"Calamis, venu un peu avant Phidias, n'eut point de rival pour les chevaux. Calamis, qui fut fondeur en bronze, serait-il l'auteur du cheval de bronze du Capitole, qui, en effet, semble plutot un peu anterieur que posterieur a Phidias?"--_Ampere, Hist. Rom._ iii.

234.

At the foot of the staircase is a colossal statue of the Emperor Hadrian, found on the Clian.

The _Staircase_ is lined with the fragments of the _Pianta Capitolina_, a series of marble slabs of imperial date (found in the sixteenth century under SS. Cosmo and Damian), inscribed with ground plans of Rome, and exceedingly important from the light they throw upon the ancient topography of the city.

The upper _Corridor_ is lined with statues and busts. Here and elsewhere we will only notice those especially remarkable for beauty or historic interest.[40]

L. 12. Satyr playing on a flute.

R. 13. Cupid bending his bow.

R. 20. Old woman intoxicated.

"Tout le monde a remarque dans le musee du Capitole une vieille femme serrant des deux mains une bouteille, la bouche entr'ouverte, les yeux mourants tournes vers le ciel, comme si, dans la jubilation de l'ivresse, elle savourait le vin qu'elle vient de boire. Comment ne pas voir dans cette caricature en marbre une reproduction de _la Vielle Femme ivre_ de Myron, qui passait pour une des curiosites de Smyrne."--_Ampere, Hist. Rom._ iii. 272.

L. 26. The infant Hercules strangling a serpent.

L. 28. Grand Sarcophagus--the Rape of Proserpine.

R. 33. Satyr playing on a flute.

(In the wall on the left inscriptions from the columbarium of Livia.) R. 43. Head of Ariadne.

L. 48. Sarcophagus--the birth and childhood of Bacchus.

L. 56. Statue, draped.

R. 64. Jupiter, on a cippus with a curious relief of Claudia drawing the boat with the image of the Magna Mater up the Tiber.

L. 69. Bust of Caligula.

R. 70. Marcus Aurelius, as a boy--a very beautiful bust.

R. 70. Statue of Minerva from Velletri. The same as that in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican.

R. 72. Trajan.

76. In the window, a magnificent vase, found near the tomb of Cecilia Metella, standing on a puteal adorned with reliefs of the twelve principal gods and goddesses.

From the right of this corridor open two chambers. The first is named the _Room of the Doves_, from the famous mosaic found in the ruins of Hadrian's villa near Tivoli, and generally called _Pliny's Doves_, because Pliny, when speaking of the perfection to which the mosaic art had attained, describes a wonderful mosaic of Sosus of Pergamos, in which one dove is seen drinking and casting her shadow on the water, while others are pluming themselves on the edge of the vase. As a pendant to this is another _Mosaic, of a Tragic and Comic Mask_. In the farther window is the _Iliac Tablet_, an interesting relief in the soft marble called palombino, relating to the story of the destruction of Troy, and the flight of aeneas, and found at Bovillae.

"L'ensemble de la guerre contre Troie est contenu dans un abrege figure qu'on appelle la Table Iliaque, petit bas-relief destine a offrir un resume visible de cette guerre aux jeunes Romains, et a servir dans les ecoles soit pour l'_Iliade_, soit pour les poemes cycliques comme d'un _Index parlant_.

"La Table Iliaque est un ouvrage romain fait a Rome. Tout ce qui touche aux origines troyennes de cette ville, inconnues a Homere et celebrees surtout par Stesichore avant de l'etre par Virgile, tient dans ce bas-relief une place importante et domine dans sa composition."--_Ampere, Hist. Rom._ iii. 431.

In the centre of the room is a pretty statuette of a girl shielding a dove.

The second chamber, known as _The Reserved Cabinet_, contains the famous _Venus of the Capitol_--a Greek statue, found immured in a wall upon the Quirinal.

"La verite et la complaisance avec lesquelles la nature est rendue dans la Venus du Capitole faisaient de cette belle statue,--qui pourtant n'a rien d'indecent bien que par une pruderie peu chaste on l'ait releguee dans un cabinet reserve,--faisaient de cette belle statue un sujet de scandale pour l'austerite des premiers chretiens. C'etait sans doute afin de la soustraire a leurs mutilations qu'on l'avait enfouie avec soin, ce qui l'a conservee dans son integrite; ainsi son danger l'a sauvee. Comme on l'a trouvee dans le quartier suspect de la Suburra, on peut supposer qu'elle ornait l'atrium elegant de quelque riche courtisane."--_Ampere_, iii. 318.

The two smaller sculptures of Leda and the Swan, and Cupid and Psyche--two lovely children embracing (most needlessly secluded here), were found on the Aventine.

From the end of the gallery we enter

_The Hall of the Emperors._ In the centre is the beautiful seated statue of Agrippina (grand-daughter of Augustus--wife of Germanicus--and mother of Caligula).

"On s'arrete avec respect devant la premiere Agrippine, assise avec une si noble simplicite et dont le visage exprime si bien la fermete virile."--_Ampere_, iv.

"Ici nous la contemplons telle que nous pouvons nous la figurer apres la mort de Germanicus. Elle semble mise aux fers par le destin, mais sans pouvoir encore renoncer aux pensees superbes dont son ame etait remplie aux jours de son bonheur."--_Braun._

Round the room are ranged 83 busts of Roman emperors, empresses, and their near relations, forming perhaps the most interesting portrait gallery in the world. Even viewed as works of art, many of them are of the utmost importance. They are--

1. Julius Caesar, nat. B.C. 100; ob. B.C. 44.

2. Augustus, Imp. B.C. 12--A.D. 14.

3. Marcellus, his nephew and son-in-law, son of Octavia, ob. B.C. 23, aged 20.

4, 5. Tiberius, Imp. A.D. 14-37.

6. Drusus, his brother, son of Livia and Claudius Nero, ob. B.C. 10.

7. Drusus, son of Tiberius and Vipsania, ob. A.D. 23.

8. Antonia, daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia, wife of the elder Drusus, mother of Germanicus and Claudius.

9. Germanicus, son of Drusus and Antonia, ob. A.D. 19.

10. Agrippina, daughter of Julia and Agrippa, granddaughter of Augustus, wife of Germanicus. Died of starvation under Tiberius, A.D. 33.

11. Caligula, Imp. A.D. 37-41, son of Germanicus and Agrippina. Murdered by the tribune Chera (in basalt).

12. Claudius, Imp. A.D. 41-54, younger son of Drusus and Antonia.

Poisoned by Agrippina.

13. Messalina, third wife of Claudius. Put to death by Claudius, A.D. 48.

"Une grosse commere sensuelle, aux traits bouffis, a l'air assez commun, mais qui pouvait plaire a Claude."--_Ampere, Emp._ ii. 32.

14. Agrippina the younger, sixth wife of Claudius, daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina the elder, great-granddaughter of Augustus. Murdered by her son Nero, A.D. 60.

"Ce buste la montre avec cette beaute plus grande que celle de sa mere, et qui etait pour elle un moyen. Agrippine a les yeux leves vers le ciel, on dirait qu'elle craint, et qu'elle attend."--_Emp._ ii. 34.

15, 16. Nero, Imp. A.D. 54-69, son of Agrippina the younger by her first husband, Ahenobarbus. Died by his own hand.

17. Poppaea Sabina (?), second wife of Nero. Killed by a kick from her husband, A.D. 62.

"Ce visage a la delicatesse presque enfantine que pouvait offrir celui de cette femme, dont les molles recherches et les soins curieux de toilette etaient celebres, et dont Diderot a dit avec verite, bien qu'avec un peu d'emphase, 'C'etait une furie sous le visage des graces.'"--_Emp._ ii. 38.

18. Galba, Imp. A.D. 69. Murdered in the Forum.

19. Otho, Imp. A.D. 69. Died by his own hand.

20. Vitellius (?), Imp. A.D. 69. Murdered at the Scalae Gemoniae.

21. Vespasian, Imp. A.D. 70-79.

22. Titus, Imp. A.D. 79-81. Supposed to have been poisoned by Domitian.

23. Julia, daughter of Titus.

24. Domitian, Imp. A.D. 81-96, son of Vespasian. Murdered in the Palace of the Caesars.

"Domitien est sans comparaison le plus beau des trois Flaviens: mais c'est une beaute formidable, avec un air farouche et faux."--_Emp._ ii. 12.

25. Longina (?).

26. Nerva (?), Imp. A.D. 96.

27. Trajan, Imp. A.D. 98-118.

28. Plotina, wife of Trajan.

29. Marciana, sister of Trajan.

30. Matidia, daughter of Marciana, niece of Trajan.

31, 32. Hadrian, Imp. A.D. 118-138, adopted son of Trajan.

33. Julia Sabina, wife of Hadrian, daughter of Matidia.

34. Elius Verus, first adopted son of Hadrian.

35. Antoninus Pius, Imp. A.D. 138-161, second adopted son of Hadrian.

36. Faustina the elder, wife of Antoninus Pius and sister of Elius Verus.

37. Marcus Aurelius, Imp. A.D. 161-180, son of Servianus by Paulina, sister of Hadrian, adopted by Antoninus Pius, as a boy.

38. Marcus Aurelius, in later life.