Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-12-08

nifcant street stands bronze figure
that Is almost worth its weight in sill
yer; in the market place a copy in
bronze of the antique wild boar, which
any American city would consider it
self rich in possessing, serves as foun-
tain, and the little dirty brown-skin-
ed children Chamber over his bristly
back and drink the water as 1t trickles
between his immense tusks. And
zoe pity these poor miserable Ital-
ians! think / did once
myself, but am sure shall never be
guilty of it again. 1t is we who need
commiserstion and not they. What
have we of art in America, and espe-
cially in the South? What opportu-
nifty have we to educate ourselves in
any kind of art?-of bringing our
minds to a proper condition to appre-
ciate great production when we see
it? / speak from experience, and the
more strongly, because | feel now what
that experience has deprived me of.
Not that l considc. myself now capa-
BILE of even partially understanding the
works of the great masters, or of en-
tering into the spirit of their labors,
or criticising in any manner the tech
nicality of their work--a llfeStime OF
constant study scarcely suflices for this,
but being, as l have been for two
months, surrounded by all this artistic
greatness, and concientiously endeav-
oring with the aid Of the best lights /
could get, to learn something of the
old art, has taught me the sublime
depths of my own ignorance, and
shown me that there is a reality in Ii
9ll-that it is eminently worth our
while, laboring ever so assiduously, to
understand. To live in Florence, is of
itself. IAN education in art. One is
) brought so constantly in close contact
with the old masterpieces, that GER
tain amount of their spirit is absorbed
by process OF endosmosis.
, You can go no where without being
brought within the pale of these infiu-
ences. In the Piazza Lignoria, you
have the Loygid Ldngi, containing
the celebrated "Persens with the Med
usas head,n the finest production in
, bronze to be found in the city. After
looking through all the galleries and
: examining all the single figures, one
4, finally comes to look back to this as the
i chief of them all. | have come to
learn that this is one of the best ways
!; of judging of the value of statue or
picture-that you are never tired look
! ing at it, and that each time you exam
inc it new beauty is revealed. Close
|
t group in marble, with one ex-
: ception in the world, "the rope
: Of the sabines" by GibUanni dc BoLeg-
3 ma. Every time | pass the loggia 1
u cannot refrain from stopping for an
7 other look at this wonderful carving
There is a life-a spring about the
4 principal figure that makes you ex-
' pect to see him move away at any
: moment with his struggling BURDEN.
But one letter would not suffice for
=, even a catalogueing of the noteworthy
u statues and paintings, and L mention
these two sculptures because they are
T not so much written or talked about
g as some others, such as the various
: figures by Michael Angelo, mentioned
! in one of my previous letters, and the
Q Venus de Medeci. This last is always
i a disappointment at the first observa-
8 tion. In the first place the size of the
figure is much too small and the yell
q lowness of age and the numerous, but
: not always judicious, restorations"
u have impaired its original beauty to
9 no inconsiderable degree. But with
all these drawbacks it will be found
e yet, upon close examination, TO be the
e nearest approach to the ideal of the
), female form extant. By and by as
; you look at it again and again, its ex-
J., ceeGing gracefulness begins to draw
II upon you aud in time you understand
: that il is deserving of all the encomi-
: ums heaped upon it. 1t differs in this
y respect from the "dying gladiator" in
y Rome. In this the image of death is
apparent in the peculiar tension of the
l. upper lip at the first glance, and you
. momentarily expect to see his head
e fall forward upon his breast and the
body sink lifeless upon the shield
But II not alone in the statues and
n the ac ,"nl miles of pictures contained
r in the JDiz=i and Pitt galleries, and
: in the Bella Arti and numerous other
q smaller collections, that the artistic
Il wealth of Florence consists. Its
!. churches are even more interesting
!. than its galaries and to the art or eccle-
: siastical student of untold value.
v What treasures of art and church his
tory are embodied in the Santa CrOce,
v the Santa Maria NOUeHn AID the Bdp-
< tiStery. The first was the first Chris
q tian church founded. byl st. Frances
o himself in Etruna the second the first
: Church of the Dominican order, built
q under the supervision of that Saint in
! person, while the last is built upon the
v site and contains some of the building
q materials of an ancient temple of
# Mars. All, moreover, contain fres-
- Goes, mosalcs by Orcagna, Glotto or
q others of those who laid the founda-
d ton of Italian art. The Duomo and
Is the companile represent some of the
n more modern work, though the latter
i was almost exclusively the work of
n Giotto. In fact every house almost
d has some association with some OF
p Italy's famous statesmen, artists or
e poets, though few of them have re-
= turned to somewhat base uses.
n This letter is written from the Pal
a ace of Macchiavelli, the famous Flor
q. entine philosopher and historian
n perhaps in the very room in which he
penned some of his greatest thoughts.
n 1t is now used as a pension, or board
10 ing house. as are numerous others OF
is the old palaces; in fact the majority
a of the hotels were once residences OF
v, the nobility and great men OF Flor
ls ence. S. NJ, h.
of Of Bergh's Hog Case.