198

Geeek Sculptuee. vigour of a maturer epoch, without any admixture of the faults of the rapidly approaching decadence. The beautiful statues of antiquity now remaining, which are generally supposed to date from the golden age of Greece, cannot be ascribed with certainty to any of the masters above-mentioned. Foremost of all, ranks the Venus found in the Island of Melos, now in the Louvre.* Fig. 82. — One of the Metopes of the Parthenon. The Venus of Dione in the British Museum, the Venus of Falerone in the Louvre, and the Mars or Achilles of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, are also believed to be of this date. It is not easy in a few words to sum up the peculiarities of this the best age of Greek Sculpture : to do so would be to epitomise all excellences of sculpture. We may, however, point out the high degree of vitality and energy thrown into such sculptures as those of the Parthenon

• There is an excellent cast in the Crystal Palace.