DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18732#0214
C 55 1
cates, that proftitution is equally definitive of ge-
neration and love.
" In this villa there are alfo fome highly efteemed
pieces by Bernini. ./Eneas carrying his father;
David flinging the ftone at Goliath ; and Apollo
purfuing Daphne; the laft is generally reckoned
Bernini's mailer-piece; for my part, I have fo bad
a tafte as to prefer the fecond. The figure of David
is nervous, with great anatomical juftnefs, and a
ftrong expreffion of keennefs and exertion to hit his
mark, and kill his enemy j but the countenance of
David wants dignity. An antique artift, perhaps,
could not have given more ardor, but he would
have given more noblenefs to the features of David.
Some may fay, that as he was but a fliepherd^ it
was proper he mould have the look of a clown j but
it ought to be remembered, that David was a very
extraordinary man ; and if the artift who formed the
Belvedere Apollo, or if Agafias the Ephefian, had
treated the fame fubject, I imagine they would have
rendered their work more interefting., by blending
the noble air of an hero with the fimple appearance
of a (hepherd. The figures of Apollo and Daphne
err in a different manner. The face and figure of
Apollo are deficient in fimplicity; the noble fim-
plicity of the beft antique ftatues : he runs with
affected graces, and his aftonimment at the begin-
ning transformation of his miftrefs is not, in my
opinion, naturally expreffed, but feems rather the
exaggerated aftonimment of an a£tor. The form
and fhape of Daphne are delicate-ly executed; but
in her face, beauty is, in fome degree, facrificed to
the expreffion of terror j her features are too much
diftorted
cates, that proftitution is equally definitive of ge-
neration and love.
" In this villa there are alfo fome highly efteemed
pieces by Bernini. ./Eneas carrying his father;
David flinging the ftone at Goliath ; and Apollo
purfuing Daphne; the laft is generally reckoned
Bernini's mailer-piece; for my part, I have fo bad
a tafte as to prefer the fecond. The figure of David
is nervous, with great anatomical juftnefs, and a
ftrong expreffion of keennefs and exertion to hit his
mark, and kill his enemy j but the countenance of
David wants dignity. An antique artift, perhaps,
could not have given more ardor, but he would
have given more noblenefs to the features of David.
Some may fay, that as he was but a fliepherd^ it
was proper he mould have the look of a clown j but
it ought to be remembered, that David was a very
extraordinary man ; and if the artift who formed the
Belvedere Apollo, or if Agafias the Ephefian, had
treated the fame fubject, I imagine they would have
rendered their work more interefting., by blending
the noble air of an hero with the fimple appearance
of a (hepherd. The figures of Apollo and Daphne
err in a different manner. The face and figure of
Apollo are deficient in fimplicity; the noble fim-
plicity of the beft antique ftatues : he runs with
affected graces, and his aftonimment at the begin-
ning transformation of his miftrefs is not, in my
opinion, naturally expreffed, but feems rather the
exaggerated aftonimment of an a£tor. The form
and fhape of Daphne are delicate-ly executed; but
in her face, beauty is, in fome degree, facrificed to
the expreffion of terror j her features are too much
diftorted