Appreciation of sculpture; a handbook by Russell Sturgis ... . monti Museum (Plate IX). It is immeas-urably superior to any figure of the Niobidegroup as seen in Florence ; and indeed thereis no reason to call it a Niobide at all ex-cept for its vigorous action. It is a mostvaluable study to compare this draperywith that of the moving figure shown inPlate V, a figure which is undoubtedly threequarters of a century earlier, and of pureAthenian type, whereas the Niobide of theVatican may well be of a later and of afreer and more independent school. Thesystem adopted for casting the drapery issin
Appreciation of sculpture; a handbook by Russell Sturgis ... . monti Museum (Plate IX). It is immeas-urably superior to any figure of the Niobidegroup as seen in Florence ; and indeed thereis no reason to call it a Niobide at all ex-cept for its vigorous action. It is a mostvaluable study to compare this draperywith that of the moving figure shown inPlate V, a figure which is undoubtedly threequarters of a century earlier, and of pureAthenian type, whereas the Niobide of theVatican may well be of a later and of afreer and more independent school. Thesystem adopted for casting the drapery issingularly realistic. There can be no doubtthat with a little care and watchfulness thatvery disposition of the upper garment whichis shown, could be reproduced on the livingmodel to-day; while the undergarment isthe simplest chiton, and is perfectly wellunderstood. This argues no superiority,but only the presence of that realism whichwe do not associate with the work of thePhidian epoch, closing about 400 b. c. butwhich belongs, as we think, to the time of[36]. Plate IX.—SO-CALLED MOHIDK, IN THE VATICAN MUSEUM, WORK OK ABOUT350 H. C. Greek Culmination and Decline Praxiteles and Skopas, that is to say, tothe half century after Phidias death, about430 B. c. Indeed a student of the twofigures would admit at once the greatermastery shown in the Athenian body is entirely traceable and hasbeen perfectly well put within the looseand floating garment; while in the Vaticanstatue it is not quite so clearly expressed,as indeed, the floating himation seems toconceal its action at the waist and further comparison with the two seatedfigures would seem to confirm the impres-sion that the earlier work was the better,at least from the artistic standpoint. Whatis the curious difference in touch whichmakes the drapery of the Niobide seem of athicker material than that in the Parthenonstatue? Whatever it is, it seems to implya willing abandonment by the sculptor ofthe more esse
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsculpture, bookyear19
