Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	3,965	5	8.0680	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51143	The history of painting, sculpture, architecture, graving, and of those who have excell'd in them in three books : containing their rise, progress, decay, and revival : with an account of the most considerable productions of the best artists in all ages, and how to distinguish the true and regular performances from those that are otherwise / by P. Monier ...; Histoire des arts qui ont rapport au dessein. English	Monier, Pierre, 1639-1703.	1699 (1699)	Wing M2419; ESTC R16358	161,014	242

did the same by several other celebrated Temples (c) The Pope Honorius the First took by Permission of the Emperor Phocas the Brazen Tiles of the Temple of Romulus to cover the Church of St. Peter and turn'd that Temple into the Church of Comus and St. Damian Il Biondo Roma ristaurata Page 12. This makes it appear That the Emperors of Constantinople were yet the Masters of Rome since the Popes could not take away the Brass without asking them leave Also Boniface the Fourth asked leave of the Emperor Phocas to take and Dedicate the Pantheon to the Blessed Virgin and to all Saints V. the same Biondo p. 56. Focas Reigned about the Year 590 about 100 Years before Charlemain had established the Temporal Grandeur of the Church Il Biondo has Dedicated his Book to Pope Eugenius the Fourth of that City to Build the Church of St. Paul without the Walls that of St. Mary the Elder and of several others which they embellish'd for the most part with the curious Relicks of the ancient Architecture But in all these great Structures it is to be observed that the just Proportions and orderly distributions of the Ancients are not to be found Thus all the Arts of Designing after Constantine had left Rome decayed continually and that before the Northern Nations came to ravage and waste the Empire and its Capital But after that those People compleated the Ruine of the ancient Beauty and Orders of those noble Professions as appear'd afterwards CHAP. IV. The taking and Pillaging Rome by the Goths and Vandals contributed to the Ruine of the Arts of Designing ABOUT One hundred Years after Constantine Alaricus King of the Goths Ravaged Italy and took Rome Odoacer King of Italy sack'd that City and pillag'd it as also Gensericus King of the Vandals who with Three hundred thousand Men that he brought out of Africa laid it waste and almost quite desolate which was not effected without the destruction of most of the Pieces of Designing But their greatest Ruin happened in the time of (a) Alaricus took Rome about the Year 412 and Odoacer after that and then Gensericus in the Year 456 he also ravaged great part of the Kingdom of Naples principally the Coasts of the Gulph where there were several fine Pieces of Architecture of the ancient Romans as at Messina Cumes Saia and Pouzzole Antiquit. di Pouzzole di S. Mazzella Justinian when Totila King of the Goths made that City sensible of his Indignation He was not contented to demolish the Walls and the proudest Structures but he burnt it and in Thirteen days time it was in great part consumed by the Fire This did so ruin the Statues and the Paintings the Pieces of Mosaick Work and the Imagery that all of them lost their good Grace and Beauty For this reason the lower Apartments and the first Floors of the Palaces and other Buildings enrich'd with Pieces of Designing were wholly buried under the Ruins Those who afterwards inhabited that desolate City having Planted Gardens on those Ruins they there buried those fine Pieces of Painting and Sculpture which being found again after three hundred years served for the re-establishment of the Arts of Designing For under those Ruins were found Subterranean Cavities called Grotto's where were found several Pieces of Imagery and Painting which on that occasion were named Grotesque It is remarkable that at this taking of Rome by Totila every thing concurr'd to the destruction of what was most curious in Sculpture for the Grecians who Fortified themselves in the Mole of Adrian (b) Rom. Antiq. of Nardini p. 480. In the Year 545 Rome was taken by Totila broke in pieces all the fine Statues wherewith that place was Adorned and made use of those Pieces to repel the Assaults of their Conquerors Notwithstanding as this City had been filled with such immense Riches and excellent Statues so it was almost inexhaustible for about One hundred Years after the sacking of it by Totila the Emperor Constantius the Second (c) He was also called Constantine the Third went thither and though he was well received by the (d) About the Year 650 110 years after the taking it by Totila Romans yet he did not desist from taking away whatever he found of any considerable Value and laded therewith several Vessels which were by a Tempest driven into Sicily where he was Killed and the Saracens who went thither took those rich Spoils and carried them to Alexandria But if the Arts of Designing met with such ill treatment at Rome in the Declension of the Empire they could expect no better in most of her Provinces for the Visigoths in Spain the French in Gaul and the Vandals in Africa ruined all those stately Structures which the Romans had built in their Colonies for the flourishing of Arts which set forth the Splendor of their Empire CHAP. V. The Images in the Primitive Church did not keep up the Arts of Designing at Rome but gave Birth to that way which was afterwards named Gothick ONE would have thought that the Excellence of Designing ought to have kept up at Rome by reason that from the beginning of the Christian Religion the Christians made use of Painting and Sculpture to represent the Histories of the old and new Testament to adorn their Churches and Tombs This is indeed True but then considering that these Paintings and Sculptures were only for the Instruction of Christians in solitary and subterranean Places where they celebrated Divine Service they did not trouble themselves with the Curiosities of Designing nor giving their Pieces that nicety and beauty as those did who lived under the first Caesars insomuch that when the Christians in the Reign of Constantine had the liberty of erecting Temples to the true God the Arts of Designing were already declined and almost lost Thus all the Paintings and Sculptures and Imagery and Pieces of Mosaick Work which they made and were found in the antient Church were degenerated from the true relish of Designing And those Pieces of Sculpture (a) On the Mountain Cicilo is to be seen the Church of St. John and St. Paul built in the time of Julian the Apostate which is a very ill Piece of Architecture and Architecture (b) At the Church of St. Agnes without the Gate Pia there is to be seen a Tomb of Porphyry and because the Sculpture in Bass Relief which is there represents Children with Vines and Grapes the Vulgar have falsely supposed it to be the Tomb of Bacchus This fine piece of Porphyry was the Tomb of the Princesses Constantia's Daughters of the Emperor Constantine in this Church are also the Tombs of other Princesses of the same Family It is also the place where they were Baptized and which was expresly Built by Constantine Nardini Rom. Antiq. P. 174. These Bass Reliefs are of no excellent Designing which shews that Sculpture was much fallen from it's Excellence as also Painting (c) The

(b) This Statue is placed in a Court of the Palace of Belvidere with those of Antinous of Apollo of Laocon and of Venus of Cleopatra of the Nile and of the Tiber and of Torce all ancient Figures One may note by this Figure that the Art declin'd for although it be of a just and true Proportion and the Head of it very fine yet there is not that nicety and perfection which appears in the Statue of Antinous and other Figures that preceeded it and are to be seen in the same Palace This Art of Engraving continued to decline in the following Reigns for it is certain that under Severus (c) This Emperor began to Reign in the Year of our Lord 195 from whose Reign to Constantine's is 115 Years it was very much fallen from the Beauty it had arrived to in the time of the first Caesars This is visible by the Triumphal Arch of that Emperor which is still to be seen at Rome for in this Work the Sculpture that represents the Historical part is much altered for it neither has the Designing nor any thing of the curious Workmanship of the Excellent Ancients CHAP. II. Architecture did not Decline till after Constantine although Painting and Sculpture did before IN this Decay of the Arts of Designing Architecture did not so soon decline as the other Arts For in the Arch of Severus it is in its perfect Beauty and equal to what was done in its most flourishing State On which account it was happier than Painting or Sculpture for it maintained its just Regularitie till the time of Constantine the Great The Triumphal Arch of that (a) The Triumphal Arch of Constantine was made 120 Years after that of Severus near the Year of our Lord 310. It is thought it was finished the Tenth Year of his Empire others say not till a little before he Died. Among the Eight fine Statues of the Slaves on the Cornish there are wanting the Heads which were privately carried to Florence by Laurentius de Medicis according to the report of Giouco Nardini page 407. These Figures of the Slaves and all the great Bass Relief which adorn'd this Arch were taken from the Arch of Trajan Emperor is a proof it The Corinthian Order is therein used in its Purity and Perfection on the contrary the Sculpture is very rude and gross This may be observed in the Bass Relief of the imbossing and of other small Figures below the Compartments which shews evidently that Sculpture and the Art of Designing in Human Figures were declined at Rome and reduced to the worst condition they had ever been in Architecture did not decline so soon as Painting and Sculpture because it was longer protected by the Princes by reason of its necessity and usefulness This is to be seen by Ammianus (b) In his 26th Book he takes notice that That which caused the greatest Admiration in Hormisda was the wonderful Fabricks of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus the Amphitheater the Pantheon the Temples of Peace and of Venus the Theatre of Pompey and the Forum of Trajan Marcellinus who writ the arrival of the Emperor Constantius (c) This Emperor taking Pleasure in surveying these famous Buildings told Hormisda That he could not undertake so great things as these but that he would at least endeavour to imitate the making such a Brazen Horse as that of Trajan which was in the middle of the Forum To which this Architect answer'd That he would first Build him a proportionably fine Stable to put that fine Horse in V. il biondo Italia Illustrata Nardini Rom. Antiq. p. 126. the Son of Constantine the Great He tells us that this Prince brought to Rome Hormisda a famous Persian Architect to shew him the famous Buildings of the Ancients both in that City and in all Italy But the truest reason of the continuance of true and well-order'd Architecture is that the study of it is founded on Measures and Proportions of Geometry and Arithmetick which makes the imitation of it much more easy than that of the Human Figure for besides the Measures and Proportions therein to be observed it is necessary to study the different Postures the lively Expressions the Passions and Motions of the Muscles and an infinity of other Parts which must be known to be Excellent in Painting and Engraving These fine Parts and Turns wherein the Excellence of the Arts consists began first of all to be lost in Designing which continued without that relish of Art down from the time of the latter Empire and of Constantine This is evident in his Triumphant Arch by his Medals his Statues in the Capitol and the Images of Christ Jesus (d) Vasari in his Preface to the Lives of the Painters and the Apostles which this Emperor caused to be made in Silver and set up in the Church of St. John of Latran which are of an ordinary and common Sculpture These Faults are also to be seen in the Mosaick Painting and other Pieces which this Prince caused to be made On the contrary it was observed that till that time the Beauty and Art of Architecture and its Ornaments remain'd as may be seen in the Capitels of Constantine's Arch in those of his Baptistery (e) Anastasius gives the Description of it in the Acts of St. Sylvester as is yet to be seen Nardini Rom. p. 102. and the Bases of their Columns where there are Foliages and other Flourishes very well Cut. It is for the same reason we have noted in Architecture that Sculpture also preserved its Perfection and Beauty longer than the other Arts of Designing because the aforesaid Sciences are of such use therein CHAP. III. The Empire removing to Constantinople and the setting up of the Christian Religion contributed to the Ruin of the Arts of Designing THAT which contributed to the destruction of the Art of Designing at Rome was the removal of Constantine to establish the Empire at Bizantium For he hired the best Artists in Rome and carried away an infinite number of (a) Among the Statues which Constantine carried from Rome to Bizantium were the Four Brazen Horses which are on the Frontispiece of St. Mark at Venice The Venetians after the taking of Constantinople carried them along with them Statues and every thing that was fine and rich to embellish his new City At the same time the Zeal for the Christian Religion very much contributed to the declension of Painting of Sculpture and of Architecture for the Christians to extirpate Idolatry seeing themselves Masters of the Empire overthrew and broke down the most considerable Statues of the Gentile Gods and demolished their finest (b) The Popes and particularly St. Gregory the Great spoiled the Gentile Temples and broke the Statues P. T. de Vasari p. 75. Temples This also caused the decay of Architecture for the Christians transported the Columns of Adrian's Mole to Build therewith the ancient Church of St. Peter at Rome They