Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-07
ESTABLISHED 1850.

y
that the vessel IN which il was embarked foul
Gered AZ sea and the only surviving object
the wreck was the case containing This main
ing, which noated, unharmed and unimpsireg
into safe hsrborage at Genoa, and was We
q them.
Happily. no hazard OF any kind has eve
attended the matchless Sistine Madonna 3
which il may surely be said, IL the Processio
TO Calvary escaped shipEreck, the great Ms
/ donna shall survive the wreck c
I worlds. Indeed. it inspires such reyerenfis
I admiration as 10 even suggest the belief tha
il can hardly. AZ the last great day. be reel
/ oned among the chat 10 be destroyed with IN
quenchable fire.
Let Us pass slowly and rsverently from tn
I presence OF this great work-no one. no matte
how familiar with Il, ever passes quickly from
/ il can even believe it would have power I,
correct the gathering and impetuous progress
OF gang OF personally conducted" Cook
| tourists,
A long corridor runs from the salon Of th,
/ Slstlne Madonna. passing by innum erable cabi
net-like rooms full OF paintings until az th.
Iort tner angie OF the gallery salon CORES
/ pODding in size is reached. This room Is no
/ dedicated to one painting exclusively but ii.
acknowledged gem hangs conspicuous, in the
/ holoein Madonna Mrs.. Jameson, in her chap
ter on Family Yotive MadonnAs. thus refers K
/ this work:
Another celebrated and mast precious pic
/ ture OF this class is the Virgin OF the Never
I family painted By Helbein for the Burgouias
I ter, Jacob Meyer, Of Basic. According 70 q
/ family tradition the Youngest son Of the Bur.
| gomaster was sick even unto death. and
/ through the merciful fnfercession Of the Vir.
gl9, was restored TO his parents, who. In graft
tuoe, dedicated this Offering She stands on a
pedestal in q richly ornamented niche; over
her long fair hair, which falls down her
shoulders 20 her waist, she wears a
superb crown; and her robe of a dark
greenish hue, Is confined by a crimson
girdie. In purity, Zignity humility and INTEL
leetual grace. this exquisite Madonna has never
been surpassed, not even by Raphael The
face, once seen. haunts the memory. The
child in her arms Is generally supposed to be
the infant Christ. have fancied- as look on
the picture, that il may be the poor sick child
very pathetic, the limbs not merely delicate
but attenuafed, while on comparing IL with
the robust child who stands below the re-
semblance and the contrast are both striking
To the right OF the Virgin kneels the Burgo-
master Meyer with two of his sens, one Of
whom holds the little brother who is restored
% health. and seems to present him TO the
people On the left kneel three females the
mother, the grandmother and q daughter
All these are portraits, touched with that
hOmely vigorous truth and finished with that
consummate delicscy, which characterized
HOlbein in his happiest efforts: and with their
earnest, but rather ugly and earthly faces
contrasting with the diVinely compassionate
and refined being who looks down on them
with an air 50 human, SO maternal and yet so
mccarthy"
The suggestion Of this gifted art writer. that
the child in the arms Of this Madonna IS not
intended for the Christ child, but for the infant
commended 70 her merciful and restoring
powers, Is a suggestion the more valuable not
merely because the other commentators on
this painting, whom We have consulted simply
assume that the child Is Christ and so pass on
but also because every fact in connection with
this infant is as strongly corrooorated as you
gaze en- it, as could possibly be demanded by
tie fore bic argument of the authoress from
whom have quoted.
h.
found 10 be among the pleasanteSt events in our
study OF this picture.
As to her sweeping praise Of the Madonna
while am ready 70 cOncede the deep impres-
sion left by the dignity. grace and tender
beauty Of the figure, / cannot concur in the
sentiment that il has never been surpassed
even by Raphael
II the statcment had been that this Madonna
had never been surpassed, in the Qualities
enumerated. except by Raphael, should un-
hesitafingly agree.
In a different connection. Mrs. Jameson has
occasion 70 compare these two MadounaS of
the Dresden Gallery sand spes Ks of .sthe love
ly Madonna OF the Meyer family" as "iDex-
pressiolT touching and perfect in its Eav. but
conveying only one Of the attributes'of Mary.
her benign pity; while the Madonna di san sis-
to is an abstract Of all -
This justly famous Madonns Of the MeTer
family Is the subject over which such fierce
contention has arisen Of late years, as u
whether il Is work by the master Holhein AT sIa
or not. and have read that the prepondergpcs
OF evidence Is rather against its assumed au-
thenticity.
But think the day win never come when
this work viii not be.sril hailed as HolbeIn's
Madonna II presents unquestionable charac-
teriStics Of that masters school of art charac-
terlstics that certainly are not always pleasing
cesses a type OF eTceilefee Ne yTers vsrT, -Is5
TO welcome the sight Of And as il can hardy
be imagined that its detractors urge il 10 Be-
too good for Holbein. we are quite content TO
rest IN our admiration Of it as one Of the
1aDpiest efforts of that masters brush
To the left OF the Holbein Madonna Is a little
painting BY Van Eyck, in exquisite finish and,
attention 70 detail a perfect gem Il is all
nougn the queenly Virgin in gorgeous appsrs
md the Child OF so benign and tender aspe-
lad been presented life-size, and then by SOC r
marvellous agency reduced to miniature w
'ut the loss OF anything ia expression or a. :.
ne ELECT; nay, even without the loss OF IN {
,ie thread upon the gold-embroidered oss- a
At one side OF the figures, here, Is a d, f, VIZ Il
low, and through its half open sash y..seea - a !
andscape that melts IN thC - U
mountain and sky: sH IL perfect Il
perspective and Yet with eyy ooiect per :
ectly d1stngulshable. One - - .. .n!s
al a5,rs ~ T., - S11 Is 20 of inteligibIe y
oservahon, and leaves It !, 4, ..lscs @ L- :,
ression OF every lineagas;o oIil ~ sssry eo1nte-
anee, and also With e3in, v1;-S,Sl =, 1;,
lg looked through a ch,IIa9lln1g HInooW' quite T,
esiIY omen upon a Hing prospect quite II
a@
ealiy and infinitely e,s ~ !. - - =.
consider this as go- IN tbs ,o-l1 - ,Hs -, ~
lTrisd of felresp painted By TIntOretto st y
enice. =
onnecfz The v-yyreat Aadonnas one finds q | };
-o-I- hV Ti+isv shich is among the finest he IA
YER nsints5 I is not large picture il has | il
~ We aonrs and they are only half length | a
NJ 7ne iS - sblegt embodiment on canvas of | ;.
e yTilv -PErisee, cunning and hypocrisy. con- >
ndinc, IN q painting for supremacy en- | 81
-ava5 nm his face and the other. one Of n
= fire| conceptions OF Christ. serene and n
1nia1 and beautiful in His severity, point ~
, the tribute money-"Render therefore 81
- 8sar the things which are Casaris'-fhus Oi
,ek those kindling steady eyes, into which st
Fnarlsee can never turn his own base gaze :.
ct; and unto God the things that are Gods ~
aus the import OF the stern reproach which / VI
'cse1s from that lofty brow, that quiet liz. ii,
ne pressnce OF the arch-hypocFite is tole- - =
e ! N or1e. that hypocrisy may be finally pa
utterly oo-ssS5asaed am confounded,oo n of
2 texF 1s az ~ hardly mofsn Enessis sad IN
rciole tnan silent eloquence Of T4tlan's ~
Il seems as though had Fsst fs
tten wen nn1el weigh zpon the inexhanss- =,
2 theme Of the EsOTies OF he Dresden Gal =
" and my note took still 1aerns With sub Y
cts. none OF wflch an / cous6ut 70 pass over | d
thOut some msntlo9. But l must reserve | q
en- as the nucleus hr future communioa- :
J1s, observing that my Manuscript haE already y
sched the usual limits q my eplsIs.- = the s
zws. So it may prove a. judicious towards I
7 iucnlgent readers as got1 for any tendency :
wards prolixity that temps me, to enforce J.
DOn nv pen the wholesome eaching festlna !
nte:'' and with a hearty dw s1tedeTscheRs 6
.main, yours, sc1TEIAS- Z
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