New-York tribune., 1874-07-08
FINE ARTS.


Chancellor Livingston, the plaster model or "hioh ha
just been completed BY the sculptor and IL no" IN 10
hands Barbedenne the founder and siauary VI Paf.
who In bronze THIS s'atue - commission
from the Of New-York 10 her most distinguished
native sculptor and IL intended TO be placed m tha
National Capitol at Washington, In company with tns
statues OF famous Americans contributed to our
WalbaIs by their several States. As our readers
doubt know, some OF these statues have been COM
peted and are placed temporarily IN me od
Hall OF Representatives. There ~ III. X. Browns
noble statue OF Gen Greene near stands tue H0gor
Williams Of Franklin Simmons, both statues the conr-
buttons OF the state OF Rhode Island Mr. simmons's
Roger Williams" though on tho whole not discreiit-
able 10 the artist can hardly be accepted as an ideal
representation the man. But 10 Is not every nan
that can construct hero out or his moral coh-ciou
ness and this is what Mr. Simmons was Obliged To no ~
as VIC think we right IN saying. there II no p'rfMt
of Williams In existence. Opposite these two satufs
both sincere, though unequal per rorDances' STANDS
lump the base OF which Is written TIE mans
of Alexander Hamilton. IL reminds US OF those most
ancient beginnings OF the Art VI Sculpture lu pI''c
squared stones set upright aud with one end AhOcArd
by rude rude hands into the savage suggestion h
a human heod-their being to serve "a mile
stOnes vineyard scaTecr0ws. or as remindtn
NJ the pod TO be crowned and led X the harvest aud
the chase should prosper be whipped aud ouifsj
the year or the hunt went . Oi sdch lhiahhc dolHEa
Of the human this block reminds us' but not OF
Alexander Hamilton. man who carried III head OK
classic strength and beauty brain tH@t made I'm
one OF the chef forming Influences oil tns Republic Aa
Italian sculptor who visited this country IN l'9l' Gut
senpe Ceracchi made a bJst OF Hamilton, now In TIE
possession OF his grandson, when - "0fhJ iOf the
beauty OF its subject aud for its mastery execution
TO be placed by the side Of the Young Augustus oi INA
Vatican yet with this TO copy from II lac would, Dr.
Horatio stone pre- ferred 10 construct out OF bis moral
Consciousness this colossal mpude1ce, TO which he ms
d,rei IN adx the name OF Hamilton, aud has uOt bC,
ashamed also to add his Own.
Dr. Horatio Stone. with Clark Mills and Vnnie Ram.
the pupi of Clark Mills, make worthy trlO-thc mJ5t
shameless pretenfers who ever traded IN nauoAd
ignorance aud creduIity-and 1t Is miserable idalV
that has put into Of two of these creatures s
task making for the people Of America The statues u
two OF their greatest men, Lincoln ana Hamilton Pr
tunaely nobody better than Jackson has fallen 10 tie
If Mile and he Will hardly be Permitted TO bleed
the Treasury any more. For every good statue thdt
set up in the public eye-Browns " =" ash'hs'"ui V""
Wards Putnam" BalPs Washington" Ltunt Ihomp|
sons Rector Person" Mimore's "snhineI' bio"hA
Greene" Mr. RhIncharts beautiful " CJtle' ahu 'dE
yerey's John Brown "nakes II less ana less easy iur
charlatans like Mills and his kind TO fool eyeh sac6
iudgss of art as No send the National Cor gress Aud
now comes Mr.. Palmer with his statue OF Chdhc,'pt
Livingston, work that will not only adi gIea5 IT, @e
sculptors repu but, what Is Of Tar more import
ance will give fresh impetus To the cause oi true a'
la America.
We think we express only natural regret when va
say we are sorry tuat Mr. Palmer did not model nn
statue of Hamilton here at home, and have II cast
IN one OF our American foundercs, either at PhladeE
pha or Springfield. so much has been sad OF late ot
the dependence of American sculptors who woIk IN
Europe upon the mOdelers and maIDle-cuters theie'
tnat we would gladly artists MAKE such su''
picions impossible by living and working at home. ~
far as Mr. Palmer concerned, such suspicious could
touch him, for until now, we believe he has never
visited Europe, all his reputation has boon made ~
works TDle executed In his studio In Albany Like
Henry X Brown and Quincy Ward, he has set ~nat va
cannot help thinking "A healthy example, IN staying AZ
home and developing what was In him, ms native ar
and in the OF the society that he worked for Lt
this be It may however, there can be no donJ
that he would have done better 10 haVo
had it cast home. For it is fact well established.
but not well enough known that the bronze casting "
America is not surpassed anywhere in the world aud
moreover the principal modern improvements in tho
mechanical parts OF the operation ell due 10 Amer'
cans, and the obligation is frankly confessed by lhosd
OF the foreign wOrkmen who sanaat the head o. the
manufacture. The only exception to this statement
that will be insisted is the sOcalled gold brOnze VI
Munich, OF which we believe the founder Miller keeps
the secret but this only matter Of color aud We may
add, matter Of taste; we ourselves do not Ike ir>
and much prefer the color OF Browns Washington"
or OF Wards Indian Hunter 70 tina; Of the CrIw-
ford Beethoven" or the Story Everett" 81
far as workmanship is concerned or the quality or
the metal, we have no odds to ask in competing
with the European workmen Tho best Lroaza
castings Of Wood of Phiiadeldelphia OF
Ames OF Springfield, Mass, handsome
TO the eye proof against the tooth Of time aug
that ever came from the workshops OF Muller or
Barbedienne. Did any one hear Of French aiuss
going away from his own country and both designing
national wsrk and having ii executed In foreign land
by foreign workmeni Such thing may have happened.
htttv do halt f lq nerfa W
mechanism of the Arts has arrived IN France IS the child
OF tho long ancestry OF honorable national pride aud
honorable sefde pendence which is peculiarly chardc
teristic OF Frenchmen. Art IN America has suffered
incidentally from directly opposite sentiment and prac
tice, and IL have even the poor beginnings Of
national Art it Is owing TO few men who have either
been obliged or have willing, stay at home aud
do what could DO done with the they had There
is, really no whatever for Mr Pdlmers action
with regard TO the casting OF his statue ami confess
we shall with less pleasure IN its place IN Wash
ington for thinking have lost by means OF It an
opportunity for adding another laurel TO the crown OF
our excellent workmcn IN bronze.
AS for the modelling aud design OF the statue itsei
these deserve very high praise. The photographs b.
fore taken, one from the clay model aud tie
other from the plaster, and from these We can come
somewhere a correct notion how tie statue viii
look. The Chancellor is represented standing, having
on the silk scholar's-gown Of his Office over the plan
civilians dress OF his time OF which, however, ttle
appears save the buttoned vest the fold and rues OF
the lawn neckhandkerchef, the wristrules, and tho
bucked shoes The head is bare, and n his right hand
he holds the roedup map OF the former territory Of
louisiana the cesson OF which territory 10 the United
states by France In 1893 due TO Liyingsions
diplomacy. With the left hand he holds fold
OF his gown the second finger being strongly extended
and pressed against the breast giving marked ind'd
uaty to movement that might easily have been made
al