of the finest ancient Mosaic pavements extant, was discovered at a village near Seville in Spain, in the }ear 1799, at the depth of three feet and a half from the surface, from a brief description of which the na ture of others may be comprehended. It extends above feet in length, by nearly 30 in breadth, and contains a representation of the circus games in a parallelogram in the centre, three sides of which are surrounded by circular compartments, containing portraits of t he Muses, interspersed with the figures of animals, and sonic ima ginary subjects. In the race course arc seen a chariot overturned, the charioteer thrown out of his seat, horse men dismounted, fractious steeds, and broken harness, The charioteer, having been injured by his fail, is sup ported by two men belonging to a different faction or party, as may be ascertained by their costume, which, in all the figures, is well represented ; the horses are of a deep blown colour ; they have a cut tail like our modern fashion, and are apparently full of spirit. Various per sons interested in the games appear in other portions of the course, and beyond it ; but part of the whole pave ment has been destroyed, by the waste of time and the injury of the workmen by whom it was discovered. A double row of circular compartments bound the sides of the course, some of which are very entire. Each is about three feet and a half in diameter, ornamented by a broad circular border as a frame. The whole plan is finished by an exterior border, highly embellished. Nine of these compartments arc occupied by busts of the nine muses, arranged after the manner prescribed by Hesiod, and in the order of the books of Herodotus, but alternately, so that a compartment containing a mask, or an animal, or some other subject, is always interposed between two. The name of each muse is inscribed in her respective compartment, and several have their re spective attributes, concerning which antiquaries have been frequently at variance, nor is it probable that the ancients themselves absolutely coincided on the subject. Calliope has a book, Polhymnia a lyre, those of Erato and Terpsichore are not equally obvious. The counte nance of the muses is handsome, deep brown, as if be longing to a southern climate, with regular features, and fine large animated eyes. All have darker or lighter auburn hair, artificially disposed after different fashions, and some have ornaments on the head. They have for the most part a cloth thrown over an under garment, the latter appearing in Urania to be a robe.
The other compartments are occupied by a centaur, the genius of the circus games; children in different colotn'ed tunics, representing the seasons ; and animals either finished or outlined. The floor also between the different compartments exhibits various birds, fruits, and flowers. Great diversity of colour is seen in this mosaic, without that delicate and regular degradation, however, which is employed by the moderns; but we are com pelled to refer the reader to the splendid work of M. Laborde on the Mosaics of Italica, for further illustra tions of this composition. The pavement is supposed to have belonged to the hall of the baths of a palace or ,,ity of that name, which was founded 208 years before Christ, and that it was constructed anterior to the reign Domitian.
In the year 1806, a fine mosaic pavement, of lesser dimensions, but relative to the same subject, was dis covered at Lyons, which M. Artaud ascribes to the first century of the Christian era. It is composed of small marble cubes, sometimes interspersed with pastes of different colours ; and extends fifteen feet and a half in length, by nine and a half III breadth, exclusive of an ornamental border. The whole details of the games
of the circus arc represented here, from which it ap pears that no less than eight chariots started at a time, some of which are broken, and the horses and chariot eers have fallen, as in the mosaic of Italica ; for it was a point of address among the ancients to overthrow their competitors in the course. Some of their horses are white, grey, or pale bay ; their figures are elegant and animated, and they exhibit •6 a cut, set tail, after the English fashion." A number of persons, in their pecu liar costume, seem to have a share in the games ; and in general those presiding are clothed in blue, which M. Artaud conjectures to have been the national colour of the Gauls. From this and the preceding mosaic of Ita lica, several passages of the classical authors are illus trated, which have hitherto embarrassed antiquaries. Artaud, Description d'un Mosaique.
The ordinary subjects seem to have been the Circen sian games, theatrical scenes, marine deities, tritons, and nereids, all as requiring a large space, and adapted to the situation. Nothing has been more celebrated, on another scale, than three pigeons washing them selves, and a fourth drinking from the vessel, composed of marble fragments, not exceeding a line square, and adjusted with admirable precision. Many of the ancient mosaic works, we have seen, were devoted to the em bellishment of halls and baths, and exhibited lively re presentations; but with the decay of the Roman empire, they were employed in the decoration of churches, and their subjects altered to those of a grave character. On the roof of the baptistery of the church of St. John at Ravenna, the baptism of Jesus Christ is represented in mosaic, ascribed to the fifth century. The ceremony is performed partly by sprinkling, and partly by immersion. A circular compartment in the centre is occupied by Christ standing upright in the river, and John, holding a long misshapen cross in one hand, pours water from a shell, or some vessel, on his head with the other, while a dove descends above the former. It likewise contains a human figure inscribed Jordann, rising out of the water, which is probably a personification of the sacred river. This compartment is environed by full length figures of the twelve apostles, and the whole is sur rounded by a border, consisting of pulpits, altars, and other subjects.
The church of St. Peter's at Rome, contains the most extensive collection of modern mosaics extant, whether in decorating the cupolas, tombs, or altars. There are many pictures of large size, after the paintings of Ra phael, Guido, Carlo Maratti, Guercino, and other great masters, representing either portions of scriptural his tory, the miracles of later saints, or events of their lives. It is here that, the works of distinguished artists being accumulated, we are enabled to judge of their respective talents. Independent of these, many ancient mosaics are to be seen in other churches, and in the various mu seums of that city.
With respect to the mosaics which have been disco vered at different times in Britain, which was so long a Roman province, sufficient information will be found in the 4rchccologia, and Monumenta Velusta, another woik published by the London Society of Antiquaries, and the works of Mr. Lysons ; and for an account of mosaics in general, the treatises of Ciamnini and Furietti may be consulted. See also Cadell's Travels in Carniola and Italy, v ol.i. p. 517, vol. ii. p. 202, and the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, vol. ii. p. 348, and vol. iii. p. 419. A very splendid work on mosaics is now publishing by Artaud of Lyons. (c.)