428 History of Art in Antiquity. Faulty execution errs sometimes on the opposite side. outline, instead Fig. 206.— Pcrscpolis. Palace of Darius. Combat of king with unicorn. J, DiEULAFOV, La Perst, la ChaUU et la Suiiane, p. 401. Thus the of bein«r sharply defined, is some- what soft and rounded, and betrays hurry. Never- theless the human form concealed behind its veil of drapery is treated with a degree of truth which far transcends the work of the Ninevite artist at his best. Look, for instance, at the Susian archers (Plate XII.). The eye is agree- ably surprised at the light elegance of their appear- ance. The short jacket sets off the round curve of the hips, whilst the clinging tunic marks the lines of the form, as does the buskin, which fits like a glove, and draws atten- tion to the shapely ankle and high arched instep.' The hands, too, are gootl and accurately drawn. Of the truth of this the reader can satisfy himself by look- ing at the originals now in the Louvre ; whilst the fragments of bas - reliefs from Persepolis, preserved
- This character of the Persuii
sculpture is fully grasped aiul happily expressed by M. E. PoiTiER (" Les aniiquitds do Suse rapportdes par la Mission Dieulafoy au Musde du Louvre," in llie Gktzette de Beaux-Arts, Nov. 1S86). We have followed hiin closely in our definition of it. J Google
