The Press.
London, England, 1853-08-20 00:00:00

',tango girt, leittratert, 61.

Tim Tomn or NAPOLEON.—This monument—one
of the finest of modern times—having been thrown
open to the public on the 15th inst., the following de.
seription, derived from official sources, may be of ge-
neral interest. As it had been laid down that the
tomb should be placed " under the dome of the In-
valides," the architect, M. Visconti, had to battle
against a number of difficulties. The Eglise des
lnvalides has two principal entrances nearly opposite
eanh other, and the first difficulty arose, towards
which of the two the front of the monument. of Na-
poleon should he turned. Besides, as the altar is
the principal object of a Catholic church, any monu-
ment of adequate size would have abstracted the
chief attraction of the church. Thus nothing re-
mained but to build a crypt in harmony with the
dome, that chtf-d'trurre of the great. Mansard. In
a mystical, religious, and superstitious (prestigieux)
point of view, the crypt offered all the advantages
possible to he achieved. Still, it was also required
that from the very entering of the church the pre-
sence of such a monument should be perceived. M.

SATURDAY,

Visconti achieved the first desideratum by placing
round the aperture of the crypt a rich balustrade of
white marble, being like a crown belonging to the
abode of the dead. The descent to the crypt is by a
door placed behind the great altar of the dome, and
by a marble staircase we arrive at the main door
leading to the crypt, which we believe to be the main
architectural attraction of the whole monument, as
anything more austere and antique cannot well be
imagined. At the two sides of the bronze door stand
two colossal statues of the same material, of a most
exquisite workmanship, representing the civil and
military power, holding in their hands a cushion on
which the imperial crown and the globe are placed.
After we have passed the door we find ourselves
wider an immense vault formed by the colossal steps
of the upper altar. All around is gloom. The ar-
chitect, inspired by an idea both religious and poetic,
wished to lead the mind towards a respectful 74-
eueillentent, and predispose the visitor for the austere
lesson enouneed by the interior—" the splendour of
external things drowned in the abyss of annihila-
tion." The crypt is of a circular form. The depth
below the level of the church is six metres, the
diameter twenty-three metres. It is surrounded by
twelve pilasters in white Carara marble of one single
block, firming each a colossal figure, holding in their
hands a symbol of the victories and deeds of the
late Emperor. They are the last works of Pradier,
which have added so much to his renown as one of
the first sculptors of the age. The sarcophagus is of
a red granite ?ono antic() from Finland, a substance
harder and of a liner grain than any known to the
ancients. For cutting it a steam engine was required,
as manual labour was inadequate to the task. Around
the sarcophagus extends a rich pavement, made of
mosaic, in the shape of an immense laurel wreath,
of the antique Roman pattern. Rays spread from
this laurel crown, extending all round the monument.
The open portion of the crypt is hung with twelve
bronze lamps, made after terracotta models from
Pompeii, and which will not be lighted except on
most solemn occasions. The walls of this circular
portico are adorned by ten great basso-relievos in
white marble, designed by M. Simont, and executed
by Messrs. Chambord, Ottin, Petit, Sc. They re-
present the following subjects, allegorically treated :
The Pacification of the Civil Dissensions ; The Con-
eordat ; the Codex Napoleon ; Encouragements
Afforded to Industry, &c. The row of these basso-
relievos is twice interrupted, first by the door of the
vestibule, and by that of the subterraneous chamber—
a sort of sanctuary built of black marble, of the most
stern and religious style and character, where will be
deposited some of the most important mementos of
the late Emperor—the sword he wore at Austerlitz,
the insignia he wore on festival occasions, sixty
stands of colours won at the chief battles of Napo-
leon, kc. The latter will be hung on the walls. In
the rear will be placed a great statue of the Emperor,
cut out in the quarry itself by M. Simont. The
Court Vauban, which precedes the principal entrance
to the Eglise des Invalides, and forms, as it were, its
vestibule, will be arranged in a way worthy the great
monument to which it leads. M. Visconti proposes
to adorn it with the statues of the twelve marshals
created by Napoleon ; the outer to be occupied by an
equestrian statue of himself, as he appeared on one
of his great field days. Thus, the great and leading
idea of M. Visconti may be recapitulated in these
few words :—" Au dehori, l'homme—an dedans,
l'apotheose!"
M mt. STotrz, the ex-cantatrice of the (rand
Opera at Paris, has returned from Brazil and Flo-
rence. She will shortly return to Florence, to spend
the autumn before going to Turin, where she is
engaged for three seasons.
THE FRENCH OPERA AT THE HAGUE, which seemed
condemned to irremediable ruin since it ceased to be
the property of the King's civil list, will decidedly
reopen on Sept. 2, with a considerable money
contribution from the town. A new theatre 14
Dutch drama has been opened at Rotterdam.
BarssEts is at the present moment inundated with
portraits of the young Duke and Duchess of Bra-
bant, under every form of busts, medals, medallions,
portraits, and even under the moneyed form of pieces
of 5 francs and 10 centimes, fabricated at the Mint,
to the amount of 100,000 francs, by order of the
Belgian Oovernment, and circulating at once as
money and as commemoration medal. Three et
thev.eomductions have a real artistic value—the bast
in marble of the archduchess by Simonis. the author
of the equestrian statue of " Godfrey of Bouillon ;
the portrait au pied by De Keyzer, incontestably the
best Belgian painter, who has here added a masterpiece
to his former productions ; and the lithi!graphed
portrait by Schubert, of which several copies were
sent to Claremont, at the request of Queen Amehe.
A STATUE 640 be erected at Leyden to Laurens
Janszoon Koster, whom the Dutch designate as the
genuine inventor of the art of printing.
THE FRENCH I.IISTORIAN, MIS HELET, has taken up
his residence at Nantes, where he proposes to ter-
minate his history of the French Revolutlon.

AUGUST 20, 1853.

SonE time ago the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts
opened a concours for the composition of a sym-
phony on a given theme ; thirty-one works have been
sent in from Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, Munich, Leip-
sic, Home, Naples, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Parts,
London, Se. Some of them are said to be of supe
rior excellence, and the comparative examination
constituting the decision a difficult task, which was
to be pronounced on August 11, was adjourned to
September 1.
A GREAT SALE OF PICTURES belonging to Count Po-
tocky, at Warsaw, has attracted a number of amateurs
from all countries. Great prices are said to have
been paid.
ANOTHER GREAT SALE, that of the collection Van
Camp, is announced at Antwerp in September next.