The New York herald., 1871-01-04
THE sHAKsPgAXG MONUMENT.

Description of Mr.. Wards Cast-Prohable
speedy Completion o. tho Work.
Inc long talked 0f monument to be erected in
Central Park IN honor OF the greatest name In.
English literature he's, at length, advanced another
stage, and there quite promising indications that
few more months Will bring round It's formal
inauguration. Mr.. J. A. Ward. alter eighteen
months OF thoughtful ii not continuous, labor, has
completed the plaster cast, aud nothing now re-
mains but to mould 1t into bronze. For few days,
while the plaster hardels, the cast exhibition
at Mr. Wards studio In Forynin street; but II will
not be allowed to stay Idle long, as the bronze 1gure
Is, II possible, to be finished by April
The figure Is OF colossal pro g0ruoas 1t rs chiefly
based, far the contour vi the ac Is concerned
upon what Is known IS the SlrIEcrd Dust-the bust
placed almost immediately alter tne poets death
above his TOMB, ANA gen rally accepted py those,
VINO had been his fellow p4aJe.S Aad Iis friends as
TRUTHFUL iaAGE
oil his personal appearance. All Tie other pictures
and casts o. shakespeare eXtalt, .her autneplic
or douOtiuiy SO. or avo"ediy purely tmaaina-
tive, lave, however, D.ea Consulted. ana
wnen the geaeral agreement VI ali OF these
works Is cOnsidcel-oi ALL Lnt Is, which truthfuliy
or otherwise claim to ue actual copies The living
man 1t seems pretty CERTAIN lnat fair, If mol an
exact ana pnotosrapnc, lkeuess Of the noDlesi
English bard remains With us. IrAe, many features
and lines must always We dodDS.ui. Ii we elect To
believe one painting We resign ourselves 10 endur-
Ing cneekS VI a p unpaess approaching Scnsuality,
wnile another Is almost lantern Jawel. In this
and III that again tie organ OF s.uei Is q tack,
strong prOtuJerance, WHOSE grOssness seems 10
strangely disturb our idea, of poetic pr0prlety One
Dust has smaii, poutlns .outn. that would well
become maiden VI seventeen, Wnie another has
nne, thil, intellectual lips, whose loartless hrmness
anu Caution Could scarcely dave belonged to a man
OF Snakspeares
AAnvsLLoUsLY SYMPATHETIC NATURE.
But these are Dut tribes, wnen remember how
greatly ali the pictures Au each other
III their genera chll acer Ia ;aly ali the head and
brow though varying sentiy Al bread III and hciCht
lhe Al aQau unvv
OF their lines and In cer.aln vague Dut palpable
suggestion OF intellectual power grace happily
mingled. Tnel, tOo. III Leary TIE eyes are fuli
and well rounded, the eyebrows decidedly arched,
tine nose slightly aqu line, and the ca,n tir D without
being sensual. ierhaps IL Is lvrLunate for the pur
poses oil arr mat cenan vagueness and d0ust and
lneXactitude should exist gard 10 the resi-. 1t
Is happy thing tnat we kuos liuch; 1t is still,
happier tnat We do not know mOre Nhlle the sub
stantal accuracy o. the sculptor's or the artists
work IS assured, q certain acghdul latitude
Is still allowed him. anl he can rise from
the study of the man as he exists all time IN his
works as one OF the most marveiousiy gifted OF the
sons OF men, to shape with ths pencll the chisel
his
IDEAL DREAM or NM
whom some have named "dlvlne."
Without venturlny AZ Jet upon criticism OF Mr
Wards work tnl. praise must at least be At once
awarded TO it-that 1t shows wonderful homo
geneousness ol conception Tie face, the neck, the
BODY, the hmDs en- the hands seem as the specta-
tor allows himself absorbed III the study OF the
that they are all harmonious paris OF common
wnole. Perhaps, inuecd, ere oAe hls vet taken im
the eutlre form, the hands ana feet large.
But this IL an unavoidable nrsG impression u
losSal hgure, NOS because tAey are In reality cut or
proportion, Dat because, probably, Ill our first i'm
pressions OF the rae. aad Dreelung OF our fellow
creatures We naturally no,ice nlsl the size OF their
gloves and the length uf tnegr feet And apply
the same process OF examination -unconsc i0lisly,
perhaps-to tns ''counterlet lesemDlincer Of me
human iOrm. In Mr. " atd lsule one could har ally
imagine "A part OF the BODY uluelently shaped Aud
the pose ls
SINGULARLY GRACEFUL:
the body firmly resting Oh one loot while the other
~ lightly raised; tae head Signify Duwed, though
Drooaing over some happy Suggestion VI graceful
wisdom, ana one arm uraWn up upon the breast.
win the hand holding a hal .-Opcned book. As 10
the face, there may. perhaps, Ue permissible
l1p just little too iOag and pionllnent-whiGh Is.
by the way, according 10 Lavater, sign OF rcvo-
lutlonary disposition, with wnicn Shakespeare was
certainly but fainty tainted: but the genera eA-
preston Of the face and head Is sadmraDe-tbought-
1ul yet not severe profoundly and yet graceful
and witty and sympathetic
Before closing, o few lines may be devoted to the
fitness OF the E.i4aDeth.an garb Tor artistic treat
ment. What a horrible tnils Statue OF Shaks-
peare would be II II were distorted and smotbcred
III modern attire But the siasncd doublet and the
trunk ana smaller slken hose, tie shapecss cloak,
the bucKed snOes, the loose wide rolling collar
notions OF poetic piopriety. Shakepeare's spirit
ought indeed 10 be profoundly thankful that 1t
'.priSoned IN Lie nesah at age men bele, ed
that clothes were something more than useful
protection against the weather. II, ike Us. II has
seen the h0rrlb failures that every attempt end
dignity and grace to the figures O men Of our own
time in the dress OF the period has proved.