Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-01-07
Picture of nn Artint,n stndIo.


artists studio, that mysterious place whence
issue those forms Of immortal beauty that
never entered there rising, even as 'Venus"
from the troubled sea, out of the confusion
Of the place. Here is the sketch of pictorial
chaos, whence every one, so highly privileged
as TO be admitted 10 such place, can easily
derive the familiar features wherewith 10
construct the studio as he has seen it,
1t was large and lofty room, lighted by a
sky-lightl and running along the side of the
house throughout its whole depth. The
walls were covered with plain brown paper,
the floor was carpeted in the middle. In
each of the four corners broad wooden shelves
were fixed, on which all sorts of objects,
great and small, were crowded in compact
masses, without the slightest attempt at
order or arrangement. Plaster casts mus.
tered strong in all varieties on these shelves
and were set together any how, with the
most whimsical disreg ard of the persons,
positions and periods which they represented
Thus, in one corner, DR.. johnson appeared
to be gazing down, steadfastly libertine,
upon the bosom of the "Venus de Medici;"
who, in her turn, looked boldly across the
lexicographers nose at Napoleon Bonaparte
In another corner the Fighting Gladiator"
straddled over Eve at the Fountain" to
assault the good humored features of "Sir
Walter Scott" Dusty little vials of oils and
yarnish, gallipots, bundles of old brushes
bits of painting rag, Jumps of whiting, dry
knobs Of sponge, tattered books tangled
balls of string. hard putty, an old hsur-
glass, broken hyacinth bottles, filed up,
with dozens of similar items, the interstices
between the casts, and connected the remo-
val of any one thing that was wanted from
the shelves, with the invariable catastrophe
OF knocking down eight or ten things that
were not.
Frameless pictures in every stage of in
mpleteness, sketches of all sizes, and prints.
ancient and modern, decorated the walls
in just such hap-hazard way as the casts
decorated the shelves. The pictures hung
awry, for the most part by single strings de-
pending from nails dotted about at various
elevations. The sketches and prints were
knocked up any how with tacks, in any
places where there was room for them.
The larger works of art comprised, of
course, representations of an Italian peasant
woman decorated for fiesta; of brown
complexioned patriarch with large white
beard; OF a rocky landscape with stream aud
cascade of picturesque beggar boy, grin
ming aud holding out his hand (uot finished)
for halfpenny; of female head looking
up, and of a dogs head looking down.
Also, there were two small copies from Ru-
bens, and one large copy from Titan there
was print from Raphael, print from Ho.
garth, print from Teniers, among the dozens
of engravings stuck against the walls. Over
the fireplace hung a rusty breastplate. a
dagger, and piece of medieval plate; aud
all round the skirting- board at irregular
intervals, were placed piles of dirty old can
vases, three or four deep, with their faces
turGed to the wall. 70
The most striking articles of furniture in
the studio were two large easels placed at
either extremity Of the room each support,
over for the present with pair of sheets
which looked wofully in want of washing
There was painting stand with quantities
of shallow little drawers, some too full TO
open, others again too full to shut; there
was movable platform to put sitters on,
covered with red cloth, much disguised in
dust; there was n small square table of new
DEAL and large round table of dilapidated
rose wood, both laden with sketch. books,
portfolios, dog cared sheets of drawing paper,
tin pots scattered brushes, palette-knives,
rags yariously defled by paint and oil, PEN
ellis, chalks,, port crayons-the whole smell
ing powerfully at all points of turpentine.
Finally there were chairs in plenty, no
one of which, however, at all resembed the
other In one corner stood a mody an
tique chair with high back, and basin of
ulrty water on the seat. BY the side OF the
fireplace a cheap straw chair of the beehive
pattern was tilted over against a dining
room chair, with horsehair cushion. Be-
fore the largest of the two pictures, and
hard by portable flight of steps, stood a
rickety office stool. On the platform for
sitters modern easy chair, with the cover
il tatters, invited all models to picturesque
repose.
All the surplus small articles which
shelves, tables audachairs were unable to
accommodate, reposed in comfortable con-
fusion on the floor. A shirt collar, three
gloves, boot, shoe, and half slipper, a
silk stocking and a pair of worsted muf.
fetees, three old play bills rolled into a ball,
apencil case, paper knife, tooth. powder
box without a lid, and superannuated
black beetle trap turned bottom upward,
assisted in forming part of the heterogen-
eous collection of rubbish strewed about
the studio floor. ....'. .