Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-21
ROME'S ART TREASURES.
Important Discoveries by the
Archaeological Commission.

user.
About year and half AGO, a Inarbl
female head was found on the Esquline Il
drain that was making in that new qual
ter. This head was stolen; the munie pa
commission informed the palics Of the rob
berg; the head vas restored, and the exaC
place where il was found was set apart 70
future operations. From certain indica
tiOns it was believed that other things O
value were there. On the Monday befOr,
this Christmas, the municipal Archaeology
cal commission, having a little money ap'
leisure, set their men TO work, and th'
number and value of statues found ar
greater than in any previous known exca
walton, namely: Six fine statues in gooC
preservation, one probably the most beauti
fol in the world; a unique bust or bal
figure of CommOdus; a male and a female
bust, and any number Of fragments of fine
sculpture. The collection, it is thought
must have been in some hall, the floor o.
which gave way al an unknown time Of
trouble, one of the many sorrOwful
sackings and burnings that Rome was sub
iected 70 iufing Tie period Of its decgdence,
the precious contents of the hall were pre-.
cipitated into a vault or cellar beneath; the
rubbish and stones of the building covered
them Oger, and there they have lain buried
while centuries of miserable ruin and wa
swept over the unhappy dethrOned queen
| city Of the Roman world.
The place where the statues were found
is that property called Villa Palombara; il
is on the right hand Of the street leading
from St. Maria Maggi0re to ST. Crocs in
/ Gernsalemfne. In these same grounds, il
| is said by some, were found the celebrated
! group of Niobe and her children, now in
the Ufizl at Florence; others say they were
! discovered near the Porto S. PaOlO. But it
! is certain that the famous Discobulus OF
/ MysOn, which are now in the Palazzo Mas
simO ALA ColOnna, Rome, were taken out
/ Of the earth of this Villa PalOmbara.
THE UNKNOWN BEAUTY.
The most valuable figure in the collec-
ton is a female statue, which was first
! called "Our new Venus because of its ex-
| quisite beauty; but for many reasons it is
now admitted that it is not a Venus, nor
| even a Psyche, though much more like the
latter. Whatever title may be given to it,
| this for the present seems TO be the opinion,
/ that it is the lOvelieSt female figure prOba-
/ bly, in existence, and far more charming
| than the Venus de Medici. 1t is, of course,
/ in 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 hesd has 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 statue. The feet are near to-
gether; the left stands a little back, with
the heel raised. The arms are lifted up,
and the pretty hands are occupied 10 aTTang-
ing the hair. The left hand steadies the knot
Of hair at the back Of the head, while the
right holds the end of the fillet, which it
has passed twice or thrice around the head;
the last band Of tie fillet holds in place the
row Of little Greek curlS that eacircle the
low, classical forehead. The face is bent
a little forward and to the right; to my
thinking the girl seems as if she were look
ing into Z fountain or a mirror. The ex-
preston Of the exclusively lovely young
face is very sad. The beautiful shoulders,
indeed the whole torso, have a fine pose.
The arranging 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 heshy in the
handling, especially about the shoulders
and armpits, also around the waist and on
the right side, where the body is swayed
over. 1t is a girl about seventeen; thus
the form is UudeTel0ped, very slender and
delicate, but giving promise Of the richest,
lOyelieSt WOmanhOOd. Beside her, on the
right side, is a perfume box, OF ciSfUS, with
daises carved on it, and a tall, slender vase,
over which is thrown the dTapery. The
vase has a serpent cut upon it, and some
thing like a lotus ornament.
ITHE GLADIATOR EMPEROR.
The COmmOdus is unique Only four
or FIVE busts of this atrOClOus Emperor are
existing, and a statue or TWO. Lampridus
EliUs, in his life of COmmOdus, gives the
fierce official order Of the Senate TO Peril
max: LET the statues Of the paTicide, the
gladiator, the thrOttler Of the citizens, be
everywhere overturned, dragged down, and
destroyed, so that the memory Of the gla-
diatOr Emperor may be obliterated. This
bust, OF half figure Of the Villa PalOmba-
"a, represents the Emperor with the at
tributes Of Hercules; the jaws Of the Ne
mean lion set over the forehead as the
VISOR of a 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 expression
is the true COmmOdus one, more stupid
than wicket; and there is In it a re-
semblance to his good father, Marcus
Aurelius. There is highly ornamental
base to this bust, which, though broken,
can be made complete, as all the pieces
have been found. There is an AmazOn's
shield with a Medusa Oh it, and eagles
heads. Below is a globe, over which runs
a zone with the signs of the Zodiac
Taurus, Sagittarius and Cancer. On
each side Of the globe, as supporters to
the shield, are small kneeling Victories,
who hold cOrnucOpias; the curves of these
last rise around the sides Of the shield. The
bust and accessories are finished up to the
very highest degree Of marble execution.
The marble surface is polished and glitter
ing. The modelling is very careful and
complete; for example, you can put your
hand back Of the remarkable under-cut' ing
Of the lions skin chat covers the head and
feel the carOtOid artery. The bust is in
perfect preservation, and the nose unbrOken.
BACCHUs AND THE TRITONs.
Two Tritons and a Bacchus, and two
statues Of young Roman ladies, make up,
with the lovely young girl, six statues. The
TritOus are noble, grand creatures; they and
the semi-cOlOssal BacChUs are not complete,
but twO-third statues; il IS supposed that
they were finished in bronze. The HritOns
are full of life and vigOr; over their faces
and bodies are leafy scales. The oil eted
massive hair, which stands up boldly around
the fOreheadS, has marks Of gliding. The
TritOnS and the Bacchus were undoubtedly
painted, as they have marks Of color on
them. The Bacchus has a great, sleepy,
handsome, vOluptgOus face, and the
head, over which the right arm is thrown
with a luxurious stretch, is crown
ed with ivy leaves and berries.
The two statues Of Roman girls are charm
inc; it was the head of one Of these statues
that was found in the drain, and which led
to the discovery Of the whole collection.
They are beautifully draped, and are evil
IDENTIFY portrait statues of Two lovely young
women Of eighteen or twenty. There is a
nice action and movement in them. The
male bust is beautifully finished; the ear is
like wax, it is so delicately modelled and
Chiselled. The female bus, a Venus, as
it is called, las the hair drawn up from the
neck on TO the top Of the head; the face is
handsome, but not sympathetic; the finish
of execution in il is also excellent.
THE JEWEL OF THE COLLECTION.
The beautiful young girl, however, is the
jewel Of the whole collection. To her |
oct af arpry surcae1iuo visit aud fo-nar tho