Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-04-09

FLorIScE.-
Florence is justly celebrated as n great
centre--I should think deservedly considered
the greatest centre-of the highest art Its
two great public galleries seem to me on the
whole to surpass those of Rome and Naples,
although those of Rome taken together arc
much more numerous. As galleries of sculp-
turc and painting, those of Florence are
large enough, and have a larger proportion
of works OF unqucstioncd excellence Of the
highest order. They are contained in the
Cfizi, building originally erected for the
public offices of the government and now
containing many of them, including the
Mint. and in the Pitt Palace, the great pub
lie Palace Of tho Grand Duke The apart
ments devoted to art are some twenty feet
high, and if you suppose the walls Of all the
apartments extended in one unbroken line,
they would extend about one mile and a
half In the two main galleries of the IF
fiji, each about 430 feet long, the paintings
are arranged chronologically from the carli-
est productions to the most celebrated of the
old Notwithstanding an exceedingly inter-
esting study to trace the progress of art
through all the stages of its rise and pcrfec-
ton. The variety of works of many of
the masters enables you also to trace their
Individual progress, while the number of
masters whose works ardhere brought togeth-
or is 80 great that you have spread out before
you almost the art Of the world Then in
smaller apartments are smaller and even more
select collections The celebrated Tribune
for instance, which is small octagon room
of about % feet diameter, but constructed
and lighted in the most perfect manner for
the exhibition of works OF art, contains a
wealth Of art in compass so small as to re-
mind you Of a casket of precious stones-n.
deed, the room was built originally, $50
years ago, for precious curiosities. medals
and gems. The pavement is of marble and
the cupola is nlaid and incrusted with moth
or of pearl. Itcontains FIVE works Of sculp.
ture-tho Venus de Med,cis, of which YOU
can only say that among all the statues Of
Venus, it holds the same place and power
which Venus herself did among the fair in
habtants of the pagan Heaven the Apol
hnO, or the little Apollo, male statue Of
similar merit, and by the same artst-Cleo-
mcnes of Athens-the Dancing Faun, The
WrestIrs and the Sloue uhetting has knife -
five statues which would make a reputation
,)?or any gallery of art. Besides these statues
on their pedestals, in this room are tho finest
specimens of paintings by Michael Angelo,
Raphael, Titan, Paul Veronese, Annibal
Carracti, Slagnoletto, Guercino, Fra Bartolo-
mco, Daniel dc Vol'erra, Andrea del Sarto,
Albert Durer, Andrea Montegna,
Pietro Perugino, Luini, Correggio, Parmi
giano, Guido, Domenichino, Van Dyck, Bar
roccio, Giulio Romano, Schdonc, Rubens,
Lanfrance, Luc de IIolland-scvcral spcci-
mems Of some Of them What an array Of
artistic genius and celebrity What an OPP
portunity only necessary to turn upon
your heel, to compare them all with each
other, and to discover, if possible, where was
the hiding Of their power Having gone
through the Ufhzzii, you are hardly prepared
to expect another such display in the Pitt
Palace; yet there they are, as a whole col
lection, finer than the other-50O in all, and
not bad picture among them, and hardly
famous artist not represented by at least one
specimen Besides these great galleries, there
are, in the private palaces Of the city, many
smaller valuable collections, but we did not
care to visit any of them, Wedid, however,
Visit the Academy of Fine Arts, where there
is collection Of great merit, especially for
the purposes Of study. We went there prin-
cipally, however, to see the collection of
prize paintings by modern artists-many of
which seemed to me to be works Of very
high order Of merit.
Another great attraction of Florence is its
extensive Museum of Natural History, and its
wonderful Anatomical Museum-both in the
same building. Inever was moro struck with
admiration than by the variety and the abso-
Lutte perfection 80 it seemed to me,) Of this
great collection of preparations Of morbid
and normal anatomy-models in wax, more
like nature than nature herself
Although much pressed for time. we
did not fail to call at the Studio of Pow
ers, who has done so much for us Gamer
ica,) in the way of reputation as a sculp-
tor, His frank democratic manner was exceed
ingly acceptable to US, and we looked at al
his works there We had not time to study
them as he showed US through his studio.
The statue Of Washington was well under
way, (since finished } and that Of Webster was
in progress. Tho cast from his face after
death was there, could SEQ that il was like
him but his face was lean, eye-sunkcn and
bony, and could not help feeling that there
was slight look of disappointment and dis
Quantum mutatut ali lilo
IIectore, qui sedt eIuvia, indutus Ashili,
when he came from his triumph over
IIayne, where single handed he had driven
back the combined forces ofSlavery, disunion
and qualification, a triumph Of eloquenee and
patriotism beyond all Greek or Roman fame
If on the eth of March 1850, in the same
spirit with the same arms and armor that he
had before proved, he had met the same de-
faint host and charged them again in the
name of the living God he would have achiev-
ed a noblcr triumph than before, and what
glory it would have shed upon the grave
where he now lies, moesAssous Hector, ater
eruento pulrere, through which unworthy and
troacherous politicians dragged him after
they politically destroyed him.
took look in uponthc Court Of Cessation
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