New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-25
DRYOPE AND APOLLO.
A STATUE BY RoBr. BARRETT BROWNING.


To the Editor ofThe tribune.
Ii lisa fortunate thing for Jealous believers in
heredity that in most cases men Of great genius
have married women Of no genius at all, and vice
versa; for it gives them an opportunity to charge
all the commonplace children of such marriages TO
the account of the commonplace partner in the
union. Perhaps the most notable case the world
has ever knoEn of the marriage Of man and n
woman botfS Of commanding and splendid genius
vas that of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning IT, then, the only child of this most ex
ccptional marriage had not bccu touched BY the
divine fire il would have been serious difficulty
for the apostles Of hcrcdity. Fortunately they
have instead, in young Robert Barrett Browning,
n shining confirmation of their theories for lac is
certainly the fit son Of his parents, though nature
made him an artist instead of u poet
He has contributed various fine pictures 20 the
ROYAL Academy, one Of which was a landscape 80
full of poetic charms that it hold sightscers spell
bound even before they knew the painters name,
and rcjoiccd that 80 beautiful a picture was the
work of his mothers son. One 10 now accustomed
TO expect good work from him as a painter; but |
was certainly not prepared for what | saw when
the door of his little studio in the Latin Quarter OF
Paris. opened the other day to admit me.
In that studio is statue, before which stood
delightcd It's subject is the nymph Dryope woocd
by Apollo. Everybody remembers the story, in
the Mythologies of DryOpe-how DryOpe, the
daughter Of King DryOps, passed much of her time
with the Ilamadryads, on Mount Sctaj and how
the great god Apollo, saw and loved her. He first
presented himself 10 her In the form of a tortoise.
She took him on her lap. but lac was 80 beautiful
tortoise that all the other nymphs gathered round
TO see him. which was not at all what tho ardent
god desired. He instantly turned himself, there
fore into the great serpent, the Python, and cocd
and chung round DTyOpc, while all the others ran
away.
1t is this moment on which young Browning has
seized. The girl stands there, proud and graceful
in her nude beauty while round her the Python
coils rearing his head almost To the level of her
lips. Docs she feel his divinity, and rembe at the
knowledge of his powcri Her head is slightly
thrown back-her proud eyes still refuse him, but
her full lips seem almost ready to be won. In one
moment more You can see she will have surrendered,
heart and soul. II is most happily chosen in
slant All terror has been charmed away by dawn
ing love; vet maiden pride still holds the beautiful
form erect still shines from the not quite consent
ing eyes. The figure ia freely and beautifully
modelled the Python Is admirably studied but the
expression of the girls face is the triumph of the
artist.
II is an intensely realistic piece Of work quite in
the spirit of the modern French school. DryOpe IL
"A study from the life. In the studio saw the model
who had stood for IL, with the great live snake
coiling round her. and her face the statues
asked il it was not almost cruel to make her pose
thus snake-embraced; but the sculptor assured
me that she was very fond Of the serpent. When
she first saw him she much afraid, but
Mr. Browning did not ask her to pose till he had
kept his snakeship in the studio for some time;
under the charge of q snake-chamer, and the girl
had become thoroughly accustomed to him, and no
longer shrank from his strange embrace.
The snake himself was "A yer1tablc Python, from
Senegal, and had been resident tor some time at
the Antwerp Museum of Natural History. He was
a creature of noble mind and gentle nature, as be
fitted his high descent. Pythons not poisonous,
but Of the boa-consrictOr type, and only kill their
foes by crushing them. The embrace of this one
might easily have been fatal, for he was ten feet
long and very large. But he never 30 much as
frightened his coils unc0mfortably round the model
during the weary hours and days in which she
stood with him entwined about her, while the
statue grew.
Mr. Browning showed me the box which was the
PythOns HON, when his working hours were over.
say ipds, for alas for art, this good and kindly
snake is dead. He died during the absence from
Paris of Adele the model and when she came
back and saw his empty house, and was told OF his
death, she burst into tears for during their close
association she had grown to love him as IL he had
been human friend.
Robert Browning, pere, has visited Paris TO see
the Dryope, aud is so much delighted with it that
he will have il put into bronze; and we shall see IL
In that enduring form next summer In London.
LOUISE CHANDLER MoULToN.
RGrts, Oct. 80. 1883.