Page:A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria Vol 2.djvu/262

 230 A History of Art in Ciiald.ea and Assyria. fore-feet upon the edge of the vase. 1 The work is interesting, as it is the only thing left to show how the Assyrians decorated a fountain. The Assyrians thus found, in the very neighbourhood of their capital, great surfaces of rock almost smooth and irresistibly inviting to the chisel. Their unceasing expeditions led them into countries where, on every hand, they were tempted by similar facilities for wedding the likenesses of their princes to the very substance of the soil, for confiding the record of their victories to those walls of living rock that would seem, to them, unassailable by time or weather. Their confidence was often misplaced. In • i-sH*-!.-/ ^:.iWr., .M 2ÉÈM* ■ r^;:-^ Fig. I2i. — Fountain; from Lay arcl. some places the water has poured down the face of the rock and worn away the figures ; in others, landslips have carried the cliff and its sculptures bodily into the valley. In some instances, no doubt, the accumulations cover figures still in excellent condition, but several of these fallen sculptures have already been cleared. 1 Mr. La yard intended to give accurate and complete drawings of allfithe bas-reliefs at Bavian. For that purpose he despatched to the valley a young artist named Bell, who had been sent out to him by the authorities of the British Museum. Unhappily, this young man was drowned while bathing in the torrent, in July, 1851. Before his death he seems only to have copied the great relief; hence, in La yard's great work Bavian is represented only by the plate we have copied. In the Discoveries a few additional sketches are given.