, 1874-03-29

drapery Ia the skin OF wild beast, falling owe
the thighs aid trailing carelesalg On the ground
| Behind him m iuapiah little Satyr ia delightedl
engaged in tying together around tha stump th'
long tail Of tie Faun aud the other end of the
the Might Of Michael Angelo: III,
sleeps: therefore he lives" Warm breati
| seems to issue from the parted ips
This il no marb1e-1ike repose,-ro cold cbstrac
tlon laboriously wrought In stone. The eyelids
close lightly oyer the cheeks. Tho forehead
rlexed the happy slumbeier. The head thro~r
| slightly back, The dropping hand which has jus,
let fall tie rustic pipes, the lanEuid disposition
Ct every limb, show the delicious abandon which
whose luxuriance tha slight 6llet restraints,
are instinct with tho wearer's life, ntd
| eeem to stir feintIy now and then IS the
! breath comes and goes. But the sleeper's ro-
| pose is too profound for him to be aware OF the
! inauisitive lizard who creepe below. or Of the
occupation Of the wicked little elf whose Arch
faoe is quiveripg with baby mirtb.
TILE WAXING FAUN
has caught the offender in the act, and Is rafn1Y
endeavoring to awe the culprit by the poor as-
sumption of anger in his happy, beautiful face.
The writer Of this article Vas 50 fortunate as
to spend some little time, in company with
two other American students, In Miss Hos
mefs studio, ut the time when the clay model
Of tlis statue in preparation, and be Will not
Boon forgot the kindneaH with which ahe graft
Aed our curiosity AZ to hor mode Of working, nor
the marvellous dexterlty OF her fingers as she
nodded the pliant clay, altering the saucy little
Satvr's expression rapidly from uproarious mirth
TO alarmed surprise, then to ieu.ure panitence,
and back ssnin to GAP impudsnoe aud hl!pus1;5
defiance. 10 have seen her go engaged !,ould
have beea to most people a sufficient G'sWer to
imputations such aH Mr. Healv'a, ior no person
gifted with such sklll would willingly OF neces-
saraly rely upon that OF otAera.
There is also her
CHARMING FouSTAIN,
where the beautiful Siren sits on her lofty Pc
desta14 singing as she did to Homer and his
Ulysses; while below, in the basin at her feet,
splashing shout among the broad ieATea al
aquatic plants, thrca jolly little fellows have
stopped their gnmhols, aud. with un5 hand shad-
ins the ear, axe latening with intense delight to
the music.
At the same time with the Faun," !" MismHos.
mer was also engaged in mo4 .tlng wonderful
mantet-pieee. called
sTuE DEATH OF THE DRTADs.
On each side OF tho mantol Was noble Forest
tree. whose broad branches met over the top.
Little figures were ehopoing or the limbs Of the
tree the last hough was nearly severs q and,
over the top, two nYmph-Ike figures, stretchlng
out a'xas Of mule despair, we're dying. sitting
sreenwoods would visit one IN the long winter
evenings! But Miss uoamer's most remarkable
aad suggestive work is. pe1hssps, her
t'MEppsA.'
To fulfill the Greek idea Of the old myth, Ale
dusa should really be wonderfully beautiful but
Eaosk modern sculptors have not 30 represented
her. This ia the head OF lovely woman. Her
hair. kept back BY q fllet, departs from the no
lle forehead in waves which terminate 10 ser
pepts. Iut these excite no feeling Of 1epn:sian-
Tho face. whose eyes lock upward, ia filled with
inszpfesslbfe longing, . snhhme sadaesa :; to
this the setpents s1d an idea of suffer-
ing aud doom which iuc-eesaa the
mysterious beauty aud fascination OF the
type Of genius embodied in the manly, 30 this
Medusa seems 70 us that Of genius embodied in
the wo1nanly FORM
Miss Hosmer's
GREAT EXCELLENCE As \ SCULPTOR
ls mainly in two points: One, that her outlines
are Of ideal fuIlness dparfeotiou, and her flesh
of remarkable so;tness- Considering tne limits
Of sculpture, this is much. But the spir=s OF
her art ia finer than its body. or
mechanical part. Il sill be noticed
for classical eubiects. Now, classical subjects,
when theY represent only dead ideaa aud de- |
.hroned divinities, may he, aud generally arc, |
frigid and tedious things. WHAT'S Hecuba to us,
Or we 20 Hecuoa: BIT human nature was the !
same among the Greeks that it is with us, and !
.he names Of Venus, Cupid, .Psycho, a1a only
.he chrysslis Of ideas which baye living power /
over cur bea1ts to-day. The sculptor who under
stands this finds the old Hellenic myths as fine
3 vehicle for tho conveyance OF abstract thought !
- were Mra Browning's Sonnets from the Por-
ngueHa Tor that ct lmpassinned love, and
refuge from
a so-oALLEp aEAasN,
Thieh dlsfgures no art so much rs that Of
'cuE ture to day. You exult, Sir, in the aou4ira-
lie counterfeit which your loca1 sculptor T. has
i1,T RI of RrH
indeed, it must be confessed that, as was said OF
certain statue OF Lincoln, ordered by the
1a,ion, " The buttona on the coat are we'll done-''
But in me, who consider your idol rather
'motion other than mild contempt, not to say
EiBgust. But / defy you, father, or mother,
II lover OF children. whoever you be, Of what
:ver type your darGngs are, not to smile ut this
;eautful Puck, and feel the refreshing influence
Exercised by childhood from tue beginning Of
be world. It is not 20 great thing to put into
marble the fringe OF shawl. the folds of
obe; neither--though that ia atep beyond
8 bis work SO very yAluable who models IN stone
our Pamela. your Miranda. Miranda, confess,
uce upon me the impression which it does on
on; and your Pamelas nose is a tliae too
Irregular Tor my taste, aud her ooun-
effeis pteaentment is likely to hare
more: interest for you aud your grandchildren
han for the Citizens OF the world But he, O
riend, who puts
LOVE or woMASHooD ITIELT
pto marble. lllumines my heart aud ny home
qualify with yours. and Land the whole world
I'LL contend tor bis works, and cherish thom
lrough a long immortality, A sculptor Of this
ypo is no plagiarist, and such sculptor is Har-
ieI aosmer..
Il is the wel]-eeseryed fama of such
'orkers as herself and Ball which has
lln1ed the pseudo-artists and sordid impostprs
, whom Mr.. Norton alludes, aud whom Mr.
[ealy perhapa meant to decry. If he had assist
the pubic to distinguish between thesa trua
merloan sculrtors and the pte:ende1a Who
sye not been unhopored il the seat Of GoYeTp- |
,ent itself, he would bare rendered real ser
ice to his country and to Art.
CHAR1ES IANDuR.
Huh1(1R