Page:Greek Buildings Represented by Fragments in the British Museum (1908).djvu/174

158 One of the figures is the well-known Victory adjusting her sandal, a cast of which is found in every art school. Amongst the few Greek rings at South Kensington is one engraved with the same subject, and probably copied from the balustrade. (Fig. 156.)

The Nike temple was as usual completed with painting, and amongst the drawings recently given to the Museum by Mr Halsey Ricardo, and made by his father in Athens about 1844, are accurate copies of the patterns on the anta capital and an ovolo moulding. This anta cap thus completed may be said to be exactly like the antae caps of the Erechtheum, save that one was painted, the other sculptured. How far do the calyces of the anthemions. Figs. 1 57, 158, represent the acanthus of Fig. 166?

We have in the Museum specimens of almost all the characteristic details of the Erechtheum. First of all there is the best preserved of the Maidens from the "Caryatid Porch." Then one entire column from the north-east angle of the eastern portico, the anta capital which corresponded to it, and lengths of the decorated moulding in continuation of it along the wall, lengths of the main cornice and architrave, a part of a richly carved window architrave from the east portico, coffers from both porticoes, &c. There is also a cast from the console of the north door. It would be worth while to obtain casts of the few other details, such as the cymatium of this door, so that we should have a complete collection of details from this building. A few years ago there was at South Kensington a cast of the frieze sculptures affixed to a black marble backing like the original. This might be put in its place in the entablature. I was about to say that the whole angle of the building might be erected from the Museum fragments, but unless this is done with casts it banishes some details (like the capital at present) to a height where they cannot be studied. I would like indeed to suggest that the original capital should be brought within reach.

The Erechtheum consisted of a body or cella divided into two or three parts. (Fig. 159.) To the east was a hexastyle portico; on the north was a four-pillared portico; and opposite