Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-11-21

the midst OF pretty garden OF flowers and
shrubbery. Its numerous attached Offices
are supplemented by half score Of detached
buildings situated within radius Of 100
rods, so that the general appearance Of Fins
holme is not unlike that Of fine English
manor house-for which reason, doubtless,
the late Consul Jarvis was not uncommonly
designated the Last of the Barons." It's in
terror is so replete with artistic treasures that
to apply Steele's observation upon Lady
Elizabeth Ilastings-an acquaintance there
with is n liberal education. Its different
apartments contain about $50 oil paintings,
beside sketches and engravings. representa-
tive Of all the principal schools, and, in a
measure, descriptive of the history of the art,
from period represented by large panel Of
the old school Of Primaticcio down to that of
Couture and Hunt. OF the latter artist there
are at least n Dozen one of the most import
ant being the Return of the Prodigal Son, "
which is included in the present exhibition
at the Museum Of Fine Arts 1t was painted
in Paris in the studio which Hunt occupied
conformity with Thomas Couture, and for i'm
pressiveness and vigor Of treatment is, per
haps, the strongest example extant of the ar
lists early method, as it uuquestionably is the
most important work of that period.
The composition seems more like the work
Of Nelasqucz or Ribera than Of u man of our
time-and young man, too. Besides this
picture there hang in the lower hall nine
family portraits by Hunt and Harding, and
the Copley heretofore referred to. In the IL
brary- cdmdyj2d in more senses than one
the furniture dates from the middle ages, and
includes old Venetian curtains, embroidered
with gold IL Venetian mirror, with embossed
brasses a large black oak couch, elegantly
carved and "a bibHOtijque of black oak, which,
for intrinsic md artistic value is probably
unsurpassed in this country. It's eight spiral
columns are grooVtd and inwruught with
leaves, it's fneze is OF the time of Henry H.,
and the Who'll" is iulaid with many panels Of
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Here,
among other cauyascs, is an original portrait
OF La Fontaine, one Of Racine, The Ascan-
sion Of the Virgin" by Prondhon; paintings
by Greuze and Giordano, bronzes by Barge,
reductions from the antique by Collas and a
very rare and beautiful bronze bust of Napo-
leon as First Consul In the dining-room are
those quaint, blackjack side-boards of the
thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. with elab-
orately carved panels, all filed with rare old
cut glass SAKE, Dresden Sevres and porcc-
laiu--pieces of the last named rendered cx-
ceedingly interesting by having flowers. but
tcrilics, birds and their nests painted thereon
from nature by young daughter of Col.
Hunt The pictures in this room are by
Mongnot, Van Ess and others Of like reputa-
ton. In the parlors / noticed a full length
portrait of Vim. NJ. Hunt, painted by Leutzc
dusseldorf in lSG4 The figure is in the
costume of Francis large lace collar vel.
vet mantle, slashed sleeves, sword, etc, and
is a very good likeness of the subject at the
time it was executed, as is shown by da-
guerreotype taken in Paris the following year
1t was in Dusseldorf that Leasing took Mr.
Hunt for the model of his portrait Of John
Huss.
Here, too, hangs a fine. full-longth portrait
Of Marshal Catiuet "The Cathedral Of ST.
Bozzi. Brabant' by Bustraaton, The Ado
ration, by Nicholas Poussn, a landscape by
Van DerBerg, and thirty or forty caUyases
and panels by Dutch, Flemish. French aud
American artists. Among the more striking
o6j,t ii, rertu are old Dutch chairs, quaint
clocks and vases, arms and armor, and an es-
pccially interesting collection Of curios gath
cred by Col Hunt il Egypt. In the upper
halls are pictures by Bassano, lie Suour. Gior-
gioni Lawrence, DLmaresq, Hunt and 9TH
ers, and the rooms all possess some special
claim upon the attention of the visitor. Here
Is the first portrait taken by electric light in
Paris, in lsGO, by Nadar and there an orig
inal sketch 10y Burkhardt. of louis Agassiz' s
tent, pitched for two weeks on the glacier Of
Mont Blanc Ia one room is a sketch of The
Graces' in red crayon, by Tintoretto, and, in
another, two Of the most delicate and highly
nnisnod portraits OF children IN pencil, by
Hunt, which, in accordance with the wish Of
the artist, expressed just before he left Films
holme for the last time will soon be en-
graved.
When Col. Leavitt Hunt was in Frankfort
on-the- Main, in loiG, he was impressed with
the idea that the Egyptian moon goddess,
Anahita, would be available as the subject of
a pendant to Guides Aurora, and, having
suggested the idea to his brother William, he
was requested to write out the full descriptive
lines which follow
AEAHIrA.
Euthroucd upon her car Of light, the moon
Is circllug down the lofty heights II Heaven;
Her weL-irained coursers wedge the bndest depths
with fearful plunge, yet heed the STEADY hand
That guides their lonely way. So swift her course,
So bright her SMILE she seems on silver wings,
O'er-reachirg space, to glide the airy main;
Behind fAr-hoN ing, spreads her deep blue veil,
lnWrought with stars that simmer in It's wave.
His wary way; with meaucholy hoot
Dispeling spectral shades that fee
with hat-hke rush, aGripht,d, back
withiu'the blacklist noois Of cavcrued Night.
By raven tresses half concealed; but one,
With fArer locks, seems lingering back for Day.
Yet all with even measured footsteps mark
Her onVa ard course. And floating in her train
Repose lies nestled on the breast Of Sleep,
While soft Desires tnclasp the waists Of Dreams,
And ight-wingcd Faucits hit around in troops.
These graphic lines were the source and
guide of the painters inspiration when he
first attempted the composition called The
Flight of Night, which forms one of the mu-
raj paintings in the Capitol at Albany, and
they are in several points of detail an admir-
able description Of that magnificent work.
Aud this reference to the Albany frescos re-
minds me that Mr.. Clarence Cook has seen
fit to criticise Mr.. Hunt somewhat harshly on
the score of n misdirection of talent, saying,
in reference to his classes of pupils, that he
gave to women what was meant for man.
kind" The present exhibition at the Muse
UNI of Fine Arts, and the mural paintings at
Albany, are sufficiently convincing refutations
Of the implied charge, that Mr.. Hunt prefer
red work that fed his vanity to work that
would enhance his fame But at the same time,
il is gratifying 10 find the critics across the
water, like Sir Coutts Lindsay, regretting that
the chiefs of the English school do not en-
gage in the very work which Mr. Cook would
belittle. Suppose" he says, that such men
as Millais, Watts, Burne Jones, Sir +. Leigh
ton, Poynter and others, were to gather
round them a number of sympathetic stu
dents, is it not evident that the mass of
knowledge which they have accumulated
would fructify in the minds of others, and
not expire with their own lives p Certainly,
nearly all great artists in times past have
done this, and they do so still in France and
Germany. The old Italian artists lived and
died in the midst Of their schools, "accumu-
hitting and keepinp alive art -knOWledpa in a
thousand Misunderstanding new afluents to
join the swelling river of Italian art, till it
has flooded the whole of Europe with its glo-
ry." In a humber way, but with like spir-
it aud by similar methods, William Morris
Hunt followed in the footsteps of the Old
Masters. He served his art with such single
ness of purpose, and with such enthusiastic
zeal, that the lightest labor he chose to un-
dertake yielded oftentimes an unexpectedly
generous return. Laborers of his rank in the
Great Workshop are wisely allowed TO select
thair our, h. aud N nrpcaouta thav, tgitb