Wonders of sculpture . ome than in Greece. Thesame kind of public homage rendered to the familyof the reigning emperor in the capital of the world,was accorded in the provinces to the proconsuls,the prefects, and the powerful patrician families whoheld whole towns under their control. The ninestatues of the Balbus family, found in the theatre ofHerculaneum, are a proof of this. We will contentourselves with noticing those grand specimens ofthe Roman era contained in different collectionsof works of art, which seem to us to merit begin in Italy, at Florence. The museum degV Uffizi
Wonders of sculpture . ome than in Greece. Thesame kind of public homage rendered to the familyof the reigning emperor in the capital of the world,was accorded in the provinces to the proconsuls,the prefects, and the powerful patrician families whoheld whole towns under their control. The ninestatues of the Balbus family, found in the theatre ofHerculaneum, are a proof of this. We will contentourselves with noticing those grand specimens ofthe Roman era contained in different collectionsof works of art, which seem to us to merit begin in Italy, at Florence. The museum degV Uffizi possesses a collectioncalled that of the Roman emperors, which isgenerally considered the most complete in theworld. In it there are, in fact, some very rare busts,such as those of Caligula and of Otho. Includingmen, women, and children, there are sixty-nine ;from Pompey (who would doubtless be rather ROMAN SCULPTURE. 183 surprised at being included amongst the emperors)and Caesar, who should properly begin the series,. Fig. 41.—Agrippina of Gernianicus. (Rome.) to Constantine. and even Quintilius, who reignedbut twenty davs. The Roman statues are less 184 ROMAN SCULPTURE. numerous : we can only quote one Augustus ha-ranguing the people, one Trajan, and one Rome we must look for relics of ancientnational art in the Capitol, not in the modern Romans, who have partly demolishedthe Colosseum, who have called the Forum theCattle Market (Campo Vaccina), and planted arti-chokes on the Tarpeian Rock, have not evenrespected the ancient name of Capitol, which shouldfor ever have designated the fortress of theEternal City. They have converted it into astrange word, Campidoglio, which signifies rathera field of colza, a field of oil, than the citadel ofrising Rome, which became the temple wherevictorious Roman generals sung the Te Deum, intheir imposing triumphal ceremonies. Ascending tothe new Capitol by the double staircase of MichaelAngelo, we pass between the
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