Perry, Walter Copland: Greek and Roman sculpture: a popular introduction to the history of Greek and Roman sculpture (London, 1882)

446

PRAXITELES.

it was the representation of a purely sensual form, 1 intended to

please solely by its personal beauty.' Others see in it 'a grand

and pure ideal in striking contrast to the frivolous and sensual Venus

types of later times,'1 and reject with scorn the imputation cast on

Praxiteles of pandering to the lower appetites of our nature. We

cannot altogether coincide with cither of these views. In the case

before us it is evident that the form is not chosen as the vehicle of

any high thought or interesting action, after the manner of Pheidias

and Polycleitus. She stands before the mind's eye solely as the

highest representation of the loveliness of woman, without any higher

attribute of mind or character, and incapable of inspiring any sublime

or heroic sentiment. All the notices and descriptions which we have

of her point in the same direction. The epigram says that she was

the Paphian Goddess ' such as Arcs wished her to be.' Lucian is

never tired of describing the paroxysms of passionate admiration

into which the sight of her threw the entranced and stupefied

beholder. A youth covered the walls and the bark of soft trees with

the words 'A^oStV^ koXi), and offered at the shrine of the Goddess

all the beautiful things he possessed.-

On the other hand, it would be unjust to Praxiteles, and contrary

to the spirit of the period in which he lived, to class his works with

the productions of a later age, or with such abominations as the Venus

Kallipygos at Naples. The Venus of Praxiteles is at any rate free from,

and unconscious of, the passion she excites. His aim was not a very

high one, but he represented the youthful female form as the fairest

flower of the human race, in its ideal perfection such as Nature herself

had never framed ; and from what we know of his other works we may

feel sure that he would not mar its eternal truth and beauty by any

meretricious gesture or expression. We may allow that the beauty

of Phryne aided him in his work, but his Goddess was no Phrync.

We may even allow that his chisel was guided by the hand of love,

but certainly not to the detriment of his work, teste Tennyson :—

:Tis not your work but Love's, Love unperceived,

A more ideal artist he than all,

Came, drew your pencil from you, drew those eyes.

1 Ilcttncr.

Lucian, Amor.