Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-09-16

Splenulu gaHerleS OF falntlngS and Sculpture.
| the people are sprightly and polished and noted
for thrift. There is saying that when child
is sent to school they give him piece of bread
and half lemon for luncheon; his greedness
makes him eat the lemon first, and his teeth
being set on edge, he is obliged to leave the
bread which is thus spared for another meal.
Mendicancy is forbidden in Florence, the only
| exception being made In favor of the blind /
saw fewer beggars here than in any other large
Italian city Ivisited. | noticed among the
manufactures carried on, that Of linen, silk and
satin. There are also mosaic workshops, where
you can see the most beautiful specimens of this
inlaid work, as flowers, birds, &c. &c. There
are, at present, numerous studios all through
the city, occupied by artists of every class Of
merit. talent and genius. Copies of the best
to five hundred dollars, according to merit, the
frames Of the pictues being generally the best
part of the work. With the exception of
Rome, there is no other city in Italy that inter-
ested me so much as this fire old city of Flo
renee, with its beautiful location and surround
lngs 1t you view it from any of the neighbor-
ing hills, you will be compelled to experience a
sense of delight and admiration. It derives its
name from the abundance of flowers blossoming
in its fields and gardens 1t lies beneath that
soft Italian sun and glitters in all the pride of
its beauty-in all the loveliness of its graceful
eegance-in that sun-lit valley, through which
the waters of the Arno flow now as they flowed
in the old days Of Tuscan glory
Those wondrous fierce old times
OF Guelphs and Ghibellines.
1t would be almost impossible for me to tell
you about the magnificent palaces and those
extensive galleries that are filled with the finest
collections OF works of art in the world. In
one of these galleries (UfizD is the ''Venus
de Medici, with hundreds of other master
pieces of sculpture as we'll as some FIVE hun
dred choice, grand old paintings by celebrated
artists. Some of the palaces contain numerous
and immense libraries, with thousands of vol
umes of rich and rare books, where the student
and the man of letters may revel to their hearts
content ''over many quaint and curious vol
umes of forgotten lore" The churches aud
cathedrals are also very numerous there beiog
not less than ITO to the l2.0 900 houses. Cross
es are painted on the houses to protect them
from the dirt and the devil" Many of the
churches are fine specimens of architecture,
with very rich and elaborate ornamentation
aDd contributions Of art for their interiors -
There Is score or more of grand aad dim old
cathedrals that strikiDgly display the genius of
past age Some of them were great num-
ber Of years in being built, and often the work
begun by one artist witnessed his death and
was then continued by others. 10 many instan-
ces it was labor of love-" and the genius of
the builder needed no greater incentive for his
work than the inspiration of his subject and his
devotion to the cause it represented. The Du-
ONO (which contains the tombs Of the Medici
line of monarchs) is among the cathedrals to
Florence what st. Paul is to London or ST. Pc
ter's to Rome. 1t is most remarkable struc-
ture tor richness, magnifcence and lavish cost
fcr re pYt nd tho yrto tb
gems OF art. The foundation stone was laid in
1898 and it Is not yet completed, there being
much work to be done on the exterior of the
front, which is 70 be ike the rest of the exteri-
or-covered With white, black and green mar
ble There Is great amount of the most superb
mosaic work within Its splendid walls Its floor
is tesselated pavement Ia white, red and blue
marble. 1t certainly excited all my admiration
and love OF the beautiful. yet there is one
objection, which, while it may not detract any
thing from Its grandeur, is fault thai | find
with all the great calhedrals that have seen
in Europe-it is rather dark, owing to the
colors of the beautiful stained glass with which
they are adorned. The cupola is the finest
work Of the kind now extant. The entire de-
sign, both internal and external, cannot be sur
passed, and 1t greatly exceeds in height and
circumference that Of ST. Peters at Rome
Dear reader, will you allow me to recur to one
part of my subject very briefly, for I fear
that 1t would be quite sin of omission not to
make mention of one interesting fact while
speaking of the contents of the great Ufizi
galleries. [ refer to the splendid and extensive
display Of the far-famed "Gobeliu- tapestry"
with which the two sides of one of these gale
ries is entirely covered. This is a most liberal
and superb donation from the iustrious Medi-
ci family. This rich tapestry represents in the
most brilliant colors many interesting and many
historical scenes On Italian records, with all the
distinctness and truthfuness of the best oil
paintings. If GILES Gobelins, that celebrated
dyer in the reign of Francis |, who gave the
name to this species of tapestry, could step in
to life, he would be charmed to see, and he
would chuckle with delight as he gazed upon
such well-preserved and valuable array of
this peculiar and unique fabric. Now, patient
friends, fearing to tax you much longer, and
not desiring that this imperfect sketch should
become too prosy, you will draw long breath
Of relief and pleasure, when say that [ am
about concluding what l have told you in my
disconnected, rambling away, about the ''city
OF flowers and the treasures of art it contains.
May it be your good fortune, as it has been
mine, to see it in person, and you will not, you
can not, appreciate it more than
''OccULAR"