Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-01


would occasion. He seems in excellent splits, no
way doubtful of ultimate success and more sanguine
than ever. To day, he said, he should formally sur
render himself to the United States Marshal, ane
inquired where he could find bis of6ce.-[New York
Times, Of Monday.
THE LIFE AND GENIUS OF CHRISTIAN
RAUCH.
| Correspondence Of the n. y. Evening Post
BERLIN Dec. 8, 1857.
"The Phidias of Prussia is no more.' Such is the
proud and startling phrase that Eve days Ago an
nouuced to Germany the sudden death of her great
est sculptor Christian Rauch. He died in Dresden
on the third morning of this month. 10 October last
be left bis studies in Berlin and went to the capital of
Saxony that he might have the advice and care Of
| distinguished physician OF that city. His disease
was one of long standing but notimmediateIy threat
eniug so that to most the announcement of hi. death
surprise. And yetit should not have been SOL for
he had already passed the assigned limits OF human
life. and was standing though little bent by age on
the threshold of his SD year.
Yesterday his body was brought, with great honor,
from Dresden 10 this city for lnterment. 1t vas fit
fling that the capital which he had go richly adorned
with monuments of art should claim his dust. 1t was
something to see the royal eqnipages following the f
neral Of the man who once in acquey dress served in
| the palace OF the Brsndenburgs. II was triumph
of genius encouraging 10 youthful aspirations sud al
honor to the monarchy in which it could occur. 1t
was rather triumphal than funeral march, when
| the great procession moved from before the royal
palace across the palace bridge lilself gallery Of
ar) and up the Linden; while from all sides looked
down upon them majestic statues each one of which
is pillar to sustain the lofty fame Of the artist.
Rauch had achieved for himself place In the oata
logue of sculptors by the side of Canova and Thor
Walden. A long life was granted him in which TO
carry his studies to high finish. and to execute with
| his own hand an extraordinary number of works.
His position as artist and the instructive facts Of
| his history. warrant even to a foreign audience,
| brief review of his career.
| l,ya nd
smooth The latter seems to be developed on the
principle of the antagonism Of forces. And Rsuch's
life adds another TO the lat Of proofs. There runs
through bis history also beautiful thread Of romance
OF purer and lotier character if possible, than that
! which lends IFS charm to the biography OF Qulntla
Metsys refer to the influence upon his destiny,
an artist; exsrtsd by the amiabe Louise, Queen Of
Prussfas r
But let us 6rst consider the most prominent facts of
bis Iifeintheir chronological order. The little province
| of Waldeck has furnished Germany three OF her
greatest artists during the present century, viz:
Rauch, Drake and Ksulbach. Christian Daniel
| Rauch WAS born in WadeCk on sd Of January,
l717 He was the son of poor parents. He had the
lever of neither friends nor fortune TO lift him from
his native obscurity. But, like most men of decided
genius, his development was Of the indigenous kind
from within outward and, impelled by taste for
the plastic art he to Cassel and commenced the
preliminary Studies with one Kuhl, sculptor of no
| particular merit reputation. But just az he i'm.
agned himself fairly started in bis career, hs brother
who was family servant Of the King at Berlin,
died and Christian was obliged to leave Cassel.-
He came to Berlin, and his appearance attracting the
ROYAL attention. he called to the position formerly
| occupied by his brother. 1t appeared anything but
| favorable opening for young man destined to a
life in the service OF art. But he could not well
| decline. And so The future peer OF Thorwaldsen
douned bs lacquey livery and waited. AT that time
Schadow the founder of the Berlin school of sculp
ture, was in his prime and received orders from
Frederick William III for bust of the Queen
louise Young Rauch had not for moment lost
sight of his lifs's great end and hope. And while
brought by hi. service frequently into the presence
of the Queen, he studied, artis-ke, to impress her
beautiful features upon hls memory. that he could
thereafter reproduce them from the same source. In
due time he undertook to model bust in clay. His
SUCCESS was such that it gained the Qusens attentions
and she determined to furnish him tho means and OPP
portuni,ies for study. Under her patronage he was
first to Dresden, which had at that time the most
amous and comprehensive collection OF plaster casis
in Europe o collection that had been made under the
| superintendent Of Rafael Mengs.
| In 1904 Rauch was at last enabled to make his pill
erimsge to Rons-:hs artists Mecca. Here ne was
fortunate in securing the instruction and frendshpo
Thor asdsn who has the sagaclty to foreses the To-
| ture greatness of his pupil William Won Humboldt
Was then Prussan minister resident at Rome, and
also became interested in the success OF his young
countryman. Here and hereupon Ranchs artistic
career may be really said to begin. His fret work
was portrait statue in marble OF Humbodts daugh'
ter. And the way being thus fairly opened, he con
tinued from that time TO the day OF his DEATH TO Drn9
forth from the ineIhaustable studio of his genius
works more numerous than the intervening years,
and Of such superior merit that bis name has risen
TO classic reputation.
His most celebrated specimen Of this style is the
monument to Frederick the Great lin this city,, ac-
knowl-dged TO be the grandest in Europe, aui
enough it itsefto bestow Immortality upon its au.,
tho.
The bent Of Raueh's mind led him to the massive
and grand rather thsn the delicate and beautiful
Yet he capable of the latter as that master piece
The monument Of Louise, in the Mausoleum at
Chsrlottenburg clearly and perpetuslly prores-
But when engaged upon colossal statue, hs genius
seemed most lavish and fertile in invention:
| He succeeded emnently ALEC in oas relief. Gone
| speaks with great enthusiasm Of the work OF this
kind upon the pedestal of the colossal statue OF ar
shal Bucher which sthnds near the Opera House in
| Berlin. And even more to be commended u Inc pc
destal of tue equestrian statue OF Frederic the reat
already mentioned. Raucb's forte undoubtedly lay
in the historical monumental The CHARACTERISTIC of the
school founded here by Schadow, and brought 10 It's
greatest perfection by his more distinguished pupil
| But at the sans time he could not be- said TO lack
imagination Hefarly succeeded IN bis TWO reiless oil
Hippolytus and Phedra, and Mars and Venus wound,
ed by Domed. II was the fans of these that induced
the King of Prussia in III TO call Rauch from Rome
| to Berlin. .tt.
patroness had died. Inspired by the minRling emo
lions Of and gratiude tinged az they were by
| the artists remembrance of a most beautiful ana
lovely woman, he undertook the delightful task OF
making monument, which should be at once an uI'
fading image Of her lovelness, and memorial OF bis
ow n undyng gratitude and devotion. The result IL
one Of his chief works. and a brilliant gem 10 the
crown Of sculpture. In this charming redundant
statute the artist has succeeded in transforming death
| into eweet perpetual sleep. by the side o The
Queen iies fine statue Of Frederick Wilhelm Ill
And thus il that royal family splenddly rewarded for
their kind patronage Of R genius who had stumbled
| into their meuial service.
| As an artist, Rauch was industrious and prolific
Between 1915 and 1924 period Of hardly ten years
he wrought in marble, with his own hands, seventy
busts, among which were about twenty OF colossal
| size. He has been everywhere lavish of his rIrh
gifts Busts OF Rafeal and Goethe, the popular STA
tuette of Goethe, the monumental group Q, Hermann
| FRANKIE, the monument Of Dnrer, at Nuremberg
| statues of the old Polish Kings, Mieczysar and
Boleslav, and those of Scharnhorst and Bulow, tbe
sides others already mentioned, still left unnamed
will furnish some idea Of the comprehensIveness OF
| his genius and the activity OF his life.
Raucll, witbal, was characterized by great fidelity
| to truth His statues are not heroes, with the orcl
nary defects of mankind exalted to an ideal grace
and dignity, suitable to representation OF CLASSIC
deies They rather transmit to postsr'ty hkenesses
| of the they immortaii1s. You look upon the
! statues of Frederic the Great and Louise, and go
away feeling that you have seen them and not An ar
fists substitute. He has most succe sstully made the
transition from The ideal antique style to the real mo
| dern.
ltis last WORK presents he s'fons .sf" "
his genius HE hand seemed ambitious TO try once
! more before the sun went down, it's power to group
And his mind, az if impressed with foreshadowing
of bis departure from time, turned naturally and
gracefully to Scripture history for subject The
subject upon which his maturest skill was to be eyer
cissd was the great Lawgiver of the Hebrews. With
this has he finished his long and successful career
has left the world creations worthy Of his graceful
art; has written another great name for hs country,
and now rests from bis labors. SAXON.
MR. DOUGLAS IMPROMPTU SPEECH.
Mr.. Douglas was compmentsd. with ssrensds
upon his arrival at the Girard House IN Philadelphia
on Thursday night last In response TO loud calls: be
made he appearance, snd stated the broad principles
of the Constitution upon which his conduct, as re-
CARDS the Kansas question, had been based. He
Al. L. of h. ,n.tt.