It appears, upon an attentive compari son, that the figures, executed between the reigns of Henry Ill and Henry VII. are infinitely superior to those placed on tombs during and after the time of Henry VIII. as in his and the two preceding reigns, the effigies were generally exhibit ed either kneeling at prayer, or cumhent, in a most miserable taste indeed, which was made still more disgusting by the cus tom of painting and gilding the drapery. In t he period of the interregnum, nothing was done in the art of sculpture, as, un fortunately, the era alluded to completed the destruction begun at the reformation, by the application of a blind principle of dislike, which prevented the preservation of the statues of saints, not as objects to excite devotion, but as the only memen tos that existed that the art had ever been encouraged in England • As might have been anticipated, sculp ture sunk into a state of total neglect, If not of contempt ; but after the restoration, the ancient habits of the people recurring, statues of the dethroned king, and of his son and successor, were erected in every direction. and in sonic instances they are tolerable figures; but the monumental of the same date are wretched indeed, as they are clad in Roman armour, and their heads and shoulders sustain enormous wigs. rat
couragement increasing, the art began to rouse from its torpid state, and at length Cibber flourished, to whom we are indebt ed for many very excellent statues, and some rich embellishments at St. Paul% ca thedml. Without invidiously mentioning names and making comparisons, it would be impossible to enter more fully into the progress of sculpture since the date just mentioned; we shall therefore merely say that numerous proofs exist, that the mo dern English possess a genius for sculp ture equal to the inhabitants of any nation, but untbrtunately it seems to be nearly confined to the execution of monuments, on which a routine of ancient gods and goddesses, and virtues, are constantly introduced, to the total extinction of taste, as they must each possess their at tributes, to point out their names.
Little need he said of the mechanical part of this art, as various chissels, a mal let, compasses, and materials for polish ing marble, are all that is required ; the essential is seated in the mind, and as Roithiliac used to say, "the figure is in the substance of the marble, I only extri cate it from the enclosure, or pick it out."