, 1866-01-22
American Artists In F1oreure,

dnip804 HAV AATs. Cteu 1orSlMQ&I IN ClcAtlH@
respect fog US In Europe-our American
sculptors ri ijcut IN Italy. Nothing Is moro
certain to stfr national pride In the heart Of
American tourists n the Old World, than to
notice The csttem IN which our natiYo-born
artists are held BY I'll patrons Of art, crowned
heads as we'll as thoss oi weal:hy plebeans
bending in the tribrts. This is no short
uveds triumph, soon won and scoa to fade.
It l. Thirty years since =
HIRAM POWERS '':.::'1
established his studio In Florence. Such
succaes a. his could only be Of slow growth,
from The first star, Of tho young ad7enturer
} to, The time when his ateliers occupy sulte
after suite Of rooms In the old convent In the
Via di Serrng1i, and large operative force
OF the best ald1lcd workmcu in the world arc
busy ut MI times in rendering In enduring
marble the ideas of the great master. Abund-
ant commissions ut the highest prices, with
highest bidders from Ill parts Of Europe
competing Tor his works as soon as finished,
have established Powers on the sunny side Of
arts high places. The great artist Is
thoroughly American, and hes given some of
hts best efforts to the perpetuAtlon Of subjects
drawn from his native land, IN portraiture or
ideal. The great model of America~-wblch
was rejected ns, national work by Poor
Pierce, because 1t was only abolition pro-
phecy, and not the realized history for the
Eenlus, Of America 10 trample On broken
cha1n-shonld now be adopted Is national
work, for In enduring marble it would tell of
the Two struggles Of our country, revolution
and rebellion, from which indeed our freedom
has rome forth in shining e1n1tation, with
the fetters cast beneath her feet.
Recent visitors to Powers, studio, the
writer referred to among them, declare him
engaged on his most perfect work of its class,-
the sweetest female face he has ever moulded,
anew ideal Of the Transformation Of C!ytic,
changed to q suutlower On her lcsertion by
Apollo. Powers has son, Longworth Pow
ers, one Of the first photographers Of Italy,
who Is doing for his fathers immortal works
what has been done with the Palmer marbles
in this country, aud these Powers photographs
OF art nre attracting great attention, and Gag
erly brought away By Amcsican vlaitors In
Florence. y
THE STUDIO or HART
Is nlso prominent among American artist
bones In the same city. Much Of his time
has been given to portrait etatuary- Ills
+ Henry Clay, Jackson, Chief Jusdce Marshall,
and many other busts and statues Of eminent
Americans have alled his time, mud given
him something more substantial than fame
On this basis Of thirty years. success, Hart Is
turning his attention to ideal subjects, and
promises the best results from Ills rIpcncl
ecnius. 4 group now in the clay, under his
hands, is already nttracting great attention.
It Is a composition Of chubby figure, the ac-
copied Cupid, aud one Of The loyt1iest female
forms ever given in statuary. The ideal er-
pressed is that virtue To be won must be ad-
dressed through mind and sonl, and not as
sailed By force. American sculptors and art
lovers of high authority pronounce this group
the best of Its class nov in progress In all the
ntelIcrs Of Europe, and It will make sensa-
lion in the art world 1t Is to be prt into
marble nud sent to this country
MASSACHUSETTS ARTIST.
Thomas Ball, Of Boston, Is also among tho
American Florcntines. His statuctte Of 1.iu-
coin freeing thc slave is nearly completed,
At the foot Of the martyr President kneels
the freedman with the symbolic liberty cap
!. on his head, while the outstretchea arm and
bcnisnant expression OF the 1ibcrutor spcak
bcpeillction and Go1-specd. The work will
be put into bronze on completion. The Bos-
ton friends Of Edwin Forrest have commits
stoned Ball for statuc in heroic size Of tho
great American actor. It Is to be Id classic,
Corolanus style. This statue md that oi
! Everett, with the memorial group Of Lincoln,
Mir. Bnu will bring to the United States next
year.
JACKsoS's STUDIO.
| The New York nrttst, jackson, Is Florence
| neicbbor of The Last named. His "Culprst
|. Fay" t.Dawn," sEye and Abel" belong IL
class Of Ideal works, In which be shows
| great genius, aud u III be likely to win endur.
| ing famc. BE has quite run In the por,
traiture line, though nothing is more venture.
| some than for humanity In the common walk
| to End no better reason for rushing into
! marble than the possession OF mcans to buy
bust. It is the poorest form Of cucouraso
| mcnt 10 art for unknown men an women, ,whC
Will be fo,gotton years betora their me1an'
chuly and nanclcss bubts cease 10 wander ID
attics and ont Of the way places OF homes and
| auction rooms.
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN SCULPTOR
The Vermont sculptor l.. Z. Meade, tht
Green Mountain boy, who one lay set hl
.cnius atloat before tho people lof BrattIc
bnro In . snow image built overnight n
the crossroads, has made great progress
and achieved high place In the world o
art since that time. Some Of bis bast reccn
ideals have been drawn from tbs war fo
the CnIon. Ills "Returned Soldier " Is
group marvellous In e1presslyrness aut
beauty, while his "Dancing Contrnband' Il
| a wonderful perpetuntiou of feature o
Southern home llfc. Mr.. Neade's most pre-
tentious work ia bis design tor q Liucolt
Monument All these rorks arc on thct
~ny to New York, where Mr.. 1Ieade's las
named design will be very likely soon Il
find q commission. It il thus described:
-.Hc proposes to ptace the monument On c1rcula1
mound or elevation. ten feet n height. The bas.
to bc Of IN octa2oual fotm twelve feet n height
| From four alternate corners OF the oc1ason ba*s
project pcdeeta1s, upon which aie placed ion
sule csaaS md al eaIer,n D. III ss1oas nat
u:al positions Of ae.ion. On the top Of the step
stand four Etngle fcurss. Representing the drum
lie Engineer cops. in the fou altesnaat,
faces Of the Vc.agon there are four b1ss
rrlnos, tao representing Interesting point, IN To-
ssa e e. ase r. tso 2:s
becn completed: From opt Tho octason bass 1ixe
bcau11lul coEfnthtan eo1uma, p1re and simple
supporting upon Il. eapsta1 the colossal dgnre q
Abraham Lineotn, G1mm.ndsr,in-eh!et !. Of 'hs Al
ibs PrcsdeGt c esi IN Il. supie co.tnme a. In III
act Of SIGNING hts historic emancipation proel1na
,,on; @ h, ferre + suppened by ths America
md well conceived. The entire monument Is to b
ons hnodFea re- re- heaght a1a 'ne r. atshnestnIn
bs.s srlicis are to be d mafble Or ernsite.H 49,
The last. and not under the circumstance
the least worthy to be named in this calsx,
of American nafnes WIN are representinr ao'
adding to American art In Florence, is
| :- TIE SOLDIER SCULPTOR,
the army Of the Union, and still sutere
I er,,n arnoen-n Il, ca,r0 and fe11 md ,rfz.r