The Newtown bee., 1879-06-25
A Painstaking Painter.

Americans are well acquainted with Meissonier's 'I8O7,o for which the late A. T. Stewart paid $6O,000. Meissonier worked fifteen years on this painting, fact which will be readily believed when his manner of painting is known. What ever be it's size. every figure he paints is the object of a special study. The arm of tke colonel of the cuirassiers in "I8O7" was the subject of a series of ble bit of painting; the arm was not de- cided upon until after he had tried sev enteen different positions, and had wit messed a score of charges of cavalry. No detail was put on canvas that had not been repeatedly examined, so that the picture represents over two hundred preliminary pictures. AS there was a disagreement between two veterans about the color of the collar of the uni form worn by a certain regiment, l&e spent a week in various libraries in order to gather evidence about the sub- feet, and undertook a journey to Bor- deaux to consult veteran surviving member of the regiment.
 One cannot imagine how much pains his "l914," or the '' Retreat from Mos cow," as it is otherwise called. cost him. In a biting cold winter day the writer had gone to Poissy together with the celebrated art critic, Paul Burty. It was showing, and there was foot of snow on the ground. We found Mels- sonier on the turret of his chalet seated in the war costume of Napoleon I, on a stuffed gray horse, and painting the figure of the emperor as it was rendered by large mirror that stood at some dis tance from him. He had been there three hours, unmindful of the cold, and was perfectly happy, as he said, because he had found the sinister tones of the Russian landscape. Paul Burty ven tured to remark that as he had already finished painting the landscape, he might withdraw and continue his work | in the studio, without exposing himself to the disaster that overlook the ' Great Army" "How could 1 obtain in the l studio," Meissonier quite excitedly re- l joined, the right tone and the true effect of Napoleon's gray coat in harmonious contrast with the somber grays of the sky and the snowy carpet on the ground, l and the just value of the flesh tones oi the emperor's countenance, darkened by | the dull atmosphere of a wintry sky?' ! It was there, on the top of that turret, that he completed what is perhaps his masterpiece.
 About a month later the writer found Meissonier in his studio scraping the same l8uTe Ol NdpOIcOIl, Go pttIHG " HlCll he had endured SO many hours of a freezing temperature. What on earth are you doing now?n asked, almost be- wildered. ''An old servant of the en- pcror has been here," Meissonier replied
 ''who was with him in Russia. He had tears in his eyes, and spent good hour in silent contemplation before my pie ture. After I had coaxed him for a long while to tell me whether he found anything inex;,ct in the canvas, the good old man finally said: During the cam paign of Russia his majesty wore the uniform of the chasseurs, not that of the grenadiers. Moreover, his majesty nevel consented to have his epaulettes unfast- ened from his tunic. That will explain to you why the arm-holes of his over coat were so large l had painted Ma poleon in the uniform of the grenadiers and with the epaulettes outside of his coat. How could I help doing what am now doing?n Thus, love of truth overbalanced all other considerations
 ana Meissonier began studying hpeet hpetTpif96e Tpf6. I duced by the epaulettes under the over coat and so on. until he had obtained the same perfection he had reached in the ! accesSOries of his previous portrait