bt himself.

On the other hand, when a sculptor does succeed in producing a draped
figure which satisfies artistic taste, he has achieved much, and merits
the highest praise. A drapery which has gracefully composed masses and
flowing lines adds great dignity to the figure of a patriarch or a
prophet, and there are numerous subjects, religious and monumental, in
which a full, graceful drapery is requisite; but when, as is often the
case, the sculptor is required to reproduce the actual costume of the
day, what can we look for? The truth is, it has no grace in itself;
what, then, must it be when put into the fixedness of bronze or marble?
Yet where is the remedy for this? We do not wish to see the men whom we
have known and who have moved among us in the dress of other men put
into an antique disguise by the sculptor; the incongruity of this is too
apparent. Much has been written and said upon these points, and no
solution of the difficulty has been found; but it is only just that when
we judge of the statues made under such difficulties, we should remember
them and give the artist the benefit of the consideration of all the
hindrances that exist for him.

Westmacott, in his "Handbook of Sculpture," gives as his "Conclusion" an
account of the mechanical methods of the sculptor, and I believe that I
can add nothing here which will be of greater use to my readers than a
quotation from that author.

"The artist, having invented or conceived his subject, usually begins by
making a small sketch of it in some soft and obedient substance, as
clay or wax. He can change or alter this at his pleasure till he is
satisfied with the lines and masses of the composition, and the
proportions it will command of light and shadow. He then proceeds to
copy this small but useful sketch, as his guide, in its general
arrangement, for his full-sized model. Before commencing the larger
model it is necessary to form a sort of skeleton or framework of iron
and wood, with joints made of wire, to support the great mass of clay in
which the figure or group is now to be executed. This iron frame is
firmly fixed upon a turning bench, or banker, so that the model may be
constantly moved without difficulty, so as to be seen in different
lights and in various points of view. As the clay is likely to shrink as
it gets dry, it is necessary occasionally to wet it. This is done by
sprinkling water over it with a brush, or from a large syringe, and by
laying