New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-27

Sss in the Heart Of Romethe frst American 'eu =,
Who had come to study her maniioia Treasures
ppso n1,e anS rsu,ent and eager mind
Wherever chn,hes pictures, statues OF wnao.i e''e
pertained 10 his art to be iouno M he bnrrisJ
t. Nm Sca,..Jy pausDg 10 eat or sleep ne hu'Ieo
sa hin SeerSe IEd 20 S. Petro in vincoli and the
Can;,ai In the long galleries Of the vatican
II. fingered on The ~ qG H. lon. burning da,
OF the Wolfe YSsS .hSp: nor ssen the moon
S INC On my,,eriou. hsl. with h'sns shades,
si .sS De- be ths: ts.s out ever ssI.d
ssng go ali meaning On his ardent miad
Fsspsd m, strong in'pfa:on''
.,dios of Tborwaldsen I little street
a..a;sg out OF the Piazza Barbarlni. They covered
i"rcs area of ground, and were crowded with the
- az long and active lite. Thither went the
sonnS American student with hi, letter Of introduce
ion When the great Dane had finished reading 1t,
nj. broad Northern nature warmed up he took ooth
Crswford's hands in his, welcomed him in the most
friendly manner told him he had plenty OF room IN his
.tpdos and that he might come there and study wHen
and az long as he pleased. Cfawiord gIaoy a5csp'ed
the generous offer, and went immediately to work
T6orwaldsen never permitted his puplls % copy hlr
own works, but recommended TO thein the study OF
the antoine casts from which abounded IN his col
lection Crawford began TO set up a hgure IN clay
a. On, nj these and after be had worked enthu-
s;ss,;calv for some hours, the bury figure OF the
Dane approached him, scanned ms EFFORT, and kindly
ard carefully explained 70 hun the error OF his pro-
masses In lust proportion aud balance before he gave
attention to the detail. Crawford wrote 10 his sister
some time after: These few words of instruction
"rom ths great artist gave me more insight into my
art and were of service to than ell else put
together that have ever seen and heard"
He lost no time; every hour IN the day was Occu-
pied in severe study and most Of the hours of the
night. He modelled and drew from the nude in tn
French Academy; apportiOned his time TO visit
regularly some work or collection of the antique, n-
proving his taste, enlargng his judgment, and carefully
writing out his observations these embodied in
letters to bis sister and bis friends His Imagination
and invention already urging him To make com
positions. He put them up IN clay, but dissatisfied
with them, he broke them down and put up others
among the first of these that he finished was hSdr;
which he called Autumn" He had now been In
Rome more than n year, and occupied corner
Of Yeattis studiO-the famous animal painter
in the Via Margutta. His pecunlary re-
sources were reduced to the last extreme.
Still he did not relax his labor. His poetic soul was
bearing him upward, physical want was pushing
him downward, but he worked on. DR.. Rnga wrote
10 Launitz ''Your friend Crawford works necessarily.
a. He tai es no relaxation and if he continues work as
"he is now doing, his health will suffer-. Everybody
in any way brought into contact with him was i'm
pressed wit h the same facts The rumor came up TO
Florence that there was young American sculptor in
Rome working day and night; that he was struggling
against many difficulties, not the least among which
was want His talent and perseverance were begin
ming TO attract attention, and he was willing to labor
in bis art for ally remuneration. During this year,
1897 he modelled in ten weeks seventeen busts, To be
put in marble and also cOpiedSA marble the figure OF
Demosthenes in the Vatican. The sums he received
an ordinary day labOrer; but thoroughly in earnest,
and actuated by noble enthusiasm, he knew that
excellence only attained by incessan labor and
although want lay grlmly across his track, galantly
and buOyantly he kept his course.
In a cheerful letter to his sister at this time. when
telling of all he was doing, he says: You see how
:. am occupied, and what a, diversity OF subjects
Z" am dipping into. There is more truth In the old
"proverb, Faint heart never won fair lady, than ap-
"pears at first sight" The aptness OF this trte say
ing indicates the will the perseverance, the indonta-
l, ailaAh IA m
Late in the night, for weeks, lamp was burning In
a small room in the Via del Orto dl Napol now occu-
pied as his studio One idea filled his mind, when
he abored 10 express. At length his work was COM
peted and the thought, that had not left him day nor
night stood in daring relief. Artists saw it, and said
II was full Of prOmise-a verdict not against him. Lay
saw it, and pronounced 1t success-an opinion,
IL not so fattering of much more Importance, because
there was a market in that direction, and his work
was yet in perishabe material His health had SUI,
fered; the unremitted toll Of mind and body had
broken it down. bat still his face was set hopefully to
the future Those months of labor and privaons
were in the past, where he never turned to look Al
though the path was dun and obscure, ne had dashed
forward triumphanty, and Orpheus, his trst WORK oil
importance will be forever thetypeof youth and genius
The simple myth, although the statue bears II Out,
was not all the sculptor meant. lie was young anu
aspiring, and shadow OF uncertainty hung over the
presept The statue replete with youth, grace ana
energy holding the lyre bends eagerly forward, the
right hand shading the eyes they try to fathom the
uncertain future 1t is the artists aspiration for the
eludes him. Through all these TRIALS of distressing
want be was accomplishing, and his cheerful straight
forward manliness began to make friends, among
whom active in the advancement OF his INTERESTS was
Mr. Green the American Consul then in Rome. From
his official and social position it was in his powerand
he never allowed opportunity 10 pass-to introduce
Crawford to distinguished strangers who VISITED Rome
Charmed by his private character and his extaord-
nary talents Mr. Green not only extended to hin MS
confidence but stood by him in his darkest hours OF
pecuniary distress. One day he received piece OF
paper, on which was scrawled in tremulous charac-
ters " Come and see me-" signed Crawford. he
fastened 10 his lodgings, where he found him pros
trated with fever Of the most malignant type,
induced by overtaxed brain, accompanied by dell-
rum and succeeded by long prostratiOn lie lmne-
diatey procured for him the best medical advice and
superntended the nursing himself As soon as he was
enough convaescent 10 be moved he took him 10 ms
own house, aud carefully watched his recovery. Had
it not been for this intelligent and friendly vigilance,
nothing short of miracle could have brought Craw-
ford through this sickness; as it was he slowly re-
covered; his robust energy was reduced but the vital
and recuperatve powers of his mind and body hurried
hum again 10 his work.
Before the end of this year $780, he had completed
two bas-relefs for the Prince Davdoff Of ST. Peters
burg, one representing Hercules arrested by Diana
when in the act Of carrying away the golden-hor1ed
stag; the other group Of Centaurs. lie also
made group for Mr.. Tiffany of Baltimore, whose
subject was ''Lead us into Life Everlasting" and an
ideal statue for Mr.. Jonathan Phillips of Boston,
which he also repeated for Mr.. Tiffany, he did the
"Centurion" for Mr.. Paine. Also, busts Of Compo-
dore Hull, Sir Charles Vaughan, Mr. Green, Mr. Sum-
ner and Mr.. Kenyon the English poet For the
"0rpheus" he had commission, but he had deter
mined 10 put it in marble, and while he was waiting
for the stone TO arrive from Carrara he modelled an
equestrian portrait of Washington.
The day of his success was dawning. Mr. Kenyon
wrote TO friend
eff Crawford sustained in his art and keeps h health
viii be the FIRST Of modern scupo nay American yl
fhidias He has the model Of his Orpheus which
some Of hs best judges the mold compare the Apoi
10 Gibson ehsy aud cold IN praise spoke of it 70 most