New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-16
A Luminous Study of the Art
of Egypt.

There are some traditions FOR which.
II We would find them I'm perfect form.
We must always go back 10 tn" past:
but there i2 one. especially important
To- the student Of art. which happily
continues o. flourish iu our own time.
This is tho French tradition Of the
iHIgGTivGfcir. the writer who can turn
the most abstrus, topic 10 purposes Of
everyday cdification and delight To
tho invalu9bl. series ot hindbooks
dedicated La the general history of art
under the title Of AIRS Una" the
Scribnors nave just added "A new vol
umo H. Maspcro's Art iu Egypt For
a moment one leaves tho authors sub
icct ian allowance. contemplating only
tho technical merits of his work. Of
course. II is his profound knowledge
of his subject that has enabled him to
write So wen but h. might have been
twice as learned and still have failed
to make 80 good a book g. h. mad not
possessed az his finger tips tho art of
the popularizer. The gifts of clarity
and conciscncss and the warm feeling
which is the best source of literary
vitalit,
NJ Maspcro begins his useful work
in his preface, where he poses his
theme in Just the right way and as jul
diciously makes ms acquainted with his
point of view. Then. in chapters that
are swif, and brief but in which there
is NO sign OF haste or neglect. hc some
how organizes the Who'll" vast field of
Egyptian art. exposes its chronolog
ical development after method that
is systematic but never p"dantic. and
throughout richly Eliminates the re-
mote antiquity with which hc has to
deal He can be luminous because he
knows how To- bc human, because he
knows how 10 relate his monuments
to the religious and other social Gus
toms of tho old Egyptians. Their art
is to him a living thing. living and
beautiful. and full of character He
makes MS see the lif" that was OK
pressed in buildings and in statues.
His critical descriptions lead MS into
no csotcric obscuriics. but in very
simple manner help us toward fuller
appreciation. Let us cite i'm iilustra-
ton what he has TO say about the
magnificent COW discovered by Naville
Of. A pol
This is equal If not superior. To the
best achievements of Greece and Rome
in this g6Hfr. ana we have to come down
through the aScs To the greatest animal
sculptors of our own days before We md
"A work m such striking reality. She is
encumbered with mystic cmblems. the
hcaddrcss Of disks and feathers between
hcf horns, and TWO TUFTS OF lotus. spring
INK from the ground AT her feet rise To
her shoulders. I'm her the faithful adored
liathor. posted at the edge OF the west
ern marsh 10 intercept those who had
lately died aud initiate them into the life
beyond the tomb; nevertheless, the sculp-
tor reduced tho religious paraphernalia To
their simplest EXPIRE sion. Was ii he who
created the theme. oi who. in other words
dCta" he'd IL from the baSs-re!icfs to trans
late IL into the round? His goddess is
10 convent. onai COW modelled uDon ira
ditiona form: she Is an individual Great
uic chosen Tor her beauty from among
the sacred flock. In spite of her trappngs
and her Pharaoh. We recognize in her the
kindly maternal beast gentle. strong
vigorous ana natural The master slc in
spired modelled the relief Of sides and
hind quarters lovingly. and We almost
See the uuiver!ng Of the skin under the
caresses OF the light. In the head he even
had recourse TO technical articles which
appear for the first time In this example
as far az | know; he treated the uostrils
aud cheeks with fine raSp or file and
the burrows left by the tool express I'm "a
Very curious manner the perpetual iremor
that agtatos III. face. Life has been
breathed into the stone: the nostrils
culver with the breath that passes
through them. and the eyes arc half
closed in inLolcnt rcverie TIL. figure of
Pharaoh does not rise above the average.
am. nevertheless. inclined to think thai
the group. taken "a a whole is the finest
achievement Of the Theban School under
the Ahmcssids
There is scarce a relic OF Egyptian
art touched upon in NJ Mdsperos book
which is not thus effectively placed
before the reader. and while he an
alyzes aud makes more interesting the
individual piece, he clucidates the
broaG stream Of development with
which it is allied. He constantly