, 1892-11-23

the NOSE has crumbled awey, but it appears to
have been less straight and long than was usu-
ally the case with the Egyptians of the time.
The mouth is refined, and the lips, which are
comparatively thin, have a subtle humour
and irony playing about them.
AS We have said, the ait disclosed in these
remains differs essentially FRI m conttn porary
and succeeding styles in Egypt. In the
spirited carving Of animals some resemblance
may lie traced TO the monuments of Mycene
and Sparta, and it is especially interesting to
be able to note the process of transition from
the earlier conventional forms to the lreer
and mole natural treatment introduced by the
Royal genius. The pavement of the great
hall of the hsrem Of tbe palace has been dis
closed and is now rooted over and protected
under guard. The two sides OF the great
pavement were done by different artists, and
the great disparity in merit Of the two parts
of the work is discernible in the copies exc
cuted by Mr.. Flinders Petrie, who thus com
pares them:-
A weaker artist did the frat two groups
copied here in colours: be endeavoured to
balance his inferiority by attempting more
than his rival; he introduced conyolvulus and
insects in the first group, dlagonfy, locust,
aud butterflies in the second group he at
tempted foreshortsningthe heads ofthe calves,
the hrst such trial that We know.
The superior artist is the earliest free and
naturalistio painter yet known; the first man
to draw from memory animals in rapid action
and to seize the waving end graceful spread of
plants; and the first man who cast aside mele
symmetry for artistic balance. We know
Of no rival to the ability shown in this sud
den birth Of art until the animal figures of
later Assyria and Greece, and elephants paint
a1 ~, madam omou " ba VyOnpor hill I,.,DJ
ing in the air is a most vigorous sketch, ad-
mirably conceived, but only failing in the de-
tails which the memory could not easily grasp
in rapid motion
In another picture there is an excellent
figure of a red calf galloping, AVID above il a
gray calf between a lotus and a thistle.
There is the inevitable dispropor ion in size
between the animals and the plants, and great
Inequality of treatment in the plants them
selves. The thistle is drawn with the bold
natui alistic touch, but the lotus is s~trictlyJ
conventional, proving" as Mr. Petrie OBJ
serves, that the artist was an Egyptian and
not a foreigner" Equally remarkable are
the specimens Of carving, executed it would
seem by pupils under the eye of a master. Ele-
menta"y forms are succeeded by othors more
complex, and various degrees of proficiency
are discernible. Some pieces of sculpture are
or unsuGpasSeOIe excellence. In particular,
there is a fragment of a head, consisting of
the nose, one side Of the face, and the lips,
which is fit to be compared with the best
Greek work. Statues also survive Of the
King and Queen in tolerably perfect state Of
preservation, and fragments of a number of
others were found outside the temple wall.
All these are Of siDgularly free.and unconven-
tional design. The carving and tracery of
pillars also exhibit The same characteristics,
and in particular there is one fragment on
which natural leaves are carved with remark
able grace. Thus an advance had been made
at that early date which il took long centu-
ries of the art Of other nations to attain. But
the most wonderful specimen in the whole
collection is the fragment If a tablet repre-
senting Kheunaten Senhol on a throne With
the Queen on his knees holding one Princess
in her arm, whilst the other Princess was
being handled III her fathers hands. The
curves of legs and arms, the modelling Of
fingers and finger nails and Of the feet and
toes form one of The best pieces of handiwork
ever carved by n chisel. Draughtsmanship Of
a very high order would be required to re-
construct with any degree Of FEASIBILITY the
whole work so as to enable one to realize
what the unimpaired original must have been.
In the glazed tile work is a piece Of conSideru-
BILE size representing the pattern of what
seems to have been rug or carpet III which
the harmony of colours recalls the best spe-
oimaDn NJ tba modern work Of Persia Odd