresponds TO the mcagre dcscrip
tons OF their apparel Diony5ius, Naleriu'
MaXimuS. Seryius PruiC.tiU>, ST. Ambrose
and Others have left Us, but enables Us 4
under.tand those descriptions. with tho
exception Of q medallion icdd OF the Ncsia
BeIlicia Modesto and an intaglio in onyx Of
that OF the Icstal NrrailI-rdc the work
Of Bu0naroiti ard Fabretti-and The COW
Of the CloGia Gems, engraved IN SMITH
Dictionary Of Greek and Roman Antiqdj
ties" these statues are the first and only
illustrations Of the Ncstai~' attire thai have
vet been found In any form, and in this re-
Srect. independent altoge her OF the artist,
interest that attaches TO them, they have
also very SPECIAL importance.
Apart IRON the larger fragments from ti'
knees downward and the three detached
heads, there are twelve Oh these sculpture,
which merit special consideration, mas
much As there will be but little difficulty il
arranging them in chronological order. ii
Illustrating the art Of IN" period and tho
course Of its decline from the days Of Sep
timluS Severus to the time OF Constantine
il moi beyond. In three OF these statues
from which The heads had not been broken
and another OF which the head wa
afterWard found and replaced. we pos
sess distinct portraits, replete with indi
yiduality, OF four OF the ladies' ~ havin.
successfully tlled the Office OF Superior
during the third centIry--most interestinl
would i. be il we could tell OF which, anC
the rest, with two exceptions. are 50 dis
tinct in point Of art from each other that
Notwithstanding the fact the inscription
have revealed, that in some cas's scYer.l
statues were erected in honor OF the SAM
SUPERIOR. there can lie very little dOab
that these statues were portraits OF differ
ent Vestals: and had the heads not beer
lost we should look upon tue features o
all the eight whose names the pedestal
found in former times aud now in Ia,
atrium record.
The earliest is the lower part from tn
waist OF beautiful hfe-size statue OF
Vestal seated on a cushioned chair. will
her feet resting on a foot-stOOl, which i
placed easily, little sideways with refer
ence TO the chair and the front OF tn
plinth, in similar attitude TO the Ncsta
on the reverse OF the denarius OF the Gen
Clodia given in smiths Dictionary 0
Greek and Roman Antiquities" tart We.