Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-09-11
Letters From Europe d.

roman Po'ares-- Employment of modoH narus
artists at B,ms-R,g,m ,hoos.
The Borghese family is one ofthe most distn-
gni'hod, If not quite tho most SO Of any in Rome.
twas one Of them whose marriage We attended
the day after we arrived. 1t was to the Prince
horshcse that the beautiful sensual and hcartlcss
Fauiiho Bonap1rtc gave her hand, her pcrs Il, and
her contempt; aud in the Ca siuo or Mansion Of
tho villa Borghcso is the beautiful Venus Of Ca.
nova for which Pauline sat in puis natyalius;
anu when some ono afterwards .ked her if such
an exposure was not very uncomfortable she re-
piled, ooh, no the room was warm The statue
is worthy Of tho great genius Of Canova and the
great beauty Of his model The collection VI an
Gent and modern works Of art scattered through
the various aplr ments, though exceedingly in.
tcresting, still collection, large and excellent
as it is is much inferior to that Of the pellcc Of
the same lamily-tho Palace Borehcsc-wlich
lattor is one Of the finest and richest collections
in Rome.
These private Palaces Of Rome, which are nu-
Derous, and Of which we visited several, arc sim.
ply very large and fine residences and arc a
considerable feature Of modern Rome. There is
nothing very attractive in them except
their sic, their usually simple
architecture, sometimes very classical anil noble.
and in some instances their Museums Of paint.
inss and sculptures Their collections are usual
ly we'll arranged in several large rooms on the
ground floor, each room furnished with a lew
seats and catalogue Of the paintings in that
room, on large card with n handle to it. small
douceur is always given to the custodian. This
doubtless more than pays his wages. There are
some fifteen Of these principal galleries in Rome.
Tho celebrated Aurora Of Guido, Of which there
are 30 many copies and engravinss, is a fresco on
the ROTOR ceiling Of one Of the halls Of the Pal
ace R1spgiosi. To prevent the tresome, break
neck process of looking directly up to study so
wonderful a production there is an arrangement
Of mirrors now by which a ref Election Of the paint.
ing is brought dom to the horizontal limo OF
sight where it may he viewed with much more
satisfaction by visitors, as we'll by artists who
are constantly there making copies, Of which
many are sold annually. Making good cop.c.
seems to be the principal labor Of modern native
painters in Rome. and Of course art is dead
visited some ofthc studios, more properly work
shops, Of some Of these copy makers -
wonder molcrn students Of ar
who = abroad to study, do not see in this effect
upon Roman art a warning to them against devot
ing their time to copying the old masters, and con
sidcrins that -tudyng their art. 1t j. doubt
less well for student to 60 abroad and see tn,
works of great artists in every possible variety
but nothing surc can be worse than to set dowi
and laboIiously copy picture-abuut as likely
to make an artist as copying fine poem would b,
| TO make a poet-not so much so, indeed. Lei
him study the finest works with the deepest at
teution simply by looking at them-not pal
lettc nor pencil in hanl--to ill bis mind with
| forms Of beauty and truth, with images and coin
binations and effects they have tocn produce,
by these wonderful masters, and thus he will fin,
hlmsel! cultivated indeed and let him study m
turo--not to make mere portraits Of her impcrfec
proluctions-but to discover those bits Of uer,cc
| ion that are found in her laudiwork, and ttca,
urc them up in hi. inner soul, filling it with al
form, and elements Of beauty, to be recombino,
and reproduced by his own cultivated genius il
| new combinations, whose merit shall be that the,
are more true to nature than nature g. q. Lor..lf
Thus with new and abundant resources. hi. en-
thu,asn kind'ed, his genius awakened and hi
ambition looking upward and forward, he can -,
and am also panter'-not manLeri.ed rll
giarist Of other men. merits.
have not thought of purchasing to send HON,
any Of the oh paintings that can be picked up =.
cheaply here in Rome, nor yet any Of the coTie
of the great master pieces which are such an artic
| If merchandise here and are bought 50 freely by
| Americans to furnish their houses at home; bu
having done with our sight seeing we devote our
remaining time to pedestrian shopping in til,
via Coulotti onl the Corso, to pick up tie ncce.
slry supply If mosaics ami canoes and bronzcf t,
| preserve, and to bestDw as mementos, amt which
are SO really beautiful.
| The shops are exceedingly small AMI tJa
stocks Of merchants are apparently very limit
ell in quantity-The shop keeper has sometimes d
clerk and sometimes not. Every thing il on q
| small scale, and every where, almost every where
| YOU must expect to he victimised in prices
however found one shop whore by no possibility
was able to get single baioccho Of abatement
| in price, take much or little in quantity l con.
cluled it safe to buy there and did so, every thing
the shop could supply me- and am quite .ltts-
1870 N'''' 800 iAi''4NJ - bNAL5 - anu tirp SC
cured fair dealing to the quality Of the articles
| say every thing is on a small scale, but perhaps
it is not more SO than with Us in so small city,
especially when We consider that we are a pecu.
liar people, and from our love Of show in business
thrust every thing forward into sight, and pass for
quite as much a We deserve, while here they keep
carefully slowed away all that which is not want
ed for immediate traffic.
Here, more than any where else thus far in my
travels the people are more lsous lin their way
than anywhere else, and carry their religion into
the midst ofther business. In almost every shop,
from that of the humblest cobbler up. is a little
shrine-a cruciix or a statue Of the Virgin-and a
perpetual light burning before it. There is hardy
a church here, numerous they are, in which,
whenever you enter you do not find devout wor-
shippers of the various classes of citizens apparent
y unconscious of any presence but their own, per-
forming their deyotions. The poor mother brings
her babe in her arms, and before it can lisp or 90
alone, teaches it to respect sacred objects aud to
gimitlte her acts Of religion.
Yours, &c, &c.