Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-05-23
IS IN THE VATICAN.

llldA AilCs w fNAA OAAO Atto 1NNAA ~ anu
studded it, all other collections in
the world are so dwarfed by the con-
trast that they are of little account.
AS a museum of art, the whole of
Europe could not duplicate 1t. 1t
has been well observed that "He
who has seen the Vatican has seen
the utmost point reached by the hu-
man mind in sculpture, painting,
mosaics, and freseoes; for 1t con-
tains the gems of ancient as well as
of modern art. The world is no more
likely to witness anything beyond
what is there visible, than to have
hereafter "nobler epic than the Had
or a greater dramist than Shak-
speare."
Among the thousands of marbles
in the Vatican, the ones which stand
the greatest throngs are the Apollo
Belvidere; the LAGOON group the
Belvidere Antinous; the Perseus
and the Two Boxers, by Canova,
who is the greatest of all modern
sculptors; and the statue of Venus
from which Powers copied his Greek
Slave, whereby he established his
frame IN the United States as
great original genius; but the only
thing he ''originated' was the chain
and handcuffs-aIl the rest he bor-
rowed, without giving credit.
THE LAGOON GROUP,
Michael Angelo pronounced it ''the
miracle of art" and it still holds
the first place in the Vatican collec-
tion. But one can hardly eontem-
plate it without experiencing a sell
sation kindred to horror The group
is father and his two sons, boys
about 10 or u years old, who in
tropical forest, at noon-day. are
seized, and entwined, and crushed to
death in the Shiny folds of two
enormous boa-constrictOrs, sent by
the gods to punish an impious NOR
tai. LAGOON himself, in his mortal
conflict, is invested with courage
and dignity, and is putting forth
more than human strength to loosen
the strangulating clasp of the dead
ly serpents. But his prodigOus eff
forts are clearly all in vain; the ago
nized father can save neither his sons
nor himself. The whole groupis a
horrid conception.
Cybele, the mother of all the gods,
is another of the most imposing mon
uments in the collection, and is just
ly admired by all who see it. An
other of the celebrated statues is
the Meleager, the hero of Calydonia,
the subject of so many fables of
both Greek and Latin poets. He is
represented resting on his lance, and
supposed to be holding with his left
hand the head of ferocious looking
wild boar-the hand being broken off
and losh His faithful dog stands at
his side. The coGntenance of the
hero is very firm and wonderfully
expresses the satisfaction he feels
at having slain the monster. The
TWO CELEBRATED PUGIiIsTs.
Creugas and Damoxenus, are stat
ues remarkable for their athletic
forms, wonderful force of expression
and the attitudes appropriate to
their profession. To my eye they
are much superior in life-Iike express
sion to the Boxers of the CanOva in
another room of the Vatican. The
latter are certainly splendid repre-
sentations of brute strength and
courage, but lack the grace, pOise,
and life-Iike bearing of the Greek
masterpieces.
There are four or five other myth
illogical statues which quickly ar
rest the eve of the visitor without
any guide-book, viz: the colossal
group of the Nile, the beautiful
Mercury of Belvidere, the recumbent
statue of Ariadne, the celebrated
torso of Hercules, and the Minerva
| Medica. The first named,
THE NILE,
represents man of great size, IN the
ripe autumn of life, resting in an
easv, reclining posture, with fam
ing beard, a grave but pleased ex
preston of countenance, while
around him sixteen children are
playing in every variety of attitude
some climbing on his knees, some
clasping his neck, others nesting Ol
his lap some playing with feet, 9th
ers bestriding his arms. Each fig
ure is a gem itself, and, all remem
Der, chiseIed out of one block 0
marble by those wondrous Greel
sculptors.
One large hall is filed with
ANIMALS.
1t is a perfect menagerie in marble
and gives an additional revelation
of t6e resources of the Greek sculPt
ure. There are lions and tiger
tearing their prey; leopards and by
eoas; wild boar, SOW and litter o
pigs; stays and hounds; dogs of ev
ery breed, including the grave mas
tiff, the pugnacious bull-pup, tn
agile greyhound, the terrier, and tn
poodle. There are horses, all aetio
and fire; bulls, sheep, rabbits, cats
crocodiles, serpents; and birds {
many kinds, including eagles, owls
cocks, ducks, pigeons, doves, and s.
cred geese. In several cases tn
colors of life are intimated in tn
particular variety of marble used;an
IN others, porphyry, alabaster' an
: basalt are employed to help the q
? feet. 1t is an astonishing "anlm'
show" of stone, to say the least
THE HALL OF THE GREEK CROSS
is filed up with statuary, 6usts, Va
: ses sarcophagi, and candelabra c
5 marble alabaster, and pOrphyry.-
2 Shafts of red or gray granite ar
1 crowned with capitols of white NAL
+; bIe or bronze. The doorway
: fanked with two colossal statues
e black marble, in the Egyptian styl
The marbles are of a hundred var
! cites of hues and colors. The p av,
ment is composed of splendid m,
! saics. The roof is covered with 81
: perb paintings. The arrangement {
7 every object around the hall is