The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-22
A Minute and Circumstantial Account
Of the Cesnola Collection.
Statues, Statuettes Busts, Heads, Glass
ware, TeTa-Cottas, Jewels Intaglios
of Thirty Centuries Ago.
The Buried Treasures OF Eight Thousand
Cyprian TOmbs Revealed to the
Nineteenth Century.

y
Museum OF Art have been having an exceedingly
busy time OF 1t at the Douglas Mansion in West Four
teeRth street, opposite the unopenabe theatre. 1t
will be remembered that we referred to the Man
sion some months ago as the scene OF the unpackng
of the multtudinous cases containing the won
derful archaeological antiquities Hnearthed during
the past few years by General di Cesnola, the
United States Consul to Cyprus Surely treasures
OF any kind that ever arrived In any country were
guarded more jealousy from mortal eyes than
these OF Cyprus have been. The only wonder is
that the directors Of the Metropolitan Museum Of
Art did not insist on having phalanx
OF soldiers at the door OF the Douglas Man
sion, and put the entire establishment under
military rule. Every reporter who presumed to
show his visage at the gates or at the Threshold
proper has been persistently denied, and only a
remarkable union OF sagacity and selipossession
could have enabled any member Of a newspaper
star to gain admission and make due use OF the
opportunity. 1t was thought at first that the Gen.
eral would be able to arrange the antiquities and
have them ready for public inspection in few
weeks. Subsequent consideration proved that the
work could not entirely be accomplished before
next Autumn. The directors did wise thing In
Inducing General di Cesnoa to obtain further
leave Of absence from the duties of his Consulate
and to postpone his departure until August
WHAT is DOING.
General di Cesnola has been occupying the north
west room on the second nser OF the mansion. This
constituted his headquarters, and opens into num-
Der OF other apartments, the floors OF which have
been crowded with statuettes, busts, heads vases,
terra-cottas, Greek glass, cnamelled ware and all
the paraphernalia OF which the Cyprote collection
consists Here he had his desks books and memo
randa hence descended to the first floor and the
subterranean apartments to issue his commands
and see that they were ebeyed to the letter. Very
considerable has already been done. number OF
cases have been made and fitted into several rooms
On the first and second 1sors, east wing. The doors
Of the front and back rooms ON this wing have been
removed, the small staircase has been taken down,
the French windows leading into the conservatory
are to be threwn permanently open, and the con-
servatory itself has been stripped OF its flowers
and foliage. Similar changes have been made
throughout the we1 wing, and the entire first
door has thus been transformed into one immense
gallery, the various compartments Of which open
put OF each otner. The insides OF the cases
are lined with maroon-colored CLOTH and every
article in the collection land there are some ten
thousand In ALL Will be appropriately labelled pre-
viously 10 finding place In the catalogue. The
wings OF the Douglas Mansion are divided by q
very spacious hall, from the rear Of which wide
and handsome staircase ascends. We believe that
natural retlcence Of that silent gentleman justes
in having any belief whatever on the subjecD to
arrange the larger statues in rows each side OF
this entrance hail. Such procession would be i'm
posing, and we know OF no other building Of
the kind in this city so admirably adapted for
such q purpose. At present much is chaotic,
Cesnola and his assistants doing all the
work, and Mr.. John Taylor Johnston, President
5f the Metropolitan Museum, and the directors Of
that institution, bustling in and out with archao-
logical fervor, confirming the cdTte-oldnche they
have generously given to the General and cordially
reiterating that he mas only to say what he wants
and II shall be so ordered. Meanwhile reporters
rage and visitors imagine a vain thing. The front
door bell rings with the repeated caller, who is 10th
to take denial and would like to insist thread
ing the most secret penetralla Chests are being
Inpacked IN the very bowels OF the Mansion, and
their contents being taken up as tenderly and
lifted with as much care as though Hoods plaintive
advice In regard to the zone more unfortunatep
were peculiarly applicable to them. But the
moving spirit himself is inapproachable. General
Cesnola Is like invisible spider in the OF
an archaeological web. You ask for him, and he is
not. You send up your card and are desolated
with the information that he is too busy to you.
or II you do, by some miracle penetrate to his
sanctum, you find yourself confronted with mar
antiquity ever dug out OF Cyprus, and as full Of
non-commitasIa as the frogs buried alive for four
thousand years beneath the stones OF Troy.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE COLLECTION.
sense OF utter bewilderment comes ever one
who for the first time Views this wonderful collec-
ton. In bronze there are statuettes OF Osiris, a
hawk an archaic equestrian figure n woman with
Greek initials on the pedestal, Minerva and
Pomona There are bracelets, anklets, rings ser
pentine and plain, armets, hairpins a scarfpn
with warriors heas, mirrors and mirror cases
brooches and buckles, the strigl Tor scrapng the
Isa4I. min Ian.
ling instruments, vases, cups. tripods, wristbands
with remains OF the ink) shields, spear heads,
battle-axes, javehns, arrow neads, and hooks and
A fuller account Of the glassware win be found
further on. we here simply summarize the plates,
simple, futed and with handles; plain or colored.
lrdescent or incrusted; cups that are ribbed and
lridized; green and cylindrical white and Opaque;
TRANSPARENT wine cups, beted with blue spets;
bowls. wreathed with spiral threads; bowls OF dark
blue glass. irldized with emerald green and pur-
pie. There are bottles Of every concetv able size
and shape, some Of which have, around the ex-
terror lines that divide the liquid contents into four
or eight equal portions. There are unguentaries
with yellow spiral lines, and white lachrymatores
with delicate incrustations. There are amphorae
with yellow feather ornaments and sticks like
bishops odtons, heads, buttons, necklaces and
seals.
Among gems and stones the archaeological ran.
sacker Is presented with intaglios Of Minerva and
Castor and Pollux in cornelian; Abundance, with
her cornucopia, in carbunclc; Msrcary in red jas
per, Mars In garnet, heads In onyx and agate, and
armorial devices, with Greek legends in sapphire
and amethyst The rings are engraved with le-
gends, the palm, the yew, Hygeia and various tenn
plies. Earrings are dropped with grapes, melsns,
leaves, hearts, trianges chains and glass pendants
OF amphora ana Egyptian figures. Some are pc
culiarly elegant In design, the tops being set with
carbunces with pearl borders, and the drops In
the form OF triple fr cones. exquistey granulated
with minute beads Of gold. There are earrings rep
resenting Venus and Cupid, some In the shape OF
hoops, others like calves heads, and Others again,
finely graduated and terminating In wreathed fe-
male heads. Emerald necklaces abound, and alter
nate with necklaces OF gold links and comedian
beads. Amulets, with loops, are encountered III
the form OF . therm OF Pan, and made hollow
10 contain a small papyrus. Mortuary ornaments,
sacred spoons, statuettes and medalOns, brace
let's rings spoons and daggers are found in silver,
and cups plates, mirrors, shields, lances, tripods
and battle-axes In copper.
The contributions In marble. alabaster and stone