Beauty in woman: analysed and classified : with a critical view of the hypotheses of the most eminent writers, painters, and sculptors / by Alexander Walker.
- Alexander Walker
- Date:
- 1892
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Beauty in woman: analysed and classified : with a critical view of the hypotheses of the most eminent writers, painters, and sculptors / by Alexander Walker. Source: Wellcome Collection.
341/396 page 299
![“To the idea derived from the poets, of the eternal youth of the deities, whether male or female, was added another by which they supposed the female divinities should have all the appearance of virgins.^ “ The form of the breast in the figures of the divinities, is like that of a virgin, which, to be beauti- ful, must possess a moderate fulness.^ This was particularly shown in the breasts, which the artists represented without nipples, like those of young girls, whose cincture, in the poet’s phrase, Lucina has not yet undone.” ^ On their treatment of the limbs and locomotive SYSTEM, Hogarth throws light; and, as I am not aware that he was anticipated in this respect, I quote him. “ May be,” he says, “ I cannot throw a stronger light on what has been hitherto said of proportion, than by animadverting on a remarkable beauty in the Apollo Belvidere, which hath given it the preference even to the Antinous: I mean a super-addition of greatness, to at least as much beauty and grace as is found in the latter. “ These two masterpieces of art are seen together in the same apartment at Home, where the Antinous fills the spectator with admiration only, whilst the ^ All idsa datane da’ poeti dell© Divinita sempre giovani, o maschili o femminili ch’ elle si fossero, fu aggiunta 1’ altra per ciii un si supponesse che le femminili avessero tutte 1’ apparenza di vergini.”—Ibid. ^ “ La forma del petto nelle figure divine e simile al verginale, che per esser hello aver deve una moderata ])imezz2i—8toria delle Arti. La quale si ravvisasse specialmente nelle mammelle, rappresen- tateci percih dagli artefici senza capezzuoli, e simili a quelle delle fanciulle, alle quali, secondo la frase de’ poeti, Lucina non ha sciolto ancor la cintura.”—Monwmenti Inediti.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28050964_0341.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
