The sacrifice of Iphigenia in Aulis, by Timanthes, acquired the greatest celebrity of all the ancient pictures. Quintilian says that it was painted in contest with Colotes of Teos—an artist from the school of Phidias, and crowned with victory at its rival exhibition. This picture, which has been the subject of unlimited praise by the ancient critics, has been in modern times objected to, from the circumstance of Timanthes hiding the face of Agamemnon, the father of the victim, to be immolated in his mantle, unable, as it was supposed by his art, to express the entire agony of his grief. Sir Joshua Reynolds observes thus: "If difficulties overcome make a great part of the merit of art, difficulties evaded can deserve but little commendation." The French critic Falconet, has also condemned the artifice. But Fuseli answers these objections very reasonably by saying,—"The subject of Timanthes was the immolation of Sphigenia. Sphigenia was the principal figure, and her form, her resignation, or her anguish, was the painter's principal task; the figure of Agamemnon, however important, is merely accessary, and no more necessary to make the subject completely tragic, than that of Dytemnestra, the mother—no more than that of Priam, to impress us with sympathy at the death of Polyxenia." Again, "they ascribe to impotence what was the forbearance of judgment." Timanthes felt like a father; he did not hide the face of Agamemnon, because it was beyond the power of his art—not because it was beyond the possibility, but because it was beyond the dignity of expression—because the inspiring feature of paternal affection at that moment, and the action which of necessity must have accompanied it, would either have destroyed the grandeur of the character, and the solemnity of the scene, or subject the painter, with the majority of his judges, to the imputation of insensibility. The same expedient was resorted to by M. Angelo, in the figure of Abijam, and by Raphael in the expulsion from paradise.
These were the artists who formed the second school of art, and established its end and limits. On it was founded the third period of style, in which refinement induced a grace and beauty not to be surpassed. The masters of this period were—Appelles, Protogenes, Aristides, Euphranor, Pausius, and the pupils of Pamphilius, and his master Eupompus. The last named artist was of Sicyon; and his authority was so great, that out of the Asiatic and Grecian chords of painting he formed a third, by dividing the last into the attic and Sicyonian. Pliny says that, when consulted by Zysippus on a standard of imitation in art, he pointed to the crowd passing by—observing that nature, not an artist, should be the object of imitation. Pamphilius, a Macedonian, the master of Appelles, adopted the doctrines of Eupompus. To the art of painting, he joined the study of mathematics, and held, that, without the aid of geometry, no artist could arrive at any perfection. In Appelles, we are told by Pliny, unrivalled excellence was found. Grace was his powerful and peculiar faculty, in which he surpassed all his predecessors. His Venus Anadyomene, which was long after purchased by Augustus for one hundred talents, or £20,000 sterling, was esteemed the most faultless creation of the Grecian pencil, the most perfect example of that simple yet unapproachable grace of expression, of symmetry of form, and exquisite finish, in which may be summed up the distinctive beauties of his genius. Hotogenes was next to him in merit. The most celebrated of his works was his figure of Jalysus, with his dog, which occupied him seven years. Aristides, of Theles, and cotemporary of Appelles, was the first, who, by the rules of art, obtained a perfect knowledge of expressing the passions and affections of the mind. In one figure, he expressed the anguish of maternal affection, and the pangs of death. Euphranor, the Isthmian, and pupil of Aristides, is said to have carried this refinement of expression still further. Skilled in Sculpture, as well as in Painting, his conceptions were noble and elevated; his style masculine and bold; and he was the first who distinguished himself, by imparting majesty to his heroes.
Asclepiodorus, the Athenian sculptor, as well as painter, was as the latter, celebrated for the beauties of a correct style, and the truth of his proportions. Appelles allowed himself to be, in these respects, as much his inferior to this artist as he was to Amphion on the good ordering and disposition of his figures. About this period appeared Nichomachus, Nichophanes, Pyreicas and others. Nichias, an Athenian, 322 B. C., was in great repute for the great variety and noble choice of his subjects, for the mode of distributing his lights and shadows, and for great skill in the representation of animals. In Rome, 300 B. C., Fabius, a noble Roman, painted the Temple of Health, and gloried so much in the art, that he assumed the name of Pictor. Without a further enumeration of masters, for a long period after the reigns of Vespasian and his son Titus, painting, as well as sculpture, continued to flourish in Italy. Even under their successors Domitian, Nerva and Trojan, they met with as much encouragement as they did in the most palmy days of Greece, although painting was used in mere ornamental decorations—that is, to a great extent, and artists had sunk, for the most part, to the standard of mere mechanics. Under Adrian, Antonine, Alexander Severns, Constantine, and Valentinian, the art of painting continued to be an object of interest; but at length, in the reign of Phocus, with the fall of the Empire, with the rest of the noble arts and sciences, it was involved in the common heap of ruins.
(To be continued.)
BROMINE.
We give the folk wing interesting combination and experiments with bromine, as found in Hill's Treatise:—
"Discovered in 1826, by M. Balard, a young chemist of Montpellier, France. He named it Muride, because obtained from the sea; but it acquired its present name from a Greek word, signifying rank, or dead odor." It exists in nature in very small quantities. It is found in the waters of every sea which has been tested for it: it is also found in many mineral and salt springs. We have not been able to determine to whom belongs the honor of discovering its use as an accelerator in Daguerreotype. Having corresponded with Prof. Morse, (who was certainly one of the first who took portraits by the Daguerreian process,) Dr. Draper, and others, to whom this honor has been awarded, they refuse to claim it. Prof. Silliman, who is supposed to know everything relating to science, writes to me that he does not know this. I am quite inclined to place the wreath on the brow of the inventor of the Magnetic Telegraph.
Process.—When common salt is prepared from sea-water by evaporation and crystallization, a liquid remains which goes under the name of bittern. This liquid on passing chlorine through it, is tinged with a deep yellow color. The liquid is now distilled, and the vapor passed over a substance, (muriate of lime), which has a powerful attraction for water. A small quantity of bromine is thus obtained.—Another method is to agitate the chlorinated bittern with a portion of sulphuric ether. The ether dissolves the bromine, from which it receives a beautiful red tint, and on standing, rises to the surface. Agitate this solution with caustic potash, and the bromide of potassium and bromate of potassa will be formed. Evaporate the liquor and the bromide of potassium will be left from which bromine may be distilled.
Properties.—At common temperatures, it rapidly volatilizes, giving red vapors of a most disagreeable smell. Its color, when held between the eye and the light is a deep hyacinth red. Like oxygen, chlorine, and iodine, it is a non-conductor of electricity, and a negative electric. It boils at 116·5°, and congeals at 40 Fahr. into a brittle solid. It is a powerful poison; even its vapor would no doubt prove fatal, if inhaled in large quantities. A single drop placed in the beak of a bird destroys it instantly. Operators cannot be too cautious in using it. A very small drop spattered in the eye would destroy the sight. Bromine is very corrosive. A lighted taper burns for a few moments in its vapor, with a flame green at its base, and red at the top, and is then extinguished. It is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether; the latter is the best solvent. With water at 32° Fahr., if forms a hydrate, in crystals of a fine red color. It gives to a solution of starch an orange color. Chlorine will displace it from all its combinations with hydrogen.