DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4264#0024
OF THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA,
« There is a figure that stands in the middle of it, having its right arm broken, which probably
I Id the thunder. Its legs straddle at some distance from each other, where without doubt was
laced the ea°-le ; for its beard, and the majesty which the sculptor hath expressed in his countenance,
although those other usual characters be wanting here, do sufficiently shew it to have been made for
Jupiter. He stands naked, for so he was usually represented, especially by the Greeks. At his right
hand is another figure', with its hands and arms broken off, covered down half way the legs, in a
posture as coming towards Jupiter; which, perhaps was a Victory, leading the horses of the triumph-
ant chariot of Minerva, which follows it. The horses are made with such great art, that the sculptor
seems to have out-done himself, by giving them a more than seeming life, such a vigour is expressed
in each posture of their prancing and stamping, natural to generous horses. Minerva is next repre-
sented in the chariot, rather as the goddess of learning than of war, without helmet, buckler, or a
Medusa's Head on her breast". Next behind her is another figure of a woman sitting with her head
broken off; who it was is not certain. But my companion made me observe the next two figures, sitting
in the corner, to be of the Emperor Adrian and his Empress Sabina, whom 1 easily knew to be so,
by the many medals and statues I have seen of them. At the left hand of Jupiter are five or six
other figures; my companion taketh them to be an assembly of the gods, where Jupiter introduceth
Minerva, and owneth her for his daughter. The postick, or hind-front c, was adorned with figures,
expressing Minerva's contest with Neptune about naming the city of Athens ; but now all of them
are fallen down, only part of a sea-horse excepted. The architrave is also charged with a basso-
relievo at several distances'1, divided into squares of about two or three feet broad, and three or four
feet high*. Within the portico on high, and on the outside of the cella of the temple itself, is another
border of basso-relievo round about it, or at least on the north and south sides, which, without doubt,
is as ancient as the temple, and of admirable work ; but not so high a relievo as the other. Thereon
are represented sacrifices, processions, and other ceremonies of the heathens' worship. Most of
them were designed by the Marquis De Nointel; who employed a painterf to do it two months
togethers, and shewed them to us, when we waited on him at Constantinople. The cella of the
temple without is 158 feet long, and broad 67 feet. Before you enter into the body of the temple
from the front, is the Pronaos, whose roof is sustained by six channelled pillars of the same order
and bigness with those of the portico, and contains near the third part of the cella ; to wit, 44 feet
pd
a The fragments of this figure at the British Museum, prove
it to have represented Minerva. The holes pierced for attaching
the metallic decorations of the iEgis, the sockets of the eyes hol-
lowed for the reception of the precious stones placed in them,
as practised on the Colossus by Phidias within the temple, and
the indication of the helmet formerly on the head of the figure,
are still apparent, and make applicable to this statue, the observa-
tions by Stuart in the succeeding note, relative to that repre-
by that emperor's command." The late learned antiquary, R. P.
Knight, Esq. in his evidence before the Committee of the House
of Commons observed, " of the Theseus I have doubts whether
it was added by Hadrian;—but I should think most of the draped
figures were added by him." The Earl of Aberdeen, who was
the last traveller who saw the statue named by Spon after Ha-
drian, with the head, then in a very mutilated condition, stated
that it did not appear the least different from the general cha-
sented in the Biga, formerly mistaken for Minerva. Where the racter of the work of the western pediment; an opinion in which
sculpture is treated of by our author, the criticism on it subse- we, having seen it also in its place, concur. Neither does it ap-
quent to his time will be found alluded to. [ed.] pear probable that this edifice should have enshrined the chrysele-
b Perhaps her helmet, buckler, and a>gis, were of gold, or of phantine statue of the tutelary goddess of Athens, and have re-
brass gilt -^ for we observed this land of decoration to have been mained more than five centuries incomplete.' [ed.]
practised in the basso-relievos remaining on the frieze which
surrounds the Parthenon, and on that within the portico of the
Temple of Theseus; if so, the goddess would certainly have been
despoiled of those ornaments long before Wheler and Spon
visited Athens.
c Wheler here means the eastern, proved since to have been
the principal front. Ped. 1
d He here alludes to the Metopffi. fEI>-]
* The following passage not quoted by Stuart intervenes in the
description of Wheler, which, however, seems to have influenced
the antiquarians. " But the Emperor Hadrian most probably re-
paired it and adorned it with those figures at each front. For
the whiteness of the marble and his own statue joined with them,
apparently shewthem to be of a later age than the first, and done
f These designs were made in 1674 by M. Jaques Carrey, a pu-
pil of Lebrun. For a long period they were entirely in oblivion,
and Stuart never had the advantage of seeing them ; they were
at length found in 1797 in the National Library at Paris.
s Magni, who accompanied the marquis in his travels, in his
sixth letter, says, " The embassador obtained leave for the young
painter to make drawings on the fourteenth of November", and
this letter is dated, Athens, the fifteenth of December; in the
conclusion of it he says, " I reckon we shall delay hut a short time
to re-imbark, as we are to repass into Asia"; and in his seventh
letter he says, he kept his Christmas at Scio; therefore the
painter could be employed in tin's work only part of two months.
%n
« There is a figure that stands in the middle of it, having its right arm broken, which probably
I Id the thunder. Its legs straddle at some distance from each other, where without doubt was
laced the ea°-le ; for its beard, and the majesty which the sculptor hath expressed in his countenance,
although those other usual characters be wanting here, do sufficiently shew it to have been made for
Jupiter. He stands naked, for so he was usually represented, especially by the Greeks. At his right
hand is another figure', with its hands and arms broken off, covered down half way the legs, in a
posture as coming towards Jupiter; which, perhaps was a Victory, leading the horses of the triumph-
ant chariot of Minerva, which follows it. The horses are made with such great art, that the sculptor
seems to have out-done himself, by giving them a more than seeming life, such a vigour is expressed
in each posture of their prancing and stamping, natural to generous horses. Minerva is next repre-
sented in the chariot, rather as the goddess of learning than of war, without helmet, buckler, or a
Medusa's Head on her breast". Next behind her is another figure of a woman sitting with her head
broken off; who it was is not certain. But my companion made me observe the next two figures, sitting
in the corner, to be of the Emperor Adrian and his Empress Sabina, whom 1 easily knew to be so,
by the many medals and statues I have seen of them. At the left hand of Jupiter are five or six
other figures; my companion taketh them to be an assembly of the gods, where Jupiter introduceth
Minerva, and owneth her for his daughter. The postick, or hind-front c, was adorned with figures,
expressing Minerva's contest with Neptune about naming the city of Athens ; but now all of them
are fallen down, only part of a sea-horse excepted. The architrave is also charged with a basso-
relievo at several distances'1, divided into squares of about two or three feet broad, and three or four
feet high*. Within the portico on high, and on the outside of the cella of the temple itself, is another
border of basso-relievo round about it, or at least on the north and south sides, which, without doubt,
is as ancient as the temple, and of admirable work ; but not so high a relievo as the other. Thereon
are represented sacrifices, processions, and other ceremonies of the heathens' worship. Most of
them were designed by the Marquis De Nointel; who employed a painterf to do it two months
togethers, and shewed them to us, when we waited on him at Constantinople. The cella of the
temple without is 158 feet long, and broad 67 feet. Before you enter into the body of the temple
from the front, is the Pronaos, whose roof is sustained by six channelled pillars of the same order
and bigness with those of the portico, and contains near the third part of the cella ; to wit, 44 feet
pd
a The fragments of this figure at the British Museum, prove
it to have represented Minerva. The holes pierced for attaching
the metallic decorations of the iEgis, the sockets of the eyes hol-
lowed for the reception of the precious stones placed in them,
as practised on the Colossus by Phidias within the temple, and
the indication of the helmet formerly on the head of the figure,
are still apparent, and make applicable to this statue, the observa-
tions by Stuart in the succeeding note, relative to that repre-
by that emperor's command." The late learned antiquary, R. P.
Knight, Esq. in his evidence before the Committee of the House
of Commons observed, " of the Theseus I have doubts whether
it was added by Hadrian;—but I should think most of the draped
figures were added by him." The Earl of Aberdeen, who was
the last traveller who saw the statue named by Spon after Ha-
drian, with the head, then in a very mutilated condition, stated
that it did not appear the least different from the general cha-
sented in the Biga, formerly mistaken for Minerva. Where the racter of the work of the western pediment; an opinion in which
sculpture is treated of by our author, the criticism on it subse- we, having seen it also in its place, concur. Neither does it ap-
quent to his time will be found alluded to. [ed.] pear probable that this edifice should have enshrined the chrysele-
b Perhaps her helmet, buckler, and a>gis, were of gold, or of phantine statue of the tutelary goddess of Athens, and have re-
brass gilt -^ for we observed this land of decoration to have been mained more than five centuries incomplete.' [ed.]
practised in the basso-relievos remaining on the frieze which
surrounds the Parthenon, and on that within the portico of the
Temple of Theseus; if so, the goddess would certainly have been
despoiled of those ornaments long before Wheler and Spon
visited Athens.
c Wheler here means the eastern, proved since to have been
the principal front. Ped. 1
d He here alludes to the Metopffi. fEI>-]
* The following passage not quoted by Stuart intervenes in the
description of Wheler, which, however, seems to have influenced
the antiquarians. " But the Emperor Hadrian most probably re-
paired it and adorned it with those figures at each front. For
the whiteness of the marble and his own statue joined with them,
apparently shewthem to be of a later age than the first, and done
f These designs were made in 1674 by M. Jaques Carrey, a pu-
pil of Lebrun. For a long period they were entirely in oblivion,
and Stuart never had the advantage of seeing them ; they were
at length found in 1797 in the National Library at Paris.
s Magni, who accompanied the marquis in his travels, in his
sixth letter, says, " The embassador obtained leave for the young
painter to make drawings on the fourteenth of November", and
this letter is dated, Athens, the fifteenth of December; in the
conclusion of it he says, " I reckon we shall delay hut a short time
to re-imbark, as we are to repass into Asia"; and in his seventh
letter he says, he kept his Christmas at Scio; therefore the
painter could be employed in tin's work only part of two months.
%n