New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-08
THE CESNOLA COLLECTION.
NO DECEIT ABOUT IT'S TREASURES.

NO DECEIT ABOUT IT'S TREASURES
THE CHARGES or ALTERATIONS TO GIVE FALSE
IMPRESSION SHOWN TO BE WITHOUT FOUNDA-
TIoN-uOw THE REPAIRER DOES HIS WORK
GENERAL pI CEsNoLA's REPLY TO Mr.. FEUAR-
DENT.
In talk reported below with Charles Ballard.
repairer and restorer at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art complete Description is given OF the
methods IN in repairing and restoring objects IN
the Cesnola collection. He shows that the greatest
care is taken to avoid errors, and that any state
ments about "doctoring" statues have no basis
General dI Cesnola himself has made reply, IN an
interview, to Mr. FeGardents charges, in which be
shows them to be without foundation. The number
of visitors at the museum last week was 14,420
THE WORK OF RESTORING AND REPAIRING.
An INTERVIEW WITH THE METEOROLOGICAL PAINS
TAKEN TO AVOID ANY ERRORS.
A TRIBUNE reporter went to the Metropol-
tan Mu-eum Of Art yesterday morning 10 see charles
hard. of No Cln,on-place, who IL the repairer OF
the Museum. He found Mr.. Ballard IN the repa ring
room IN the blsemcnt-l act apart for the
purpose and equipped WITH everything necessary Tor
me work In and shelves is large number Of
more or less broken Greek vases, with mutated objects
IA stone. most OF thcm from Cyprus With these are
numberess fri cmcuts winch m the progress OF the
work Wi be tarei The objects O. w.ich tIey be-
long. 10 tlls IN, 100 ar ~ pt'H'H' T."4''
valuable ana inter sting objects, for which no place can
now be found m tie crowded collection MP stairs The
reporter asked Mr. Ballard:
How long have you been employed in your present
capacity "a ,ue Museum
Ever since the removal ~ the collection from the
Four,rcntAst. building 10 This building; began the
work May - 1879 I Laye been employed 10 thor
ouguiy repairing aud mounting all the monuments De-
io1e ny 90 aud oanei 10 tlc Museum
"I-uppose yol have bad cousid raoie experience IN
thi, bu>ucssi"
"Wcu" SAID VT Ballard. III were nor considered
am expert should not be employed by he director ~
this rr.pou.b. position. r. is my business After
came to THIS country employed for some years by
tie house OF T riny co. where dd-a great deal OF
deic1tc and Intricate work. In my own snop have
repaired and restored objects for the family OF the Pfe
dent OF tine Metropolitan Museum for NJ. Robert l.
Cutting Mr. H. B. Hyde, OF the Equitable and ior many
other col lors-I may say han reds 10 this city and
e.sewhera aud avn oyerrun with such Work IN my
snou m Crtou-pacc. W1cn I came her. this room wl,
assyned 90 me IA repairing groom, and the first thing
done was 10 buld tls tank ID rect long, ~ feet wide
and about feet deep both hot and cold water We're
brought IN pipes from the cellar The tank built for
tAc p.rpo-e cf thocouZhy washing and cleaning tue
sarcop.a statues b5s-reicfs aud al otuer objects 10
stone wh ch IN tnc temporary arrangement IN Four
rc.t hld been left they came from Cyprus.
There they were put together in temporary
manner. on rough, inappropriate pedestlls, aud were
NOT washed A. the time OF the removal they were dis
mounted from pe lcsias the pieces easily detached
were taken apart and they were brought on trucks 10
this building wuere all the objects were laid on The 1oor
/ OF the grand hall Now began the work Of properly
puing together aud arranging the objects. General di
Ccspoa frsr directed 10 detdch all the pieces I'M
properly or mperfecty put together and thls did by
oau every object for several days IN the tank The
director would Gnate certain number say three OF
fo1r obecs AZ once he wanted me first to repair
These placed in the tank Those which had previously
been nut together with plaster Fourteenhst after
few DAYS soaking easily apart. When the pieces
were Thoroughly ceInsed. they were taken upstairs IN
the elevator and laid on the floor for several days 10 dry
Toeu took the next lot designated. and until the
whole collection OF stone objects had been soaked"
WAS this washing necessary" the reporter asked.
eyes: II was indispensable It was the order Of the
Director that these objects should be repaired and
mounted 10 proper and permanent manner and all the
work has bee done in accordance with his orders In
Fourtcenhst the fragments Joined to the statues
with MASTER Here have used plaster but chiefly
sulphur and n cement of my own composition The
fragments have Joined together by the insertion OF
| copper rods strongly connecting the pieces.
! NO USE OF FRAGMENTS AT RANDOM.
Did you ever. "a Mr.. Ferardent asserts, frag-
meurs AT random IN repairing the statues r.
"No never did II the positive order or the di-
atr mar only the pieces which formerly had belonged
TO the statues should be used. on this point he was
/ very plrtcuar. The General brought IN the second
colIecton from Cyprus seventy cases of stone
ohieets which never opened or exhibited In Four
teentht and among these six seven boxes full
of fragments belonging statues IN the first collection
These fragments were laid the doors Of the two
west halls OF basement and on several tables IN
this room The General was almost constantly present
u,,hout losing ciy excepting Sundays. while the re-
pairinc WIS in progress He was IN the building nom
! = m 10 6 D. M and sometimes later, and was in this
rom, from twenty to Atty times day. without his as
sistlnce H. would have been icult II not impossible
70 nd the ferent fragments belonging 10 the several
stot,es He seemed to know where every piece be-
lonred In some 1t was easy to nni the pieces
that exactly fitted the places where they belonged our
great difficulty was With the smaller fragments, over
wbicb we sometimes worked days and days before we
foupd out where they belonged. Whenever l was In
doubt asked the advice and assistance OF the director
Have YOU ever placed the wrong head on body T.
| ,.Nor 10 nv knowledge; because when l was not
quite sure by the appearance OF the break TO whleu
crest or body the head belonged called the director
| for his better Judgment
"In cleaning those objects have yOu discovered
ornamen s. decorations other designs which were not
apparent when you hrst took them IN haDdf
ooh yes IN many instances There IS a square box
having on side some animals IN relef on the op
Winch the cleansing to the astonlshment and delight
the General brought 70 light an inscription OF seVera
lines in Cyprote characters, OF which no traces mad
nreytously appeared You must know that these ston
objects we're vita thick crust which was marc
10 remove even IN In another instance to the
dt.cust OF the General, found on the left arm OF
arge statue an inscription which the General said re
duced the antiquity of the statue nearly Thousand
wears In the very finest statue OF the collection OF
beroesize be trded figure holds IN the right hand
broken cup and in the left bird by the legs Whel
this statue came ceansed rom the tank It revealed o.
the left shoulder the General recognized as Cypr
t letters The colossal Hercules. which had been pre-
vously photographed. after cleaning showed very III
terestng design extending from the centre OF the bel
IN the dress In cleaning small statuete, disk az
neare1 which had not before remarked. and when
sbowed IN 10 the director he SAID 10 wa mirror
| Won OF dOctOrng a.
supnose 40 but there Is word OF truth in wha