With such adjuncts and in such a climate, even at a distance of 80 feet, all the principal features of the frieze could easily have been distinguished, and the effect of it, in so far as we can judge, must have been something worthy of all the admiration lavished on this building.
The chariot-race frieze may either have been placed in one of the interior halls of the building, or it may have encircled the cella immediately under the roof, like the celebrated Panathenaic frieze of the Parthenon. On the doctrine of chances some fragments ought to have been found of the internal sculpture described by Guichard; and for myself I feel inclined to fancy this may be a part; but if not, its position was almost certainly the one hinted at just now, and shown in the plates.
The square tablets in like manner were also probably internal; but if not, their position would, I fancy, certainly be the back wall of the cella, under the peristyle. There being no windows there, some relief would be required, and these seem appropriate for the position, which is that suggested by Mr. Pullan; though he marred his suggestion by the position of his frieze, and by giving no access to either.
Besides these a considerable number of statues were found larger than life; namely, some 7 or 8 feet in height. These, following the suggestion of the Xanthian monument discovered by Sir Charles Fellows, I have placed in the peristele,—not the peristyle. I cannot fancy any position in which statues would either be more appropriate, or seen to greater advantage. Their dimensions require that they should be placed at some height above the eye. It is here 17 feet, and no niche could be better than the plain surface of the stele on either side, with the subdued shadow behind. In no building, ancient or modern, do I know any situation where statues would be so advantageous to the architecture, and on the other hand where the architecture would assist so advantageously in heightening the effect of the sculpture.[26]
In the tomb discovered by Mr. Falkener at Denzili, and which is evidently a copy of the Mausoleum, the pyramid is supported by just such a range of steles as have been introduced here, but with this curious peculiarity, that instead of the statues being placed between the piers, one is sculptured in mezzo rilievo on each face of the stele. The reason of this is obvious enough: there being no cella in that small monument (there are only 6 steles altogether), there would have been a strong light behind the statues and in the spectator’s eyes, which would have rendered the expression of the statues invisible. As it is, it is one of those instances of intelligent copying so common in ancient and so rare in modern times.
We next come to the Lions. Fragments of some 20 of these were discovered. From their weather-worn appearance, and the general exigencies of the case, it is certain that they were placed on pedestals outside the building. There is no difficulty in providing these:—the design requires that there should be 7 such on the south, and as many on the north face of the building, each 5 feet 3 inches in length; and 5 pedestals on the west, and 2 on the east, in like manner 5 ft. 3 in. long. These dimensions are exactly suited to the dimensions of the Lions found, which, as far as can be ascertained, were about 4 feet 6 inches long, from head to hind-quarter, though some seemed about 3 inches longer than the others, probably those on the longer faces of the building.
According to the evidence of Mr. Newton’s book, all these were standing. As an architect I should have liked them better if they had been couchant, and it seems probable that some at least were sitting. Two are represented in that attitude in the Dilettante Society’s plate of the Castle at Budrum, and I cannot help thinking that a more careful examination would show an attitude of more repose in the others. In all that concerns sculpture, however, I bow to Mr. Newton’s authority, and accept the facts as he states them. Their being standing seems to necessitate pedestals for the statues of the peristele, which otherwise it might have been better to have dispensed with. Taking them either as sitting, standing, or couchant, they give life to and relieve the basement to a very great extent.
Besides these 21 I have added two Lions of larger size on each side of the portal, where the larger pedestals seem to require their presence. These I have made couchant, their length thus ranging with the standing lions on either side.
I have also taken the liberty of suggesting 4 couchant lions on pedestals at the 4 angles of the roof. The authority for this suggestion is the monument at Dugga (Woodcut, No. 2), where four corner stones cut into the pyramidal roof at the angles in this manner, and were evidently surmounted by sculpture or ornament of some similar character; but more than this, I feel that something is necessary here in order to support the central pedestal that carried the quadriga. Without this it would look isolated and hardly a part of the general design. Besides this, the grouping of the columns at the angles seems to suggest something of the sort, while on the other hand an architect would probably introduce some such arrangement in order to justify the grouping.
Altogether these roof pedestals seem to me so essential to the design that I have no hesitation in saying I believe they must have been there; but as there has been nothing found to suggest them,—though nothing either to contradict their existence,—the suggestion must be taken only for what it is worth, and it is quite open to any one to say that he thinks them superfluous.