, 1876-06-26
CENTENNIAL.
The Mosaics Of ltaly---A Hand.
some Exhibit.
Tho Roman md Florcnttnc Styles,
nnu Descriptions OF Each.
1nlaid Furniture--.M Motler.of. Pearl ind
1yory...Elaborate Wood Carvings,
Epec,a, Correspondence qr 7As Tribune.


thnt It was tho only kind Of painting tint lyut
for eternity, And 80, ambitious to Jerpctnatc
Ills fame, tic teacher nf Michael Angelo often
forsook tho cnsel for tho sn,nlt, engaging IN n
mnrely mechanical labor In nrtler TINT the visitor
to tho Cathedral Of st. Afnrks to.day might adj
miro tho mntchlcss mosaics md assupintc them
with hts maine.
In this century, as IN the fourteenth, italy Is
tho home OF musa,ts. Tla craftHmon OF other
lat,ls have from time to time caught somewhat
OF tho italian spirit, and hive produced very
cTcdliabfa tnilets; but never fns thu art hccn
faithfully followed IN the Trausaiptno co,l,-
tries. An exhibition Of Italian nrt-inlustry Of
The prcacnt day wuuhl, indeed, BE- incomplete
without 4 representa- from The 1nnsatc work.
era nf Florence, Kninc, anil Venice. The rhIln-
dciplia Exhibition ilas this much, anil more.
1t las specimens nj every article In whose spa,
ufacture thr inlayinE of gtnss IL employed,
from the establishments ot Poggolt, OLIVIER,
Civtta, a,nl Giahcll. Many of thcsc objects
hnye been cstftcd hcfurc, ptthc Worlds Fairs
held In 1'ar!s nnd Vienna; yet they are always
new. flMst eannot n,nku them imlc, nor can
moth or rust corrupt them
In hcgtnnlns a noticc. Ut the mosa!cs, It may
be stated TINT the simpler ;ilaaru represented
to an extciit unprecedented At previous Exhl-
billions; willie, of the miro expensive works,
is always great Risk In transporting articles of
yaiuc to II great distance, and especially mruss
the ocean; but It ,oes sect, us though VIC ought
tn ilnyg 1ad vt leEt one llceG as Eood rs tint
Exhibition u 1865, Tint was rory If G'er-
tinos st.. John the Baptist; und its yaluc
was $50 0tD But, then, It Wns not for sale,
while all Of tl,c ,nosatcs here arc lal,clcd with
their price. Tic most expensive specimen 10
abnut feet In diameter, circular IN sllapc, md
supported By single standard, branching put
,.eAr ,ta hAHc intn scyernl tlgcrs' feet. Tie or
rancntal work Upon the surface Of tho table is
icTa studied regularity, I think tl,r effect would
H. 1--we tno S''0 oil, "0ts gsumttris asiaS Curves, 49, ai
lines anl anglsMs So prelonlnato, as
cse cyer, te % iait il iait Il ,ioot % tlsre
arc very masy artists wio would clnin It as n
vIrtuc,-is atonel tor by the remarkable variety
mn! hrilllancy of tho eoloring. The thousands of
title pieces q elass that go 10 mako up .hs
precious stones. 1t would be difficult for one
mt thoroughly acquainted with HloFntcs to dis
tlnguistl their ingredients from thu real stones.
There may be- scen n,nalarllic ard porplyry, md
composition called tl,e goll;stoue is nlso protnI-
nens. Thr price Of the tab!e Ia $1,000. It was
exhibited at Virnnn in 1878, hut did not lind
purchaser. Very likely It wlll not be allowed to
leave this country, especially as tho popular in
tcrcst 1T art las taken ncfs Impetus from tho
Exhibition. notice TINT large nliiibers Of Ut
tlcles In mosaic arc already marked ns sold
Ill.
OF tho two styles et ,noaelca, rather moro Of
the Rnrnnn ttut tho FfurCntnc nro llcrc repre-
seuicd As ID sulerally known, !n the Flurcl-
.hle on!y Pieces of stono Or shell Ia tl'c!r nat
ural colnEs arc employed, ont tho scope Of the
mosaic !a,' therefore, limited to such simple
crs, md nsal,csuue dcaigns. II Is to tho lsotnan
1nusAies, therefore, that we look for tho hlore
elaborate cxprcssloh Of tho art, Introducing
landscape n,,.l tile 1nn hgnrc. Lives lave bccn
pieces Of tnlt class OF work. lttah au.l 1lntor.
Ictto did not lislain to furnish sartoons fur tho
1nosats Of the Venetian md Hc'lorec catflelsnls.
lnlced there aro three 1!ipsairs IN tho Cathedral
Of y o9S ~ ut Lis'o' whose value 's estimated
III tho preparation Of tho Roman mosnlr, tho
first cssclltfal Is Il cartoon, giving the scene,-lt
Il be p!cturc,-asnl tho exact proportions MS
they are to bc produced upon tho 'narblc. This
IL then given tlle proper colUss upon AnDthcr
canvas. Then, will cIlfsel and other tools,
tlie workman pruccele to pcrforntc or intlcnt
tho slab according tn the profile Of the model.
The pieces Of glats or sn,alt are cnref'1fly con-
strMsted Of III tints; ar.l the workman pr.'-
ecrts 70 the le!cate task Of lifting them into
their plnces, 81 as to produce perfect whole.
1ilo F1uErnt!ne process Is sI1own to tho visitor
by e.lils uf specimens Ut tnusaicA In all stages
Il co',str,stton, qutts nl!ng sl'oT.ease, MIR
llcrc ,lay bs scen all kinds Of ellcll md Htono
IN jrrcyl]nrjy- y-slapcl plrrcs. Malnchlto il gen
crl(ly used to represent ytrdurei while, for the
delicate pink petals Of the rose, the conc.sslell
made In the art since the days Of Andrea Taft,
wlo Was probably tic grcatest Of tho old mo-
4aicisli.
The pictures IN mosaic nFc all Rtnnl1, though
representing sol,ic Of the finest class of work.
OF tho l,alftl"zsn exhibited Sy ol!sierL one
e. the met n3a ssFE . ts ts'Sr 2 Of
leptvte',-the rough cot, tho cross,lcggeil
chairs tho iron kettle hanging over tho lire
place. In this centre OF tho rpnn htnnds tho
fisherman, barc.lratlrd and bare-lootetl, dressed
I.canlng ane hand upon The table, with the otlcr
lie sl,a,lcs llis eyes wI!n gazing tlrulglI The
open door out upon tho buisterOus sca. The
colursng Is simply perfect.
Another picture prehc1ita m Italian landscape
with sll the traditional uyrompaninlcnts OF hcal
land, scu, ArA ruined htlrnc. Tiltsn Aru botl,
about inches ktlNasr, cxvl vlltsiyu nf frnne, and
their price Ia $500 cach. 4 sunewl.at different
effect Is produced III pair ot n'osales represent
lug female figure RECLINING, in the unc, OH d
grassy hank, aIiA IN tho othcr III Il gorgeous
cnucl!.. Here the surface Of the picture Ii not
smooth. but covered with rounded pieces ui
glass Of uniform size. This style Is called The
pearl mosaic.
ucsldcs t!,psc, there aro grent numbers ol
other articles III wllt,se construction tho nosa!c
forlas nh important part. Ttlere are rountlcst
| icwcic:Ises wllosu 5:Fc workmanship Tcntless
| them 1T rcreptaries tnr tho most costly brill
iants. Observation-Disclosures, glnyo.ht'xes, Carl
cuscs, als,luls, and utl manner u fuucy things
aro displayed. a white marble toi!et-slal.i
whose surluce presents II succession uf cubes II
[ vartolis coloTB, IL alsl II striking .oDlcet.
Turning to the collection Ut lsuerhcgglanl, ot
lunc, ono ~ Impressed with the extreme artist
beauty Of his tablcs. Hers Is one nbuut l lcc
In diaInctcr, llAving y tlack marhlo ground. "
the centre Ii medallion representing ltomulu
and Rems nNl tho tlt,thcrly wolf. llai!-wa,
between the hur.!er Ut the table aud this charm
Ing picture is II wreath, connecting, at cQuidis
talt poills, fnr sillnllcr lnrdallLOlls represent
| lug tbs -Four Seasons. The price oi this fiji,
piece Ut art Is f!,0'u. A pAir of smaller tahlc
ure similar in style, the ccntre'piece showing
TWO boys lcattlng tiger.
/ v,
Tho twin urt of mosaic-work Is inlaying, nnt
In this the Italians aIc alsO sucecssful, Muthcr
1 A.. f.... la =