The Van Buren press., 1878-03-05
The Place Where Leo XIII viii be
Crowned.
The st. Louis Republican Of the 24t

NV N"Fttto StottHkty "a A'lsliht NliiPNi,
in which the papal coronation will occur
today, is attached to the palace Of the
Vatican, and owes its name to Sixtus w.,
who built e IN 1913, from the designs OF
Biacco Pintell 1t is lofty, oblong
hall, about 1870 feet in length. by 10 in
width, with a gallery running round
three sides. The walls beneath the Win
dows are divided into two portions, the
lower one now painted in imitation OF
drapery, was intended to be covered with
tapestry copies Of the cartoons OF Ra-
phael the upper eonta ms series OF
fine frescoes by the great artists OF the
fifteenth see.ary. According to Lanzi,
:" it was designed TO give representation
of some passages from the life Of Moses
on one side Of the chapel. and from the
life of Christ on the other SO that the
Old Law might be confronted by the
New-the type by the person typited."
Two of these subjects are ON the wall
over the main entrance, and six on each
side of the chanccl Between the win
doWs are the portraits Of Il number of
popes.
The decoration of the roof of the
chapel was begun by Michael Angelo, in
1908, at the earnest entreaty of Julius
II, and was completed in l5l2 This ei-
gantic work, it is said, was done in TWEEN
ty months, not including the timo oecu-
pied in preparing the drawings which
guided the artists pencil The design is
evidently a continuation of the scenes
from Scripture history on the Sides but
contains much larger proportion OF sub
jects from the Old Testament. On the
fiat central portion of the roof is Sc
rles OF nine compartments, each contain
ing picture; beginning with the Crea-
ton, and ending, curiously enough, with
the lntoxlcation of Noah The curry
ed portion of the ceiling is divided into
triangular departments, in which are
twelve sitting figures of prophets and
sibyls, in the following order: Joel, the
Sibilla Erithre, Ezekiel, the SibiIa Per-
siea, Jeremiah, Jonah, the S1blla Lybica,
Daniel, the Siblla CumG, Isaiah, and the
Sibilla De- phica. Each figure has its
name inscribed beneath, which material
~ assists the recognition Of them In the
four compartments at the corners of the
roof are scenes from Jewish history
Healing by the brazen serpent, the pun
ishment of Hannah, David and Goliah,
and Judith and Hoiernes. In the TRAN
gnlar recesses between the prophets and
the slbyls, and in the arches over the win
dows, are scenes in the life Of the Virgin
Mary.
Inc t anu 'r 1e II sBS e
Of Michael Angelo, is " The Last Judg-
ment" (Which fills u space on the wall
opposite the entrance 60 feet high by 30
broad. 1t was designed by the artist in
his Goth year, at the special request OF
Clement VII, and finished in 1911, du-
ring the pontiticato of Paul ILL.,, after
eight years Of hard labor. To eneour-
age him in his work, the pope, accompa-
MED by a tram Of ten cardinals, visited
him at his house which, Lanzi thinks,
was an hour unparalleled in the annals
Of art The illustrous visitor suggest,
ed that the picture should be painted in
oils ! but his independent host declared
it should be in freseo, OF not at all be
cause q oil-painting was an occupation fit
only tor women or oilers, or such as had
plenty of time to throw away" Paul
". was displeased with some of the fig
ures on account of their painful lack of
clothing; to which objection Michael
Angelo replied :: Tell the pope that this
is but n small affair and easily to bercm-
odied; let him reform the world aud the
pictures will reform themselves" This
ingenius argument failed to satisfy the
pontitf, and he employed Daniel da Vol
terra to cover the worst nudities with
! drapery, which earned for Daniel the
appropriate nickname of Brdqcttone, or
the breeches-makcr." Michael Angelo
never forgot this unnecessary display of
modesty, and reveuged himself in char.
acteristic manner upon Biagio, Of Siena
the master Of ceremonies, who first dis
covered the indeicacy of the figures
He introduced him in the right angle OF
the picture as Midas, with asses ears,
and serpent twined round his body,
standing in hell. Biagio complained to
the pope, and the pope to Michael Angc-
| 10, but the latter refused to make any
change, saying, " that though the holy
father was able to effect release from
purgatory, he had no power over hell .
In the last century Clement XII. contin.
ued the process Of Danicle da Volterra
and added more brooches, which serious
! ly injured the effect of the frcscoes. This
together with the damp, candle,smoke
and incense of three hundred years, has
damaged " The Last Judgment" so much
that very little idea can now be formed
OF its original grandeur and beauty.
Such are the adornmeuts Of the room
| IN which Leo XIII. is to receive the tri
pie crown Of pontitical sovereignty, anc
the Fishermans ring, which links him
with " st. PETER, Prince of the Apos
ties" Let us hope he will have all tb,
wisdom granted to the wisest Of bis pre-
decessors, and that his reign. be it long
or short, peaceful or troubled, will be q
! blessing to the vast flock committed tc
his charge.
paF- We regret to learn that, on ac