Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/381

 WORKS OF ART DESTROYED. 3(J3 tasks set before liim. He was represented as seated, but with- out quiver or bow or club. His lion's skin was thrown loosely about his shoulders, his right foot and right hand stretched out to the utmost, while he rested his head on his left hand with his elbow on his bent knee. The whole figure was full of dignity; the chest deep, the shoulders broad, the hair curly, the arms and limbs full of muscle. The figure of an ass and its driver, which Augustus had had cast in bronze to commemorate the news brought to him of the victory of Actium, met with the same fate. For the sake of melting them down into money the bar- barians seized also the ancient statue of the wolf suckliu"- Romulus and Remus; the statues of a sphinx, a hippopota- mus, a crocodile, an elephant, and others, which had repre- sented a triumph over Egypt ; the monster of Scylla and oth- ers; most of which were probably executed before the time of Christ. To the same period belonged the eagle struggling with a serpent, which was ascribed to Apollonius Tyanensis. Ni- cetas describes with glowing admiration the statue of Helen. "What shall I say of Helen, of elegant stature, with snowy arms and beautiful form ? Why could she not soften the barbarians? — she who formerly had led all spectators cap- tive ; a statue clothed in a robe which graced rather than concealed her charms, her brow clear, her hair flowing gently to the wind, her graceful lips slightly opened as if about to speak, arched eyebrows ; a figure full of harmony, elegance, and beauty ; the joy of beholders, a pleasure to the eyes, such as makes it impossible to give an adequate description for posterity." This statue wus destroyed by men who knew nothing of its original. There must be added to these the graceful figure of a woman who held in her right hand the figure of an armed man on horseback. Then near the east- ern goals, known as the "reds," stood the statues of the win- ners in the chariot races. They stood erect in their bronze chariots, as the originals also had been seen when they gained their victories, as if they were still directing their steeds to the goals. A figure of the Kile bull in deadly conflict with