New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-11-20
LIFE IN PARIS.
.ETTFR FROM ARsENE HOUssAYF.


BY ZEM.
lFRoN REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUSE.l
PARIS, Oct ID need not say to Americans how
the pictures of Zem are appreciated here. He paints
Venice and Consantnople with the very radiance of
the sun. Ii is a fairy spectacle for the eyes, Can
alettO was never so lumin0usly Oriental But ZieIn
il not only charming artist. He Is original wit,
by turns humorist and philosopher, though always
! artist. His il Of the most romantic lives
Of the new generation. He may be called
the last Of the Romantic School for his
love OF the and of the ORIENT.
Whence does he cemei He would answer vaguely
that he cannot remember whether he was born IN
COnstantnople, Venice. or Paris. He has IN HIM
elements of the Turk, the Italian and the French
man. But those who have seen him only III Pans
in that strange studio of Montmartre where he
double locks himself n know him scarcely in ont
line He should be seen in STEAMBOAT OF by the
Adratic, with his suwarrow boots, his Byronian
cloak. and his red cravat talking Turkish Italian
and French with continually unexpected express
sions If he tells story he has much magma
ton that you can never tell where the fiction begins
for everything has a romantic coloring. lie Il,
moreover the most adventurous Of men. lie gives
rise every hour TO drama and comedy balzac
would have made of him one OF hls heroes; every
thing about him. his name, would nave
attracted the great romancer, who would not have
failed to say that the two first Of cooriss had pre-
destined names, Diaz and Ziem. The names are like
sun strokes.
Two Parisiennes friends Of his, Madame de {. and
MademOiseIle de T.. being in Venice, were delighted
10 find Ziem, who knew everything and talked
equally well Of Paris and Venice. But the next day
at the hour when be was to have met them ut the
Piazza of ST. Marx, while they were giving bread
crumbs to the pigeons Of the Republication the
pigeons have never changed their polltcs-Ziem had
disappeared. They almost waited for him; after
which they went TO walk without too much care az
70 where their little feet tending through that
riddle of streets and streams. They soon found
themselves on the bridge Of the Ralto, stopping
idly before the shops They were struck by the
luminous beauty the white face, the golden hair Of
fair daughter Of MuranO who had come 10 sell her
doves at Venice yes a genuine merchant OF doves
fit TO have been a merchant Of Cupids IN antiquity
The young peasant girl had in her basket four
pairs Of doves for they doves for two purposes
to fricassee or set up housekeeping IN nests On
the doorstep Of a shop the two ladies recognized the
Suwarrow boots of the obliyious Zicm.
There be is sand one but hush. lie s DECK
onne to the dove merchant
In fact Ziem had already taken the basket, and
was looking now at the doves and at the pretty
merchant. AlLcI "a llolLthJ AA'iiNiAi- Az A-''-N
her into his shop. He was engossed with her that
he had no eyes for his two friends who not ten
feet from him. When he had gone into the shop the
two ladies came mp. 1t was one of those little shops
Of the Rialto where Jews, disguised as Greeks and
Turks. sell Oriental stuis and jewelry Of Venice
gold. Looking in they saw that Zlem seemed per
fectly at home. He was Offering iewelry and small
tnerv TO the dove merchant az if everything there
belonged to him.
as it possible that this artist is also shop
keeper ?" said Madame de c. Let us 20 in and
cheaper something "NO, no. sad her friend
." we ought not 10 disturb this t6te-a-tete.'
Now. what was Zicm saying to the dove merchant
He was proposing to buy her birds at her own price
if she would give him few minutes sitting so that
he might sketch her face. She refused plumply He
then offered her 20 francs. She refused still more
haughtily "No," she said "you might give me
your whole shop, and would MT them
Ziem had beckoned 10 young man dressed as n
Turk. who was lighting a narghileh in the back
sbop. He whispered TO him, Keep this woman
talking about her doves as long as possible. Oier
her these silver earrings and this gold ung II she
insists on being paid in cash, make her wait WINE
Won get a note changed With these words Zlem
went into the rear shop and smoked his narghleh
while the young Turk disputed with the dove mer-
chant In spte Of herself she was influenced by the
I
way. She feasted her eyes on the pretty things
about her. never dreaming how pretty she vas her
self How fine l should be-" she thought, " II
had such tine things TO wear
Ziem in the back shop, was quietly smoking his
narghileh and rapidly sketchng the lovely face OF
the dove merchant. She saw and suspected nothing
Madame de C.. and MademOiselle dc P. could make
nothing of this scene they walked to the end OF the
| bridge promising themselves to 90 back to the shop
when the great affair of the doves should be finished
Attracted by come other sight, they did not return
/ for half an hour.
lis not NJ Zem here ~ they asked. going in.
Ziem ope1ed the door Of the back shop and saluted
the two ladies without laying down either his pipe
/ or his palette. "See what a beautiful thing nave
there he said with the faith of an artist in the first
/ fire of his inspiration. The dove merchant
"You have seen hertz said Ziem. surprised Yes
we have admired her as you did. She Is the true
! Ventienne of GiorgiOne's time You have put her
/ all alive on the canvas 4" II is only sketch 80
/ far. she must sit again." 3" Ii this your studio
| thenf"
/ Ziem laughed. after all he said, why should
not tell you my strategem' DO you not know that
the Urls of Venice viii never pOsef Whatever they
NAV do for love- they refuse do II for art Iitian
! Giorqione. and VerOnese therefore had TO combine
the two motives. Their great art was to love hand
/ some women. Rafaella, Violante, and Leonora were
the models Of all the pictures of these great masters
Their Madonnas and their courtesans have Therefore
the same type In the MadOnnas the earthly love ls
/ seem and hi the courtesan there If something Of
/ divine When l come to Venice, ind the Adl1atlc
the palaces, the churches, and the sunshine Of tie
/ Renaissance painters but how can | find Rafaella
| Violante. and LeonorafD He then told how he had
conceived the idea of this trap for beauty. When
ever he came 10 Venice he rented a shop on the
/ Rialto: he spent thousand francs or 80 IN more
! olarinr hnery than any ON sale IN the adjoining