Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1845-09-18

affecting. Ito hnew nWniDg, ny pFic-
tice, OF the shaping of images he had
never wrought upon n p'seo Of ivory in
his life. But he thought the dear Lord,
and gracious Mary Moihrr, would aid l
him io so holy labor lie would be
,nspiyed Ia make a divine work. And
suddenly, he said, the inspiration came -
like thought. A rision sprung uprrithin
him -(he did not know, that thus the
ideal always arises to genus lie snw
God on The Cross - dead II never could
pass away from him, and he knew II was
srnt TO him for the holy image he must
mako. Always, therefore, day and nig ht,
be prayed before that cruciied vision IN /
his sonl, while he began confidently to
give IL form from the hard beam Of ivory, F,
that lay constantly before him. j, be-
came TO him work Of devotion and
sublime hope. Ii lie could but make II
superior to any other such representation
~ the world, Mary, aud The Son Of Macy,
and the sucred Angels, would, perhaps,
give hip higher place among the Bles.
sed And IL was with him a work of
pcnance. Oher, he said, hs thoughts
wandered away from the divine 'n'ege -
aio, NE Wt1ifi- i hen NJ 'RH'ld bow h""-
self before the f,fm he vas shaping, with
sighs and ocars and his pensnce was,
10 continue his prayers and his slow
isbor-- without food or drink, or sleep
for 20 and 80 bours at once, deep through /
she nigh Iill the day break looked into
his cell On such occasions, he saw,
sometimes, miraculous glory encirc!ing /
the head OF The figure ns ho worked upon
II ia natural effect of his solitary lamp
upon vision feyered by intense strain.
ing
Wuh such patient aud severe cn,hu-
s'asm asce,ic inspiration familiar to the
duys Of Loyoln and Peter the Hermit,
aud still found sometimes 10 The followers
OF the Catholic Church the Monk of
81, Nicholas had been now nearly four
years engaged upon this Statue OF Christ
when Mr.. l.. visited him. He was very
much worn with his constant toll, aud
what was more, the restless excitement
ot n naturally vivid mind bnt the high,
palo forehead, and the eyes, glowing
and thoughtful, though deeply sunken,
spoke at once The intellectual capacili
ol the man. The work was 40 far COM
2l.,ed, as to show al glance lis remarka.
Bile character. Mr.. l.. inquired wha, he
Intended To do with il. lie seemed Only
anxious 10 have il placed IN some church,
where it nigh, long bo looked upon and
rsverenced ny devoui people, himself re-
r"ivipg a liils remuneration for four
years hbor. MIR. j.. immediately offered
HIM five nr six times as much n the poor
monk had dreamed Of receiving, add
ny, that il should be carried TO America,
and placed where ii should be preserved,
and receive great vencralion. After
much hesitation, he accepted thc offer
aud MIR. l., bnde him carry the statue al
once 10 the consulate residence, where
IL" came frequently, for six months lon
a'r, In give II the last touches.
Certainly, The hSure, as II now oXIstS,
~ an extraordinary work-cqunlly IN
conception and execution The ideal
seems 10 have been the Saviour at the
moment after death, bat before The ago
nlztd expte ssiVn hud left the divine fDim
an ldcal VIC do not remember ever TO.
have seen represented. The first great
.mpresslon emanatcs to the beholler from
iIIe eni,rr appearance Of the frame, as II
hangs upon the cross, distendrd with the
immortal paips that have hardly departed.
The exactness of detail, and The wonder
Iul effect of Ihe whole combined, are
tiuly aslonis.i".. The anatomical struc
iurc, TO the me-; experienced eyes that
have scru'nized II, is found pe,ie =
The delicate veins are seen coursiag IN
der the skin, as IN the living model while
every muscle Is sloped TO lis termination
with an eXacinrss and naluralness, that
seem almost miraculous. Not the slight /
90, particular effect, moreover, that would
result IN a body hanging in SO natural
posItion--as The great proiruslon Of the
ch.si, The unusual distention ofthe chords
oilh- arms even To the gathering Of the
flesh above the mills in the hands aud
feet, by the weight resiiog upon them,
ia,'s 10 appear ~ distinct execution. But
the triumph of the work is IN the face Of
the Redcemer The characteristics there
presented can never be once seen and
iorg A.; and with prolonged study they
appear the more remarkable. The Inca
mcu's, slightly bolder than the usual
Grccian, but beautiful in the extreme -
the wonderful union, in the features, of
manly massiveness aud exquisite woman
lsh delicacy--the contrast, above all Of
intellectual agony, knit into the brows
and frozen upon tho lofty forehead, with
the sublime composure Of sweet and calm
resignation that sleeps around the almost
feminine mouih-aie combination
which could belong to no human coun,e-
nance, which we have never seen ideaiz-
cd ia anv work Of ait, and such alone a.
could arise from the great conception of
the Son of Deity, who had been able TO
feel deep Joy in dying by an Infinite
torture.
1t will appear extraordinary, that
solitary person whohad previously studied
no anatomical models, fashioned no
images, nor even amused himself with .
working little in ivory, should sudden.
" BE- able tu achieve so triumphant an .
'lfort Of art. But If we do not believe,
with the carncs, monk, in Heavenly i'm |
pulses III such cases, we may remember
another iuspIrnttuu-the mower which