New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
THE CESNOLA STATUES.
REFUTING THE CHARGES OF FRAup.

| collection at the Metropolitan Museum of
| Art. Other charges were made, but the main
| accusation, and the one on which great stress
was laid, was that the well known statue called
"Aphroditc and Eros" and the figure hold
| ing a horned head, numbered 80 in the c0llec-
ton, were a fraudulent patchwork of unrelated
parts. The Trustees of the Museum, in order
to test the truth of these charges, invited
the most thorough examination of the two
statues referred to. Launt Thompson, John
Rogers, Charles Calvcrley, and other we'll
known scuptOrs, have made rigorous exami-
nation, and declare the charges wholly without
foundation. The report of the Museum Com
mittee on Objects of Art and the letters of
the scuptors in regard to this matter are given
below.
HOW THE TRUSTEES MET THE CHARGES.
INVITING TIP MOST CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE
sTATUES-REPORTING THE RESULTS.
In August 1850, q series Of articles under tho
general head of "Tampering with Antiquities" were
published in The Art dn,acr of this city, IN which
General D Ccsnola well known in connection with
the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities, and
at present Director Of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art was charged with having made fraudulent
repairs and unjustable additions TO various statues
committee OF the trustees Of the Museum consist
ing Of President Barnard. of Columbia College.
Chief-Justice Charles p DAILY. the lcv. Dr.. Roswell
ID. Hitchcock, j. Q. A. Ward and W. c. Prime, in
vcsigacd these charges in the winter OF 1851, with
the assistance of well-known scuptOrs. workers in
stone. and scholars, and declared them t. be
false IN every particular The articles
were written the signature OF
CASTOR L. Feuardent. Recently Clarence Cook
followed up these charges by the publication of o
pamphlet entitled "TransmigratIons and Migra-
tions of Certain Statues in the Cesnoa Collectonp
This pamphlet cOntalned detailed charges of fraud
in connection with TWO statues In the Museum col
lection. These two ara the "Aphrodite and Eros"
and the figure holding a horned head. OF the
"Aphrodtr and Eros" Mr.. Cook says that " the
statue is a fraudulent patchwork of unrelated
parts" OF the figure holding horned head he says
that il is really of modern make being built up Of
several fragments belonging originally to different
statues of various sizes"
After the publication of this pamphlet the Execu-
tive Committee of the Trustees of the Museum had
the statues of Aphrodite and Eros and the figure
holdInga horned head placed in the large hall OF
the Museum for Dnblic inspection. and invited
scuptors scholars, journalists and others to gave
them careful examination Several well-khown
sculptors in the city accepted this general invita-
tion and on application To the Museum authori-
ties were given every facility for prosecuting in
vestigations of an exhaustive character Among
these sculptors were Launt Thompson,
John Rogers, Charles Calverley and Robert Ellin.
These gentlemen reported that they found the two
statues mouolithic, and OF homogeneous stone
throughout. The Committee of the Museum Trus-
tees on Objects of Art then prepared report Of
their action in regard to these statues. and of the
results of the examination made of them, and ap-
pended TO it the letters received from the scnpters
The Executive Committee met on Aprll Is and
cepted and approved the report of the Committee
on Objects of Art, and ordered that copies bs
printed for the information of members of the
Museum This report is follows:
NEw-YoRK, April II, 1852.
To Tie Erecatire Committee
The Committee OH Objects of Art respectfully
In obedience to your resolution of March q, as
follows:
The attention Of the Executive Committee Of thu
Trustees having been called by articles IN the daily pa
pers 10 pamphlet which statements made thae
III statile No }2 (Aphrodiie and Eros) IL fraudLlenc
RaG4c 4dne m Horned bead bat up Of several
Fragments belonging originally to dfsIent statues M o.
statue and the lower part OF the body from the breast
down. made OF iaginen rom nsures o. vlIlos rhSs
untrue tha contradiction is needed TO any person
who to examine the statues;
(rdered That the Committee Oh Objects OF Art be
inAtrctrd 20 remove these two statues from their
glass cases and place them on the door o. the grand
hail In Il position with ample light Where they can Do
approached and eNamineh On al sdes ma IneinDers
OF INC Museum, ,le pD%. % anu n, i' schiar - Ia
lie journals scuptoIs' "orHeIh IN roh., sHo.a', anu
a crsons Interested III the trufulnss ot arcAeoiog-
cal objects. be invited Onake inc osI "1I"u eidnlba-
ton Of the statuea
This committee on the 2eth Of March, removed
the statues 81 and 80 from their eases, and placed
them ON ,pcclal exhibition on the floor. near tho
centre of the grand hail. in strong light where they
could be closely inspected by all Visitors
The following placard WaS ie, paeed eon.plGnoa1sy
for all visitors who wished TO take them:
METROPoLITAS MUSEUM OF ART,l
NEw-YoKK, March -, 1882.
Dy order of the Executive Committee.
No. ~. Aphrodte and Eros -, .,
fraudulent patchwork Of unrelated parts, etc, u Ia
placed here foc public examination .Ac statue i,
The he'd having been bioken on was ttpactd. Tho
line fracture through tue neck, ours aud oe@ddress
indicates the Tei laccnent OF inc Lead
By order Of tie Executive Committee.
No 80 Figure h0lding3 horned head.
p OF yoial fIaeoonts belonging originally TO cHereng
statues Of various sizes = that the bust j. tiagment OF
onr staue and the lower part OF the DOy, tho
br,ast dUsSn, made Or ftasmcnts from nsur,s Of
various and differently poised II is placed acre for
% .i'' d~troying The rear part OF tue ba c aud tho
he's -, that the would not stand the eet Is
repaired by inserting IN the back part o tc base abiook
of stone accurately cu 10 take tic weigat Ol tue statue
To tns block lie original feet adjusted. and brss
rods ascending through the block into the lcSs hold
Inc statue uunly m Its original position. This ike
other typr'oc s'a'u's ~ "' '''"e' 'D's'N" :" '-'
The statues have thus remained until the close Of
the winter exhibition on saturday evening last the
I5tl inst and have been inspected BY many thou
sand persons.
The committee have lad numerous requests nom
scholars sculptOrs, workers IN stone ana gentle
men OF intelligence. 10 permit thorough exanlna-
tion of The statues with washings, clIsellngs aid
cutting wIth causuc potash ahd III othef Nay ana
S1Ve i'm ,ll cases given the permission. wlthous
lunir such examinations have been IIcciy made.
and nave invariably demonstrated the truthiulness
,I..f fula nt la. plll sh.I
cusations referred To-.
The committee ON the 18th inst. received a no