Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-01-14
Women of Venice.

Tho famous beauty of the Venetian
women whom Titan, Glorione and
Paul Veronese painted in the likeness
ofslowing. voluptuous creatures, whose
nair had stolen the glory of the sun,
and whose flesh rivalled the beauty of
the peach-how can one descr be them
VIXEN they are never seen save upon
these brilliant canvases. If there is a
golden haired women in Venice be-
sides the sunny haired American at the
United States Consulate, we have thus
Tar failed to see her. If there is any
peachy flesh IN woman's form it is hid
den from our eyes. If there are any
other Venetian women than the long
faced, large-nosed, black-hjired type,
with whole medieval castles ESa goth
ic cathedrals of false hair pded over
their brows, and whole inches of pow
der laid upon their faces who meet Us
at every turn, then they are evidently
loo precious for mortal gaze, and are
hidden away somewhere like new
Danaes in the paternal tower. No
where in the world save, perhaps in
Brighton, England, does such lavish
use of powder prevail rs in Italy. We
thought the NeapolItan lady had reach
ed the last possible limit of its use
when we saw them going boldly about
looking like ghastly masks, through
which looked burning eyes. But it re-
mained to come to Venice to see the
NeapoliCans outdene, for where the
Eeapolitan only whitcns her face, the
Venetian COVERS herself with il from
head to foot, so that hair, eyebrows,
face dress and sometimes even the Goun-
ccs of her skirt, are as white as were
the masqueraders in the ''Miller's Pret-
~ Daughter" IL can scarcely be sup
posed that the type of Venetian beauty
has Sc rIdcally changed since 400
years ago, ,fshen the most glowing rays
OF the Renaissance gathered upon Ven
etian canvases, and made Iitian's beau
ties, and the amplcr splendor of Paul
Feronese's women to be the marvel OF
subsequent ages. IL il probably true
that scarcely a natural beauty ever was
painted by one of those masters, aud
that every bit of that gorgeous flesh and
every lock of that splendid hair was the
painters copy, of tl,e product Of hair
dyes and cosmetics; and that the Vene-
tian women then were in reality no
more beautiful than they are now.
1u the matter of tight-lacing, too, the
Italian idea seems that which prevail
ed in our country at the beginning OF
the present century. One wonders
how they breathe, these lily-wasted,
whose iron corset bones show so plain
Iy through their dresses that iron it.
self can do no more in the way of COM
preston. One. wonders they do not
break in two and 60 walking OFF like
the strange creature that maniac
American painter used 10 paint at the
Gigi studio in Rome last winter. This
poor fellow, who had been 4 clergyman,
knew kothing whatever of art, and the
mania 10 paint had come upon him on
ly with the shattering of his intellect.
As his manuel skill was unequal TO
anything more complicated than the
painting Of trousers and pet!icoats, he
always did his model only from the
wuist downwards, and then magnif-
Gently framed and sought to sell his
paintings of -headless, shOulderless and
waistless skirts and trousers, convinced
that The patron who asked for more
failed to underatand the loftiest pur
poses Of art.