A Notion of the Historical Draught or Tablature of the Judgment of Hercules, by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury

7/18/2019 A Notion of the Historical Draught or Tablature of the Judgment of Hercules, by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl o

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N O T I O N

O F T H E

Hiftorical

raught

.

. .

:

O.R

. .

T B L T U R E

. .

of the .]uDGMENT.of

, ,

'

.

H E R e U.

L B

~

According to

P

R O

Ie

U

S,

Lib

11

Xen e Mem

Soc

Potiores

HI R C U LIS

zrumnas credat

fzvofque Labores,

Et Venere,

c(Cnis,

pluma

SA

R D A

NAP AL l.

..

. .

. Ulnal. Slit. 10.


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;

:

.

'

'-

.,.t' . . . .

y" , -

fire to

fee

delineated according to its per

fection, then

the

f ~ r m e r

muff give place.

The big

her Life mull be allay d, and in a

manner difcountenanc d . and

obfcur d;

whilft the

lower

difplays it-feIf, and

is

eX r

hibited as principal Even

that

which ~ e :

. cording to a

Term

of Art we commonly

call

StiD.Liff

and

is

in reality

of

t l t ~ l } a i t

and loweft degree of Painting, mull h a ~

its Superiority and juft Preference; in

a

Ta;.

blature of its own

f p e c i ~

Tis

me

fame

in Animal.Pieces; where Bealls, .or Fowl

are reprefented.

In

Landskip lQanimates

.are principal:

Tis

the Earth,. the Water,

. he Stones, and Rocks which live. All 0-

ther Life becomes fubordinate. Humanity,

Senfe Manners, mufr in this

pla.ce

yiel(J,

and become inferiour. Twou d be a fault

.even to aim.

at

the Expreffion of any real

Beauty in this kind, or go about

to

animate

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of

HER.

C U L E S. 3 5

or e i g h ~ e n In any confiderable degree the H AP.

accompanying Figures of Men, or Deitys V.

which are accidentally introduc'd,

as

A

ppen;'

f../'V '..J

dices, or Ornaments,

in

fuch a Piece. But

if,

on the contrary:, the

hU fIarl Species

be

that

which firft prefents it-felf in a Pianre

if it

be

the intelligent Life which

is

fet to

v ~ e w 'tis the other. Species the other Life, .

which muft then furl'ender and become fub

ferviento The merely natural muft pay ho-

mage to the hiftorical or

moral.

Every Beau-

ty

every Grace muft be facrific'd to the

real Beauty of this fil ft and higheft Order;

for nuthing can

be

more deform'd than

a

Confufion

of

many

~ u t y s

And the Con-

fufion becomes inevitable, where the Sub-

jeaion

is not compleat

. (lOo)

By

the word Moral

is

underftood

in this place all fOl ts of judi(:ious Reprefen

tations of the human

PaffioDS,

as

we

fee

even in Battel-Pieces; excepting thofe

of

diltant Figures, and the diminutive kind,

which may rather be confider'd as a fort

of Landskip. In all other martial Pieces,

we fee exprefs'd in lively Aaion the feve

ral degrees

of

Valour, Magnanimity, Cow

ardice, Terrour, Anger, according to the

feveral Charaaers of Nations and particular

Men. 'Tis here that we may fee Heroes and

Chiefs (fuch as the

L E X N D E R S

or

CO

NST N T

IN Ji s) appear, even in the

hottett

of

the

Aaion

with

a

Tranquillity

E 2 D i g i t i z e ~ b y G o o g I ~ ~


41/57

3

6

T he lu G M E N T

CH

A

P and Sedatenefs of

Mind

peculiar

t

cM .

v. felves; which

is

indeed, in a dire8: and

V V J

proper fenfe, profoundly

1fIIW 1

(11.)

Bu

T

as

the MWAI part is diffe .

rently treated in a

Poem

from what it

is in

Hiftory,

orin

a

PhilojophifAl

Work; fo muft

it,

of

right, in

PAinting, be

far differendy

ueated, from what it naturally s either

in

the Hifiory or Poem. For want

of

a right

underftanding of this Maxim, it often hap

pens that by endeavouring to render a Piece

highly ,orlll 'and learned, it becomea

thorowly ridiculous and impertinent.

(12.) FOR the ordinary Works of Stulp

IlIre,

fuch

as

the Low-Relieves and

r n a ~

ments of Columns and Edifices, great al

lowance is made. The very Rules of Per

fpeaive are her,e wholly revers'd,

as

neceffi

ty requires; and_are accommodated to

the

Circumftance and Genius of the Plkce or

Building, according, to a certain Oecono

my or Order of a particular and diftin :

kind; as will eaflly be obferv'd by thofe

who have thorowly ftudy'd the T r A j ~ I and

Antoninli4-Pillars and other Relieve-Works

of the Antients. In the

fame

manner, as

to Pieces

of

ingrav'd Work,

Medals, or

whatever hews it-felf in one Subftance (as

Brafs or Stone) or only by Shade and Light

(as in ordinary Drawings) or Stamps)

much

alfo is

a l l o w ~ ,

and mapy. things:admitted,.

of

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"

of

H RC L S. 1

of. . f l l ~ t t t j J i & k ' }

; r ~ t : : t J o l l 4 ~ or

byp,rbclitlll

C ftA

kind.

Tit::

hete,

that

we

keve

P i ~ e

feope

withal for whatever

is

learned,

C1IJbtefllllticllt,

er fat::

the

e ~ m p l e a t l y

imi-

tative and illufive Art

of P

A I N T I N G,

whetk

ch:ttaaar

it

to

m p l ~ y in Yer

Works the united Force

of

different Co-

lourrft

anY

mho

JerpakPslg,

fo

many

grees and in

fo

many Privileges, ell .

human FiCtion

or

imitative Art, afpires

in

din:e.ter matmer temardt:: Deceit

a

Command over our very Senfe; fhe

muLl

of

whilteVer ill eeer

leM lJea,

humorolll,

or

i t l}; to

maintain

ker-Pelf

in

whar

is

e t r l t r l l i ~

cresiib k,

winnilZg of ou,.

AJItnt:

that he may tYus

e ~ q u i t

h e r ~ f e l f of what is her chief ro-

emt::e, the Appt::st::rlllJt::t:: o

01 .1t::SS

/be refrefents .

~ t h e r w i f e

we

fhall riatu

.

rallp ormy rgamlt her the Juft of

Ho

R C

E,

on the fcenical Reprefentation

nuudyelly d hew I

~ r d c u n p f t ? e oftt::r;?JiI mihi

t & ~

;fJereaulll4 odi.

(13.) WE

are therefore

to

confider this

us

a

tYre

or OPfereetion

P u ~ e t -

ing, "

That

a

hijloriclIl

and

moral .Piece

oP

muuh its netu-

" ral

Simplicity and Grace,

if

any thing

"

of

the

t : : t : : ~ b l ' l N e t i c A l enirmlltick

kind be

4:

vilihly dirucUy

i n t e ; : ; ; ~ i x ' d *

At

if,

for inftance,

the

Circle

of

the

z..gdiACk,

tsrith

n r r


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38 n J U D G ME N r

HAp.

with

its twelve Signs, were introduc'd.

V. Now this being an Appearance

which

car

V'V v rys not any manner of fimilitude or co-

, \ lourable refemblance to any thing extant

in -

real Nature; it cannot poffibly pretend

to

win the Senfe, or gain Belief by the help of

any

PoeticAl EnthuftAfm

religious Hiftory

or Faith. For

by

means of

~ h e f e ,

indeed,

we

are

eafily induc'd

to

contemplate as

Realitys thofe divine Perfonages and mira

culous Forms, which the

l e a l i ~

Painters,

an

dent

and modern, have fpecloufly de

fign'd, c c o r d i ~ to the particular DoEhine

or

Theology

of

their feveral religious

and

national Beliefs. But for our Tablature

n

particular,

t

carrys nothing

with

it

of

the

.mere

emblemAticAl

or enigmAtick kind :fince

for

what

relates to the double Way of

the

Vale and Mountain, this may naturally and.

with colourable appearance be reprefented

~ t

the ,mountain's foot. But

if

on the Sum

met or highefr Point

of

it,

we

fhou'd place

the Fortrefs, or Palace of Virtfle riling a

bove the Clouds, this wou'4 immediately

give the enigmatical myfrerious Air to

our

Piaflre

and

of

neceffity- defrroy its

perfuafive Simplicity and natural Appea

rance

. (14.)

IN

fbort,

we

are to carry this

Remembrance frill along with us, That

the fewer the ObjeCts are, befides thofe

which are abfolutely neceifary in a Piece,

t h ~

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of

HERCULES 39

cc

the eafier it is for the Eye, by one

fimple CHAP

a

and in one View, to comprehend V.

the

Sum

or

Whole.

The

multiplication

of Subje8:s, tho fub3.Itern, renders the Sub-

ordination more difficult to execute in the

Ordonnance or Compofition

of

a Work:

And

if

the Subordination be Dot perfea,

the Order (which makes the Beauty)

l ~

mains imperfect

Now

the

SlIborainAtioll

can never be perfea,

c

unIefs Jf when the

Ordonnance is fuch, that the Eye not n ~

ly runs over with eafe the feveral Parts

of

the Defign, (reducing frill its View

each moment

to

the principal Subjefr on

which all turns) but when the

fame

Eye,

without .the leaft detainment

n

~ n y of

t h ~ partlcular Parts, and reftmg, as it

were, immovable in the middle, or cen-

t e ~

of

the Tablature, may

fee

at once, in

an agreeable and perfea Correfpondency,

all which

is h e r e

exhibited to the Sight.

'

Tb.;

. ,b ,

t ~

Grecian ~ e r s

fo

b.ppil) t t/s d .

f tp fi , word 'Eufll'0'I1o,.

CH

A

P.

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Tllt J

D M N

CHAP

VI.

t . . / ~

C H A P. VI.

f

the

Ca/ual or 114dtpendent

Orn41lte1lts

I

I . )

T

H B

t

E

r e ~ a i n s tor HS

HOW

confider

onlY

ot feparate

Omllmellltt, indepllndllllt lIoth F i g u r ~ s

and Perfpefrive, fuch

as

the

*

MltrlJine-Work

Divil1it11 Sky, Ctl-

pids Birds, Animals,

Dogs or

other loofe

i e c l l ~ t whit;b are intrtlduc'd

. ~ : ~ u : t e n e c t f f i ~ ~ n ~ l l l ~ ~ g a

chl: yof

Hu-

1JrdiIl4'}

Lift

and to .the Comiclt'f; or ';:1('d

gind,

otlk Taklattlre, on. thacotl=

trary

is

wholld

Epiclt,

Heroic , and in the

.'Fragick htile, woa d fl1 eaflyadmit

any thing in this light way,

.

a,)

\V

E nnay

he

fifi

es that

whereas the Ivlind is naturally led to fancy

~ yllery a a

tle

Stile of Painting as ours, and to confound

other

two

iftinE1

kklds

the Emblematick and merely

Hiftoric41

or

Foetlllk; we

Carll

nllt to

.

It


46/57

of

HER

C U L E

S.

I

it this

occafion

of Error and Deviation, by H A

P

introducing into a Piece of

fo

uniform a VI

. Defign, fuch

A p p e n d i c ~

or fupplementary

V 'V' 'J

Parts,

as

under pretext

of

giving

l i ~ h t

to

the Hiftory or chara8:erizing the FIgures,

1hou'd ferve only to diftrafr or diffipate the

Sight, and confOund the Judgment of the

more intelligent S ~ a t o r s .

~ . )

W

I L L

it

then,

fays

one, be

pof-

fible to make out the Story of thefe

two Dames in company with H R C U-

. L E s, without otherwlfe diftinguifhing

them than

as

above defcrib'd? - I t

is poffible; and not only fo, but certain

and infallible in the

c re

of one who has

the leaft Genius, or has ever heard in ge-

neral concerning

HER

C U LE s, without fo

much as having ever heard this Hiftory in

particular.. But

if

notwithftanding this,

we wou'd needs add

fome

exterior marks,

more declaratory and determinative

of

thefe

two Perfonages,

irtue

and

Plea ure;

it

may be perform'd, however, without any:

neceffary recourfe to what

is

abfolutely of

the Emblem-kind. The Manner of this

may be explain'd

as

follows.

(4.) T i E Energy or natural Force of

Virtue, according to the moral Philofo-

phy of higheft note among the AD.-

tients, was exprefs'd in the double effea

F of

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41

he J t iOGMENT

CHAP. of

*

F ( ) f ' ' ' e ~ r , e

and 1 _;.11. or what

\vc

VI.

may call

otherwifc Refrainmcnt and u ~

V V') port:

for

the former; the it or Brilllt,

plac d fomewherc

o

the

ftde

of

Y;"'",;

may fei've

as

Emblem fuJicient; and for

the f e c o n d ~

the

Helmet

may

ferve in the

fame manner; ecpecially

fin(e

they are eath

of

them

Appurtenanct9

e n t i a l to

Herorzs

(who in the u a ~ t

of

Warriors were alfo

Subduers or

t

.Managers

of Horfes)

and

that at the fame time thefe are e ~ n y porta

ble Inftruments,

fuch IS

the iIlartial Dame,

who reprefents

n t

may well be fupt'

pos d to have brought along with her,

(5.) 0

N

the

fide of

Ple. .,e,

certain

Vafcs

and other Pieces

of

imbofs d Plate,

wrought

in

the

fiAures

of

S lJrs, F s,

and

& I1. .ll,

may ferve to ellpre& the

Debauches of the Table-kind; and certain

Draperys thrown

carelefly

on the groundt

and hung

upon

a neighbouring Tree,

form,

ing a kind of Bower and Couch for this .

luxurious Dame, may

ferve fufficiently to

fuggeft the Thought of other Indulgences,

and to fupport

the

Image

of

the

effeminate,

indolent, and amorous Paffions. Befides

..

KItfTeelCII

E ) ~ T ; 4 : T6tl ,ert tle/crllld III Sljfers in

the emblem.tid(

Mord PbllofopbJ

of

tbe AnI .

Wllenct ,blll

knDwn Prtctpl, 'A"Xll 1'AnXll, Suftine at Abftiae.

t Ca /tor anti Pollux ,,1/ I ~ t Ikrots

of Homer;

Alexan-

4er

the Great, c.

that

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of HER.

C U L E S. '41

that fOr this latterldnd .we may fell fatif-

fy'd, 'tis what the Painter will hardly fail \

of

reprefenting

to

the full.

The

fear is,

left he fuou'd oVerdo this part, and e ~ p r e f s

the

AiFe8:ion

too

much

to the

life. The

Appearance will, no doubt, be ftrongly

wrought in all the Features and Propor.

don .

of

this thirll FigMTe which is

of

a

relHh

far

more popular and vulgarly in

saging, than that the oppos'd

to

it, in

our hiftorical Delign.

s J s ;;

CON

C

L

U S

ION

( I )W B may conclude this Argument

,

withagencralRefleaion which

fcemS to r ~

naturally

frO[ll what

has been

.id on this Subjea in particular; That

in

real

H i j I ~ P m t e r

the fame Know

lcdg, the fame Study

and

Views are re

Cl

quir'd,

as

in

~

real POt'. Never can

'

the Poet (whilft

he juftly holds that name)

~ c o m . c a Reb.tor or

Hiftori at

a r g e ~

He

is

aUow'd only

to defcribe a r m g l ~

Aaion

Dot

Aai9Jl

of

a

fingle

Man

or People.

The

Painter is a Hiftorian at the fame

rate,

but frill

m o r ~ narrowly confin'd, as

in

faa

appears; r ~ ~

it

wou'd certainly

prove a more

r i d i C ~ o u s

Attempt

to cO,m

prehend

two or three diftinct i \ a i o ~ s or

farts

of

JiiLlory

in,

one

P i ~ Q r e

tban

tq

F

2 ' .com-.

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44

ne

J l l l G

MENT

comprehend ten times the number in onc

and the fame Poem.

(2.)

T

I S well known, that to each Spe-

cies

of Poetry, there are natural Propor-

tions and Limits affign'd. And it wou'd

be a grofs Abfurdity indeed to imagine,

. that in a Poem there was nothing which

we cou'd call

Meafure

or

Number

except

merely in the Verfe. An Elegy, and an Epi

gram have each of 'em their Meafure and

Proportion, as well

as

a Tragedy or Epick

Poem. In the fame manner, as to Paint-

ing, Sculpture, or Statuary, there are par-

ticular Meafures which form what we call

a Piece:

as f01

inftance,

in

mere Portrai-

ture, a Head or Bujf the former of whjch

mull retain alwals the whole, or at leaf

a certain part 0 the Neck, as the latter

the Shoulders, and a certain part of the

Breaft;

if

any thing be added or retrench'd,

the Piece is deftroy'd. 'Tis then a man-

gled Trunk, or difmember'd Body, which

prefents it-fe1f to our Imagination; and

this

tOO

not thro ufe merely, or on the ac-

count of cuftom, but of neceffity, and by

the nature

of

the Appearance:

fince

there

are fuch and fuch parts of the human BoP

dy, which are naturally match'd and muft

appear

in

company; the

SecHon, if

unskil.

fully made, being in reality horrid, and re.

prefenting rather an Amputation in Sur-

gery, than a

feemly

Divifion or Separation

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of

HERCULES.

4J

accord ng to Art. And thus it

is

that in

general, thro all the plaftick Arts or Works

of

Imitation, " Wbatfoever

is

drawn

from

" Nature, with the intention of raifing

in'

us the Imagination of the natui"al Species

" or Obje l according to real Beauty and

Truth, fhou'd be compriz'd in certain

" compleat Portions or DiftriB:s,' which re-

" prefent the Correfpondency or Union

of

" each r t o Nature,

with

iIitire Nature

her-felt And 'tis this natural Appre

henfion or a n t i c i ~ t i n g

Senfe

of

Unity,

which makes us gIve even to the Works

of

our inferiour Artizans, the name of Pieces

by

way

of

Excellence; .and

as

denoting the

Juftnefs andlTruth of Work.. .

. ().) I N order therefore

to

fucceed r i ~ h t

Iy

ill the Formation of any thing truly

beautiful in this higher Order of Defign;

'twere

to be wHh'd

that

the Artift, who

had Underftanding enough to comprehend'

what a real

Piece

or TablAture imported,

and who in order to this had acquir'd the'

Knowledg of a Whole and PArts, wou'd after

wards apply himfelf to the Study of morllj

and poetid Truth that by this means the

Thoughts, Sentiments, or Manners, which

hold the firft rank in hiftorical Work, might

appear.

furable to the higher and nobler Spe- .

cies

of Humanity in which he praB:is'd, to

the Genius of the Age which he defcrib'd,.

and to the principal or main Action which he

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46

ne J U D M E N T

chore to reprefcnt. He wou d

then'

natu.

rally learn

to rejea thoiC

falfe Ornaments

of

3.ffeaed

Graces, exaggerated' Paffions,

hyperbolical and prodigious Forms; which

eq ally with the

merer: '''JIri'-

and

gro-

tefque, deftroy the juft

$iIIII1 ;IJ,

and

lli

1] e[ential in a

P I

C E. And for

his

Co-

IOflrillg; he wou'd then foon find how much

it

became him

to

be referv'd, fevere,

and

chaile,

in

this particular o

his

Art; where

Luxury and Libertinifm are, by the power

of Fafbion and the modern Taftc; become

fo univerfallyeftablifh'd.

(4.)

T

I S

evident however

from

Reafon

i t - e l f ~ as

well

as from Jf. Hiftory and ~

perience,

that

nothing is more fatal, either

to

Painting, Architecture,

or

the other

Arts, than this

f J[e

ReLifb which is govern'd

rather by what immediately ftrikes

the

Senfe, than

by

what

confequendy

and

reHecHon pleafes the Mina, and

fd.tis6es

.

the Thought

and

Reafon. So

that

whllft

we look on Painting

with

the fame eye, as,'

we

view commonly

the

rich Stuffs and co-

Iour'd Silks worn

by

our LadYSt and

ad-

mir d

in

Drefs, ~ u i p a g e

0;

Furniture

muft of neceffity

be

Cffemmate in our

Tafte, and utterly fet wrong as to

an

Judgment and Knowledg ill the kind

For

of

this imit tive

rt we mayjuftly fay,:

.

Stt

Vitruvius

Pliny

i g i t i z e ~ b y G o o g l e ~ That


52/57

of HERCULES. 47

That tho it borrows help indeed from

Colours, and ufes them, as means,

to

execute its D e f i ~ n s ; it has nothing, how-

ever, more wIde of its real Aim, or

more remote. from its Intention, than to

make a

/be ,

of Colours, or from their

mixture, to raife a * [ep4.rl&te and fot-

ter;lIg Pleafure to the S

ENS E.

ne PltllfllT't iI

pi';"" {orti""

tI1Id

feparate ; III bll.nn,

I/O

l I&tTlI

or

JhtI t

in tilt proper Dtlight

or

Enttrttlirlmtnl .bicb

I/fltllT'fl1IJ mifts from tbt , , * I I ~

tI IIl W o r ~ j J i p

it-folf. I


53/57

igitizedby

oogle


54/57

U Qltl

: r v v ~

tII ifrifr

/J ?iI


55/57

DO ~ f C t T :cr;{CUL \7E

, - I _

I t 1. I I


56/57

1/IIIIIIII lllms,IifllOi sr,, li

/lli//il/1

I Ill.

Rim

l i m

ull m

/1

3 9 15 8 2 4 47

;' ..

;-

- '-

~ ~

' ~

~ _

. . . . .:: ..u.:;..i1_

O NOT REMOVE

OR

MOT; . . r o . n ~

J ;,


57/57

Documents

A Notion of the Historical Draught or Tablature of the Judgment of Hercules, by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury