Falkener, Edward: Daedalus or the causes and principles of the excellence of Greek sculpture (London, 1860)

COSTUME.

213

represented in their sacrificial robes, or distin-
guished by Trojan peculiarity of attire, are naked,
because the artist felt that the naked form would
be more conducive to beauty. But not only did
the artist take this liberty, but he increased the
size of the hero, and represented him sitting, and
diminished the size of the two sons, in order to
make the principal figure more important, and so
tend to centralize the action. Thus Ave see in this
celebrated group, which is esteemed the finest of
ancient art left to us, the artist, or artists, have not
hesitated to depart from custom or reality, where
they thought it would be an advantage to their
subject. Not only were their heroes, as Hercules
and Antinous, represented naked, but even their
princes, orators, and poets, were thus exhibited.
Can we suppose that Augustus or Adrian, Drusus
or Grermanicus, Pompey or Agrippa, went about
naked, because they so appear in sculpture ? It is
not necessary for us then to adhere servilely to the
costume of the day. By some it may be argued
that the proper costume for a figure may be con-
sidered that of the country to which we would refer
whatever is noble in his character. We may asso-
ciate men of talent and learning with Greece, and
make their costume assimilate to that of the
country where learning reached perfection. States-
men, orators, and men of genius deserve a costume
which will be considered honourable from its asso-