The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1845-09-24
A CURIOUS WORK OF ART.


Mr. G. Edwards Lester has left the consulate at
Genoa for brief visit TO this country and is now
residing in New York, having brought with him
many specimens of foreign arts and Sciences
Amongst others, we hear of remarkable work
in ivory representing &c the Saui0r on the Cross
and carved under singular circumstances by a
Monk of ST. Nicholas. The Democratic Review
has an account of this wonderful production, from
which we learn that its suggestion to the artist
monk is attributed to almighty Inspiration, for
the writer in the Review, says, he knew nothing
by practice, of the shaping of images; he had
never wrought upon piece OF ivory in his life
But he thought the dear Lord and gracious Mary
Mother, would aid him in so holy labor He
would be inspired to make divine work And
suddenly, he said the inspiration came like
thought. Uision sprung up aCithin hinl-(he
did not know, that thus the ideal always arises to
genius y He saw God On the Cross-dead 1t
never could pass away from MIN, and he knew
it was sent to him for the holy image he must
make. Always, therefore, day and night, he
prayed before that crucified vision in his SOUL
while he began confidently to give it form from
the hard beam of ivory, that lay constantly be-
fore him. 1t became to him work of devotion
and sublime hope. And it was with him a work
OF penance. Often, he said his thoughts wan
dred away from the divine image-into the world
Then he would bow himself before the form he
was shaping, with signs and tears; and his pen
ance was to continue his prayers and his slow la
Dor without food, or drink, or sleep-for 20 and
30 hours at once, deep through the night till the
daybreak looked into his cell.
1t was necessary first to remove the decayed
portions of the block of ivory. The outside was
tonnd to be dull gray, and porous the parts
next to this were denser, and of dark, notified
brown II then deepened into a substance black
as ebony, nearly as hard as glass; beyond this
there was nearl an inch thick, almost hard,
but OF a curded yellow. Having with great la
Dor cut all this away-much of it being almost
impervious to instruments of steel-a solid mass
OF ivory was reached ola pure cream color, entire
ly unchanged by the action of centuries, measu-
ring about 80 inches in length and inches in d.
ameter, and weighing about 80 pounds.
From this substance, which could with difficult
| ty be cut but slowly etched and scraped away.
/ the crucihed Christ was to be wrought.
The poor monk had been at work upon the stat
ne four gears when Mr. Lester found him. and
offering for it more than he dreamed of receiving
became its purchaser The writer in the Review
describes the statue as follows:
Certainly, the figure as it now exists, is an ex-
traordinary work--equally in conception and ex-
ecution The ideal seems to have been the Sa-
viour at the moment after death, but before the
agonized expression had left the divine form-ar
ideal we do not remember ever to have seen rep.
resented The first great expression emanate.
to the behoder from the entire appearance of the
frame as it hangs upon the cross, distended witt
the immortal pains that have hardly departed =
The exactness of detail, and the wonderful effec
ofthe whole combined, are truly astonishing
The anatomical structure, to the most experienced
eyes that have scrutinized it, is found perfect
The delicate veins are seen coursing under the
skin, as in the living model, while every muscle
is sloped to its termination with an exactness and
! naturalness, that seems almost miraculous. MOI
the slightest particular effect, moreover, thai
would result in body hanging in so unnatural a
Poslhon-as the great p otrusion OF the chest, the
unusual distention OF the cords of the arms-even
to the gathering of the flesh above the nails in the
hands and feet, by the weight resting upon them,
fails to appear in distinct execution.