Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-03-23
MISCELLANY.
AMERICAN ARTISTS ABROAD.

A letter from an American citizen at
Florence, under date of 10th OF February
contains the following notice OF two Amer
lean sculptors residing there, and the works
on which they are engaged:
Mr.. Hart is engaged upon the statue OF
Mr.. Clay for the ladies' of Virginia The
study for the statue has caught the great
orator in one Of the pauses between his pal-
agraphs, when, with the head erect, and
proudly conscious eff his power to fasclnate
and control by his magic tongue, he Is a.
bout to pour forth another tide of eloquence
into the ears OF his eager auditors. 1t is
difficult 10 conceive of more faithful and
exact transcript of Mr.. Clay's attitude and
manner in speaking and little is wanting to
bring hlm again before the beholder, but the
tones of that voice, which no one can tor
Get who ever heard 1t. am persuaded the
work will be worthy Of the great original,
and of any age of art. He has upon the
stand also, an ideal female bust, which, ne
informs me, is intended as present to the
generous ladies who favored him in select
inc their sculptor for the Clay statue, 1t
represents Grief incarnate, mourning Tor The
nations loss, in the death OF the great states
man. There is something like divinity it
self in the exquisite beauty of the lines and
features Of that sad face plainly indicating
that when the artist chooses to abandon the
actual for the ideal, he is certain OF attain
inc rare success.
Calf, is another American sculptor in
Florence. He is a young man, almost
beginner-and yet some OF his ideal heacS
already take rank among the veteran scuip-
tors. He is most assiduous and untlrlng IN
his devotion to his profession, and will show
the world that the boy, who but few years
AGO surprised his friends by the excellent
cameo likeness he contrived to carve cut
in tie brief interval between the calls
of the people for letters at the Norfolk Post
Office. where he was clerk, was capable
of higher and better things, if time and op-
portunity would but open the door to their
accomplishment. His Psyche, a sad, sweet
creature, recalls to your mind the pensive
strains eff Millions II Penseroso;" while
his Baccante remind you of 'rAllegro IN
the person of bright, merry and beautiful
peasant maiden, her head crowned with
vines, ready to dance or to romp, thinking
no evil, because she knows none, drawing
the whole crowd after her by her innocent
and cGildkke destinations. At the last an
nual exhibition Of art in this city, no work
exhibited, attracted more admirers, or ellcl-
ted more encomiums from the by-standers
always excepting the cases where jealousy
was roused and vented itself in spiteful
and petty criticisms. He is gust putting
into marble, bust of Columbus, for So
ciety in Virginia; and as there is no au-
tbentic likeness of him in existence, he was
Obliged to draw upon the bank of ideality.
Those who know the genius, the hope, the
perseverance, the tolls and sutfenngs, the
success and the disappointments that made
pp the sum total of Columbus life and char
acter, will not fail TO find them carved upon
that serious face; and the verdict will be,
that if those are not the authentic lines and
features of the great dscoverer, they might
be. An Italian critic, in one of the jour
nal here, has recently bestowed warm
praise upon the work, and declares that it
IS so thoroughly of the Italian type, that in
a question of pedigree, the proof OF family
likeness would be conclusive.