The architectural antiquities of Rome - University of Notre Dame ...

OF TI-lE PANTHEO N, ROME.
PLATE XLI.
Trns superb edifice is situated in thC'Ympoa Manius: itnowlo.o:s much of its imposingrffectfrom
beingi!ICilmberedbythellous.esofmodcmsu..ets,whichl"""'da:oetoits~:lndin•frontby
ao;ommonmarkec·pbtt,keptcontinWLilyin:afilthystate,andcroordcdbythelowerd.ules.as•·ctlas
fromtheaccwnulationofthcgroundthathasburicdnearlyallthesu:pswhic:hledtoitllm:lgnifi.otnt
portieo,ju$tlyC'On$ideredthe~~ofart. Theinscriptiononthefrieze.
:ocqu;Unu;usth:>ltheportico,atle:ast,of lhi!I T emplcwasenxtedbyhim. The opinions of antiqu.~ ri es
bcingvariousaatowhatportionofthcedif~ee isatlributabletoAgrippa.we slull prooeed to examine
intoit5hi$tory,~.andvoui0Ullchanga
Among the artists who ha'~ considered this cdilic:e is the great Michad Angelo, who mentiOM
th~difrerentepoeh:e;oneforthcponico,oneforthcintcrio r ordernnd n rmngemcnt,andanothcrfor
the superior or attic. s~..-lio. l'alladio, Dc~cu, Fontan.~. Milizia, the Ab~ Uggcri. and l'ir.mcsi.
!lave produced mllnydesignsandstudies; lkmontioso, Lipsius, Lau.ari,and tho:wholeoftheLOJIO'­
grnphers of Rome, h;tve pn.>fusely spoken of iL. but none with more method or more clearness th;in
Signor Hin:• ;uH], followinghismcthod,weshallbeablctouniteandarr.mgeRil then:~o:ction swhich
~)!~:.:::to give a proper ide.a of the subject, and at the same time reconcile the v.~ri0111 opinions of
lnthelimpbc:r.ititrocc:euarytoc»nsidetwbowasthebuilderofthePantheon: andform.1ny
~swe•ttn'bu tei Lt oAgrippa. Ro~.aa:(lrdingtoPlin}·,Pluan:h,Str:Wo.&c.,hadnootedifia:sof
..,ch~licenceandworlcm:uu.hipbcforethetimeofSylla:i tisceru.inthereweremanybuildings
befon:th:attime,but.acconling Loseveral:KCUraU:wriu:rs,the.Templeof Fortun:aPrene&tiruo,ILIKlth:o.t
of Jupitt'r'C:apilolious.were.the firstU:mples th:o.twereparticularlydistioguished. forlhe.ircleganceand
for their ornarnenu:. At thU time ,..., might mention other admirable: structures from hi:swy. ,.·here
theyarealludcdtoandd...aibed:butthePanthcon,whichisuoiqueandpeculi,.,.iniu:construction,is
nootmc.'tltioned hyanyonebeforethetimeoft\grippa.althoughtbeyhavedescribedotbubuildiii}:Sof
inferiorm>.gniftc:Cnee.
l'hese. ~rvationJ are stn:ngthened by Vim.tvius.t who writes an aecount of the various •wits
exeeuteduptnthefirst}'G1'110fAugw;tus.anddoe'lnotmentionthel'antheon,oranyvault of asimibr
kind,whieh,h;odito;:xistedatthetimc,hewoold not have f:Ulctl toptaiseanddesc:ribe: ;uH]furtherby
l'liny.•·ho, in his mention of the edifioe.t hints at the novelty of the form of i~ vault. Plin}' also
A)'S,fthatthePantlleonwas builtbyAgrippa,and dedicated toJupitertheA,·en~r: all of which
&ef'Vestoprovethatthewholeoftheedificewasen:ctedbyhim. From:apassa~ofDionaeontrary
a'l:"rnentisdrawn bysome. forhcsa)'SII Agripp:t renninated thcl'antheoo: but by this he does not
deny that he (Ommcno: