St. Landry democrat., 1878-06-01
TITIAN'S DAUGHTER,

! lnOl d0st not ADMIRE mat picture
Giulio2" said the great painter, Tizianc
Vecell, of Venice to his favorite pupil
Giulio Mantoni.
"S;, 81, signQr; but whose portrait Is
it? When was it painted :? and where
has it been until now ?''
Thou dost not ask who painted it.
Hast no curiosity, hast no wish to learn
this"
"Curiosity enough, as thou we'll
knowest, signor, to prove my descent
from Eve, whose falling that way lost 8
paradise to Adam. But l need not ask
who painted thus, for there is only one
who can paint thus. There is only one
pencil which can blend such beautiful
coloring with such free drawing. Signor
maestro, Il thou could have thy pictures
unrecognized. thou must even hang them
with the painting to the WALL
"Flattery, Giulio-rank aattery
But I believe thou meanest what thou
sayest. AS to this portrait -
cay, signor, whose likeness is it?
GAS thou art anxious to know, my
Giulie, and often playest a trick upon
thy master, methinks I shall not tell
thee. Thou mayest look grave if thou
wilt, but / shall not tell thee non. Call
my gondolieri; the day is pleasant and
they shall row me across the Lido. Addio,
Addior'
The painter went on his way across
the lagune and smiled as one smiles at a
lucky thought or successful specula>
ton. The musings were pleasant and IS
he lay Eat listless length" within the
canopy of his gondola they found such
utterance as this:
"He is good youth, and hath a prop.
er love for art; he is studious, too, gen.
tie in manner, afe ctionate, and with a
warm heaat. Ny Beatrice is a tender
dove, and it will be we'll if she can find a
shelter in his breast. How he gazed
upon the pictured! II he admire the
original only half as much, the train will
soon be in flames. He is a goodly
youth" And with such thoughts did
Titan take council On his brief and pleas
ant voyage to the Lido.
Meanwhile the pupil employed HIM
self in looking at the portrait more
infinitely than he heretofore had done.
The renewed and closer examination
confirmed his original opinion of its ex>
celience, not alone as work of art, but
as the representation of a character of
feminine loyeliness more attractive than
he had yet beheld in Venice. The por-
trait represented beautiful girl just in
the spring of youth, bearing aloft in her
hands a massive casKet, and pausing, as
it were, in her onward progress, to cast
a smile upon the beholder-like sudden
sunburst The face was one of exquis.
lite beauty. but the maize and cheerful
expression, the hearty joyousness, the
guileless end trusting eloquenee of
aspect, formed q part of intellectual
loneliness far greater than usually accom-
panies mere beauty of features. For
though to say SO would be treason against
the majesty OF that sex whom we gener-
alize as "fair''-I fear it is but too true
that the perfection OF personal and men>
tai beauty do not often meet inone. Yet
even now do remember to have met
that union.
The young artist admired the portrait
for some time and then tell into medi>
tatlve humor-a thing unusual for him,
for, though he was a spaniard, he was
q youth Of quick imagination and lively
temperament, and it is not the wont OF
such to anticipate the contemplative
thoughts which they believe belong to
the maturer season of manhood. The
youth thought and thought and thought
until, when Titan returned, he found
bis pupil seated opposite the portrait,
with his pencil in his hand and his head
downward dropping --even as in his
mood Of poetic thought have seen that
OF Wordsworth, the great master of the
Tyre. Titan came near, but Giulio did
not stir; nearer still, and Giulio was
breathing heavily; close to him and |
touched his shoulder. The youth up>
started! He had fallen asleep before
the portrait! Il
Oh, what q very uniover-Iike accident! /
but 9 slesta is treasure to the spaniard,
and the day was dull, and it was weari.
sone to be alone, and, il the truth must
De told, Giulio, who had all painters
sye for beauty, had been up half the
preceding night, serenading beautiful
lama, whose bright eyes had fascinated
aim one evening as lie passed beneath
The windows of her fathers palace.
Giulio Mantoni had been Titian,s
pupil for some six months previous to
NE incident Of the portrait and the
'lumber. Without any introduction
mad ne come, but had paid large sum
For the privilege Of instruction. After
lime his gentle manners, his love for the
lrt and his rapid progress in it had So
ar won upon Titian-a lone and widow
Il man--as TO make him solicit that
Siulio would become an inmate of his /
opse Titan was NJ e solitary for his SOM