The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-27
Michael Angelo and vittOria COlOnna.

1
Colonna has been the subject of numerous spec
ulations. It was, however, in the flower Of hi
maturer years, and the most natural explanation
of 1t is the simplest. She was the single woman
in his long and varied journey through life who
sympathized fully with his intellectual and mora
longings, and though her heart lay buried in the
grave Of her dead husband, was proud of being
| the inspiration Of q man like Michael Angelo
"Oftep," says Condivi, shave I heard Mi
chael Angelo treat Of love, and he was wont to
I can truly say, after having SO long and 80
intimately lived with him, that I never heard
proceed from that mouth any but the purest
sentiments, ana such as tended to repress in
youth every irregular aud unbridled desire. And
that no impure thought found place in his mind
is evident from this, that he not only admired
human beauty, but universally everything beauti-
tul beautiful horse or dog, q be .utiful land
scape or plant, beautiful mountain and forest,
beautiful situation, and, in short, every beaut-
the most animated delight, and extracting pleas
ure from the BEAUTIES of nature, as bees do the
honey flowers" Attempting to measure nature
like his with the scale OF conventions which pass
current ordinarily, is like attempting to me asure
the orbits Of q comet with pocket rule
II appears that Michael Angelo AID vittoria
met PERSONAL, first in 1886, at which time he was
sxty-two and the forty-six. They had previously
heard of each ether, and respected each other,
Of their friendship most welcome source of IN
IOTm8uOu mas Deou uncovered within 8 lew years
past Count Raczynsky found in one of the
Lisbon libraries manuscript journal written by
miniature painter, Francisco d'Ollanda by name
who was sent to Italy by the King of Portugal,
and wrote an account Of what he saw while
there. His manuscript was dated 1549, and
speaks of q series of visits he paid to Wit
toria Colonna, where he met Mi hazel
Angelo, and details at length the conversation
which passed. Count Raczynsky translated
portion of the manuscript, and published it in a
work of his upon art in Portugal. The manu-
script, it appears has since been lost. The &C.
count is reproduced in Grimm's s'Life Of Michael
Angelo" The conversations took place in the
little church of San Silvestro, on Monte Cavallo,
where the company remained after the service
on Sunday and discoursed art It is an admirable
picture of the society in which Michael Angelo
and Vttoria Colonna were the central figures, and
is none tho less so from its evident authenticity
and the natura!ness with which the account is
given.
vittoria died in 1917, and Michael Angelo sur
vived her seventeen lonely years. He said to
Condivi that he was with her to the last, and that
he repented nothing so much as having only
kissed her hand, ana not her forehead and cheeks
also, when he was with her in her last hour The
last years of his life were his most prolific Ones
and it is wonderful with what rapidity he sent
out plan after plan. He seemed to work alone
to find an escape from consciousness of his loss,
until worn out, he died On the 18th Of February,
1864 between and in the afternoon. in the
year Of his age.-Ha,per's Magazine.