The Washington times., 1901-07-07

| but the rci1et ITSELF
! While it is impossible to mention in
detail the various ways in which the
| coloring which is so vividly shown in
! Mr.. Smiths reproduction, and thus as
| has been explained. perpetuated in
! definitely, throws light upon the whole
| subject of Attic sculpture, mention of
| a few points involved shows clearly the
| value of the sarcophagus as an addi-
! ton to the worlds collection of ancient
| art and the manner in which it has
! heipcd disprove the theory that Greek
plastic art was a cold and lifeless ex-
/ preston of pure form. When one ex-
/ auiues the horses in the group gener-
( ally supposed, for want of other expla-
nation. 20 represent Alexander and
/ paIiGs. the great contemporary Per-
I sian general. engaged 10 hunting, one
/ sees that the saddle cloths and harness
/ were put on in color without any indi-
! cation of such accessories in the sculp-
! tured WOrk--a fact which leads directly
TO the possibility that the horses ridden
/ bareback, apparently, in the procession
/ of youths in the famous Parthenon
frieze, may have originally had sad
! dies, breastplates, and other trappings;
and which, indeed, is furthermore sug-
| gested by the presence, in many an
| cient reliefs. of sandals without straps,
the explanation of which would now be
that the straps We're once painted on
the surface and that the action Of time
and weather has effaced them. Further
| examination of the reliefs in the mu-
I he of ha
| rendered the textures of various kinds
/ of cloth where in the sculpture alone
| there would have been only plain and
| comparatively meaningless surface
! inevitably suggesting the thought that
so important a feature would hardly
| have been considered admissible in an
! isolated work but must have been jus
tilted by a widespread taste and prac-
tice.
The experiment. already mentioned,
/ in which the Museum undertook to re-
! construct, approximately, the coloring
! of two Greek statues~NHhich had been
| supposed to be without color, was made
! in 1892, five years after the discovery of
/ the Sidon sarcophagus. Mr.. Edward
! Robinson. curator of classical antiqui-
/ ties at the Museum, and Mr.. Smith
/ then put together, bit by bit, the many
! subtle and perplexing clues which they
| had gathered from stray remains of
| color found now and then on ancient
marbles; from the better preserved col
| oring of the Greek statuettes Of terra
Gotta. in which the Museum is particu-
larry rich, belonging to the fourth and
third centuries b. c; and from the
more conclusive evidence OF the great
sarcophasus itself-of which small
copies in color were available in pub
lished Autographs. From this evidence
two plaster casts, one the Venus Gene
trix, from the Louvre, and the other
the great Hermes, of PraXiteles, dis
covered at Olympia were carefully
painted in various colors, with the re-
suit that reproductions were obtained
which We're probably more nearly like
the original originals than nave been
seen since ancient art was ruined early
in the Christian era. The experiment
attracted general attention at the time,
and was tried also ct about the same
time at the museums OF Berlin and Chi
cago. But the experiment in Boston
gains additional interest from the fact
that il furnished such an excellent
training for the accurate and intelli-
gent copying Of the Sidon sarcophagus,
which now gives the student the best
means this side of Constantinople for
verifying the new theories Of the
archaeologist So exact is the copy
made through the glass case with which
the Turkish authorities protect their
great treasure and from which under
no ordinary circumstances will it ever
be removed, that when the time came
to tit Mr.. Smiths freehand canvas to
the exact dimensions Of the original
there was found 10 be a difference OF
only fraction of an inch.
To the average visitor, this beautiful
piece of sculpture. now at least 200
years old, appeals even more as pic
ture Of the long buried past than as
work of art Of the six scenes depicted
upon the original and so long hidden
in the tomb near Saida, the two largest
were made the subject of reproduction
and the painting preserves not only the
color but the effect Of the high relief in
which they are carved, the prominent
figures seeming to stand out almost
completely from the marble back
ground. The two scenes are a battle
between the Greeks and the Persians,
and the hunting scene which has al
ready been alluded TO. Concerning the
likeness Of Alexander occurring in all
the reliefs there is no doubt, FOR the
figure on the tomb corresponds perfect
ly with all the authentic portraits. The
supposed picture Of Darius, however,
which is also frequent. is an assump
tion without proof. Even if Alexander,
as was at first supposed, imported from
Greece this most beautiful Of all known
caskets, il is impossible that he should
have been actually inferred in it, II is
believed, indeed, at the Museum of
Fine Arts that Alexander had no part
e1en in the ordering Of the sarcopha-
gus, and that his presence in the re-
liefs is merely the chance tribute of
another 70 his greatness. and perhaps
also TO the fact that the real owner had
gained his own glory, whatever it
amounted 10, by more or less init
mate association with the conqueror.
MR.. SMITH GOT HIS WHISKY.
Experience of IA Lecturer in Tenn
perance Household.
A story that +. Hopkinson Smith likes