Page:A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria Vol 2.djvu/296

264 A History of Art in Ciiald/Ea and Assyria. There is a certain conventionality in the attitude of the lion and in the way his claws are represented, and the movement of Hea-bani's left arm is ungraceful ; but the antelope under the inscription and the bull overpowered by Izdubar are rendered with a truth of judgment and touch that all connoisseurs will appreciate. We may say the same of the two heroes ; their muscular development is given with frankness but without exaggeration ; the treatment generally is free and broad. Between this cylinder and the one quoted on the last page as among the masterpieces of Ninevite art, there is the same difference as between the statues of Tello and the bas-reliefs of Nimroud and Khorsabad. The engraver, who some fifteen centuries before our era, cut upon marble this episode from one of the favourite myths of Chaldsea, may not have been able to k^'^ùfù/^ '- v W&&iS Fig. 142. — Chaldaean cylinder. Marble or porphyry. New York Museum. manipulate precious stones with such ease and dexterity as the artist of Sargon or Sennacherib who made the cylinder in the British Museum, but he had the true feeling for life and form in a far higher degree. So far we have studied the cylinders from the standpoint of their use and the material of which they are composed ; we have described the processes employed in cutting them and the changes undergone in the course of centuries in the style of art they display. We have yet to speak of the principal types and scenes to be found upon them. We cannot pretend, however, to give the details in any complete fashion. For that a whole book would be necessary, such as the one promised by M. Menant. This is not because the themes treated show any great variety ;