Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-06-02
SELECTED STORY.
THE PAINTER OF NUREMBERG.
BY MISS X A. MATHEW.

Who has not heard of Nuremberg, the
quaint old Bavarian city Of the middle ages,
| which, even in these days of railroads and
new inventions, still retains its oldworld
customs. and its medieval beauty There
the moonlight still sleeps in dim, narrow
streets, where every house is pictured
spleudor of the carver's art where grim
faced gurgoyles peep from gable ends .
where dormer windows with diamond panes
let faint soft radiance Of light creep
through to the oak panneled rooms within !;
where the slender spires Of the churches
pierce the blue air, with their delicate trace
~ almost untouched by the hand Of time
and the Nuremberg Of to-day is scarcely diff
ferent from the Nuremberg of 1471.
In that year was born genius, who be-
| longs not long to Nuremberg, not alone to
the Fatherland, but to the World, Albrecht
Durer. Albrecht was the youngest son,
wayward and impulsive petted by his
mother, ruled severely by his father, he
grew up bright boy, and all Nuremberg
said che will be great man Joseph Durer
is the father Of a genius" But Joseph
Durer did not believe this. The boy has
no application" said he che will never
do as well as his brothers have done" Now
these brothers had been placed, the one at
the Court of the Eleetor of Bavaria, and
the other at that of the Grand Duke of SAKE
Weimar, where they had risen to high hon
ors and to the titles of Count and Baron.
"Albrecht," said Joseph Durer. 'fyou
| . ,,l,,o,cr,;th an, y Aud A
brecht complained and begged for crayons,
pencils and canvas. IL would rather be an
artist" said he.
But Joseph insisted and Albrecht obey
ed, and in early mornings, when all the
rest of the Durer household were asleep,
young Albrecht stole away to the house of
bis friend Hapse Martin, the painter, and
under his care learned to draw from the an
tique, and laid the foundation Of an artists
education. Joseph .Durer found out and
forbid these visits upon that Albrecht ran
away, and was heard of no more by the NJ
rembergers for long years. By-and by the
young sister Of Albrecht was married to a
rich merchant of Lubbock, and Frau Durer
cried and said "They are all gone now,
even my Albrecht AMI my Lottchen"
Times passed One day group of citi-
zens we're gathered around the town house
Of Nuremberg reading notice affixed to
one Of the pillars, and which ran as follows:
sBe it known unto all citizens of NJ
remberg, that I, Joseph Durer, silversmith
of this city, do Intend to make a general
sale of all my rich goods and wares, this
evening at four Of the clock in my shop in
the Clock Place.
TSienedl JOSEPH DURER"
"Ha p said bystander, "what is this
The rich silversmith Durer about to sell his
wonderful works at auction What hath
brought him to this p
"You do not know, good sir" said g
stout burgher, "that Joseph Durer hao
married his daughter to merchant of Lu
beck, who was thought to be immensely
rich but this unworthy son-in-law has
gone off we know not where, leaving biz
wife and young children unprovided for
and many heavy sums of money unpaid.
"And so it is to repair these misfortunei
that Durer parts with his treasures HI
must he good man and wise one /, bu
has he no sons who could aid their father?'
t HE has three sons,' replied the bur
CHER, "but the two elder are nothing bu
court lacqueys. They have forgotten thei
old father and as for Albrecht, poor fel
t low no one knows whether be got killed il
wars or whether he is alive yet"
At this moment the great bell tollet
four; and the public crier stood in tn
Clock Place and cried--"Oyez! Oyez
Oyer The sale is about to beg lin p and a
he rang his bell and repeated his formula
the crowd of citizens. idlers and uirtnos
gathered into the silversmith's shop. TIL
golden and silver plates, dishes, ewers ant
pitchers were first displayed and disposed Of
and so long as the auctioneer was sellin!
such ordinary articles ofhis trade, the poo
silversmith kept in the background ant
bore his trial quietly But presently the.
began to put up the choicest treasures Of hi
| art.
) "a golden casket? 2" cried the auction
ecr "a marvel of beauty Exquisitely dec
: Grated with scenes from the Iliad HOY
much for this golden casket ~
The bidding went on. A stranger bough
it.
''Six small silver statutes from the An
| tioue." cried the auctioneer.
ga thousand ducats," said rich bur
CHER.
IA thousand and fifty!'' cried the bur
gomaster.
"One thousand one hundred" said tn,
stranger. 80,
utes were declared his Again and agail
the choice masterpieces were put up, ant
again and again the stranger out-bid tn
richest man in the crowd. At length al
were sold, and the moment was approaching
when the works over which the old man hat
toiled for many long year were to be car