The International Monthly Magazine, Volume 5, No. 1, January, 1852 | Page 9

remains of the temple of Jupiter Olympus, and by the Arch
of Hadrian. Whether from its proximity to the gorgeous monument first
named, or that it is intrinsically deficient in that species of merit which
appeals directly to the senses, the Arch of Hadrian attracts
comparatively little notice. It is, however, a highly interesting
monument, bearing unmistakable marks of the decline of art; yet
distinguished for much of that quality of beauty which gives so peculiar
a character to the architecture of the Greeks. The inscriptions on the
sides of the entablature have given rise to much learned discussion, and
have led to a far more lucid arrangement of the city and its chief
ornaments, than would in all probability have been accomplished, had
not inquiry and investigation been spurred on by the difficulty of
comprehending their exact meaning. [Illustration: TEMPLE OF
JUPITER OLYMPUS.]
[Illustration: ANOTHER VIEW OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER
OLYMPUS.]
Of two views of the temple of Jupiter Olympus, Mr. Cook chose that in
which the Acropolis is seen in the distance. The three lofty Corinthian
columns in the other engraving are diminished to the scale of the arch,
while the Acropolis, from its greater complexity of parts, adds, perhaps,

something of a quality in which the subject is rather wanting. "I am not
sure," says Mr. Cook, "that the remains of the temple of Jupiter
Olympus are not the most impressive which Athens offers to the eye
and heart of the traveller, partly from their abstract grandeur--a
grandeur derived from every element which could contribute to such an
end--and partly from a position than which it would be impossible to
conceive any thing more magnificent. The gigantic columns struck me
with a sense of awe and bewilderment, almost oppressive; they consist,
as may be seen by the engraving, of sixteen, the sole representatives of
the one hundred and twenty which once formed this mightiest of
Athenian temples. The least thoughtful person could scarcely avoid the
question of where and how the remaining one hundred and four of
these enormous masses can have vanished; and assisted by the fullest
information which is to be acquired on the subject, it remains a matter
of wonder to all. That time itself has had but little to answer for, the
almost perfect preservation of portions is sufficient to prove; in some
cases the flutings are as sharp and clean as when the hand of the
sculptor left them, while, more generally, they bear disgraceful
evidence of ill-usage of every kind, from that of the cannon ball to the
petty mischief of wanton idleness. The proportion of these columns is
quite perfect, and the mind is lost in charmed wonder, as wandering
from part to part of the vast platform, it is presented at every step with
combinations perpetually changing, yet always beautiful. So difficult
do I find it to determine from what point of view these ruins are seen to
the greatest advantage, that I have appended two engravings, from
which the reader may select that which best conveys to him the
magnificence of the structure which has been thus slightly described."
The temple of Jupiter Olympus was one of the first conceived, and the
last executed of the sacred monuments of Athens. It was begun by
Pisistratus, but not finished till the time of the Roman emperor Adrian,
seven hundred years afterwards.
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF LYSICRATES.]
A proof of the varied character of the Athenian architectural genius
may be found in the exquisite model, the lantern of Demosthenes, or, as
it is more properly called, the Choragic monument of Lysierates. It is,

in common with the greater number of the remains of which we speak,
of Pentelic marble. By whomever conceived, designed, or executed,
this must have been a labor of love, and the result is such as might be
anticipated from the consequent development of the highest powers of
one to whom a people like the Athenians would entrust the task of
doing honor to those who had paid to their native land a similar tribute.
It is small, and formed of a few immense masses: the roof is one entire
block; the temple or monument itself is circular, and is formed of six
slabs of pure white marble, the joints of which are concealed by an
equal number of beautiful Corinthian columns, partly imbedded into,
and partly projecting from them. These have been fitted with such
exactness, that before the "fretting hand of time and change" had done
its work, the whole must have appeared as if cut from one solid mass.
We have this single example of a class of buildings once so numerous
that they formed an entire street; but however grateful one may feel to
the hospice, which, being built over, protected it from the ruin