Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

STATUARIA ARS.

353

STATUARIA ARS.

thither from all parts of the empire for
the purpose of seeking employment in the
houses of the great. The mass of the peo-
ple, however, had as little taste for and were
as little concerned about the arts as ever.
In the time of Nero, who did much for the
arts, we meet with Zenodorus, a founder of
metal statues, who was commissioned by the
emperor to execute a colossal statue of 110
feet high, representing Xero as the Sun. In
the reign of Hadrian the arts seem to begin
a new aera. lie himself was undoubtedly a
real lover of art, and encouraged it not only
at Rome, but in Greece and Asia Minor.
The great Villa of Hadrian below Tivoli, the
ruins of which cover an extent of ten Roman
miles in circumference, was richer in works
of art than any other place in Italy. Here
more works of art have been dug out of the
ground than anywhere else within the same
compass. Some statues executed at this time
are worthy of the highest admiration. Fore-
most among these stand the statues and busts
of Antinous, for whom the emperor enter-
tained a passionate partiality, and who was
represented in innumerable works of art.
The colossal bust of Antinous in the Louvre
is reckoned one of the finest works of ancient
art, and is placed by some critics on an
equality with the best works that Greece has
produced. There are also some very good
works in red marble which are referred to
this period, as that material is not known to
have been used before the age of Hadrian.
As the arts had received such encouragement
and brought forth such fruits in the reign of
Hadrian, the effects remained visible for some
time during the reigns of the Antonines.
The frieze of a temple, which the senate
caused to be erected to Antoninus Pius and
Faustina, is adorned with griffins and vessels
of very exquisite workmanship. The best
among the extant works of this time are the
equestrian statue of M. Aurelius of gilt
bronze, which stands on the Capitol, and the
column of M. Aurelius with reliefs represent-
ing scenes of his war against the Marco-
manni. After the time of the Antonines the
symptoms of decline in the arts became more
and more visible. The most numerous works
continued to be busts and statues of the em-
perors, but the best among them are not free
from affectation and mannerism. In the time
of Caracalla many statues were made, espe-
cially of Alexander the Great. Alexander
Severus was a great admirer of statues, not
from a genuine love of art, but because he
delighted in the representations of great and
good men. The reliefs on the triumphal
arch of Septimius Severus, representing his
.'ictories over the Parthians, Arabs, and Adia-

benians, have scarcely any artistic merits.
Art now declined with great rapidity : busts
and statues were more seldom made than
before, and are awkward and poor ; the hair
is frequently indicated by nothing else but
holes bored in the stone. The reliefs on the
sarcophagi gradually become monotonous and
lifeless. The reliefs on the arch of Constan-
tine, which are not taken from that of Trajan,
are perfectly rude and worthless, and those
on the column of Theodosius were not better.
Before concluding, it remains to say a few
words on the destruction of ancient works of
art. During the latter part of the reign of
Constantine many statues of the gods were
destroyed, and not long after his time a sys-
tematic destruction began, which under Theo-
dosius spread to all parts of the empire. The
spirit of destruction, however, was not di-
rected against works of art in general and as
such, but only against the pagan idols. The
opinion, therefore, which is entertained by
some, that the losses we have sustained in
works of ancient art, are mainly attributable
to the introduction of Christianity, is too
sweeping and general. Of the same cha-
racter is another opinion, according to which
the final decay of ancient art was a consequence
of the spiritual nature of the new religion.
The coincidence of the general introduction
of Christianity with the decay of the arts is
merely accidental. That the early Christians
did not despise the arts as such, is clear from
several facts. We know that they erected
statues to their martyrs, of which we have a
specimen in that of St. Hippolytus in the
Vatican library. The numerous works, lastly,
which have been found in the Christian cata-
combs at Rome, might alone be a sufficient
proof that the early Christians were not hos-
tile towards the representation of the heroes
of their religion in works of art. In fact,
Christianity during the middle ages became
as much the mother of the arts of modern
times, as the religion of Greece was the mo-
ther of ancient art. Another very general
and yet incorrect notion is, that the northern
barbarians after the conquest of Rome inten-
tionally destroyed works of art. This opinion
is not supported by any of the contemporary
historians, nor is it at all probable. The bar-
barians were only anxious to carry with
them the most precious treasures in order to
enrich themselves ; a statue must have been
an object of indifference to them. AVhat pe-
rished, perished naturally by the circum-
stances and calamities of the times. In times
of need bronze statues were melted down and
the material used for other purposes ; marble
statues were frequently broken to pieces and
used for building materials. If we consider

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