Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-12-14
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS, LITERATURE, AND
THE FINE ARTS IN NEW YORK.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS, LITERATURE, AND
THE FINE ARTS IN NEW YORK.
New YoRK, DECEMBER 10, 1850.
The most interesting event of the past week,
Messrs. Editors, has been the opening Of The Mar
tyrdona Of Huss, Lossing's great picture of which
gave some account in previous letter, and whose
exhibition in this country is an event OF unusual
interest in our annals Of art. The picture has lain
in the public store almost as long PowERs's Cal
houn lay under the waves and amidst the sands OF
the Atlantic off Fire Island, and at one time it ap-
peared if the chances of its ever being recovered
from the hands Of the custom-house officials were
as slender as those Of the statue for escape from
the fury of wind and water. Mr.. BOXER, the owner
of this painting, considered himself entitled to in
troduce it into the country free of duty, work
Of art not intended for sale but it being at the same
time destined not for the adornment of private
house, but for the walls of the Dusseldorf Gallery,
it came, by fair construction of the provisions OF
the present tariff, within the per cent. chargeable
upon pictures imported for sale under the clause of
non-enumerated articles" It seemed hard that
such an apparently unappreciating welcome should
be given by our American authorities to SO great
work Of art but tariff laws amongst the discoueou-
and unamable of all statutes albeit based in theory upon
the discriminating principles, and the stern moralites
of the exacted the uttermost arthng from
Mr. Kerr entirely dsregardng the benefit he confer
ring upon The community in securing for them high gra-
cation the expense Of his and no nconsidera-
BILE risk 1t is be hoped that the aerde honorable will
made by the public, with whom the picture should be
popular
The presence amongst Of this picture which the pro
duction Of artist ranking amongst the first modern German
painters and the number of other works which, during the
years. have found their way here and have excited
much interest and attention in the Dusseldorf Gallery give
degree Of interest the present state of the arts in Europe
especially Germany, which would not otherwise be felt
few years ago comparatively nothing was known in this
country Of conempoaneous movements in art on the cont-
nen and the of the distinguished who rep
resented its interests there entirely unfamiliar to our
transatlantic ears Now the fne-ar intelligence from Europe
brought by every succeeding steamer forms conspicuous
item Of the foreign collected and published for the enter
tanent the public in general Such is the progress in
national sympahs upon elevated and refined topics of taste
and culture well in the practical departments OF
science and the useful arts. ......
most exciting and interesting event belonging to the
mails has recently taken place at Munich and forms the
theme Of many vivid descriptions in the correspondence OF
the Engsh papers from the continent and, In connexion
with reference to German art, deserves notice here This
is the nnreng is termed, of the Barara, colossal
statue Of virgin in bronze intended the aegoca repre-
senatioI Of the Germanc Empe which, after ten long
Of patient and toll has been last completed and
exposed public view its lofty pedestal in the Theresa
eao,o Munich, where it towers in the air at height
Of eighty four feet of which the statue itself contributes fifty
four feet and adds to its gigantic proportions corresponding
grace and majesty During the process Of its erection the
pedestal the statue covered by sca,dng and screen,
and the ceremony Of removing these and revealing all at once
the perfected work, has, appears been celebrated with all
lur cht th,.
nation Of an Emperor.
"sights for American travellers the continent only
Of host Of works Of projected and executed upon
the extensive and costly plan by the late King
properly speaking, the Ex-Kng Of Bavaria monarch
whose whole reign devoted to the most municent and
prodga patronage of art Few Of countymen who visit
Europe for pleasure that there is capital on the
continent north of the Alps which boast Of SO much
magnifceuoe of modern date Munich; and few Of our
coun,ymen, who take interest in matters relating to the
present Of the know to how great degree the re-
cent revival Of art in Gemanyone Of the fruits of which is
this very picture of the maryrom Of Hussis owing to
the efforts and zeal of King Lewis Of Bavaria.
The poor paying Bavarans look with very little COM
pacepcy satisfaction upon this royal urore for art which
has filled the capital with paintings, statues and grand archi
lecture while the necessars Of lite rendered more and
more expensive and interests of the people in every
which surveys the great works of the late reign OF King
Lewis does diminish his admiration OF them so far their
real and value concerned From the hands OF the
six or eight hundred artists who have during the last
twenty years been engagedn Munich under the auspices
of the King nnumerabe works have proceeded in every de-
partment Of ari, the catalogue of which would bill
volume The Of his Majesty has generally been for the
colossal end imposing and all the churches catheals, and
public buildings which be planned and superintendent, there
lavish prodea and magnfcence which quite put to
shame the enterprises Of most modern princes in the same
department The great statue Of Bdraia, to which have
alluded is an illus ration Of this that portion Of il
which then completed in s47 and able to imagine,
from the pr portions Of the head and bust which were
then finished and the inside Of which twenty EIGHT per-
sons could be accommodated what would be the effect Of
the whole II doubtless present. the most striking and
memorable work of modern art the continent and in spite
Of the bad odor which attaches itself to the Of King
Lewis from his dseputabe connexon with the famous aud
infa nous LOLA MoSTEs this great work Of ofScawANrAA
commenced and successfully completed under bis patronage
will with the other creations Of genius dating from his reign
n axe his name llustrous and his memory conspicuous.
King on the continent Of Europe with a liberal taste
and long purse do things for He
promising painters from distant cities his court and
them to work upon the palaces churches which be
chooses adon and besudfy he dispatch students Of