The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-06-30
Statue Making.

among them, have occasionally, themselves,
hewn their statues straight out of the block
of marble, without going through the pre-
liminary courses of modelling in clay, and
casting in plaster; but this is very rarely
done, for in the first place, the work would
be too long for any artist who has any regard
for his time, and in the second, the hewing
Of the marble requires special practical ex-
perience, which makes Ii an art apart. A
sculptor would probably spoil hundred
blocks of marble, before making so much as
statuette foot high, were he to trust him
self only in the matter. Even Michael An
gelo, when he tried to dispense with the
"statuary," or practitioner" succeeded
only in making fragments of figures Not
being an adept in judging of the size of the
block he needed, he was constantly finding
that he had miscalculated, and that an arm,
leg, head must remain unfinished in con-
sequence.
The "statuary," who is often an artist of
great merit, and possessed of as much talent
in his way as the sculptor in his, sets the
masters model on platform, measures it and
places it side by side with block of marble
of the requisite height and breadth. This
done, he applies to the model an instrument
of mathematical precision, by which he OBJ
tains the detailed measure of every part and
angle of the statue. He then returns to the
marble, and roughly sketches on the outside
OF II by means OF points, sort OF outline of
the figure or group. Upon each of the spots
where he has marked point with a pencil,
a workman bores a hole with an awl, taking
great care, however, not to bore a fraction Of
an inch deeper than he is told. When the
" statuary" has inspected all the sides of the
block, and when the holes have all been
bored according to his directions, the
marble looks as though it had been rddled
by bullets. A second workman now appears
with chisel and hammer, to hew away the
fragments of marble between the different
holes, and along the pencil lines drawn as
guide marks. This work is more or less
easy, according as the attitude is simple or
'fanciful. II the figure be one of modern
parsonage, standing placidly with his arms
by his sides, attired in the clothes of our
day, and with nothing eccentric in the pos
ture OF his legs, the task offers no difficulties,
and may be iDtrusted to a very ordinary
workman; but if the subject be group, or
figure in an attitude-for instance, like that
of Ajax defying the lightning-the chisel can
not be intrusted to any but practiced hand,
and every blow of the hammer must be
struck with the greatest caution. The ap-
pearance presented by the marble when the
preparatory hewing has ended, is that of
some person or persons thickly wrapped up
in shroud. The outlines of head and body
can be vaguely detected under the white COW
the " statuary" himself has set to work with
his finer chisel and more delitate hand, that
a tangible form begins to emerge from the
hard mass. First the head, then the shoulders
and trunk, then the legs, and then the arms
and hands appear. The arms and hands, If
outstretched, are reserved to the last: If de-
taehed first from the block, the oscillations
caused by the chisel in hewing the other
parts Of the marble might shake and crack
ic a H..
and it is even usual to keep the arms, the
fingers, and other projecting parts of marble
statues continually supported by props of
wood until the moment when the work is
set upon its pedestal and uncovered.
When the statue is handed over again to
the sculptor, that he may give the final
touches to it, there sometimes remains
scarcely anything for him to DO. This is the
case when the statuary is, himself, first
rate artist, and can trust himself to initiate
to nicely, the slightest details of form and
expression in the plaster model But such
examples are rare; less because of the inca
pacity Of statuaries, than by reason of the
natural desire which every artist has, to term
mate in person the work he has conceived
and begun. The statue is usually returned
to the sculptor in a fialfinished state, the
fine touches which will constitute the special
beauty of the work yet remaining to be
done. The most delicate of tools are then
employed; slender chisels with the finest of
points; toy hammers, with scarcely a weight
to them; little graters that fit on, something
like thimbes, to the top of the forefinger.
And to polish the marble and smooth it,
tripoli, lead, chamois leather, sandpaper,
sponges steeped in oil, and the palm OF the
hand, are used. When the work represents
q naked figure, the amount of care needed
for the correct modelling of the limbs and
muscles is incoDceivable. Works like the
LAGOON, the Dying Gladiator, the Venus de
Medici, and the Apollo Belvedere, must have
cost the makers more trouble and anxiety
than any sum of money could repay. And
it is but common generosity on the part of
the critic, even when he pauses before what
be calls afaulty statue, to be very lenient in
his judgment Of it'll the Year Round.