, 1874-12-20
FOURTEEN PATRON-SAlNTS.
Translated far The Chicago Tribune from the Ger
man Gf FfLhet;l ueinr1ch Bieht.

Translated for The Chicago Tribune from the Ger
7nGn q FiLbetst Heinrich BiehL.
"canrad Lenz,-born 15is,. died about 1890, pupil
Of Christopher Anaberger. distinguished for the warm
is:i saa saythoiesissi miniature. On tablets: liz
1t was printed about this way in the catalogue
Of G collection Of paintings which + cannot at
this moment recall. .. -4~:, .:.,-,.,
This remarkable man used to say " Painting
would bo the most beautiful Of NIL arts.: if the
Fer ho painted willingly and well, but he would
only paint when ho felt like it, which happened
frequently but once week, never ofscacr than
that. To attain the promised completion Of 3
painting that had been ordered, WAS altogether
impossible to him. Had he promised to deliver
it by Christmas time, ho began st 7Yhitsuntido
Of the year before to lay the groundwork On the
wood. He never gru,nblel over this peculiar
characteristic, which evidently depended on tho
splenetic nature OF tho planet under which ho
was born, but always said: II hAvo learned to
paint; others must learn to WHIT"
The Ight-heartod artist counted but four-and-
twenty years when he received d great COM
mission. He WAS to represent On fourteen small
tablets tho fourteen Patron-Saints, = along with
appropriate scenes in. the background, taken
from tho legends associated with their Names
There was IN absolute condition, however, that
tho whole commission should be finished without
fail within YEARS. timo.-that il, st. Leon
nrd's Day, 1883. In TINT case, tho artist was to
receive the high price Of 100 golden guldens..
The Knight, Hans Won Ualtenburs, who had
ordered the tablets, had fallen into the hands Of
Tunis pirates in a journey he had made short
time before from Genoa to Naples, During his
imprisonment. he had bcsought tho help Of the
fourteen Patron-Saints, and promised every one
Of them beautiful portrait in tho chapel Of his
castle by St.. Leonards Day, 1888, it he should Go
released from prison within two months. Short
IL nfser he tegained his freedom, and ho lost no
time, after his return to Germany, in ordering
the pictures, imptessing upon the artist the i'm
portance Of completing them sharply on time,
that he might keep his word With the Saiuts.
Conrad Lenz throw himself into the work NTH
genuine enthusiasm. The three femnlo mon,-
bers of the holy circle-Saints Catherine, Mar
garet, and Barbara-wero painted NTH rush,
completed tablet every fortnight aud they
Tere wonderful successes. Then he rent to
work on Saints Pantaleon, Vitus, and Eastachius.
Now it went u little more tlovly; he consumed
threo weeks for each Saint, and painted back
wards End forwards, now on ono aud then on
another. ..
When he came to St. Blasius he went to work
afresh; but Pope Gregory progressed moro SLOW
through full two months on this picture. At
last he shut his teeth together, aud could be
heard mutter1ng over and over in his work
room ''lt must be done, it must be dono F."
With the desperation OF death he seized his
brush and pencil, made q final onslaught. end III
few days another Saint was polished of.
But the artist had grown almost eick from
sheer self-control. He had still Elk pictures be-
foro him. Six is indeed tho smnller hall OF four
teen, bat 1t appeared to him now colossal num-
bcr, about which ho did not dare think for fear
Of getting the bzain-feTor over it.
1t nas on this account that he carried the eight
completed paintings up INTO the loft: along with
the six empty tablets, that they might all be o.t
weeks as though there lad never boen . Patron
Saint in existence. :.,
The Knight. wl1o occasionally rode ovcr from
his cast1e to the city in order to watch tho
progress OF his paintings, discovered with horror
that the work had como to complete staulstill-
When no entered the studio Conrad Lenz Eat ut
his dulcimer playing d1nce-music; the easel was
entirely empty, and On tho marble slab where
the colors we're mixed the dust lay so thick that
you could have written your nanc thereon with
your finger.
"When play, an really painting in epirit;
the colors como OF theulEclyes afterwards" said
tho artist, and he Was astonielcd to find that the
old Knight WAS shocked and offended thereas.
Conrad begged him to listen to few galops and
ninue:s, aud assured h1m that his contracted
bso:r would then relax.
Another time Conrad wandered about in tho
forest the entire day, naileg away from the city.
He1e he encountered the Knight Won Haltonberg
with his hounds, under tho tir-treas. He might
have slipped away unobservea, but TINT novor
once occurred to him. Ho stopped up to tho old
gentleman very confidently, greeted him, and
said:
''Ton are hunting for deer; nm hunting for
Ferees they SWARM about in my head like 80
many bees, but seem determined to stay there.
have been wandering about since sunrise from
hedge to hedge, and compose the loyeliest OF
poems There's nowhere you can poctizo SO
rell as in the woods.''
The Knight asked if one could also paint best
n the woods.
:. paint!" exclaimed the artist in surprise.
. Why, the painting comes along naturally after,
and then goes much the better"
But the knight Won Haltcnburg waa not sat |
,ru1. looked with his little brown eyes pierc~ |
ugly into his face ns it ha would geo him !
through End through; then he portrayed to tho |
trtist the frivolity through which he not only |
outraged bis employer, but, what was still worse,
nsulted the Saints.
''And do you think the old gentleman con-
'uded, @that an nrtiet docs not once in while
equire the assistance OF tho fourteen Patron !
'aints? They mny abandon 5ou some day as
.ou abandon me- now.' l
The artist first looked at tho old Knight
nth bis .g1eat blue eyes as innoccntly
8 child then ho grew purple, red in
ho face, dropped his eyes, aad exclaimed:
By heavens, you are right. It is horrible
bis chain Of evil tlas ! an throwing about
o reeumo his work that very same day, and
e Eushed back home, that no might stand be-
GRO his eaael an hour beforo sunset.
II.
Il was genuine pleasure to ece how Conrad
.enz painted now his brusl, few over the pic
ures indc:atigab]y from early till late: In
ow days Saint Nicholas was ready for tho
arnish Saint Erasmus was painted III; Saint
5gidius Was outlined and Saint George horri-
u encircled with his dragon.
a wonderfully beautiful summer morning
ni1ed through the window, and the sun threw
olden light upon the opposite roofs If it did not
nd it's uar into the work-room: for the studio
course had north light. Tho artist placed,
ow singing now whistling, bright red-a very
nhor I'm ,nn4fa nFA An7r Trnr |