Page:History of Art in Persia.djvu/412

 388 History of Art in Antiquity. Themes and their Situations. Before we approach the more important and larger group of bas-reliefs at PersepoUs, it will be well to describe a monument unique of its kind, whether from the subject it represents or the peculiar character of its fabrication. We allude to the single figure still in siiu among the ruins of the town which we hold to have been Pasargadae (Fig. 187). The figures that decorated the door-frames of the principal edifice have all disappeared, except the feet which are long and bare, or rather sandalled, like those exhibited in Assyrian bas-reliefs, leaving the toes exposed.* It is probable that the precious monu- ment (Figs. 136, 137).* seemingly the jamb of a doorway, belonged to a building of smaller dimensions. To return : the personage stands i^z^^^i^^ erect, in profile. He is clad in ^Xj^J^ a long fringed robe, which falls Fio.i8s.-Hca^dress of Cyrus. Flan- Strait and without a plait, over cxcviii? "^'^ ankles. From the bend of the arm to the bottom of the garment runs a border of rosettes. The feet seem bare. The left arm is supposed to hang down dose to the body and is hidden by it The right is half raised from the elbow, and holds up an object which it is difficult to make out because of the worn state of the stone.' A small horn, resembling that of a ram, is twisted round the ear. The hair is worn in four plaits cut low on the neck. Above the head two huge goat's horns branch out on either side, and support an exceedingly complicated head-dress made up of three solar discs, from which emerge bundles of reeds held together with a ' SroiJJE, Pirstfolis, Plate CXXXVII. • Stolze has a fairly good photograph of the bas-reli«f refenred to above {Persepoiis^ Plate CXXXII.). In it the head and drapery are somewhat more worn than is shown in Dieiihifoy's drawing; the difference may be due to the hitter having Supplemented by '* touch ■' what is no longer apparent to the eye. • M. Dieulafoy " recognizes in it a statuette with double cap, widely different from the pshent^ topped by the sacred urteMs" {VArl antique, etc., torn. i. p. 35). He would seem to be endowed with second sight, for neither Ker Porter, nor T^xier, nor Flandtn, nor Stotae have detected anything of the kind. Digitized by Google