St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-29

art was study, or the studio of an artist
ANYTHING but a shop. He said to the
artist 81 give up my son to you.
He shall be your apprentice or your
servant, as you please, for three years,
and you must pay me twenty-iour
fiorins for his services"
In spite of the insulting words and
the insulting terms, Michael Angelo
consented thus to be hired out as
servant to the artist, who should have
been paid by his father for teaching
him. He had to endure much, indeed,
besides the anger and con empt of his
father, who forbade him even to visit
his house. and utterly disowned him.
His fellow pupils were jealous of his
ability, and ill-treated him constantly,
one of them going so far as to break
his nose with blow.
When Michael Angelo had been with
| GhirlandajO about two years he went
one day to the Gardens of st. Mark,
where the Prince Lorenzo de Medici-
who was the great patron of art in
/ Florence-had established a rich mu-
scum of art works at great expense.
One of the wOrkmen in the garden
gave the boy leave to try his hand at
copying some of the sculptures there,
and Michael, who had hitherto studied
only painting, was glad of a chance to
experiment with the chisel, which he
preferred to the brush. He chose for
/ his model an ancient figure of fam,
which was somewhat mutIlated. The
mouth, indeed, was entirely broken off,
| but the boy was very self-reliant, and
| this did not trouble him. He worked
day after day at the piece, creating
mouth for it of his own imagining,
with the lips parted in laughter, and
the teeth displayed. When he had
finished and was looking at his work,
IA man standing near asked if he might
offer a criticism.
eyes," answered the boy, ''if it is a
lust one"
''Of that you shall be the Judge"
said the man.
every we'll. What is it ~
The forehead of your faun is old,
hut the moHth is young. See, it has IL
full set of perfect teeth. A faun so old
as this one is would not have perfect
teeth"
The lad admitted the Justice of the
criticism, and proceeded to remedy the
defect by chipping away two or three
of the teeth, and chiselling the gums
so as to give them Il shrivelled appear
ance.
The next morning, when Michael
went to remove his faun from the gar
den, it was gone. He searched every
where for it, but without success. FL
nally, seeing the man who had made
the suggestion about the teeth, he
asked him if he know where it was.
"Yes," replied the man, "and if yOu
will follow me I'll show you where it
is"
"Will you give it back to me 7 !
made it, and have Il right to it."
"Oh, if yOu must have 1t, you shall y
With that he led the way into the
palace of the prince, and there, among
the most precious works of art i'll the
collection, stood the faun. The young
sculptor cried out in alarm, declaring
that the Prince Lorenzo would never
forgive the introduction of so rude Il
piece of work among his treasures OF
sculpture. To his astonishment the
man declared that he was himself the
Prince Lorenzo de Medici, and that he
set the highest value upon this work
II am your protector and friend" he
/ duutu. III NOu ~
counted as my son, for you are des-
tined to become one of the great mas
tiers of art"
This was overwhelming good fort
une. Lorenzo de Medici was power
full nObleman, known far and wide tC
be most expert judge of works of art.
His approval was in itself fame and
. fortune.
Filled with joy, the lad went straight.
way to his fathers house, which he had
been forbidden to enter, and forcing
, his way into Ludovico's presence, told
r him what had happened. The father
refused to believe the good news until
Michael led him into LOrenzo's pres
ence.
When the prince, by way of empha,
sizing his goodwill, offered LudOvicc
any post he might choose, he asked fOl
? very modest place indeed, saying
with bitter contempt, that it was goot
, enough "for the father of masOn."-
]