Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-21


Poionsbara--A collection of Rare Sculp-
ture Unenrthad-The s~tatue Of an Un-
known Beauty.
Correspondence of the Boston Advertiser.
ROME, january 20.-About q year and
and halt ago, a marble female head
was found ON the Esquiline i'll drain
that was making III that new quarter.
This head was stolen; the municipal
commission informed the police of the
robbery; the head was restored, and the
exact place where it was found was set
apart for fuller operations. From GER
tain indications it was believed that
other things Of value were there On
the Monday before this Christmas, the
Municipal Archaeological Commission,
having a little money and leisure, set
their men to work, and the number and
value OF statues found are greater
than i'll any previous known
excavation, namely: Six fine statues in
good preservation, one probably the
most beautiful in the world; unique
bust Or half figure of Commodus; q
male and female bust, and any number
OF fragments of fine soul pture. The col
lection, it is thought, must have been
III some hail, the floor Of which gave
way at al unknown time of trouble, one
of the many sorrowful sackings and
burnings thai Rome was subjected to
during the period of It's decadence; the
precious contents Of the hall were pre-
cipisated into a vault or cellar beneath;
the rubbish and stones Of the building
covered them over, and there they have
lain buried while centuries of miserable
ruin and war swept over the unhappy
dethroned queen city Of the Roman
world.
The place where the statues were
found is the property called Villa Pa
Lombard; it is on the right hand of the
street leading from st. Maria Maggiore
to San Croce in Gerusalemme. In these
same grounds, it is said by some, were
found the celebrated group of Niobe
and her children, now in the Ufiizi at
Florence; others say they were discov-
cred near the Porto st. Paelo. But it
is certain that the famous Discobulus of
Myson, which are now in the Palazzo
Massimo ALA Colonna, Rome, were
taken out of the earth of this Villa Pa
Lombard.
THE unknown BEAUTY.
The most valuable figure in the col
lection is female statue, which was
first called "our new Venus" because
of It's exquisite beauty; but for many
reasons 1t is now admitted that it is not
a Venus, nor even Psyche, though
much more like the latter. Whatever
title may be given to it, this for the
present seems to be the opinion, that 1t
IS the loveliest female figure probably
In existence, and far more charming
than the Venus de Medici. IT is of
course i'll pieces, but the pieces are all
there, with the exception of the elbows,
which are sure to be found in the same
excavation. The torso is complete from
the neck to above the right and below
the left knee. The lovely head las
been placed in position on this torso,
and the feet, which are attached to the
base, which stands close by, give you
instantly the pose of this wonderfully
beautiful statute. The feet are near
together; the left stands little back,
with the heel raised. L he arms are
lifted up, and the pretty hands are occu
pied in arranging the hair The left
hand stea lies the knot of hair at the
right holds the end of the filIet, which
it has passed twice or thrice around the
head; the last band of the fllet holds in
place the row of little Greek curls that
encircle the low, classical forehead
The face is bent little forward and to
the right; to my thinking the girl seems
as if she were looking into fountain Or
a mirror The expression of the ex-
quisitely lovely young face is very sad
The beautiful shoulders, indeed the
whole torso, have fine pose; the az
ranging of the hair has thrown the
body over to the right and brought the
left side forward. The modelling Of the
body is simply perfect, and very fieshy
in the handling, especially about the
shoulders and armpits, also around the
waist and on the right side, where the
body is swayed over. It is young girl
about seventeen; thus the form is unde-
yeloped, very slender and delicate, but
giving promise OF the richest, loveliest
womanhood. Beside her, On the right
side, is perfume box, Or cistus, with
daisies carved on it, and tall, slender
vase, over which is thrown the drapery.
The vase has serpent cut upon it and
something like a lotus orr ament.
THE GLADIATOR EMI ERoR.
The Commodus is unique. Only four
or five busts of this atroclous Emperor
are existing, and statue or two. Lam
plidus 4Ilius, in his life Of Commodus,
gives the fierce official order of the Sen
ate to Pertinax: 'Let the statues of
the parricide, the gladiator, the throt-
tiers of the citizens, be everywhere over
turned, dragged down, and destroyed,
SO that the memory of the gladiator En-
peror may be obliterated. This bust,
OF half figure of the Villa Palombara,
represents the Emperor with the attri-
butes of Hercules; the jaws of the Ne
mean lion set over the forehead as the
visor Of helmet, and the fore paws are
tied in front over the chest; in the right
hand is the club, in the left the apples
of the garden of Hesperides. The ex-
preston is the true Commodus one,
more stupid than wicked; and there is
in it a resemblance to his good
father Marcus Aurelius. There is a
highly ornamental base to this bust,
which, though broken, can be made