, 1875-08-08
Rosa Bonheur---The Child, the Woman,
and the Artist.
A Pct Sheep, an Artists Brush,
the Cross of the Legion
Of Hohor.



years ago was laid q: the Capita! Of the United
States the corner stone OF q building "Dedicat-
ed to Art" by William ". Corcoran, q rich and
honored citizen Of Washington When the war
began. private enterprises were subordnated to
public need, and this spacious edi3ce, just COM
pteted. Was rented by The Government for the
Oua,termaater's Department. For eight years
the noble dedication stood in mournful contrast
to boet contracts, bids for shoddy blankets, pro-
posals for army bacon, or bllls Of condemned
mules.
However. by 1870 the false gods we're de-
throned, when Nr. Corcoran fulfilled his or1g1-
raj desicn, and presented the building, with his
private collection Of Btatuary and paintings.
freely and perpetualy to the City Of Washing
ton. Ed,ace and grounds cost a25o.oo3, Mr. Cor
corsp's collection was valued at S10o,0 ,000 snd
tho endowment fund $500, 0oo,-making in the
aggregate gift Of g. Csc, 600. In JANUARY, 1871,
having been handsomely fitted up. it was
opened to tue public under the auspices OF the
Trustees, two of whom, Mr. Walters and Mr.
Mcclure, are noted connoisseurs and patrons ol
art Since that time the original collection has
doubled and trepled, an excellent catalogue has
been complied. and for Is cents three dsYs In
the week, or for nothing three other days may
|
ed when he hoped that at no distant dav there
would be provided mot only pure and rehned
pleasure for residents and visitors, but some
thing useful accomplished In the oese4o2"ens
Of American genius.
The muni6cence of the endowment promises
speedily to make the Corv:oran Art Gallery tho
finest in America, and already it boasts the nness
and extensive collection Of
CASTS From ANTIQUE scuLPTuHR
including copies Of about one-half tho frieze OF
tho parthenon, which forms an important part
Of the famous :. Elsin Marbles " IN tho British
Museum-
Passing under the portal - Dedicated to Art, !"
re enter = marble vestibule 27124, in Ehlca the
most STRIKING object Is the -.
t as Mars, in marble By piece OF poenc Justice
or 1uiustlce the Duke Of Wellington fell heir to
the original after Waterloo. aud one can imagine
| the almost living image feeling keeny the degra-
| dation. Moved By pretty fancy, CanovA
| emsaied Pauline Bonaparse AZ yeuus out OF the
| BLOCK that came from under the outsszetched
That meeklv beautiful head OF Roman
| arpund the bosom, il there, too. How can those
dovncast eyes be tue eyes Of the nalstt ess !" 10
/ turns to her loye when be sets "ths same look
/ that she turned W1eu he Toee
| An arched ante-room shelters, IN crimson
inches, the supetb though muhtated figures Of
| the " Two Fases" (from the Parthenon), tue
.' A1iadue Deserted" lying 80 that the cast Of
pertdious Theseus is ever before her half-closed
! eyes, and graceful Daaua, whom the cata-
| iogue wisely Suggested should be ca4ed Az
| lanta Adjusting Her Nobe," she lacks all in
sigma Of the cnase and reminds one IN drapery
| aud pose OF Melauion's love.
| THE SCULPTURE HALL
! IS BY Is, has at one end the LAGOON, hnd
| IT. the other an excellent cast OF the famous
| flureut,oe brouze-doors Of Ghibertl, which
| Michael Angelo declared to be '' ut for the
| Gates OF Paradise" Here are the men aud gods
Of old. be,ugs tangible and intangible. yet 80 set
| il poetic Pagan Legend that the worshipers fade
| into myths aud the wolshiped grow into resl-
| ties. Minerva stands bv Abundance. So should
| Wisdom aud Prosperity 60 hand ia hand there
are the two "Quoit- Throwete," one modelled by
| Myron yonder ls the stem old warrior GermanI-
Gus loving Antinsns and tae Pos
s.Gen,us OF Eternal Rest!" So the Greeks
| spoke Of Death! We make him ghastly skele-
! ton. Within sight OF each other are 'enus aud
| Nero and the Gladiator,-A picture from ssn-
burpe's glowing page. Opp1s.te IL SttiMatt ;sa
! fu,ther along 4 pretty little figure Of child
! playing the game Of 'Eaii, or dec. In one cor
ner statelT Caryatid immortallzes her sertdona
In auo.he1 is Sileuus, before be dageuerated into
| 4 Falstathan old age, and little baby Bacchlts
y ho il bewltching. Then in another chamber
| is the Apollo Belsidele. ''Canoya's Hsbe says
Mts. Jameson, ''looks as If she void taln step
OF her pedessal-if she could; the Apollo Belvi-
| dere ~ II he could step OF his peoestal-n he
| could" praxiteles' Faun shares Apollos shrine
aud we tnrn half exI Getting to see Donatelo, and
| Miriam, aud Hilda ut our elbow: +.
4 noticeable feature Of the collection Ii
THE yESusEs
| seven antique and three modern. W course tho
Venus de l1io leads the rest, II she ID Venus
| Snrely abe lacks the abandon and joyousness Of
| that goddess, aud assumes u ajesty Venus
/ rarely aspires 10. Possibly she is Venus Uraula,
| the austore and chaste deity whom the GEeeas
| wosshiped before the Asl&tlc myth Of the hloth-
| ar Of Lore doated acr.sa the seas 70 them.
| Next is the Venus de Medici- the model for fe-
male Seauty. Apart from the Milo she has the
most individuality she Is = goddess, the rest
are but women The pose Of her head is part'c-
bY bIaiding her golden tresses closely. have pre-
| served its noble outlines, The SURPRISING beau-
| ty OF the Medicean Venus ia eaid TO be due TO
| the faet thas CIeomenes copied her from the
| Cnidlar Venus. whom Pra1'teles n hls turn
modelled from the famous Phryne. To ftly por-
tray her lo,eIiness he dared To make biz statue
entire|y nude, the first sculptor who had been so
bold, and hls countrsmen forgave him
| because Of tho beauty of his work
Venus fC.iiiPygos il less fam,sr tnsn me ne fes..
fect1on of their forms, called two travellers to de-
| eide. Ono traveller thought one, the other the
other, to be the handsomer, aud each married
Tue eirl he admired; and, nav1ng ended thelE a.
tarcaton 60 happily they betokened their graft.
tnde hv this statue. n which the Queen OF
| Beauty is undressing herseK. Thorwaldsen's Is
| by far the best modern Venus, knd there Is an
airy life about her that is rare 10 statues she
is the only Venus in the collection whose eata
| ahov. and the experiment proves that pretty
ear il = valuable addition to pretty faee. Glt'
| sons, like Thor~asdsens, is Venus 'lctr1t
but not so pleasing. Gibson Was the English.
/ man rho s:alued his marble Ia imitation OF
| hesh-tsn:s. The third and weakest is from
| Capova, who would have been far more juttly
represented by t.s recumnent Venus Of the PaI-
| see BoTEnese-
/ THE HALL OF BRoSZE1
| f61x19) has fne elect1otypes Of the Hiidescheim
| treasures, which teach us that clyilizslon has
advanced very little IN sauoepaDs aud gone back
decidedly in drinking R-cupa. Among many others,
three silver bowls, with gold figures Of Hercules,
| Deus Lepaeus, and Cybsle. are samples Of beau