DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20658#0090
76
BEAUTY.
of attitude is observable in every limb of tbe body, yet it principally obtains in tbe head, as may
be seen in the pieces of the most celebrated painters, particularly those of Guido, who has been
somewhat too lavish in bestowing this beauty on almost all bis fine women; whereas Nature has
given this inestimable quality, in so high a degree, to but a very few. The neck is also capable
of displaying a considerable degree of grace: next to this, the arms and feet arc tbe most active;
after which the hands and the legs have their share of this quality. It has been remarked, that
it is not only in genteel motions that grace consists, but that a very prett}' woman discovers grace
in all her movements, which made Ovid say, that " When Venus, to please her gallant, imitated
the hobbling gait of her husband, her very lameness had a great deal of grace in it." And Ti-
bullus also observes, that " Every motion of a graceful woman is full of grace." The same au-
thor extends grace even to the dress of his mistress; and Horace and Virgil make it consist in
the flowing of the hair, and other inferior departments.
The majestic sort of grace belongs chiefly to august figures, and very fine women : familiar
grace to more pleasing and pretty countenances. The former is the more commanding; but the
latter more delightful and engaging. The Grecian artists used to express the former in their
Minervas, and the latter in the figure of Venus. Xenophon, in his choice of Hercules, has made
the same distinction in his description of the personages of Wisdom and Pleasure: the former
he describes as moving on to the young hero with a majestic air; and the latter with a more fa-
miliar grace:—
" Graceful, yet each with different grace they move ;
" This striking sacred awe, that softer winning love."
There are two particulars which universally hold good with regard to the grace of the atti-
tudes: the first is, that " there is no grace without motion ;" that is, some pleasing motion either
of the whole body, or of some limb, or at least of some feature. The second observation is, that
" there can be no grace without propriety ;" or, in other words, nothing can be graceful that is
not adapted to the character.
It is from the first of these observations, that Lord Bacon distinguishes grace by the name of
decent motion. " In beauty," says he, " that of favour is more than that of colour; and that
of gracious and decent motion, more than that of favour." Virgil also expresses the majestic
air of Juno, and, in another place, the graceful movement of Apollo, by barely saying, iC They
move." All the best statues of antiquity are represented as in some motion; this is so apparent
in the Apollo Belvidere, the most graceful statue in the world, that on viewing it in front, at a
httle distance, the spectator is almost led to imagine that the figure is actually going to move to-
wards him. And all heads, which have any degree of grace, are described in motion : those of
Guido are particularly so ; and are all either casting their eyes upwards towards heaven, or down
towards the ground, or to one side, as if viewing some object. The head that appears quite in-
active, and, as it were, flung flat upon the canvas, will not only be devoid of grace, but appear
perfectly inanimate and lifeless ; and may serve as a keen caricature of those faces on the medals
struck after the fall of the Roman empire, or the Gothic heads before the revival of the arts.
The second remark, that there can be no grace without propriety, is evident, and well known to
the most humble follower of the fine arts. Some strictures which properly belong to this subject,
are given under the term Propriety; what remains to be said, I shall deliver as briefly as possible,
That
BEAUTY.
of attitude is observable in every limb of tbe body, yet it principally obtains in tbe head, as may
be seen in the pieces of the most celebrated painters, particularly those of Guido, who has been
somewhat too lavish in bestowing this beauty on almost all bis fine women; whereas Nature has
given this inestimable quality, in so high a degree, to but a very few. The neck is also capable
of displaying a considerable degree of grace: next to this, the arms and feet arc tbe most active;
after which the hands and the legs have their share of this quality. It has been remarked, that
it is not only in genteel motions that grace consists, but that a very prett}' woman discovers grace
in all her movements, which made Ovid say, that " When Venus, to please her gallant, imitated
the hobbling gait of her husband, her very lameness had a great deal of grace in it." And Ti-
bullus also observes, that " Every motion of a graceful woman is full of grace." The same au-
thor extends grace even to the dress of his mistress; and Horace and Virgil make it consist in
the flowing of the hair, and other inferior departments.
The majestic sort of grace belongs chiefly to august figures, and very fine women : familiar
grace to more pleasing and pretty countenances. The former is the more commanding; but the
latter more delightful and engaging. The Grecian artists used to express the former in their
Minervas, and the latter in the figure of Venus. Xenophon, in his choice of Hercules, has made
the same distinction in his description of the personages of Wisdom and Pleasure: the former
he describes as moving on to the young hero with a majestic air; and the latter with a more fa-
miliar grace:—
" Graceful, yet each with different grace they move ;
" This striking sacred awe, that softer winning love."
There are two particulars which universally hold good with regard to the grace of the atti-
tudes: the first is, that " there is no grace without motion ;" that is, some pleasing motion either
of the whole body, or of some limb, or at least of some feature. The second observation is, that
" there can be no grace without propriety ;" or, in other words, nothing can be graceful that is
not adapted to the character.
It is from the first of these observations, that Lord Bacon distinguishes grace by the name of
decent motion. " In beauty," says he, " that of favour is more than that of colour; and that
of gracious and decent motion, more than that of favour." Virgil also expresses the majestic
air of Juno, and, in another place, the graceful movement of Apollo, by barely saying, iC They
move." All the best statues of antiquity are represented as in some motion; this is so apparent
in the Apollo Belvidere, the most graceful statue in the world, that on viewing it in front, at a
httle distance, the spectator is almost led to imagine that the figure is actually going to move to-
wards him. And all heads, which have any degree of grace, are described in motion : those of
Guido are particularly so ; and are all either casting their eyes upwards towards heaven, or down
towards the ground, or to one side, as if viewing some object. The head that appears quite in-
active, and, as it were, flung flat upon the canvas, will not only be devoid of grace, but appear
perfectly inanimate and lifeless ; and may serve as a keen caricature of those faces on the medals
struck after the fall of the Roman empire, or the Gothic heads before the revival of the arts.
The second remark, that there can be no grace without propriety, is evident, and well known to
the most humble follower of the fine arts. Some strictures which properly belong to this subject,
are given under the term Propriety; what remains to be said, I shall deliver as briefly as possible,
That