as Flora, and so on; and during the best days of
Roman art these statues were very beautiful. But at last they, like all
other sculptures, grew less and less worthy, until they became
positively absurd, and lacked any power to command our admiration.

What is thus true of portrait sculpture is true of all Roman art. Its
decline kept step with the decline of the nation, and both fell at
length into a pitiable state of feebleness and corruption. From this we
are glad to turn to the study of Christian art, which, even in its
primary struggles, when groping its way through ignorance and
helplessness, was still a living thing, and held the promise of a new
life--a _renaissance_ of that which had gradually died in Greece and
Rome.

CHAPTER IV.

MEDIAEVAL SCULPTURE, FROM THE FIFTH TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

The ancient or classic Italian sculpture of which we have spoken may be
said to have extended to about the middle of the fourth century of the
Christian era. The arch of Constantine was one of its latest works, and
is interesting as an example of the decline of art. The sculptures upon
it, which were taken from the arch of Trajan, executed two centuries
earlier, are so superior to those that were added in the time of
Constantine, that nothing could give one a clearer idea of the decadence
of sculpture than seeing the works of two periods thus placed side by
side.

After the time of Constantine, when the Christians were no longer forced
to hide their art in the catacombs, they began to have a sculpture of
their own. The first Christians in Rome were brought into contact with
the worship of Isis and Pan, Venus and Apollo, and were filled with
horror at the sight of the statues of these divinities. They believed
that any representation of the human form was forbidden by the
commandment which says, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven
image, nor the likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or in
the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth." Thus it happened
that when the early Christians desired to represent the Saviour they
employed painting, such as is found in the catacombs, rather than
sculpture, and separate statues are the rarest remains of early
Christian art.

The oldest Christian statue which is known in marble is that of St.
Hippolytus, which is in the Museum of the Lateran Palace, where there
are also two small statues of Christ as the Good Shepherd, which were
found in the cata