New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-20

DEATH OF GIOVANNI NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF AN ITALIAN sCULP-
TOR-PROCEEDINGs OF TIE ITALIAN PARLIA-
MENT.
FLORENCE, July 2, 1868.
Giovanni Bastianini is dead-was buried last night
ats. Mniato. The pOssessors of the famous Ben
iyieni bust may now say truly that no living
sculptor can produce its equal" Death has suddenly
terminated the controversy that has been raging for
the last SIX months between Paris and Florence. Is
it true of the dead, as Of the absent, that they are
always wrong Time will show The facts of the
case are worth recording for the benefit Of those
who have not followed Them especially for
lovers of the fine arts about 10 make the
grand tour" who NAV fall victims 10 the
cupidity Of NOvilos, Riyet d CO., whose name
is legion. At the Paris Industrial Exposition of 1853
b terra Gotta bust, marked in the catalogue as the
portrait Of jerome Beniyen attracted the attention
Of cOnuOl>seurs, who decided unanimously that il
was product Of the APth OF XVIII century, of the
epoch probably Of Lorenzo di CIedl VI. do NOvOs
the fortunate of the bust, sold it months
afteT the close Of the exhibition 10 NJ. le COmte
de Nieuwetkerke, the director of the Louvre
who in his turn sold 1t for the price at
which he had purchased il ll3,GOO fr.) TO the
Imperial Museum, where 10 now stands in
the Sale dc Ia Renaissance Toward the close OF 1861
1t came out that the bust was the portrait of an
old tObaccO-ToeT, who had sat day after day TO Clio
vanm Bastiauini obscure sculptor of FiesOle who
began his lie as stOne-bTeaker in the quarries
lector OF Tuscan antiquities had worked in Fedis
studio, and Tor the last ten years produced
busts land groups in marble and in terra
Gotta, for the FOTentine autiouarian NJ Treppa
The onst In question Btstlanini sold 10 Freppa
Tor $50 francs, aud freppa sold il 10
NJ de N0Nl0s Tor 200 francs on the condition.
hOWeEer that should II be resOd for larger sum he
eh99id snare inc piOhts. When the Partisan papers
puDiished The documents which prove Bastiauini 10
De the author OF the bust the faction NieuweTkeTke
nOvn0s q Co. denounced the whole as plot vowed
hot
oouiu produce one similar but declined 10 offer any
counter proofs OF It's authenticity origin. NJ. de
SS sG ga at INST pretended that NJ; FTeppa
.ae sofa 1t 70 him as antique. forgetting
.hat treppa holds letter from himself in which
tls@ latal words occur: hare cleaned de crass6
1D soaa He t Of old BeRireni cLich gOH sold me as
u . % hush mp the matter but Bastianns friends
S Soud not be sllenced; they proved that bust of
oasohaIola and OF Florentne singer believed until
.nVN WOiks OF the Fifteenth Century, were his, and
taat he had never made any attempt to palm them
as antiques, but had sold them for the insignificant
S ~ - u SV and 30 francs and to the credit
G n0 lld.an owners Of these busts who had bought
t neni lot 1900 and 5000 IT.. they at ayOwed
s 49, mistake, and recognized Bastianini as their
S ~eshhVI Al length it was umOred that NJ. de Nieu
neikefke had offered 10 900 for a bust which should
Bs.S eOnnoisseurs adludged equal TO Beniyien
tIs beh addressed letter to the Pqtrie declaring
l. ~ nc mo received 10 such offer but that should
De pneaue' he would do a bust as pendant 10
fhe LaD"enlyen, and Of the twelve Caesars into
H. 9al gam, on the condition that the money should
Tbe ubsICslted and an independent jury appointed
~ Sgw Declined 70 print the letter, but 1t APP
gsaied IN the Florentine papers and in The PaH Nal
st'n OF London. NJ le Comte dc Niewerkerke
simi nept pI0fund silence, refusing answer 20 the
lies question which would Lave solved ali difficult
hand II tDe Beniyieni bust did not issue from the
N u Bastlanini, whence came 1T II this
far E oe The bust nodded by Basuaninl
by N apppP, sold by him to Noyilos. and
ana LhoFhOs TO you, where is that bust
Iuean ugm came you by yOursp The poor sculptor
him IN as whose daily toll has hitherto scarcely kept
him ~ everywhere for model which should serve
now H. ~ Dst equal in style and workmanship 20 that
the Louvre, when he was'seized with tle Flor
irg y. plague, nitaro or military fever which str1
80, 9hre Oh the BRAIN carried him Off in three days
eaet ~ us grave lie buried all the hopes of pcH-
Tet'.i ~ Tue 3eniyeni bust, which will probably
frc""ohh ~ The Louvre, a standing monument OF
b,o,e1 unpyslnre and French vanity. IL Is but
tr. ., s'ats @Ai spsat the day IN the poor scnlp
for b.s1 sgsmlplug kAt castH ana preparations
low ~ n'h@siii UofaI Es was quiet, simple fell
1S Vns dssuS va u dol perfect bust Of Ga