Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-08-21

The lat,can-Ihe Qmrnai-The Capitol
HOWE,

BoNE,--
| Continued from last week.
The Qurinal palace does not exhibit in its
apartments any special evidence of regal SPLEEN
| dor nor of sac erdotal mystery or magniGcence.--
As a whole, the rooms showed great variety of rich
| furniture and works Of art, OF taste and of
ment (each room in its own style) including many
valuable and curious presents from Kings and
Princes. The chapel at tho Quirinal does not
compare at all with the Sistne at the Vatican
palace. We were somewhat surprised to find
of the regular rooms Of the Vicar OF Christ
a billiard room. We presumed it was for the use
of his guests and seryitors rather than for himself
Yet we could not fail to consider it as good evil
dence that billiards is a canoncal game Speak
ing Of guests reminds me that His Holiness
eats at the table with others-not oven his guests,
| however distnguished-always at a table by him
self and in another room a fact which was quite
new to 1t is striking instance of many
wherein he who claims to be the Vicar of Christ
differs widely from his Lord and Master. lie was
not afraid to eat with publicans and sinners.
The personal apartments of the Popc-his
study hall of audience, and bedroom-are of be-
coming simplicity, comfort and propriety.
The gardens Of the Quirinal are very large,
mile in circuit, with abundance Of statues and
fountains There is organ played by water,
and the usual ornaments of great and royal
Landscape garden but nothing of special interest,
nor does it display much taste precision
regularity and stiffness. On the whole we're
less interested in our visit at the Quirinal Palace
than expected to be. 1t is used by the Pope
Summer palace for its salubrity, being on high
ground and free from the miasmatic unhealthi-
ness of the lower gro unds of the Vatican.
From the Qurinal Palace we passed to the Pal
ace Of the Capitol and its museum of art,
and antiquity the Capitoline hill. The ascent
Of its spacious and noble flight Of steps 10 the open
air is like going up mountain almost At the
foot two Egyptian. lionesses in basalt-at the top
the colossal equestrian statue (ancient of Castor
and Pollux in Pentilic marble-a little further
that most beautiful Of all Equestrian statues,
the gilt bronze statue Of Marcus Aurelus on
horseback, for hundreds of years known as the
statue of Constantine the best authority, and
now better authority that Of Marcus
Aurelius; and if further inquiries. should show it
to be Caligula and his horse newly elected Consul
on their way to the capitol together, for the
horse to be sworn into Office, We should only say
TIE people had chosen certainly the best horse
they could find. | cant help showing little
doubt a. to these things which have changed
their names so often, though believe there is no
reason to doubt Marcus Aurclus-and perhaps
the middle ages saw little to doubt that it was
Constantine. 1t is SO life-like and spirited, so
beautiful in its pose, and majestic in its bear.
ing and action, that have purchased small
cory of it to send home as an ornament for my
house.
The SOU are Of the Capitol is one Of tie most
; imposing specimens of the architecture of Michel
0 Angelo: and within the walls, besides the apart
ments devoted to the municipal government o.
t Rome those containing varions collections
and galleries which constitute the museum of tn,
Capitol in size and interest next to those Of tn,
Vatican, from which however it differs in its most
o striking characteristics and cassifcatons Their,
is a museum Of ancient architecture, another O.
5 statues and busts of great men of ancient Rome
another Of eminent moderns, another Of sculpture
of great interest, including the real bronze vol
u of the times of Cicero with her immortal cub
a Juggling at her wild teats; the gallery of paint
ings some 200 Of the choicest pictures Of thu
o various schools. There is hall of imperial ant
4 consular inscriptions; another Of ancient statue
= of the Gods and the Goddesses, and greater an,
lesser divinities. The hall of bronzes is of grea
interest; the hall Of the Emperors the hall Of thu
l. Dying Gladiator, &c, &c Why should l thu
with mere catalogue Of museums, 70
each apartment is itself a museum sufficient to b.
the glory of any city but the great Capitol o
anci ent and modern art.
The museum of the Lateran Palac
is also Of great interest. The academy o.
st. Luke.-a society Of artists-painters sculp
tors and architects-have also in their collection
many choice works besides the portraits of numer
; Gus artists Of more or less fame.
f have not ventured to critcise the works o
u art-Paintng, Sculpture-architecture- even il
t general terms. l have been forced to wait till
e have seen much of all the schools of " the grea
: masters i'm London, in Paris, in Genoa, anC
J now in Rome, before daring to open my lips or
e the subject. We have at home so little opportun
4 ty to the genuine productions Of these cele-
, brated men, that must all into their
presence on first visit to Europe, entirely ig.
norant of the characteristic merits, but Will
general and underlined expectations Of the high
Q est degree; and while dispositoni is doubt
n less to fall n with the European quite east
ly, it is also true that iconocastic tendency
: and our national vanity unite to give something
of the feeling" is this all - g Are these the
old masters !" To appreciate these works as an
= artist-as a connosseur-aud virtuoso re
I quires training, study and observation, to which
Q | am a stranger, ar d it is in ole or the other Of
, these Observation-Disclosures so widely different
that critics most enthusiastic in their glorif
cation The Duke of Wellington bought a genu-
= inc Murllo Cor 500 guineas Artists studied il
with rapturous and almost mysterious
! admiration Of its manner and effect Connoisseurs
gloated over it and pointed out to each other
Its beauties peculiar to Murillo! and the viru
envied the hero of the Peniusular war more in
r his possession Of that curiosity than in hi.
r military renowu, and all these sighed to think
that they could not by the offer Of twice its cost
become its fortunate possessor. Under the in.
fuence Of some unlucky star 1t demonstrated
, to be only an excellent copy made at manufact
DRY of old pictures at Antwerp; and the iron Duke
( laid it aside, and artist and connossuer and viz.
: tuoso never cared to look at tie thing my more
! yet it was the thing with the same real
T merit all the while. So Michael Angelo inten.
tionally entrapped the knowing ones of his DAY
= who were constantly bepraising the then ancient
. sculptures as far beyond the reach Of such mod
ems as he. So he scuptured cupid and broke
Q off one Of its and buried the statue in Rome
Q where they were about to dig for works Of art
n 1t founi and by unanimous consent of the
. conncisseurs was pronounced work Of ancient
Greek art, and Cardinal St. George bought it fol
: 200 Roman Crowns. Michael Angelo then pro
$ duced the unburcd arm to demonstrate
that it his work. The Roman
# connoisscurs howev.r with ;us, ,a.,a al