The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-25 00:00:00

BUST OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL.

The saardeions event of this morning, which,
whither regarded sa to ram, religion, or policy, was indeed a
"cemeneession dennely b be wisher—the event which
his eat se way exlitiry lamas hearts all a-gutter, will re-
ceive no more idagolarly appropriate commemorstion than In
the het the& a non charming bridal bust of the Princess
which legined this day gives to become Prussia's Queen,
kr hiss emend by Dee of the Princess's own sex—the
sonmplabsd soulpter, Mrs. Thomeycroft. Many things will
be devised fa know of this day, but no votive form of ex-
pend= will be bead by the women of England more
touchingly suggestive than this oonseeratk• (we we justified
is thing the word) by cos of their own sex of the purest
hem of art to memorialise an alliance which will be, we trust,
not only matrimonial, but national, and sa enduring as
marble. This is not the Int portrait bust Mrs. Thorncycroft
—both wile and daughter of • sculptor—has executed of the
Panama BoyeL During a winter spent in Rome in 1842, in
company with her husband, she attracted tles nun-
time of Thorwaidsen sad Gibson by the models of
" Sappho" sad a " Sleeping Child," executed in that city ;
and the latter work made so favourable an impression upon
the mind of our great English see/ptor, that when ailed by
' the Queen who was best fitted to model the portraits se the
royal children he referred at awe is Its author. On by re-
turn the ant year to Bashi, therefore, Mn. Thornertroft
received her Majesty's commied to euenee spin of the
Princess Alioreeptildfie bee be se rednotorily bat
ornerier were giver to bar le time of the Mama
Royal, the Priam el Wale., mai Mora Alto* the when to
fora a weir of cirtenter egritelbel d the bar seems.
This min is well he... to tirpole. hiving bees exhibited
at the Royal Academy, and seinegratly engraved.

.- - -
The hest impreidei eanseisi by the premed bridal boat is
that of extreme isgennonmers and shaphohy : it is the sweet
candid hoe of a taw Saxon esehles—the SWUM of Eng-
land. Then is, It Is tens, scessedig gamey in the full eye ;
and something majestic is the Moonrise of the reseeded swan-
like neck from the heaving virginal bosom. The hair, too,
recedes from the serene unruffled forehead somewhat d
insitirobite, bat is as may multilane swell, rather than
ripple, and is looped up behind with something of Greek
grace; but there is nothing Greek besides—eaving
that soft marking round the neck which reminds you of
theme of the Townley Venus. All else is nought but sweet
seventeen, and almost tee girhdt for that coronet of orange-
blossoms. With engaging, unconscious elegance the head in-
cline* just a liaises one side, with a modest hint of blushing,
vim in that odd, colourlem material, almost as goggle-
Only readout se the painter could with his rose-light. Yet,
then is archaise in the decided accentuation of the thing
eyebrows, and oh, the piquancy of the nose 1 slightly
ran:west, it tenet be confessed, but where is the man who is
insensible to the fucination of such a nose in a woman? And
then those pouting lips, with the gentle protrusion of the
upper ow, almost childlike in its expression of simplicity and
innocency. Verily, we are proud of our Princess, and shall
end by unsaying what we started with, or by not admitting
that anything would induce us willingly to part with her. In
fairness to the young I' ince we must admit, however, that
oar Princess has had mss jostios at the hands of Mrs.
Tbeeseyeroft than his Royal highness Frederick of Prussia
ham remind from Mr. Winterhalter. If we may at all judge
of the portrait of the bridegroom-elect by this artist from the
recently published lithograph, the court-painter, so far from
flattering the young Prince, has entirely missed the hank,
unaffected expression of the face, and chosen the worst pos-
sible view of the head and pose altogether.

Such a single work as this bust would go far to prove
that we live in most chivalric: titre, properly understood.
For who can remember the number of lady sculptors who dis-
tinguished themselves even in the sculpture. den of the Royal
Academy last year, end yet omplaik that women are un-
protected, and not encouraged to develop special gifts, and
permitted to give publicity to the productions of their genius ?
Who does not remember another mutual commemoration
o'o'n—the portrait of Mrs. Beecher Stowe by Mir B.
Derent—end the recumbent statue of Odd fearfully uslortn-
nata heroine. Beatrice Cenci. by Miss Roemer ? Mrs.
Timmer:soft yes also there, and we trust that we shall see
this bar also text year—that is to say, 110 finished work in
marble, which Is to be executed for her Majesty. The model
is at present to be seen at Means. Colnaghes in
and casts from it may be obtained. A reduction in porcelain
will also probably be published.

MR. ARMITAGE'S CARTOON. "RETRIBUTIVE

JIISTIC11."

Some very fine photographs of another work of
contemporary interest—though of how different • com-
plexion I—may be seen at Masers. Coineghf 4. We
allude to an allegorical cartoon, entitled " Retributive
Justice," having reference to the Indian mutiny and Rs
attendant horrors of =macre, by Mr. Armitage, whose
cartoon of Carer's " First Invasion of Britain," it will lie
remembered, gained one of the And premiums is the West-
minster Hall competition of 184 and led to such high expecta-
tions of the then young artist. A chalk drawing, also by Mr.
Armitage, exhibited at the Royal Academy two
ran since, of the " Field of Inkerumun Fottr
Months after the Battle," will not be easily forgotten,
ta virtue of Ike mere than tenable faithfalnem of
record, and the early lilies springing up among the festering
human remains. In the present cartoon Justice is repre-
sented as a female of more than Amazonian proportions
ciateldng a tiger by the throat, end in the act of thrusting a
sword into the chest of the brute—not, however, without being
herself severely lacerated. Ose little sacred child is
seen escaping, but the bodies of two others mili-
tantly explain the idea of retribution. The ensuing is
at least sufficiently palpable. The expression of the Laos Is
very impressivo the eye sternly glares from the retracted
lids and scintillates through the inky ehadows of brows knit
like granite; the nostril is inflated like the war-hose, and
the lips are compressed to the whiteness of marble, matching
the blanched, bloodless cheeks. But, apart from general
objections to alltgoricel treatment of any subject whatever,
the arm, he a female, I. out et all proportion. Nevertheless,
the Mathes end friends of those who are executing " swift
retribution en those murderers" will find these photographs
by Yews Cadge( and Montechl sufficiently suggestive.

MEMORIAL TO THE LATE JOHN BRITTON.
A monumental beam bee lately been erected in
Bellamy Cathixtral to the roma, fX Mr. Jahn Britton, the
architectural autiquery. Bath • inommeat will be considered
singukuiy appropriate to me who, by his works, in conjunc-
tion with Mr. Puglia, probably led to tbe recent sturearfal
revival of monumental Mimes, and to the works on the sub-
ject, so valuable to the artist in the matter of costume, by
Maws. Waller and the Rev. C. Boots& The memorial has
barn dmissed by Mr. Thomas Bleary Wyatt ("melts= to dm
diocese of Banua), and the bum, by Hardman, is =mated in
• large "lab of blot* meat& The mosameut his bean
weeded at the ovum" of manbors of the Royal Institute of
Bahia arthlteols, wham sialmcdpiloes Wee to ape
Ones 68GL

Mies P. HORTON'S ENTRITAHUIRNT.-311'. Mid
Mn. Germs& IReed (late Kiss P. Harks) samosa Ike!
they epee ths Soya Oidisty d Idholvallat tide main ter
a short wan" with asiedicantreaeliesieltra usissidassila
Oa Friday crasiag Mr. G. J. Demme (ef the
Printers' Dnuostie tiosisty) gar, popahr Wm% "
Ereadag wish Hood," at the Hattori Mad Roasts
Rtrend-eartire-Ords. The lecture, learspereed wi ram&
lap it several of Hoett's bed pearae, IMS essalvai milk
sista ssdassdas by a very morrow mimes.
On Friday evening Mr. Charles Earner delivered
a home at the /deem Hall, lemelsebadrest, ea Mao
FfaMissr." The lobar* tredai his idled in a very die
sad eatadag irearter, sad Ws sassimos =Masa wasmod
Meal Slue&
Oa Saturday a depatatiam, eoeskidag of A. F.
=IT Jobs Wakarady, Zeq, John Heade" les,
ant, sad W Bett., waited upon Wm
lagiallaar Tuba es osiion‘...._to_.....yallesb
of a stem anseay bear Loaded ar
add the Basel Sos, irtia hi. Ensineey aureoson
approval of the ossiver•
Carnal, PAWS. •••• HALF-cm:MX DAT;67
Br:emu it, lax. Rt.— Aildesidas OM rm-••,da , •
dsee kg aro Isions, lAN ;nig *OM