New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-15
I.Er1,ER FRoM PANS.
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Special Correspondence Of The New Orleans Crescent
400 asH PAINS, July 26, 1866.
,gHd EE MgsEE DU LOUVRE.
one u Che greatest attractions Of Paris, and one
Of, aot Tie greatest collection Of fne arts in the
werid, il the gallery Of the Louvre. To do it jus
tiees indeed even to take partially coDaprehen.
sfye view 0f its beauties, one should devote D
week 10 us examination, and il will amply repay
apy trouble taken to see III To see it as it should
be seem it ought to be visited story by story sec.
lion b. section. Guriosities Of antiquity should
not BE- Enthusiastically mingled in the mind with
productions Of modem times The wonders 81
aneisnt sculpture should not be thrown pen mel
With thoughts ii modern paipting ~ But work 81
work each one chef d'guvre. In Itself these
produetiopsof The finest masters, beth 81 this be
Rod ana of by-gone daya should be considered
infinitely and enjoyed as one Of the rare sights d
alife time. 4 was able only to see this heautifu
proof Of nanls genius twice; one visit was dc
voted to the paintings, the other to the works d
Sculpture, and unfortunately both these visits wert
made at rather late hour, and allowed only ]
hurried glance At the productions which ii had re-
4uired centuries past to mature.
The Museum itself occupies the outside Of al
innense rectangle, separated bya line Of build
iHgs into two parts end of which Is the Palace
Of tho Tuileries. Passing into this vast pile Of
stone and mortar, itself a grand specimen of
architecture, and by the two or three sentinels
posted at each door-for in France every public
place is guarded-we enter, up fight of marble
steps, the department Of ancient antiquities,
where are seen Egyptian works of art from the
small ornament to the immense centaur, occupy
ing The whole space from door to ceiling. Here
We behold objects that figured in Dayid's time T;
rings that perhaps graeed the fingers Of Rebecea
the yeritable cup that Joseph put into the return
iag sack Of benjamin. OF mummies and sarco-
phagi there are NOT few here the remains 1t
may be, Of one of the workmen Of the pyramids !;
there those embalmed lips may have been nour-
ished BY the mama and quais; those eyes may
have looked On burning sanai: those ears NAV
have heerd the awful voice Of the Eternal. who
isit has said speaking Of a mummy, perhaps he
doaed the cap to let Queen Dido pass. Here il
come statnary done before the chisel had attained
ifs present degree OF excellence and there d
creature of stone, intended rather, should sun
pose, torspresent sphinx, than a mortak There
IS one white marble vase, seven feet in diameter
THAI attracted my attention as being one Of the
hsadsomest things Of the kind 4 had ever seen
The Surface was smoother than glass; and the pol
ish 80 brightas to seem to stand out. Passing into
Che next room, we find collection Of articles ap.
pertaining mostly to Napoleon I, butsome Of them
rsiatirg 20 diaerent persons and shfngs Among
others there is saddle. very handsome, and beau
tiiully embossed with gold, given him while in
Egypt; his country writing desk, made of plain
mahogany, unvaynished and hia campaigning
bed, which one certainly would not take to be that
QfAn emperor whose mandates shook the world
and atwhose advance thrones crulnbled into dust'
It Is nothing but an old red cloth, whose ragged
threadbare appearance tells OF long and severe
use, spread over q g soft board Of eoncave form.
three feet wide, and inclosed by a common red
cloth curtain. IN the same eha1abef isa slipper
belonging to Marie Antoinette. whose beautiful
shape, pointed toe and exceedingly small size, {
Chinese woman might envy, and many an Ameri
can lady would be glad to show such an under
standing. On ths opposite side of the apartment
the sword Of cbarlemagne, with which he diss
psted the power Of his enemies, and the scepter
whose rule was the first serious dawn Of ciyiliza-
ton II Francs, during that period when college.
were founded, the fine arts encouraged ana hjs
people raised ia the scale.of nations; whose be
nignhns reign gained forhim the title Of the aWise
ana Good IN the case next to it are some rag
ments taken from the tomb Of Ghidreo. ana buried
with him in 4sl--ihe half Of an antiouated s,yort
scabbard, hall broken golden ay, 4 rusty daege
blade, and what time and corrosion have left 81 n
old atehet.head Aster this room follow i Ion,
suite Of chambers, containing the works and curl
osItss otlong forgotten times the ceiling III eac
most beautifully decorated By life size paintings
from the brushes Of the greatest Of modern mas
teTssof themselves worth going to see In thes
paintings forms Of fairy grace seem t
dost before us, whose loyelineas Of feature
9aptleas outline, clear, beautiful skn and radiant
jsyfnl expression tell they are but Just ffor
heaven, where peace ana holiness reign supreme
-oue design shows the two exhemes, Paradise an
Hell. Here, the delightful atmosphere and pleas
ant blue sky in the distance. appear made for Ii
masehiess angel forms. whose dwelling place
-; there; the indisiinet, fearful outlines Of Chs
place d torment, whose black, larid smoke roll
upwards in clouds stepping fEcm its midst is tn
hideoas iAlinical angel OF darkness, whose devil
iaa features ass grihning with aardouic hate, as
attempts e snatch from protecting spirit til
person Of some poor mortal Who has escaped Iii
dominion Of evil, and found refuge with the en-
miles Of sin.