s far from pleasant to look at. The same is
true of another famous group which is in Naples, and which is also from
the Rhodian school.

I mean the Farnesian Bull, or the Toro Farnese. This group was made by
APOLLONIUS and TAURISCUS, who are believed to have been brothers. It was
probably made at Tralles, in Caria, which was their native place, and
sent by them to Rhodes, the great art-centre; from Rhodes it was sent to
Rome, where it was in the possession of Asinius Pollio. This splendid
group, which is probably the original work, was found in the Baths of
Caracalla, in 1546, and was first placed in the Farnese Palace, from
which it was removed to the National Museum in Naples, in 1786 (Fig.
52).

This group tells a part of the story of Dirce, who had incurred the
hatred and displeasure of Antiope, the mother of Amphion, who was King
of Thebes and the husband of Niobe. In order to appease the wrath of his
mother, Amphion, with the aid of his twin-brother Zethus, bound Dirce to
the horns of a wild bull to be dashed to pieces. All this takes place on
Mount Cithaeron, and it is said that after Dirce had suffered horrible
agonies the god Dionysus changed her into a fountain, which always
remains upon this mountain.

In this piece of sculpture, dreadful as the idea is, there is less of
horror than in the Laocoon, for the reason that the moment chosen is
that just before the climax of the catastrophe, while in the Laocoon it
is in its midst. The latter group is made to be seen from but one side,
and was probably intended for a niche; but the Farnese Bull is perfect,
and presents a finished aspect on all sides and from every point of
view. There are numerous accessories and much attention to detail, while
the rocky base represents Mount Cithaeron and the wildness of the scene
in a manner not before known in sculpture. The group has been much
restored, but its excellences support the theory of its being the
original work of the Greek artists, and the skill with which the various
figures are brought into one stupendous moment is such as commands great
praise and admiration; it is doubtful if any other work of sculpture
tells its story with power equal to that of this celebrated group.

[Illustration: FIG. 52.--THE FARNESE BULL.]

[Illustration: FIG. 53.--GALLIC WARRIOR. _Venice._]

After the art of Rhodes that of Pergamon was important. When Attalus I.,
King of Pergamon, gained his victory over the Gauls, in B.C. 229, the