Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-05-19
The Boy SCULPTOR.

Coleridge
The Boy Sculptor.
-Four hundred years ago, in the gar
dens Of the Medici Palace, might be
seen party of the young friends of
Plero de Medici, who had been dis
missed from the learned talk of the
savants and artists who surrounded the
hospltable table of " Lorenzo the Mag
nltlcent, as he is often called.
There had been an unusual fall of
snow for the warm climate of Italy, and
it lay before them on the ground in that
soft. tempting whiteness that school
boys like SO we'll. It covered the statues
and fountains, and made grotesque fig
ures OF the shrubs, which were cut in
curious forms.
Let us make statues, and decorate
this gallery proposed one, youth of
fourteen.
'Of what ?" said another.
"Of the snow," replied the first
speaker, named Michael Angelo; and
with merry shouts they plunged into
the snow, without thought of their
costumes of velvet and lace, carrying it
and piling it in masses at different
places along the gallery, and shaping it
into some rude resemblance of the
human form, which did not differ much,
[ dare say, from the cold snow man" of
the boys of the nineteenth century
But Michael Angelo saw in the dis
lance the statue of faun, headless and
much injured, which had been brought
from some old ruin.
"Ah! [ will make a head to this
faun," and he began shaping and mold
ng the damp snow.
AS he worked, his companions gath
cred around him and looked on, for
getting their own sport in watching him,
as gradually the head began to appear
and grew under his touch into a real
face with good features
Then standing, watching the effect of
each motion, ''He must be sardonic,-
fauns laugh said the boy as he gave
an upward turn with his finger TO the
corner of the mouth. "There that is
not bad; and one can always do what one
loves. [ have drawn in the love of
sculpture with the milk of my nurse.
Her husband is sculptor, and, from a
baby, [ have played making statues
Stepping back to get good look at
his work, he ran against same one, and,
to his amazement, discovered it was the
great noble himself, who, followed by
all his guests, had entered the gallery
the youthful artists were decorating for
them, while they were SO engaged as not
to perceive them.
They all stopped to comment on the
statues, and approaching the faun Lor-
EMO said:
"This is rather the work Of one en-
tering upon the career of a master, than
the attempt of novice. But, Michael,
do you know that this is a statue of an
old faun, and the old do not have all their
teeth? You have given him more than
we have. Is it not SO, my friends %
"You are right, my lord;' and, with
one stroke, Michael knocked out a tooth
and made the hollow in the gum which
showed it's loss.
Every one was delighted with this in
telligent and discriminating act, and
applauded him with enthusiasm, show
ering praises and prophesies of future
fame on the young sculptor.
Among the noble guests were his
father and his uncle, who had sternly
discouraged all Michael's attempts at
art, and deemed it an unworthy thing
that the heir of the princely house of
Canossa should handle the sculptor's
chisel even in sport. But now, fattered
by the praise of Lorenzo, the great pat
ron of art, they looked smilingly on,
and Michael knew, as he rode home
that night with his austere relations,
that his long forbidden love of art could
now be INDUCED; the glory Of his boy
hoods dreams was to become the glory
of his life.
Who can tell what forms of beauty
and visions Of fame had fitted through
his excited brain, wild with the delight
of LorenZo's notice
Gould he foresee the wonderful crea-
tions which would make a world stand
III silent admiration and awe?
Could he know that under the dome
of st. Peters at Rome, the most mag
nlicent Christian temple on the earth,
people OF all nations would come to do
him homage?
Let us follow his career. Atnineteen
he made a beautiful group in marble of
tue ueau CIflSG Ill his mOLn0r lap.
He carved the colossal statue of the
young David for the Ducal palace of
Florence. He designed, and in part
completed, the grand mausoleum for
Julius H., the central figure of which is
Moses, at which he worked over forty
years; and the reclining figures of Day
and Night, Morning and Evening, are
SO much admired that they are to be re-
produced on a monument soon to be
erected to Michael Angelo at the scene
of his labors.
There are but few paintings of his on
canvas, for he is said to have had con-
tempt for easel pictures.
The Pope sent for him to come and
decorate the walls of his chapel at the
Vatican. The architects did not know
how to construct a scafolding which
would enable him to reach the ceiling,
and he invented one; and also curious
paper cap, which would hold candle
In the front, and thus leave his hands
free to work at night. He covered the
ceiling with beautiful paintings of
scenes taken from the Old Testament.