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Aprii^ 21, I860.] The Leader and Saturda...
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THK J-JKST TRACES Ol- LXVE IS Til 10 EAI...
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' • ~ .Wvir«'m7r« ofHt\> <»,.Uu, - Em-di...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Ailchitectube On-G0.1ms.* T Tnsciektific...
edifices which adorned Athens in the time of Pericles , and Rome in that of Augustus . This is obviously impossible ; but are there no means of treating these buildings , as Professor Owen would ; treat some huge mammal of the Eocene or the Triassic period ? We eaiij in many cases ,.. tell ' . their dimensions and their position from their ruined rentalns , often -enough to make us wonder that even barbarians could destroy them—is it a-hopeless-wish to see something : like a restored plan and elevation ? Not altogether ; spine scores of them -are represented upon the medals of the period , sometimes with : ' great care ' . and - -by artists of genius , but often ,-unfortunately , in a very slovenly and inefficient manner . Nevertheless , the very worst of these has a distinct and appreciable value , and becomes , hi the hand of so able an architect as Professor ponaldsoiii no mean aid in restoring the edifice itself to our view as it stood in its . pal my days , with the gloss of novelty upon it ; and the crowds ofAthenian or lloman citizens many ages ago turned to ¦ their dust , gazing upon'it with wonder and , pleasure .
There is a . certain degree of fidelity about these representations which only a professional eye can detect ; the ordinary collector does not know how far he is ¦ gazing on a fancy picture , and haw far the few lines traced on the metal before him give a correct idea of the temple , the tomb , the bridge , or the circus . ¦ . Here lie is in n very different position from the observer of nature . Mr . Owen knows that there has been no tampering with the bone , or the loot-print ; no imperfect artist bus given his notion of what it was or . might be ; but he lias the unerring work of a divine himd before him . Professor Donaldson has . a different" material , and-is obliged to take it with all . its disadvantages . But , ( in the other hand , he has the eye to detyct . the errors of th ^ copyist ; lie sees where the picture ijvay . bj depended upon , and wlierp the artist has failed ; and while lie is tli us considerably damaged as to the o . rtcnt of theinformation lie obtains , lie loses little if anvtliiny : as to its accuracy .
Let us suppose that we desire the picture of a pertaintemplehappily Vitriivius . or Pausanias . has left us a description of it . Sirabo * may have added a few . particulars—there may . be some remains of " the building itself , and it may be depicted on a large brass medal , of the least period . ' - Here the ¦¦¦¦ d ifficulty is minimized ; from these various elements we may make , if it so please ; us , a jdc-siimleoi the temple , - and be sure hot . f . v err in any important particular . Uut if we have no description—rif the edifice . itself he altogether swept away . by the besoin of time , and we have , only coin ' s , such as the colonial coins of Uordin ' n or Philip . —what then ? Why then we place these coins in the , hands of such a man as Professor Donaldson , and he proceeds as follows : —First , he collects all the examples that can be procured of the coins on which the building is represented , that he . may find every part of-the coin perfect : An example perfectly sharp on one part , say on the riyht $ ide : of ' the reverse , but defaced and blurred on the loft , will
be of great value to him , though to the collector- it . may bo of no value at all . One with the obverse worn , will be very probably thrown aside by the ' museum , but for architectural purposes it will be none the worse ; while one ' which has a . line head and a dec . en . fi v preserved reverse will be kept in the cabinet , though of littlo value , ¦ comparatively , to the architect . Tiiid involves the necessity of examining tray after tray of coins \ vlion _ they can bo . ' procured-, in order that by comparison of many ¦ ¦ specimens the engraver ' s idea mny be perfectly represented . Tho next step is " to make a perfectly accurate drawing , of the building , as it appears upon the perfect coin , and then this must be sulUciently enlarged to give it a . practical ' value . Mr . Do , naldson has pursued tins plan , and has hud the enlarged drawings lithographed , and he has ¦ performed his task with such accuracy that wo hcjcui -to be looking--and indeed are so—upon nuigniiied impressions of the
coins Ihenisolves . The art . of the medallist has now bison made available , as far an possible , for the restoration of Ihe building . The skill and learning of the architect are next to bo brought into exorcise . It has to be decided what portions of the representation aro to ; bo depended upon , and what aro failures through tho want of skill m tho cngi-uvcr ; this can only bo ascertained by a careful examination ol similar ediiices of the same era , and by noticing what variations from accuracy seem to be the result of chiniMnoss , and what from wantofspaco , or a too great liveliness of imagination . Architectural skill win soon dispose of most of tliese , mid lliu design becomes apparent ; step by step tho process goes on , and even from these unpromising materials wo aro uble to { f ive u tolerably good account of what tho temple was .
Oi ) 0 very curious and inexplicable representation occurs on a coin of Titus . Tho artist depicts the Colosseum ; wo havo the elevation , and from above n partial view into the interior . Wo hco the spectators in thoir places , nml in a largo box , surmounted by u aonncircular arch , aits a personage ol consequence ; ono ' s iirnt notion would bo that this was the Emperor himself , but a Jit . tlo further consideration would show tliat , though a good pluiso , tlio position was certainly «« t the bi-st in tho tliontro , and that one many rmiks lower down would bo inoro advantageous for viewing tho tmorls of tho circus . Tho box in quoHtion wan , us Profonisor Donaldson thinks , occupied by the Vrcfcclus Ziulortwi , ov master of tho games . Wo are inclined to doubt tins appropriation , as it eoomn probable that to aroi
this ofliror would bo so pluoou as to havo rtmiiy aooons vno a itself , which from-tho position horo ropresuntod would bo obviously inmossiblo . JHowover thismny bo , tho modal it * ol' tho greatest architectural value , and tf ivoa a very clear notion ol the groat Flavian amphitheatre . JJut on ono bIcIo is tin objyqfc which has beon called tho mt-ta sudims , and on tho other double nonoa of arches , looking very Hike tin aqueduct or n portion of a portico , ihero aro
no remains of ahy such arches now ,: " nor are they described by any ancient-writer ; and JSTibley , whose opinions Professor Donaldson always treats with great respect , thinks that there was , when the Colosseum was built , a communication between the palace occupied , by the Emperor and the great theatre itself , which was very closely adjacent . This does not seem at all an improbable solution , and if it be a correct one ' we have an additional instance of the defects of written history being supplied by medals . An interesting representation of the Basilica Ulpia , restored by a careful" study ' -of coins and written documents , will be found in the book before us ; and the steps of the process are described in a way which leaves no room whatever for doubt in the reader ' s mind as to the accuracy of the result . On the whole , we inust congratulate the
author , the public , and the architectural profession alike on the appearance of this work . It will help the numismatist to be something more than a mere collector , and it will show artistic writers what treasures of archaeology are to be discovered in a good collection of ancient coins . One remark we must make , and we make it with regret . We fear that the time has passed for the current coin of the realm to be adorned with .. the trophies of arts or arm ? . The Roman citizen could not take up his denarius , or his sestertius , without being , reminded . of sonic new victory gained by the-Emperor , some new province added to the empire ,, or-some newornament to the metropolis . . His- . feeling's of patriotism , and of national pride were stimulated , and he folfc the glory of being able to say " civ-l-. f Rumanm sum . " Now if we take up our daily gains
we are instructed in nothing . jNTo feel ings are appealed to ; art is , as far as possible , ignored , and history . entirely forgotten . We are told that the florin , is one-tenth of "' a pound ! Wondrous truth —philosophical discovery !—that , a civrta . in round , piece'of silver is one shilling ! Valuable information ; but for this the careless observer might have imagined it to be . a cow , or a lamp post , or , peradventure , a pound , of potatoes , Even in the new broiize coinage , specimens of which , we have been . permitted to inspect , no improvement has taken place , Mr Wy . o . n has produced a niasterpiece of art , but he has been restriWed to the old . conventional device of Britannia seated upon ' a rode ; and instead of-the . word JJuttaxxia , we , have the edifying legend , Oxiv ^ Pkxn . v . Pt'oh jiti / tor . /•/ \ V hen rnay wo look for soinef king bettor ? ., _
Professor ¦ Uonaliison ' s book is : a livre deluxe . It is magnificently printed on line thick paper , and profusely illustrated ; We wish for it the success which it deserves . ' . .
Aprii^ 21, I860.] The Leader And Saturda...
Aprii ^ 21 , I 860 . ] The Leader and Saturday Analyst . 377
Thk J-Jkst Traces Ol- Lxve Is Til 10 Eai...
THK J-JKST TRACES Ol- LXVE IS Til 10 EAIIlirS CKL . ST . * WHKX , as in . the late Easter holydays , thousands of visitors thronged the puologii' -al gallery of the iJriti . sh JVEnsovuii , and when , in more quiet times and in-more , private buildings , inquiring visitors look over a cabinet of British fossils , they are generally perplexed with the multitude and complexity of the organic-remains presented to their view , and nothing but a very confused remembrance of an accumulation of strange forms is retained .. The . reason is that- ' the visitors have attempted too much , and therefore iiave gained nothing—but a headache . Too many fossils arc like too much fruit at one time . It would be better for the inquirer , pressed for time , rather to contract his view , and to make a . limited investigation correspond with liis limited time .
This might be effected by drawing him away from the wcll-iilled glass cases and full and heavy drawers , and opening only one drawer before him . In this drawer wo might sny lie tho iirsl traces of animal organized existence at present known to us . . Scrutinize thorn well , for creatures of yesterday- —such as men aro—aro now looking upon evidences of life preceding man ' s existence by a number of years that no man could reckon up , even if he worn to devote tho host years of hi * entire life to the process of enumeration , i hu more exposition of t ' lio ai-tyumcnls . for tho incalculable remoteness ol geological time would demand a volume . This is the grout . stumbling
block of . students , and not a few oven of tho most intelligent oi our professional men t ' uil to tfot over it , principally because tlmy coino hito in life to the contemplation of this great theme . Even the clergy arc only bcgiuniiitf to admit that such thiny-n may bf , and Unit ; " there nre ' strnngor tilings thiin aro dreamt of in their theology —not because ' theology and geology »> "" roally opposed , but hucauso many men ' s mind . s are too mirrowod , too strailonud by the deadening rules of an iiiexpimdiiif * oollogiato education to imlarge , and comprc'hond the grout mid indisputable triitlm of natural huioiioo without a violent effort—an cllbrb which tho imlolont and tho
too fortunate aro reluctant to make . Belter than -ilm inoro display of tho content ^ of the drawer would bo an excursion to tho loculition whem-o its' troaHiircs huvo boon derived . It may bo easily made ; wo ourselves havo n-cuiilly enjoyed it 5 and if our roudors like to accompany us in nuagniatioii wo \ Vill indicate its conrau and itn curiosities . The drawer i ») now open i » our own cabinet , which contains tho spolia opium ot one conlliol . with hammer and chisel in luuid . , To find , or sup wboro may bo found , tho iirst traces oi animal liio in countrywo havo onlto take the tram tobhrdwHbury ,
our own , y and tliouou to Church Slrotton , in Shropriluro . Alighting , wo wa 1 c up to ono of tho most , pleading of noighbourlioodH , remarkably like Malvoru , but of courso unfrequented as yet , ami Uioroloro mr preferable to that ilwliiomiblo watering or wator-driulting Worcestershire town . A very comfortable little inn provides lor our low
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' ~ . Wvir «' m 7 r « ofHt \> <» ,. Uu , - Em-di / / . »• , Tl , om , mihit rtho Jt » th » a Itovto By B . J . Maokik , " lioiidon : Q roomU-idjji- ami Wuuh . iHOO .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 21, 1860, page 13, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_21041860/page/13/
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