The dismemberment of the Roman empire by the establishment of a seat of imperial government at Constantinople, was a fatal blow to the grandeur and magnificence of Rome; and from this time may be dated the downfall of the city. To Constantine himself some honour is how ever duo for his endeavours to restore a feeling for the arta, by the scale on which he proposed to decorate the new imperial residence. Sensible of the want of artists capable of doing justice to his splendid creweptions, ho instituted schools, especially fur architecture; and by distributing rewards and giving privileges to students, he endeavoured to induce young men to devote themselves to acquiring a knowledge of the art, Ile no far succeeded that several considerable buildings were erected, but they were indebted for their decoration to the sculptors of a past age. By the emperor's commands, tho cities of Greece and Asia Minor were despoiled of what had been left them by preceding col lectors. Statues of gods, heroes, sages, and poets were brought together from all parts, to contribute to the splendour of the now city, and nothing, Cedrentui observes, seemed wanting, but the souls of the illus trious individuals whom'these admirable monuments were intended to represent. Some attempts wero made to restore lictiftiture by giving employment to. contemporary artiste ; and statues in metal were erected in this reign and in the subsequent reigns of Constantine, Theodosius, and Honorius ; hut the spirit of ancient art was lost, and these works, of a totally distinct character from that of the finer Greek schools, appear to have had so little merit, that the names of their authors have not been recorded.
The state of Italy in the 5th and 6th centuries rendered the restora tion of the fine arts utterly hopeless. During this unhappy period of her history she suffered from the inroads of the northern nations. In the year 412, Alaric, king of the Gotha, ravaged the country and gained possessiou of Rome. At a later period the city was given up to pillage by Odoacer; and Genseric and his Vandals subsequently added to the destruction. In 515 Rome was attacked by the Goths under Totila ; they set fire to the city, which continued burning for several days. In this siege, the Romans, driven to their last hold, defended themselves from the 3lausoleum of Hadrian (now the Castle of St. Angelo); and, we are told, threw down upon their enemies the statues which deco rated that sumptuous edifice. To the losses occasioned by these and similar means are to be added those consequent upon the anti-pagan zeal of some of the early Christians. They used to drag down the statues of the divinities of the Greek and Roman mythology, and pound them to dust. The finest productions of the greatest masters of sculpture were thus demolished ; and so sweeping had been the destruction, that when Araviius and Honorius issued fresh edicts for carrying on the work of demolition, it was said, " Si qua etiam nurse in templis fanisque consistunt " (" If indeed there should be any still left in the temples").
The greatest treasures of art were preserved at Constantinople, and the palace of the Lausi boasted one of the finest collections of ancient statues. An immense number of these fell a prey to the flames in 479. In the year 661, Constans was driven from Constantinople by the infu riated people, and passed over into Italy. Ho visited Rome, where he remained a few days, but in this time be despoiled it, as far as be could, of whatever it still possessed of value in art. These works, chiefly in bronze, were carried by his orders to Syracuse, where he proposed to establish himself, and where be died.
The public attention both in the Eastern and Western empire was now too fully occupied with intestine troubles and the attacks of external enemies, to be able to think of the arts. The fury of the Iconoclasts and the conquests of the barbarians forwarded the work of destruction, and though Theodoric, and afterwards Charlemagne, attempted to stop the ravages which were consequent upon the success of their followers, and to afford some protection to the remains of antiquity, their influence was quite inadequate to effect their object or to save the monuments of genius from the violence of an uncivilised and illeliaciplined soldiery. Theodorie (about 500 a.D.) laments, in a. letter to Symmachus, the ruin of works of genius, and observes that Rome still posstsssei a population of statues. Charlemagne formed the plan of renovating art, and most probably would have accomplished Iris object, if the age had been worthy of the emperor. His great purpose however was to obliterate the remembrance of the splendour of paganism by the magnificence of Christian art; and the entirely new feeling introduced occasioned a totally new style of design, which, as it has little connection with our present subject, will be considered in another place.
The Empire of the West and the glory of the Roman name had passed away. The resuscitation of art and science belongs to another period of our history.
In the 12th century Constantinople, after a series of distresses and difficulties, was taken possession of by the victorious Latina and their allies under Boniface and Baldwin ; and the city, which had already been nearly destroyed by a succession of fires, was given over to pillage. Nieetas Choniates has described some of the fine remains of art that were there in his time, and which, during this reign of plunder, were broken or melted down to be coined into money, or sold for the value of the metal. Among them we find various bronze statues of charioteers that stood in the Hippodrome ; a groilp of Bellerophon and Pegasus; Paris presenting the apple to Aphrodite; an exquisite statue of Helen ; a colossal lleracles, by Lysippus ; and the celebrated colossal statue of Hera, which had once adorned her temple at Samos.