, 1861-02-06


His uosc to spitc his face.
An American Patron Of Art.
Edmond Abont, in his Rome Of to-day"
thus hits off our couutrymen in the halls
foreign art:
It Is believed IN New York, in London, and
n Paris tbat the Roman painters md scutptors
.:re the first In tue world, o. in the time or Ra-
ph7eL
ar'ists, and rleiades Of manufacturers, who
live on the reputation Of theirancestors There
i1 not rich traveller who does not hold l1ms elf
hound TO bring away from Rome statne, some
pictures and portrait. The warlens Of our
southern pariEhes, If they have an order to
give for 4 statue, prefer to address themselves
10 a Roman eculpsor. The Americans, grown
rich by eommcrce or by bankruptcy, pnild
themselves Gsecian temple On the edge of
virgin fu;cst, and that the interior Of the house
1nsy bo in harmony with the exterior, they
cculc to Rome with all sails set; they nuke al
onset, purse in hand, upon all the atelierr, and
l,ser cT with them an assortment Of the objects
ofart.
Lad the pleasure to accompany gentle
iuan from Cincinnati In one of these surprls-
lug expeditions. He lad come to Rome to-
wards the end of the month ct April, and
couls; remain but three days It was not much;
nevertheless, lie found time to see the city il
,tetaiI, to buy some hundred pictures, and:. half
slozsn statues, to cit for his bust, and q lull
length portrait.
s'itis a favorable season." said he to me, Us
we left the hotel. stFrom the inquiries Lave
,nace, I gathcr that but little has been ordered
by Foreigners this winter; the stores Of the
:rtlsts are overloaded; painting has fallen
twcuty-iye per cent. since Last year. Marbles
are rlncr, it is said, but still The first figures
hare given why from ten to fifteen since the
first OF March. Conc on!'' he called to the
guide who was 10 accompany u.s. '.taEe me to
the best sculptor in Rome"
The re1ue lidn ct wal: to be twice told lie
was used to that sort of thing; and he knew
the way to The tive or SIX studios where they
give ths largest xratuitics. The carriage drew
lip before the sign OF celebrated dealtr i'll
marbles. Tie master was careless)y scratching
1t a little c:rthern figure willie Waiting for q
customer. lie rushedto meet us with Is much
caecrness IS The best Knight Of the yard.etick
ligent Glaace exchaue Ell with the faithful fellow
who delivered us into his hands.
Once he IL d taken possession Of ofourperaons,
be walked us through one, two, three, four five
successive apartments. He explained to us the
fubj.ct IF each Of his compositions, stopped us
before every statute That las 1ia ever cut in his
life, aud cited the ttalacs of all who had c!cr
ordered n copy. Such figure had been sold
TO twelve Strangers in succession, and tho model
WAS always there ready for ser,icc. Tney had
just finished copy, another was marked out,
another WaA uuder WHy. 1intCrrn!ly admired
the simplicity # cur French Artists, who Eel
The right in the work with the mnrble. The
Italians are moro knowing. When they give
yoa Psyche UT an Adonis for fifteen thousand
fr.ncs they reserve the sht to copy it n large
or In little, 70 long as there shall be any one
who will please to take 1t.
would have taken no:hicg from these e1e.
eant attliers even 1t 1t hna hcen offered me for
nothing. Tie bad taste Of the composition
| We'd with the triyiaIty Of the expree sion and
| weakness OF design Under the hands of forty
ski:iiul wor11n1cD, the 1narb1c had changed Into
hu,ter. My American, on the contrary, was
| In tcstasies. What most charmed him was aht
| purify cf the Carrara marbles white as the
best refined sugar; the fault!ess polish which
workman, arlned with the pierre du .Be77ln
gives to the precious material; it was the per
| ircIion with which the praetitionerhad chiselcG
th4 accessories; the cmb1ems, easy chairs
laces, feathers, books, thoe-buchlte, coat-5ut
tons The Italian N arble cutters havea decided
| superiority OVER all others In whatever doeI
| not belong to art.
They showed us antiques and modcrnt, my
tho1ogical figures, a tomb designed Tor !:
church in Rome, monument ordered by th'
republic Of Guatemala, collection Of busts
always mediocre, sometimes ridiculous, wlcr
the people Of every nation of Europe display
Cd lis tUupets, its plaits, its whlskere, its Ola
1nond necll,ccs, winding around scragggg,,
threats, its cravats mattenaticaliy kuotted br
ueath n false collar. Some Of them were
good deal like the masterpieces Of antiquity
they were even rather too much Ike them
Here paid my respects to tie arms Of th
Venus 0! the Capitol, there to the torso Of th
| Venus Of Milo, farther on, to The legs Of th
Veuu. dc Medict. The American honeht fou
| .i.urss Of women, to be delivered by the en-
| 0 July. It Was not done without Il little bal
| gsiniug. though he was pressed for time. Il
Wished to have his bust thrown in, but th
seller did not see it in the same light
II hare asked you not q crown too much, q
truly rs am great artist. What I gain fror
YOU Is very small matter; my profits Al
limited By condctition. I do but turn m
money, The working Of q new vein in th
quarry costs me the eyes out OF my head, for
take out my marble myself, 10 Us to get
without A.w. The boat which transports
| to Rene il my own. ! have 10 keep the hand
tho year round My workmen-l employ 70
| tv otthem-devour me alive; my rooms rel
, ! resent capital Of two hundred thousand fran.
the interest Of which adds to the gener
| expenses Of tho establishment And If yc
wish for your bust. which will certainly b.
| chrf r. scurTt, You must add three thQueaI
francs to the total Of the ordcE,"
The American suffered himself to be co
! WINGED. The patron mnae signal, md INN,
|. diately one Of hts pupils began the work 1
celected, among 1iy. or six buste, rough
= blocked ont beforehand, the one which no
! nearly resembled my companion. BE tot
some meas uremeuts with the compass, C.
away the forehead, diminished the nose, q
dea the moustache. brought out the whske'
/ After sittin" Of two hours, the outlines
/ tho work were complete.
"Returu to morrow" said the master; $
will myself iiuish the portrait By eddfng t
resemblance We eha1l mould .tormo1rl
evening, the next day finish up tue cast, .,
| The marble will be sent on board the ship wi
your goods the 3lst Jaly:"
We left immediately, the American claspi
tts hand Of the artist with sincere adm'ratit
VIVA. lattercd him more than all was to ha
! business with man who managed a lar
: capital. ..,
: he could mold the clay as we'll"