, 1876-01-23
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.

in the University OF Michigan Was founded abo1t
ei1teen yeats ago By the purchase OF = collection
of plaster and terrs-cotta copies OF statuary in
Paris. Eaplea, and Berlin. aud by the addition
also OF q collection OF engrAyings and photo
graphs Illustrating to eome e1tent classical arch-
lecture as we'll Is modern art
Tho limited ne2ns at tue command Of the de-
partmeat have made the rapid growth OF the
museum quite impossible. though very Ta4naole
additions have heen mAde-
The object, it should be understood, in
university museum OF this kind is two-fold: To
afford 1t once the means OF art culture, aud Of
illustration and help in the study Of history and
the classlcs, as we'll As other literature. Thero-
fore, objects Of art and antiquity often possess
q significance which would bo perhaps OF little
interest to the art-studsnt or to tho ordinary
visitor An idea Of
THE CHARACTER AND EXTENT or TEE COLLECTION
nav be given in fsw words. In s.stuazy tho
museum WAS able to purchase few Of The
great typical works Of full aize, uupplemeusing
these, for the present. with tho best obtainable
copies ID reduction. Tbs copies are Ill artistic,
made partly under the direction OF the Govern-
nent officials in Paris, and partly by genuine
aft1sts in Berlin aud Naples, and I'll valued by
Eu1opean artists for ther purposes as high as
the originals. The plaster reductions and Also
hronzes are made On the svstem called tho te-
dnction Mathematlque de Achile Collas." The
small. terra-cotta reductions are from Giovanni
Mollica in Naples, and though individually they
would not be interesting, as collection, ana
while waiting for tho means to oosa'n larger
works, thoy arc invaluable.
The medallion collection is from EichIer in
Berlin, aud furnishes At ouce An excellent opp"r-
tunlty tor the study OF ths Development OF mod
ern art from the time OF Plssno. and Of asceT-
tanning the features OF all the historical porsoo-
ages Of the last four centuries.
In painting tha museum has almost nothing.
All that it has been able to get together thus Tar
IN this direction is collection Of photographs
and eogravings, the Latter Illustrating, by oome
OF the best examples. the art OF engraving on
wood copper, steel, and stone, and It she'Hamo
time giving very perfect copies Of Soma OF tho
great masterpieces OF Raphael, Holbein, etc.
THE LARGE STATUES
are the Laocoop the Apollo Ee1vedere. the
draped Augustus, tho Sophocles, and smaller.
though Of tbs sizo Of the originals, Cerea and
Melpomene. These arc perfect copies frcm tho
Louvre Moulage. in Paris. There ara admlra~
ble busts Of C1sxr, Cicero. laocrates. Homer.
CATO, seneca, and several others, Of the size OF |
the originals. copied chiefly at the Louvre but |
sone in Berlin. and also good-sized reductions !
(Colla's) in plaster Of the Diana OF Versailles.
tho 1luses. polyhymnia, and Euterps, tho Venus |
and eevaral classical and modern bas-reliefs, in
Guiding Coils reductions OF the remains OF the |
f1ieze OF tbs parthenon.
THE rEBRA-coTrA COLLECTION
embraces about hundred good copies Of ssatu- |
ary and buats, mostly classical; among which |
there is tho group OF tho Farnese bull, the |
Farnese Hercules, and Flora, the Fighting
Gladiator, the Dying Gladiator, the Wounded |
Gladiator, the Wounded Amazon (equestrian1
tho two equestrian statues Nonius Balbus, |
father and aon, tho sitting statue Of Agrippina.
tho bropze Mercury Of Naples. tho equestrian |
bronze statnette Of Alexander (origind size),
the Dancing Faun, and many others al e1ceed-' I
ingly perfect representations Of the original in
forn attitude, and expression, about foot in
average height and though not imposing, Of
couree very interesting to the tourist a. 4
"reminiscences, and to the student sa giving III
that Is essential for his purpose.
IN ES0RAyIHoB,
tho museum has the fino wood enxrayings Of
piranesi and PaBini OF the architectural remains
Of ancient Rome, the best Of which, poThsps, il
the set Of viewe representing the exterior and
interior OF the Parthenon, five in number. But
few OF the Photographic views are eaualiu effect
to these grand old engravings. Then there Il
the SGT Of HollowaJ's engravings Of Eaphaai's
cartoons and fine engraved copies OF Holbein's
Madonna, OF Kaphaers twelve hours Of tho day
and might, BY French engr&vers Of the beginning
OF this century of Rubens' crucih1ion, hY r.
Piloty, On stone OF Guercino's "Chr1at Crown
ed with Tho1ns," and other copies by Piloty
Correggio's 'Nat1yisy.' on steel. by Lefevre,
and various copios OF like character There is
Alb0 D. very ue2ut1lu1 COPY IN WAt6T~ECtOE U1 kQe
Madonna and child belonging to the :. Dresden
Madonna" Of the original size. an admirable
copy. A collection has been begun Of
COPIES OF OLD MASTERS In cHRoMo.
mtde by klllethover, published bT Didot Freree,
Paris, such al tho ''Piota" " OF Fra Bartolomeo,
tho "Ecce Homo" of Guido, and Madonna and
child Of Sassoferato, Fra Angelicos "Cruci-
fxon, ETC., I'll reductions. but exceedingly per-
fect.
Tho photcg graphs are quito numerous, and
some very large, especially those Of Guido's
Aurora :" and Of "Michasl Angelo's Last
Judgment"
There are in all about 125 large eng1avines,
photographs, and chromos, and $50 copiea in
plaetor and te1ra.cotta, besides three beautiful
bEonzes. the Noses and Julian and Augustine
di Medicl, nearly half OF tue original aize.
There is in addition, al observed above ysry
Gne collection Of medallion casts OF busts,
gems, coins. ETC., made by Eichler, in Berlin,
up.ards OF 1,600 in number. illustrating ut once
the art and history OF the last four centuries.
This museum makes but little display COM
pared With galleries Of large paintings, and ia
chiefly valuable 10 the student and tboee in
spectnE the objects closely and individually.
Most OF tho copies takon separately might be OF
little interest. but IS collection and studied in
their connection are Of real value. It should be
said also thAt tho cthnoXEaphlcal museuru At !
present connected with the art collection for |
want OF space. and quito crowded, contains
p1obkbly the 1srgeat number OF South Ameri- |
can, Chiness. and Japanese objects Of art and
industry to be found IN the country, |
ODDS AND ENDS.
HealeYs8 rortrAit nf thA pnpa In onr r. a. !